16 



The Florists^ Review 



Januabt 16, 1920. 



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i^ FINDING THE FLAWS ^ 



POINTS ON PROPER PLANTINa. 



From Successful Gladiolus Growers. 



Although the writer lays no claim to 

 being an expert in growing gladioli, he 

 has, nevertheless, gathered much infor- 

 mation from many successful growers 

 of gladioli in the central states, which 

 will indicate the causes of some florists' 

 lack of success in handling this flower 

 under glass. The points here brought 

 out are based on the actual facts from 

 the experience of these growers and 

 should aid those who have heretofore 

 had difficulty with gladioli indoors. 

 From the information given the latter 

 will be able to find the flaws in their 

 methods of culture. 



One of the least understood factors in 

 growing gladioli in the greenhouse is 

 the time of planting. Only recently a 

 statement appeared in a trade paper 

 that early December was the time to 

 plant gladioli for winter forcing. But 

 as this statement will hold good only 

 for such early varieties as Blushing 

 Bride, which formerly was imported 

 from Europe, it is misleading in regard 

 to the gladioli that are now obtainable. 



Bulbs Must Have Rest. 



We must bear in mind at all times 

 that the law of nature is by far stronger 



than the law of man, and nature de- 

 mands that all bulbous stock, with only 

 minor exceptions, must have a rest. 



Dutch bulbs, for instance, absolutely 

 must have a rest and will not flower sat- 

 isfactorily before early January. They 

 are dried off by the end of June and have 

 a period of six months from the time 

 they shed their one season's flower till 

 they can flower again. Even though 

 they are planted in September or Octo- 

 ber,- they will complete their natural 

 rest before we can force them into 

 flower. 



Paper White narcissi are from a 

 warmei; climate, that of southern 

 France, are quicker in maturing and 

 naturally can be forced earlier and more 

 easily. Still, the early-planted bulbs 

 take longer to produce flowers than late- 

 planted ones, showing that they require 

 a natural rest between periods of 

 growth. 



The prepared hyacinths that we see 

 advertised are rested and cured by two 

 methods. One method is to put them 

 to sleep with ether vapors. The other 

 and more common method is to rest and 

 cure them for a period of about sixty 

 days in a high temperature. 



Rest Period for Qladioll. 



Gladioli are not harvested before the 

 end of October, and many are still green 



Gladiolus Panama. 



( 



in the fields in late November unless cut 

 down by frost. It is reasonable, there- 

 fore, that the bulbs cannot be forced 

 into bloom by planting them in early 

 December without even drying off the 

 roots that have been working all sum- 

 mer. 



Always bear in mind that the gladio- 

 lus bulb demands its period of rest. 

 The period of rest for early varieties 

 is shorter than that for l^te varieties. 



Such varieties as Pink Beauty, Hal- 

 ley, Chicago White, Francis King, Nia- 

 gara, Panama and America require 

 sixty days for outdoor culture, while 

 large varieties, such as Schwaben, re- 

 quire two to three weeks more time for 

 maturing; as this period of time is for 

 summer culture, the growth of the same 

 varieties indoors through the winter 

 months is correspondingly longer. 



As gladioli are dug in October and 

 November and require a resting period 

 of not less than three months — four 

 months is still better — the early matur- 

 ing varieties are the ones to be consid- 

 ered first for indoor growing, since they 

 naturally are better rested than late 

 maturing ones. 



One of the chief causes of failure in 

 growing gladioli indoors is that they 

 are planted too early. The most suc- 

 cessful growers of indoor gladioli will 

 not plant them before February 1. They 

 are able thereby to cut good blooms 

 from ninety-five to ninety-eight per cent 

 of all they plant. 



Moisture Needed in Soil. ' 



These growers insist, also, on plant- 

 ing in ground beds, or at least in 

 benches without strong bottom heat, as 

 gladioli refuse to bloom when bottom 

 heat is applied. Cool culture, in a tem- 

 perature of 42 to 50, suits them first-rate 

 and in such a house they will bloom 

 away ahead of outdoor stock. This tem- 

 perature, of course, is night tempera- 

 ture. A great many growers find it 

 profitable to plant their gladioli in be- 

 tween their carnations. 



At some places I have seen only three 

 inches of soil on a bench and a strong 

 bottom heat. The soil on the bench 

 during the growing season of the 

 gladioli became so dry that it actually 

 baked and cracked. Yet the growers 

 in oharge wondered why the buds 

 blasted. Gladioli will not stand bottom 

 heat unless it is exceedingly gentle. 

 They require a moist, sweet soil. Dry- 

 ness is indicated by the ends of the 

 leaves drying up. Too much moisture 

 and sour soil also show at the tips of 

 the leaves. 



Quality of Bulbs Important. 



Some florists who were unsuccessful 

 and gave up growing gladioli indoors 

 bought stock imported from Europe. 

 This stock, in many cases, was grown 

 between fruit trees in orchards and was 

 of a soft nature, often dug before ma- 

 tured and not of the quality that is re- 

 quired for indoor culture. Growers who 

 have had experience along this line ab- 

 solutely refuse to accept anything but 

 first-prize and first-quality gladioli for 

 indoor planting and even before the 

 war insisted on American-grown bulbs. 



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