Proud gladioli, or fenders, with flower stalks tending upwards and leaves looking like swords, justify their name, which is translated from Latin as “sword”. And although these bright flowers have been familiar to many since childhood, they are quite whimsical and only zealous flower growers please with their flowering. From this article, find out what and how to do to accelerate the growth and flowering of gladioli.

How to accelerate the growth of gladioli

The usual flowering time of the fennel is July, August, September. When the gladiolus blooms depends not only on the precocity of the variety, but also on the timing of its planting. Therefore, one of the ways to accelerate the flowering of a skewer is his earlier landing.

An effective way to stimulate rapid growth and further flowering is to soak the corms in a mineral solution. To prepare it, you need to dissolve potassium permanganate (2 g), boric acid (3 g), ammonium molybdate (1 g), zinc sulfate (0.5 g), copper sulfate (3 g), magnesium sulfate (2 g) in a bucket of water . You can also add wood ash. If in this nutrient solution soak planting material for 10-12 hours, then strong plants will grow that will begin to bloom 2 weeks earlier than usual and will give more large flowers.

Pre-planting techniques do not cancel other care activities. Throughout the growing season, the skewer needs proper watering, cultivation, weeding, and especially feeding.

Did you know? In ancient Greece, gladiolus was not grown as a decorative flower. He was considered a weed. He was pulled out with a bulb, as he littered the cereal crops.

Top dressing in different periods of growth

Gladiolus needs mineral nutrition at every stage of its development. He especially needs nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

It is very important to feed strictly in stages:

• nitrogen introduced at the initial phase, it is necessary to build green mass, with its shortage the bushes grow poorly;
• phosphorus participates in tying and ripening buds, so it is introduced during the flowering period;
• potassium strengthens the plant's immunity and promotes lush flowering, it is applied at all stages, but the dose is increased before and during flowering.

Fertilizer Schedule:

1. At stage 2-3 of these leaflets, nitrogen fertilizer (urea, potassium, sodium or ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate) is introduced - 30 g per 10 liters of water. You can make a complex fertilizer with a high nitrogen content - 30 g of urea, 30 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium supplement. Replacement of nitrogen fertilizer with mullein or chicken droppings is allowed. For late varieties planted at the end of May, it is better to postpone the first feeding until 4 leaves appear.
2. With the advent of the 6th leaf, a standard nitrogen-potassium-phosphorus complex (20 g of each element) is introduced.
3. When the peduncles appear, you need to pour a solution of superphosphate and urea (30 g each).
4. Before flowering, nitrogen can no longer be added, only superphosphate (30–40 g) and potassium fertilizer (15–20 g).

Feeding will also be good after flowering. At the end of August, skewers can be fertilized with a solution of potassium permanganate (5 g per 10 liters of water). Foliar top dressing helps to accelerate the growth and flowering.

During the season you can spend 3 sprayings:

• during the setting of buds - with a special composition of microelements for flowers, a solution of potassium permanganate, copper sulfate or boric acid;
• at the end of June for abundant and bright flowering - a nutrient solution that can be made from potassium permanganate and copper sulfate (1.5 g each), magnesium sulfate and boric acid (1 g each), zinc sulfate (0.3 g) and cobalt nitrate (0.1 g);
• in late July for the formation of children - the same composition dissolved in a bucket of water.

Gladioli respond well to organics. To the above top dressing, you can add 2-3 watering with a solution of mullein, horse manure or bird droppings.

Proper watering and pruning

Despite the fact that the flower stalks of the skewer grow tall, its corms do not build up a powerful root system. The roots of the plant are quite short; they cannot reach the deep layers of the soil. This means that only irrigation and rainwater are sources of moisture for them. That is why watering should be regular and plentiful.

Important! You can not water the skewers directly under the bush, and even less soak the leaves. This can cause decay of the ground part of the bush.

