HEBERLING’S GLADIOLUS 7 
NOTES 
SOIL AND FERTILIZER 
Any good garden soil is ideal. Glads do well on most any soil if they are planted in the open 
garden where there is plenty of sunshine and a reasonable amount of moisture. Soil should be 
well drained. If your soil is not strong, you may apply manure and turn under in the fall, or 
you may work well rotted manure into the soil in the spring. If manure is not available you 
may use pulverized sheep or cow manure by putting into the bottom of your planting trench, 
then covering with an inch of soil, then planting your bulbs. Vigoro is also good. Two or three 
applications of commercial fertilizer may be made on the surface along the rows during the 
growing season and before the plants bloom. Any fertilizer should be kept from direct contact 
with the bulb or foliage. If you wish to grow immense spikes you must fertilize heavily but 
your plants must also have at least an inch of water every three or four days. Heavy fertilizing 
with insufficient water will make your spikes a disappointment. 
TREATING BULBS 
We treat all of our stock before planting with Corrosive Sublimate. One ounce to ten gallons 
of water. Soak bulbs or bulblets over night in wood container. This treatment is a preventative 
against scab and rot and also is said to be a sure killer of thrip. We have never had thrip. 
PLANTING 
Work soil to a depth of eight inches, or ten inches will be better. For large bulbs they should 
be covered with not less than four inches of soil and many cover them with six inches. The 
deeper planting helps keep them upright when blooming. Smaller bulbs should be planted 
more shallow but not less than two inches. You may regulate your distance apart in the row 
by the space you have. Plant rows anywhere from twelve inches to two feet apart in garden, 
depending on space. Plant in rows from two to six inches apart, depending on space and number 
of bulbs. They do well planted close together, making fine spikes but require more water. Also 
you should have richer soil or more fertilizer to get large spikes if planted close. You may, of 
course, plant in beds, spacing the bulbs about six inches each way. 
BULBLETS 
In planting the rare kinds it is quite common to remove a part of the hard shell first, then keep 
in moist cloth or damp sand until bulblets sprout, then plant, covering with about two inches 
of fine soil. They should not be allowed to dry out during this process of germination. Tempera- 
ture about 70° F. The commercial varieties are generally put in cloth bags and soaked in water 
for a day or two or three, then taken out for a day and then put back to soak. This process may 
be repeated several times until bulblets sprout, then plant. 
DIGGING AND STORAGE 
With us our early stock is taken up in late September and from that time on we are busy digging 
until about November first. The bulbs should be taken up within six weeks to two months 
after blooming but before the tops begin to get brown. Even if tops are green, bulbs should be 
taken up before the ground freezes deeply. After digging cut off tops close to bulb and put in 
screen bottomed tray to cure. They should have plenty of ventilation while curing and must not 
be put in containers more than three or four inches deep. Stir them every few days and keep in 
dry, well ventilated place. In two or three weeks they will be cured so that old bulbs may be 
removed from the bottoms. With a few more days to dry they may then be placed in storage. 
Bulbs should be dry and free from moisture when placed in storage. The storage tempera- 
ture is best at 40 to 45 degrees F. However, they do very well at 50 degrees F. if you cannot 
keep it cooler. Your storage room should be dry, cool and ventilated and as near unitorm as 
possible as to temperature. It is well to look at your bulbs every two or three weeks and see 
what the condition is, if they are showing signs of too much moisture or looking mouldy, dry 
them out and give better ventilation. Keep them in small containers and spread thin. 
If you have had thrip, use Naptheline flakes in stored bulbs but not too heavy nor for 
more than ten days at a time. When your shipment of bulbs arrives unpack at once and open 
bags, letting in the air. If they appear moist allow them to dry before storing. 
»—> “The Cream of the Stock Goes to the Early Buyers” <« 
