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If the rose is considered the queen of garden flowers, then the gladiolus is, if not a king, then at least a duke. Today, a huge number of varieties of this royal plant are known, ranging from snow-white to a velvety-dark almost black shade. If you plant gladioli correctly and carefully care for them, they will become a real decoration of your garden plot. Today's article is devoted to the peculiarities of preparing gladioli in the conditions of the Urals.
Preparation
Preparation of plants for planting begins in the autumn, when the corms are dug out of the soil. Gladioli corms are stored in the cellar. Gladiolus belongs to the category of perennial plants, but in the harsh Ural conditions it is grown according to the same algorithm as annuals garden flowers. The main condition for successful planting and further growing of gladioli is the properly organized storage of planting material.
About 3 weeks before planting, the corms are reviewed and sorted. To facilitate the germination process, it is necessary to clear the scales from the bulb. Tubers with visible signs of disease should be discarded immediately.If the diameter of the tuber exceeds 8 cm, you should cut it without touching the sprouts. This manipulation contributes to the rejuvenation of planting material, since old tubers are prone to degeneration. If you use purchased bulbs, then pay attention to the size of the bottom. The smaller the bottom, the younger the planting material.
In addition to the rejuvenation procedure, it is necessary to clean the mother tuber from the “babies”. The “babies” must be separated with great care so as not to damage the tuber.
How to germinate tubers
A month before planting, the tubers are cleared of scales and placed in a single layer in boxes. They are placed on the windowsill. A well-lit, dry place makes it possible to obtain good shoots without roots. Mostly intact tubers are germinated. If the lesions are small, they are cut off and the sections are treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or brilliant green. Vernalized plants begin to bloom two weeks earlier.
To reduce the risk of diseases, you need to treat the corms with chemical compounds.
- Solutions of fufanon or decis - against diseases such as thrips or whitefly. The etching duration is 30 minutes.
- Soaking in a 0.7% solution of potassium permanganate or in foundationole – from bacterial and fungal infections. The duration of soaking is 20 minutes - half an hour.
How to choose a landing site
Planting and caring for gladioli in the Urals requires skill and patience. Gladiolus is beautiful, but rather capricious. In order for the luxurious stems to delight you with their beauty, you will have to work hard. Gladiolus is a complex crop that requires careful care. First of all, you need to choose the right place for planting tubers.Plants love fertile, well-loose soil and good lighting. If you plant the bulbs in a shaded place, the plant will bloom 1.5-2 weeks later, and sometimes it does not bloom at all.
It is necessary that the area where the plants are planted is well ventilated, otherwise they may get sick. And if the planting site is chosen incorrectly, the planting material will turn out to be unsatisfactory. At the same time, strong gusts of wind should not be allowed. Strong wind depresses the plant. In addition, it can cause flower stalks to break off.
The best soil options for gladioli are:
- Chernozems.
- Loams.
- Sandy loam.
If we are dealing with clay soils, then they need to be planted at a shallower depth. You cannot use the same area for gladioli for two years in a row. It will be possible to return back to the same site in no less than four years. You should not plant gladiolus where asters or phlox were planted before, since these plants have approximately the same list of diseases.
When digging up an area intended for planting gladioli in the autumn, you need to apply mineral fertilizers. Their number, per square meter of area, is as follows.
- Superphosphate – 50 g.
- Potassium sulfate – 20-30 g.
In addition, humus is used to fertilize the soil. Fertilizers are applied in the spring in the same quantity.
The distance between plants when planting is 15-20 cm, between rows - 30 cm. Planting depth is.
- For large tubers – 8-12 cm.
- For heavy soils - 6 -10 cm.
- For light soils – up to 15 cm.
Planting gladioli
It is important to correctly determine the time of planting plants in the ground.The optimal planting depth is 20 cm. The temperature should be from 8 to 10 degrees. Landing time is from mid-April to early May. Even if frosts occur, they cannot harm the planted bulb. The disembarkation order is as follows:
- The tubers are planted in the sand.
