Growing gladioli in Siberia: planting and care

Planting any heat-loving plants, and not just growing gladioli, in the harsh northern conditions is a very daring event. But if you know the basic nuances and agrotechnical methods, you can successfully grow beautiful and healthy gladioli.

Growing gladioli: planting time

Planting time depends on the ambient temperature in spring. In order to plant gladiolus bulbs in the soil, it must warm up by at least 10 degrees to a depth of 10-15 cm. And this most often occurs in mid-May. It is better not to plant in cold ground, since you will wait for flowering for a very long time.

Growing gladioli: a place to plant

The place for planting this flower should be well lit, and also protected from wind and drafts. The best soil for them is considered to be black soil, but if this is not available, then it can be planted on loamy or sandy loam soils.

Preparatory work

Before planting, you need to prepare the soil, preferably in the fall. To do this, we select a sunny and wind-protected area, dig it up, remove all weeds. After that, we add 15 kg of humus per square meter to the soil and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers at the rate of 40 g per square meter.

In the spring, the soil needs to be loosened, saturated with air and fertilized with nitrogen (30 g per sq.m.)

In addition to the soil, the gladiolus bulbs themselves are prepared before planting. To do this, the tubers are taken out of storage, examined for rot, pests, and diseases. Peel off the husk.

Next, the bulbs are disinfected, usually with a solution of potassium permanganate, but any other disinfecting solution can be used. The bulbs are kept in this solution for about a day. After that, the bulbs are germinated for 7-10 days. Place them in an open container with damp gauze, burlap or other material. After germination, the bulbs develop small roots that will help the plant take root faster.

Landing

You need to plant gladioli at a great distance from each other, at least 10 cm. The optimal distance is 20 cm. The size of the flowers will depend on this. The greater the distance, the larger and taller the flowers. The depth of planting gladiolus in the holes depends on the size of the bulbs. Small to a depth of 6-7 cm, medium to 8-9 cm, large 11-15 cm. After planting, mulch the soil around the plant. The mulch will retain moisture and help protect the bulbs from a cold snap.

Care

1. Not much in spring, as the soil dries up. When leaves appear on the plant and flowers begin to form, watering should be increased. Watering one plant requires up to 10 liters of water, depending on the size of the flower and the variety.

2. After watering or rain, loosen the soil so that the air passes to the roots. Simultaneously with loosening, remove all grown weeds, as they take food, water and space from the plant.

3. Plant nutrition is also needed. At the beginning of growth, they are fed with nitrogen fertilizers, as soon as the flowers appear, the amount of nitrogen is reduced, and the amount of potassium and phosphorus is increased. You need to feed the plant at least three times. A month after planting, nitrogen, two months later, nitrogen, during the flowering period, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. For each square meter, 30-35 grams of fertilizer are used.

Autumn works

The bulbs need to be dug up in late autumn. But there is no need to rush into this. For the bulbs to harvest next year, they must ripen well. Therefore, they are left in the soil until early October. The soil and a thick layer of mulch will keep them from freezing in case of frost.You need to dig up the bulbs with young shoots. Carry out this procedure, if possible, on a warm and dry day. After digging, the bulbs need to be dried in the fresh air for several hours. After that, they are transferred to a warm, well-ventilated room and dried there completely. After two weeks, the shoots are cut off, laid out in boxes or boxes and placed in a dark, dry and cool (temperature from 0- + 8 degrees) storage place until next season.

As you can see, gladioli can be grown in harsh Siberian conditions. The most important thing is to plant them correctly, provide good care and dig them up in time for storage. All this will not take you much time and effort. But in the summer you can enjoy the bloom of this beautiful flower.