Gladioli advice

[fiveaday]

We have several gladioli in a border which are starting to die back. When I was clearing out some other plants from the border I noticed that some of them have divided and there are two healthy bulbs together.

I just want to know whether I should lift all the bulbs, store and replant in the spring?
Lift and divide just those that have divided but replant back in the border straight away?
Just leave them all in the border as is?

Any experience greatly appreciated.

[rary]

lift your corms for storing leaving about six inches of stem on it, when you lift the corm you usually have two new corms growing from the old one do not remove them as one will develop for planting next year, one of the new corms will dominate and takes all the feeding from the old corm which is discarded along with the failed one next year, to increase your stock of gladioli you could half some of the corms giving both new ones a chance to develop, if you do cut the old corm dust it with a powder the usual one is a sulfur powder (you could try a fungicidal foot powder)
Or if you want to take the chance you could leave the corms in the ground, as long as you don't have sever ground frost they should be fine

[lottie dolly]

SO thats how it's done,thanks Rary,them i had a while ago seem to grow a new bulb on top,and when left in the ground gradualy push upwards,they also have many babies,they seem to crowd out the bulb,and do nothing ong blades of grass like foliage,i might just be tempted to have another go at growing some,and this time leave some stem on,and remember to replant them after

[rary]

Lottie the small bulbs that sometime grow out of the corm takes about three years to grow big enough to flower, so if you have any plant them in a pot of compost and keep them frost free they will grow grass like leaves the first year a larger broader leaf the second year and should flower the third year

[fiveaday]

Thanks rary some great advice and information

[fiveaday]

lift your corms for storing leaving about six inches of stem on it, when you lift the corm you usually have two new corms growing from the old one do not remove them as one will develop for planting next year, one of the new corms will dominate and takes all the feeding from the old corm which is discarded along with the failed one next year, to increase your stock of gladioli you could half some of the corms giving both new ones a chance to develop, if you do cut the old corm dust it with a powder the usual one is a sulfur powder (you could try a fungicidal foot powder)
Or if you want to take the chance you could leave the corms in the ground, as long as you don't have sever ground frost they should be fine

Thanks for the great advice rary.

I've lifted them and there wasn't a corm on the bottom just two side by side, both of which came up this year, plus loads of baby corms.

Should I wash them, trim the roots, split or should I just store as is?

All the babies I'll pot up next year and leave to mature.

[burnie]

So planting them close to a north facing wall and expecting them to get on with it on their own isn't an option then?
I'll move them then lol.

[Martin H]

Thanks for the great advice rary.

I've lifted them and there wasn't a corm on the bottom just two side by side, both of which came up this year, plus loads of baby corms.

Should I wash them, trim the roots, split or should I just store as is?

All the babies I'll pot up next year and leave to mature.

I dry them out completely until the stems come away easily and the gnarly old corm can be snapped off the bottom of the fresh corm with the old shrivelled roots attached. Then I remove any loose skin in case any nasties are hiding in there, and store the clean dry corms in a cardboard box somewhere cool until spring.

I treat the little babies like big seeds. In the spring I'll make a drill an inch or so deep, sow them thinly and cover. By the end of the year most of them will have made big enough corms to flower in 2019.