- They are crushed with wood ash.
- Another layer of sand.
- The resulting “sandwich” is poured with a weak, slightly warmed solution of potassium permanganate.
- Soil layer.
This creates more favorable conditions for the growth of gladioli even in the heaviest soil conditions. In addition, it is very easy to remove planting material in the fall.
Features of care
Caring for plants planted in the soil is as follows:
- Regular watering is required. For flowering plants, increased watering is practiced. If you deprive a flowering plant of water, the flower stalks will simply fade, never delighting you with a riot of colors.
- Loosening the soil approximately once every 10 days and hilling the plants.
- Plant nutrition. After a month, nitrogen fertilizers are applied per 1 m2 30 g, then more superphosphate with potassium sulfate (25 and 10 g, respectively). Feeding stops in mid-August.
- Regular weeding.
- Timely removal of dried flowers so that they do not draw nutrients onto themselves.
- To weeds did not grow so intensively, mulching the soil helps.
- Tying to a support or hilling to a height of 10 cm. Particular attention should be paid to flower stalks that have deviated from the vertical after rain. The stem is saturated with moisture and breaks easily.
- If you cut flowers for a bouquet, you must leave at least four leaves so that the tubers develop normally.
- Timely culling of plants with visible signs of disease.
In general, there is enough concern.As befits a self-respecting crowned lady, gladiolus is capricious, whimsical and simply loves to be pampered, cared for and cherished. The question involuntarily arises: do you need it? Taking care of plants almost all year round only to mercilessly cut them off, at least on September 1st? The answer is yes.
- Firstly, without gladioli on the site it is boring.
- Secondly, planting these flowers and caring for them is not easy, but incredibly interesting.
- Thirdly, if you do everything according to the rules, the result will be simply stunning.
The best varieties for growing in the Urals
The Urals have harsh winters and cool, humid summers. Unfortunately, not all varieties can tolerate the conditions of a sharply continental climate. Let's look at the varieties that are best suited for the Urals.
Oscar
An unusually beautiful variety with flowers of rich bright red color. The flowers are large and triangular in shape. The height of the plant reaches 120 cm. The inflorescence is 50 cm long. The diameter of the blooming flower is 12-14 cm. The leaves are long, thin, and pointed in shape. Peduncles are resilient, but in strong winds it is recommended to tie the plants to supports.
If the summer is dry, the variety requires increased watering. Tubers are planted in prepared soil in April. Planting depth is 10-15 cm. To extend the time gladioli blooming, it is recommended to plant plants in stages, with an interval of 14 days.
After digging, the tubers are dried in the room for several days and then transferred to the basement, where they are stored until spring. It is important that the room for storing planting material is cool, but not frozen.
Washington
A cold-resistant plant with unusually beautiful, pinkish flowers.The conditions for growing and caring for these gladioli are the same as for the Oscar variety.
Black Magic
A magnificent plant with ruby-red flowers, like fine wine. The diameter of the blooming flower is 15 cm. The height of the plant is 100 cm.
imbricated
A perennial low-growing plant, the height of which is 40-70 cm. Gladiolus flowers are bluish-purple. It is used not only as a garden plant, but also as a medicinal plant. The infusion is used for allergic reactions, kidney stones, and also as a wound healing and vitamin remedy.
Byzantine
A low-growing plant with a stem height of 45-60 cm. The width of the flowers is 5-6 cm. The flowers have a purple or crimson hue, with a white stripe in the center. Gladiolus "Byzantine" is a winter-hardy variety. The plants are quite unpretentious; they grow on a variety of cultivated soils, but most of all they like sandy loam with organic fertilizers. When planting in clay soil, sand must be added to the hole.
Cardinal
The height of the plant is about 90 cm. The length of the inflorescence is 54 cm, with 14 large flowers of a light cherry color with a yellow stripe. The flowering time of these gladioli is September.
Conclusion
As you can see, even in the difficult Ural climate, you can grow these royal flowers on your plot. You just need to try.
