Fikes’ (Slad (Sardens 
Valparaiso, Nebraska 
“Valley of Paradise’ 
‘ 
GLADIOLUS CARE AND CULTURE 
These gladiolus bulbs have been state inspected which assures you they are free from dangerously injurious disease and _ pests. 
Bulbs purchased from us have been treated with 5% DDT dust to further insure thrip free stock. 
WHEN RECEIVED, open package at once to admit air. Store in a cool, dry place until planting time. 
PLANTING & CARE. Planting 2 successive years in the same soil should be avoided whenever possible. However, if this is neces- 
sary, greater care should be taken to always plant clean bulbs. Dig and destroy any bulbs found to be diseased during the summer. If 
you have bulbs of your own, you should carefully inspect them before combining with your new stock and prior to planting. Any 
bulbs showing signs of rot or other disease should be destroyed. 
If you desire to disinfect your bulbs, Lysol is recommended and can be obtained at any drug store and is a safe compound to use. 
You may soak bulbs and bulblets in a solution of 1 teaspoon to 1 qt. water for 3 hours just prior to planting allowing to drain for 30 
minutes and plant while still wet. Solution may be used more than once if care is taken to strain after each dipping to insure against 
mixing varieties. 
Early planting should be done when your local trees and shrubs are leafing out. Successive later plantings should give you continu- 
ous blooms through the summer and fall. Allow ample time for maturity. The average time required between planting and blooming 
is about 85 days. An additional 4 to 6 weeks should be allowed after blooming to mature your bulbs. 
Glads will grow in most any soil but prefer a sandy loam that is well drained and prepared. They do not like wet feet, nor do they 
like lime. They prefer a slightly acid soil. If your soil is worn out, a good plan is to turn under some cow or hog manure in the fall. 
Do not use horse or chicken manure unless thoroughly decomposed. 
Plant large bulbs 4 to 6 inches deep (smaller ones 3 inches) in well pulverized soil and allow 3 or 4 inches between bulbs. For best 
results, cultivate often, especially after a heavy rain and keep a dust mulch during dry weather. Frequent thorough waterings will help, 
especially prior to blooming. If rainfall is insufficient give them a thorough watering (at least 1 inch) every week after 4th or 5th leaf 
shows for the best blooms. Thrips are the worst enemy of glads. These small black insects are about 1/16 inch long and are hard to see. 
Usually they remain hidden in the leaf sheath during the day emerging at night or on cloudy days. Small silvery patches may be seen 
on the foliage, or, if the infestation is bad enough, the blooms will be discolored and may not open at all. Even though you have taken precau- 
tions with your own bulbs, thrips will come in from your neighbors. Dust every 10 days with 5% DDT dust from the time your plants are 6 
in. high until spikes appear. More frequent applications may be used without injury to the plants, if thrip damage is noted. Get your neigh- 
boring glad growers-to do the same. Prices and additional information on DDT will be found in our catalog. 
CUTTING BLOOMS. Cut your spikes when the bottom one or two florets have opened. Use a sharp knife and slide the blade down 
along the stem turning to make a slanting cut. This slant will allow more surface for the spike to absorb water than would a square 
cut. Always leave at least 4 leaves on the plant to mature the bulb. Cut all bloomed-out spikes promptly and remove all plants showing 
yellow or brown foliage, or spotted foliage and dwarfed mottled blooms. 
DIGGING AND CURING BULBS. Gladiolus bulbs ordinarily mature in 6 or 8 weeks after blooming, except that this period is much 
shorter for September and early October blooming. A few varieties appear to mature in a much shorter time and must be dug when the 
first sign of brown foliage appears; in general it is better to dig most varieties before such signs appear, as bulb diseases appear quickly 
after the foliage turns brown. All bulbs must be dug well before danger of the ground freezing hard. Also, if possible, bulbs should only 
be dug when the soil is reasonably dry. Cut (do not break) the stem off close to the bulb immediately and dry quickly to prevent disease. 
This can be done by placing bulbs, if possible, in shallow wooden trays with screen wire bottoms. Bulbs should not be over 4 inches in 
depth. One day in the open sun prior to placing in an airy shelter will help. Leave in this shelter several days before moving them to 
your basement unless, however, the nights are too cold. Air circulation is very important during the drying process. Occassional stirring 
of the bulbs in damp weather hastens curing. An electric fan directed on the bulbs will help dry them rapidly and thus help prevent 
disease. In, 3 or 4 weeks, the old bulb and roots can be readily removed and the bulbs put in your storage trays or open paper bags for 
the winter. Old tops should be burned as soon as possible to kill any thrips. 
STORE, if possible, in a cool, well ventilated, dry place that is free from frost. After bulbs are completely dry, dust them with 5% 
DDT. Use either a hand duster or with small quantities, place them in a paper bag with a small amount of DDT, close bag and turn 
gently several times to coat bulbs. Put in basement as previously mentioned. The temperature of the average basement is satisfactory but 
a temperature of about 40° is ideal. 
We would like to hear from you as to your success. 
H. D. & R. E. FIKE, Props. 
