Help! What's going on with my gladioli?

[Marthaclematis]

This is my first year of growing flowers and I need some help with a gladioli. It flowered and then the flowers died but now, where the flowers were are tight bud type things, like they're going to flower again, except these small bulbus things are not the same as the 'buds' I saw the first time. Can you tell me what to do? I don't want to leave the stalk if its not going to flower because I guess they're sapping strenght from the bulb under the compost. Are these things seed heads? Sorry to sound so ignorant!!

[Kristen]

Sounds like seed pods to me (but a photo would confirm it). I would cut any stalks that have flower just above the top leaf so that the plant can build up the corm for next year. (You should lift the corms during the winter and store them in a frost-free place)

[Jardiniere]

yes , cut them back after they have flowered - i grew them for the first time last year because a. they were cheap and b. i wanted flowers for cutting.
saved corms and took off loads of little cormlets - now have a small nursery bed under my fig tree where this year i have had leaves but not flowers and next year hope to have flowers....

[Kristen]

I've done the little cormlets thing before, but IME it takes several years before anything comes from them

[Marthaclematis]

Thanks for your replies... so, the little Brazil nut things (on the stem where the flowers were) are corms? And if I plant them and leave them for several years I might get some flowers? I know that the corm under the soil will probably produce corms aswell, but I'm talking about the ones above ground. I like the idea of a nursery! And on a different note, I like the idea of a thunderstorm tonight to cool things down, its about 90 degrees in my non-air conditioned office and I cannot bear it!

[Kristen]

The cormlets are on the corm, which is the "bulb" you planted in the soil. When the plant has died down (in the autumn) and you lift the plants you'll find them attached to the corm.

The ones on the stem are seeds, which you can sow, but if you leave them on the plant it will put its energy into the seed, rather than building up the corm for next year.

[rustylady]

so, the little Brazil nut things (on the stem where the flowers were) are corms? No, Martha - corms are the underground things - the "brazilnuts" are potential seeds but really not worth bothering with. I like the idea of a thunderstorm tonight to cool things down

So do I, we really need some rain but I don't think it's going to happen.

[Snadger]

My gladioli haven't flowered yet but I like a bit of experimentation and fancy a go at planting the seeds. I would imagine some of the glorious colours of 'gladdies' are hybrids so it would be interesting to see what came from seed! Won't be many though as I grow them mainly for cut flowers!
The corm and cormlets being a vegetative reproduction should be the same as the parent............but the seeds????? ................well it's any body's guess??

[Marthaclematis]

All is clear now! I think what I'll do is leave just this one particular plant to put its energy into seeds and maybe try to experiment with growing them. The others I will cut down after the flowers have died so as to conserve energy for the corm. I wonder what the seeds will look like? I'm just going to wait and wait and wait and see... Its exciting this gardening malarkey.

[Jardiniere]

exciting and heartbreaking in equal proportions.....

[Kristen]

"The others I will cut down after the flowers have died so as to conserve energy for the corm."

Just want to make sure:

You should only cut the flower stalk off, just below the flower; don't cut the leaves down until they are dead - i.e. in the autumn / at the first frost. The plant needs the leaves to build up energy in the corm (bulb).