Gladiolus Culture in a Nutshell 
When bulbs are received, open package and bags at once to admit air and 
store in cool dry cellar. Correct temperature for bulb storage about 40: degrees 
Fahrenheit. 
The proper time to plant is when the ground is somewhat warmed up which 
is usually about the time trees begin to leaf. Naturally, this condition varies 
according to the locality, we find we can start bulblets around April 10th, and 
bulbs a week or so later. The best places to plant bulbs are spots in your garden 
which get lots of sunlight and away from trees, shrubs, etc., which tend to take 
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all the moisture from the ground. 
Gladiolus will grow in any kind of soil, but there must be good drainage. 
They can take a large amount of moisture but, under no circumstances, will they 
thrive in continually “wet’’ spots. 
We recommend the “dipping’’ or ‘“‘disinfecting’’ of bulbs prior to planting, 
regardless of whether they are your own grown stock or new purchases. This is 
a safe-guard to kill thrips and also any possible disease on the bulbs. 
Effective disinfectants which we have used to advantage are Lysol, Bichloride 
of Mercury or Ceresan. Temperature of the liquid should be around 70 degrees. 
Treating of bulbs should be done just prior to planting. 
Using the Bichloride of Mercury (Corrosive Sublimate) SOAK from 12-16 
hours in a solution of one ounce to seven gallons of water. Use only wooden, 
glass or crockery containers. This is very effective BUT it definitely holds up 
growth for about a week. 
Lysol dip: 1 tablespoon of Lysol to 1 gallon of water, SOAKING the bulbs 
four to eight hours. We find this very good for both thrips and diseases. 
Ceresan: This is a dangerous poison so be careful. Use an ounce of the new 
improved ceresan to about two gallons of water with an ounce of Spreader added. 
Mix the spreader and the ceresan thoroughly in a small amount of water first. 
Bulbs should not be left in this mixture any more than thirty minutes. This 
treatment particularly good for diseases. 
If thrips are detected once the plants are well up, two methods are used 
extensively. Either spraying or dusting. Spraying is a lot of work and we have 
found that dusting is just as good. 5% D.D.T. powder will do the trick. If you 
have found this unsatisfactory, then spraying can be done by using either 50% 
D.D.T. Foliage Spray or Tartar Emetic. If using Tartar Hmetic, the proper 
solution is 3 gallons of water, 4% teaspoons of Tartar Hmetic and 1 cup of 
brown sugar. If sugar is. not available, then use corn syrup or molasses. 
Cultivation or stirring of soil is a great factor. This should be done often 
to keep the soil loose and eliminate all the weeds. 
When cutting blooms, do not cut too close to ground. Always leave at least 
3 leaves on the plant and more if you can. We ourselves have made it a practice 
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