GROWING GLADIOLUS 
FOR CUT FLOWERS 
Gladiolus are the country’s leading outdoor commercial cut flower. Their successful culture 
in every section of the United States is proof of their ability to thrive under varying climactic and 
soil conditions. They will grow with excellent results in many different types of soil providing 
drainage is adequate. While they do not like to be submerged in water for any length of time, 
moisture is the largest single factor in the production of top grade spikes. In sections where the 
average monthly rainfall is below 4’, artificial watering is essential. Full exposure to sunlight 
and free air circulation rank next in importance, 
SOIL PREPARATION AND FERTILIZER 
Before planting, the soil should be plowed or dug to a depth of 8”. Fertilizer should be 
broadcast and then harrowed or raked into the soil. Where no specific fertilizer recommendation 
is available for a particular soil, use 1000 pounds of a standard 5-8-7 potato fertilizer per acre 
Opinions differ on the use of fertilizer, with lighter soils usually being more in need of it than 
heavier ones. In heavy soil we have not been able to see any difference between light, heavy, 
and no applications. 
Placing the fertilizer in the rows or in bands alongside the corms is fraught with danger because 
the bracing roots travel extensively in a nearly horizontal direction and just as soon as they 
encounter the fertilizer zone they are burned and the affected plants injured. 
PLANTING AND CULTIVATION 
Grade the bulbs according to size for bulbs of a similar size flower at a uniform time and 
this means a substantial saving in cutting and spraying costs. 
A width of 3 feet between the rows is required where tractor cultivation is practiced, other- 
wise 2 feet will suffice. Make the rows perfectly straight. Open them deep enough to permit 
covering No. | or larger corms with 4 inches of fine soil. Depending on their size, smaller ones 
are covered 2 to 3 inches deep. This applies to average soils. Cover less in heavy soil; deeper 
in sandy one. 
Space the corms evenly—allowing 10 to 15 to the yard, depending on size. (See illustration). 
Set them upright in a perfectly straight line to permit close cultivation. This reduces expensive 
hand weeding in the rows to a minimum. 
To provide an extensive cutting season make successive plantings at weekly or ten-day intervals 
from the time the corms are safe from belated spring frosts until about 75 days before fall frost 
Only No. 1 or larger corms should be chosen for the last plantings. 
Start shallow cultivation as soon as the first shoots make the rows clearly visible and repeat 
as often as necessary to eliminate weeds and maintain a dust mulch. Clean land requires 4 
cultivations during the growing season. 
c 
to > 
DISEASE AND INSECT PEST CONTROL 
The most important factor is the planting of clean, healthy stock. All diseased bulbs should 
be discarded and extreme care should be taken to see that the remainder are free from thrips 
This pest multiplies rapidly and a small original infestation can soon destroy an entire crop 
Next in importance is the maintenance of clean planting and surroundings. Remember that left 
over bulbs or foliage from a previous season can contaminate the new plantings. Regular and 
frequent dusting or spraying is essential. Federal and State experimental stations are constantly 
working out new and better disease and pest control methods. We suggest that you apply to 
your County Agent or Farm Bureau for the latest information available. 
All unhealthy plants should be dug out as soon as discovered and any flower spikes that have 
finished blooming should be cut off and taken from the fields. 
CUTTING FOR MARKET AND LOCAL USE 
Cut the spikes when the lowest bud begins to show color. When wanted for local use 
the flowers will develop a deeper color if allowed to open on the plants, but this, of course, 
requires extra time and care to keep flowers from bruising. 
Because the length of the spike has a decided bearing on the price realized, “hooking’’ them 
out is far superior to the old cutting method, especially since it preserves six of the seven leaves 
on a flowering-size corm. Take a sharp knife and run it, blade down, from the uppermost leaf 
along the stem and parallel with it to within 3 or 4 inches of the base—slicing through the leaf 
margins encountered. At the low point give the knife a quick short twist while pushing the 
blade forward, around and into the stem to give it a nick less than half-way around. Now grasp 
the spike with the other hand somewhat below the lowest bud, give it a slow but steady twist 
and the stem will part where nicked. (See illustration.) 
Gladiolus flowers, when cut, open quickest if exposed to warm humid conditions with plenty 
of water to draw on. If it is desired to retard the opening of the blooms set them upright, without 
water, in a cool place. The tips of gladiolus spikes turn quickly toward the light and therefore 
should be kept upright at all times throughout the entire cutting and marketing procedure. 
SPACE CORMS EVENLY 
40 T1015 TO THE: YARD 
DEPENDING ON 
Sie 
(J 
oO? COVER 
iy CEXNOTESIZE 
eo” 4 IN. DEEP 
° COVER SMALLER 
ONES 2103 IN. DEEP 
Be 
INSERT 
KNIFE 
IN AXIL 
BELOW 
TOP LEAF 
CUT THROUGH 
LEAF MARGINS 
TO WITHIN 3 
OR 4 INCHES 
OF BASE 
TURN BLADE 
TOWARD 
STEM AND 
NICK OR 
SCORE 
BYA 
QUICK 
SHORT 
TWIST OF 
THE WRIST 
GRASP 
SPIKE; 
TWitsT AND 
PULL TO 
SEVER AT 
POINT 
WHERE 
NICKED 
PAGE ELEVEN 
