CARE AND CULTURE 
SOIL AND FERTILIZER 
Glads do well on most any soil if they are planted in the open garden where there 
is plenty of sunshine. You may work well rotted manure into the soil in the Spring 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 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; your plants 
must also have at least an inch of water every three or four days. 
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 six inches of soil. The deeper planting helps 
keep them upright when blooming. Smaller bulbs should be planted not less than two 
inches. You may regulate your distance apart in the row by the space you have. Plant 
rows anywhere from 2 ft. to 3 ft. apart. Plant in rows from two to six inches apart, 
depending on space and number of bulbs. They do well planted close together, but 
require more water. 
DIGGING AND STORAGE 
Our early stock is taken up in late September. The bulbs should be taken up within 
six weeks to two months after blooming but before the tops begin to get brown. Even 
if the tops are green, bulbs should be taken up before the ground freezes deeply. After 
digging cut off the 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 dry. In four weeks 
they will be cured so that old bulbs may be removed from the bottoms. They may then 
be placed in storage. 
The storage temperature is best at 40 to 50 degrees. Your storage room should 
be dry, cool and ventilated and as near uniform as possible as to temperature. It is well 
to look at your bulbs every two or three weeks. 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. 
THRIP 
The adult Gladiolus Thrip is a very small black insect about one-sixteenth of an 
inch long. The injury causes bleaching of the foliage and drying up of the buds so 
they do not open. 
Start spraying when the plants are up 6 or 7 inches high, and spray every week 
or 10 days. The Government experts recommend 2 level tablespoons of TARTAR 
EMETIC (purchase at any drug store), 1-3 lb. brown sugar, 3 gals. of water. Keep this 
concoction well stirred while using as a spray. 
If you are thorough in following out a program of spraying you will have no 
trouble with Thrip. 
