Since the gladiolus bulbs are sensitive to frost, they must be dug up in autumn and overwintered in a frost-free room. If the storage conditions in the winter quarters are too warm, the first shoot tips appear in March and the gladioli sprout. If you want a particularly early gladiolus flower, you can take advantage of this and stimulate the gladiolus in a targeted manner.
How to prefer gladioli?
To grow gladioli, plant the frost-sensitive bulbs in pots with well-drained potting soil and sand in March. Keep them moist and place them in a bright, warm place. Plant the advanced gladioli outdoors after the ice saints.
Promoting gladioli in the pot
You can start planting gladioli in pots for outdoor use as early as March. Since the bulbs don't stay in the planters all summer, you don't need very large pots. It is enough if there is enough space for the bulb and the sprouting roots.
Do the following:
- Cover the water drainage hole of the flower pots with a piece of pottery.
- Conventional potting soil (€10.00 on Amazon), which you mix with a little sand, is suitable for cultivation.
- Place the onion in the pot with the shoot tip facing upwards.
- Only cover about two thirds with substrate. This promotes rapid budding.
- Pour carefully and keep moist but not wet.
It is recommended to plant the gladioli sorted by variety and flower color and label them accordingly. This is necessary so that you have freedom of design later when planting out and can place the gladioli in the bed where they match, depending on their color.
Place the pots in a warm and bright place. Here the gladioli sprout after just a few days and literally shoot up.
Planting gladioli
The advanced gladioli should be carefully accustomed to the changed conditions outdoors. Whenever the temperatures permit, place the pots in a protected, sunny place on the terrace, but initially bring them into the house overnight. Only when there is no longer any threat of frost after the Ice Saints can the gladioli be placed in their summer spot in the bed.
Tip
If you notice that the gladioli begin to sprout in March or April, you should specifically prefer the bulbs. It is still too early to plant them outdoors, as the gladioli react very sensitively to late frosts. However, if you simply let the onions continue to grow in winter storage, the shoots will turn yellow and, if the air humidity is high, there is a risk of fungal infections.