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Gladiolus Culture 
BULBS—Secure your bulbs from a reliable source. Do not try to grow the new 
and expensive kinds until you find out you. can grow the standard varieties of 
Proven merit well enough to compare with the ones grown locally for the com- 
mercial market. Look over all of the bulbs to be planted and discard and burn 
the ones that have any suspicious spots or blemishes on them. Best results for 
flower production are secured by planting either No. 1 or No. 2 bulbs, but with 
an extra effort you can make No. 3 bulbs perform almost as well as the big ones, 
b.t it takes water and fertilizer to do it. 
In case you find indication of disease (100% clean bulbs are scarce as 
“hen’s teeth”) it might be well to treat your bulbs with a LYSOL solution. 
This is made up by using 1 teaspoon of Lysol to 1 quart of warm water— 
not over 90 degrees. Just so it feels luke-warm to your hand should be 
about right. Soak your bulbs and bulblets in this solution after it is well stirred 
up, for approximately 6 hours——a little more or a little less is O. K. should it 
be necessary to do so. Plant the bulbs after they have drained 30 minutes. 
SOIL—Glads will grow in any place where you can grow good potatoes. This 
means that you should pick out a spot where there is practically no shade except 
in the very late afternoon. Best results are obtained when ate right A the 
open. Plow or spade the soil to a depth of 8 inches—and work it until it is : san 
apis free aesas Some good complete fertilizer like VIGORO worked cae oh Dns pars ge 
into the soil will be beneficial too. Apply this at the rate of 2 lbs. to the 100 inom Fees Altea hard 
feet of row. Well rotted cow manure may be applied, but is generally better if workes hace Rem eeied 
put on the Fall before. when we are able to cut five 
PLANTING—M%syy be started in the Spring as soon as soil is workable. On the foot spikes like these of 
Pacific Coast, early plantings usually start in March and can be staggered until White Gold and a few other 
the middle of June. This will give a blooming season from approximately July varieties. 
1st to October 1st. Your early planted bulbs will most likely produce the best Glads properly cut and cared 
blooms as they will flower before the hottest summer days set in. For large for are “‘money in the bank”. 
No. 1 and No. 2 bulbs, plant from 4 to 6 inches deep—depending on the Follow the few simple rules 
heaviness of your soil. The heavier the shallower is a good motto. Never less in glad growing and you too 
than 4 inches deep however. No. 3 and No. 4 bulbs will do nicely if planted can make it a profitable busi- 
not over 4 inches deep. No. 5 and No. 6—3 inches should be sufficient. ness or an enjoyable hobby. 
Bulblets should be planted in a flat bottom trench (about 4 inches wide) and 
covered with a fine soil to a depth of not more than 3 inches. The rows on all your bulbs can be ridged up 
some, then you may scratch off the first inch or so and kill the first crop of weeds at the same time. 

CULTIVATE your glads often. If you are not irrigating them they will require more cultivation as this tends 
to hold the moisture. Be careful not to cultivate too deep, 2 inches or less should be sufficient. 
WATERING—For the very best results, irrigation of your glads is desired. If you do not have sufficient rain- 
fall to amount to an inch every week or ten days, apply enough water to make up this difference. A good way 
to test this is to place some coffee cans at various spots in your garden or field and measure once a week. 
DUSTING—Of all the methods for combating the Gladiolus thrip, the use of DUST seems to be most efficient. 
We use a 10% D.D.T. Dust that knock the thrips for a “loop”. This dust can be applied by the use of a 
hand duster on small patches, or by using a power duster on acreage. The main thing to watch is for some 
certain spot that shows signs of thrip (A silver look to the foliage) then go to work every 4 days and saturate 
the spot as well as the surrounding plants for a distance of 50 ft. in all directions with the D.D.T. dust. 
If this does not keep them down, of course you will have to dust the entire planting about once per week. Only 
about 1 year in five, do we have much trouble with these pests, but it is a good thing to be prepared in case 
they do move in. (Prices on 10% D.D.T. Dust can be found in our catalog.) 
CUTTING—Glads are best when cut with only one flower open, then taken indoors to open out. Cut the 
spike from the plant on about a 45 degree cut; leaving at least four leaves on the plant. Cut off all bloomed out 
spikes and destroy them by burning, as this is a breeding place for millions of thrip. It is also a good idea to 
dig up all plants showing any yellow and brown foliage, or dwarfed or mottled blooms. These should be 
burned also. 
DIGGING AND STORAGE—From 6 to 8 weeks after your glads are through blooming, they will begin to 
ripen off. You can tell this partly by the foliage, which will gradually turn brown, and by the bulbs and bulb- 
lets. If the bulblets on the mother bulb are gray and begin to drop off readily, it is then time to harvest them. 
This is done by using a spade or fork along the side of the row and gently lifting them out. Be sure to cut 
the stalks off as close to the bulb as possible immediately after lifting them, then place them in a shallow con- 
tainer such as a peach crate or screen bottom tray if you prefer. After your bulbs are dusty dry—which 
should be in about one week after digging it would be well if you dusted them with the 10% D.D.T. dust to 
discourage any thrip that might be on them. Soon after this, you may be able to remove the old roots and 
original bulb you planted the Spring before, leaving a clean scar on the bottom of your new bulb. If they do 
not break clean, take a close look at them to determine if they are diseased. If so, discard them by burning. 
After the bulbs have been cleaned, again give them a light dusting of D.D.T. (10%) and place in a cool, 
airy spot with temperatures between 40 and 50 degrees until planting time in the Spring. 
THE PERRIN GARDENS 
2314 N. E. ALBERTA STREET PORTLAND 11, OREGON 
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