Planting: Plant when your trees are leafing out and soil has warmed, and can be 
planted anytime til] July lst. Almost any soil will do if well drained. Plant in 
full sunshine, in rows as you would corn. Rows at least 18 inches apart. Plant 
large bulbs 4 to 6 inches deep, depending on soil. Light soil deepest, smaller bulbs 
in proportion. Bulblets one and a half inches deep, one inch apart in rows, not 
closer. Plant Gladiolus away from trees and buildings. Rotate plantings. Plant in 
same ground but once in four years. Any soil that will grow a good crop of vegetables 
or weeds is good for Gladiolus. 
Fertilizing: Fertilize--yes and no, use your own judgment but never plant Gladiolus 
bulbs where they might touch green manure (any kind), or come in contact with ferti- 
lizer. Novice growers better let fertilizers alone. 
Cultivation: Cultivate once a week not deeper than 2 inches. If it rains, repeat 
after soil becomes workable (so it will:not clod). Keep your garden free of weeks, 
they take the same water and feed on the same elements as your Gladiolus. 
Watering: After fourth or fifth leaf appears (four or five weeks before blooming), 
water once a week or ten days, one inch of water, if you don’t get rain to that 
amount. Set a flet container in your patch. One inch of water in the container 
indicates one inch of water for that period. After bud spikes appear, same amount 
of water twice a week. 
Spraying: Dust with D.D.T. 5% about once every ten days after plants are up 6 to 8 
inches, or spray with 50% wettable D.D.T. one oz. in 3 gal. water. Repeat after a 
rain. Both control Thrips. Best time to dust, in evening when wind is down. Dust 
should be like light fog. If light breeze let dust float over patch, start to wind- 
ward. Spraying can be done anytime during the day. 
Biooms: Cut your blooms preferably in the morning when one or two florets are open. 
Use a small sharp narrow blade, run down spike, then cut through with a slanting cut. 
Be sure to leave four or five leaves on plant to mature bulb. Place spike in water, 
fresh water every day, cut off half inch of spike each day. Spike will open to tip. 
Use tips for floating table decorations, corsages. To keep for shows, place in cool 
basement; must have some ventilation. 
Digging: Bulbs blooming in July can be dug six weeks after blooming. Those blooming: 
in September will mature in four weeks. Dig plantings before ground freezes. Dig 
with a fork, lift out plant, cut top off flush with bulb, place in shallow trays 
(boxes) not over four inches deep. (Burn tops when dry.) Do not leave in hot sun, 
protect from frost. Dust with 5%D.D.T. After drying three to five weeks, remove 
old bulb from new. Burn old bulb. Do not remove husk from new bulb. When clean and 
dry, dust again thoroughly. 
Storing: Store in cool, dry part of basement, 35° F, to 45° F. is about right. Bulbs 
stored under moist conditions will be more susceptible to disease and storage rot. 
For further information and up to the minute developments and methods, join your 
local or state society and/or 
The New England Gladiolus Society - Dues $3.00 
The North American Gladiolus Council - Dues $1.50 
For your Convenience 
If you wish to include with your order for bulbs - dues in either or both of the 
above societies, we will gladly see that your memberships are properly placed. 
“Enclosed find.my Glad order. Many thanks for the very nice bulbs and 
extras you sent me last year. All grew and bloomed fine. 
L. V. H.--New Jersey 
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