Gladiolus Culture 
Gladiolus bulbs must be stored so air can circulate among them. ‘Therefore when 
your shipment of bulbs arrives, open the bags to allow air to get to them and if not 
ready to plant store in cool basement. 
Sslect a planting plot as far from trees and buildings as possible. Trees draw 
moisture and buildings reflect heat. 
Prepare your glad bed well. Spade deep and add plenty of decayed cow manure if 
you can get it, otherwise use a complete artificial fertilizer such as Vigoro. Dig a 
trench 7 inches deep and apply a heavy dusting of Vigoro or similar fertilizer in the 
bottom of the trench. Now cover this with two inches of soil, upon which plant your 
bulbs. This will bring the bulbs 5” below the level. If you want to grow show spikes 
space the bulbs 7 to 10 inches; however, you can plant closer if you must, but glads need 
root room to develop good spikes. 
You cannot expect to grow first class spikes without sufficient water. It usually 
rains enough during the first part of the growing season but glads usually need extra 
water during August. A mere sprinkling is harmful, as it draws the roots to the hot 
surface. Soak them down deep once a week. Keep the ground moist way down 
until the flower is cut. 
Glads are primarily cutflowers. Cut when first bloom opens and develop indoors. 
You can enjoy the spike a long time because a good variety will open every bud to the 
tip, in water. Leave four leaves on the plant to develop the bulb for next year. 
THRIP IS THE MAIN INSECT PEST. Thrip is a tiny insect, a mere speck 
which sucks the life juice from the tender flower buds before the spike emerges from 
the plant. The result is a poor spike, or one whose buds fail to open properly, or 
with mottled injured bloom. 
Fortunately thrip do not overwinter outdoors in cold climates. If thrip are pres- 
ent at digging time, there is danger of carrying them into storage with the newly 
dug bulbs, and if the storage is somewhat warm, thrip will overwinter on the bulbs. 
Therefore if you have bulbs on hand or just bought them, disinfect every bulb you 
plant. We soak all bulbs before planting in a solution made by dissolving 1 ounce 
of Bichloride of Mercury in 7 gallons of water, soaking the bulbs 18 hours, keeping 
the temperature of the solution 60° or over. This dip will kill thrip and their eggs, 
also certain bacteria. 
Since all people do not kill thrip on their bulbs before planting, you may still 
get thrip from other gardens. To be on the safe side, start spraying your plants 
when 4 to 6 inches high, every week with a Tarter Emetic spray, composed of 1 
ounce Tarter Emetic dissolved in 3 gallons of water, and add % pound brown sugar. 
Cover entire plant with a fine spray, not enough to run off. If rain washes off the 
spray you must repeat. 5% DDT dust used in a small dust gun, which will make a 
dust fog, is also now being used to kill thrip on growing plants and is also used on 
bulbs in storage. Dust the glad plants every week, same as the Tarter Emetic Spray. 
OCTOBER is the usual bulb digging month. Cut the tops off close to the bulb. 
Dry in shallow boxes or screen bottom trays until dry enough to remove the old 
bulb and roots. Then store in shallow boxes, cloth bags, or screen bottom trays, 
in coolest place you have but they must not freeze. Temperatures of 34 to 40 over 
winter are ideal, this temperature will discourage thrip in storage. 
Bichloride of Mercury — Tarter Emetic — DDT are poison. 
