V^^cj 



sr* 



GROWING GLADIOLI 



IN THE GREENHOUSE 



High prices procurable for all kinds of cut flowers urge the grower to 

 fill all his available space in. order to increase production to keep pace with 

 the demand. Gladioli furnish one means of doing it just now, either planted 

 among the carnations or in a bench by themselves. 



HEN production is as im- 

 portant to the greenhouse 

 owner as it is this season, 

 both to offset the cost of 

 growing stock and to take 

 advantage of the high 

 prices paid for flowers, flo- 

 rists will want to make 

 more use than before of 

 such crops as gladioli in 

 order to fill all available space. In 

 the carnation houses is room for them, 

 either between the rows, in the mar- 

 gins^ or in the blank spaces caused by 

 plants dying. Such conditions suit them 

 exactly, for gladioli do best in a house 

 with a low temperature. It is a mis- 

 nomer to speak of 

 "forcing" gladioli. 

 They . do not re- 

 spond well to high 

 temperature. A slow 

 growth produced by 

 gentle application 

 of heat allows the 

 foliage to develop 

 perfectly, but if too 

 much heat is given, 

 the tip becomes yel- 

 low and brown and 

 injures the sale of 

 the flower. 



Planting Corms. 



Although it jmay 

 be handiest to plant 

 them immediately 

 in the carnation 

 benches, the corms 

 do better if potted 

 and placed under- 

 neath the benches 

 until the pots are 

 filled with roots. 

 They may be 

 planted in flats and 

 stored in coldf rames 

 until sometime in 

 February or March, 

 when they should 

 be brought in and 

 developed with only 

 m d e r art e heat. 

 Gladioli are exceed- 

 ingly slow in show- 

 ing growth and ac- 

 tually make but 

 little until spring, 

 when the sun rises 

 higher. At first the 

 heat should not be 

 over 50 degrees at 

 night; after they 

 are well established, 

 however, about 5 de- 

 grees mors may be 



safely added to the night temperature. 



After the buds begin to form, liquid 

 manure should be applied once a week. 

 Water may be given freely in the later 

 stages of growth, but not too much 

 should be given while the plants are in 

 the earlier stages. 



Some growers advocate placing the 

 bulbs two inches under the surface of 

 the soil, so that the latter may provide 

 a means of support for the plant. Others 

 maintain that by scarcely covering the 

 bulbs with soil, damping off is pre- 

 vented. In either case care must be 

 taken, if the gladioli are not planted in 

 a carnation bed, to see that proper sup- 

 port is provided by the time the height 



Gladiolus Lily Lehman, a Leader Among Whites* 



of growth requires, for falling over is 

 generally ruinous to the flower spike. 

 Several stakes, one at each end of the 

 rows crosswise of the, bench, with string 

 stretched between, are sufficient. 



In cutting the spikes care should be 

 taken not to cut too near the soil. If 

 one does, the bulb is damaged and will 

 not do so well the next year, either 

 under glass or outdoors. If the spike is 

 not cut too close, the corm will renew 

 itself as well as in outdoor culture and 

 can either be forced the second year or 

 planted outside. It appears, however, 

 that if the forced bulbs are given a 

 year in the open before being forced a 

 second time, their vitality is increased. 



Varieties are 

 chosen for forcing 

 which blooip early 

 and are vigorous 

 and healthy. With 

 such gladioli the re- 

 sults are best, both 

 as to culture and 

 time of blooming. 



Strong Varieties. 



Since the object is 

 to put good spikes 

 on the market a 

 sufficient period of 

 time before the out- 

 door blooms appear 

 to secure returns 

 enough higher to 

 compensate the 

 grower for his 

 trouble and expense, 

 it is needless to say 

 that the earlier one 

 is able to get good 

 stock the better. 

 But one's desire to 

 have blooms early 

 should not overbal- 

 ance his desire to 

 have them good, or 

 the returns will not 

 be adequate. There 

 are now such good 

 varieties of gladioli 

 produced that retail 

 florists, and the pub- 

 lic, look for some- 

 thing really wprth 

 while. When this 

 appears early in 

 spring, before out- 

 door stock is any- 

 where near ready, 

 prices are corre- 

 spondingly T e m u - 

 nerative. This sea- 

 son this will be es- 

 pecially true. 