The frequency of watering depends on weather conditions, but at least 1 time in 10 days. If the summer is hot and dry, then you will need to water several times a week. The amount of irrigation water is 1.5 buckets per 1 m². So moisture can reach the roots, which lie at a depth of 35 cm. Water needs to be poured into the furrows with a depth of 3-5 cm, dug between rows in advance.

How correctly flower stalks were cut affects their transportability, resistance after pruning, and even the formation of new bulbs in the bush.

Tips for trimming properly:

• morning or evening when it is not so hot;
• when 2 lower buds have got the right color or when one lower flower has blossomed;
• cut with a sharp knife, trying not to damage the leaves;
• after a cut, at least 4 leaves should remain on the bush, but preferably more, this is necessary for the formation and growth of new corms;
• to obtain the longest peduncle, it is necessary not to cut it, but to twist it, making an incision with a knife on the flat side as close as possible to the base;
• pruning leaves is necessary only after digging up the bulbs, otherwise they will not be able to ripen.

Protection against diseases and pests

Gladioli can be affected by:

• pests: aphids, spider mites, caterpillars and thrips;
• fungal diseases.

To control insects, special insecticides are suitable, for example, Karbofos, Actellik, Fitoverm and others. Fungicidal preparations will help protect flowers from diseases: Hom, Oksikhom, copper sulfate.

For this purpose, you can use:

• 0.1% solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per 1 liter of water);
• 0.2% copper-soap solution: dissolve 2 g of copper sulfate and 40 g of tar or green soap in 1 liter of warm water;
• infusions of potato or tomato tops, tobacco, garlic or celandine.

To prevent infection of plants, it is advisable to spray them for prevention every 20 days.

Loosening the earth and weeding

After each watering and rain, you should dig the soil under the bushes and around them. This is necessary to prevent the appearance of an earth crust, which interferes with the aeration of the soil. Loosen the soil regularly, without waiting for the rains. This procedure helps retain moisture in the soil, so loosening is often called "dry watering."

Did you know? It turns out that the fennel bulbs are edible and very nutritious. In ancient times, various dishes were prepared from them: they were fried, baked in dough, pickled, and even ground into flour, which was used to bake bread.

Weed should be weeded as they appear. It is dangerous to prevent clogging of the flower garden with weeds, since it contributes to the development of diseases and the multiplication of slugs. Weed thickets also drown out the seedlings of flowers and slow down their growth. But there is no need to weed a flower bed with fenders more often than 3-4 times a season, because preventive weeding is also carried out in the process of loosening.

Saving time and effort will help mulching. Under the mulch layer, the soil is not covered with a crust, moisture is retained in it, air circulates well and weeds do not germinate. Therefore, loosening and weeding is no longer necessary. It is recommended to spread the mulching layer when the gladiolus sprouts reach 10 cm. For this purpose, you can use straw, compost, humus, peat and grass.

Garter and Hilling

The high stalks of the gladiolus can bend to the ground under the weight of the buds, so they need support to support them.

Supports can be:

• individual, for example, a stake to which a separate bush is attached;
• group: a wire stretched between the columns along the flower rows, or twine, which several bushes are connected together in a circular fashion.

You do not need to do the tying if you high up the bushes. The bumpy plant grows stronger, more stable and less prone to lodging, even when it blooms. In addition, thanks to this procedure, the land above the roots warms up better. Hilling also contributes to the absorption of moisture and liquid fertilizing. Hush bushes to a height of 10 cm is necessary in the period of 4-5 true leaves.

How to properly feed

Dry fertilizers are poorly absorbed by the plant. Therefore, the best option is to dissolve the fertilizer, mineral or organic, in water and water the flowers with this solution.

Important! In rainy weather, top dressing should be delayed, otherwise all nutrients will be washed off with rain water. If after the flowers were fertilized, it still rained, the procedure will need to be repeated.

Fertilizer application rules:

• before top dressing, loosen the ground, it should be loose and slightly moist;
• the root zone of the bush and the aisle is watered with a nutrient solution;
• after feeding, abundant watering should be followed;
• foliar formations are sprayed onto leaves on both sides;
• Suitable time for fertilizer is evening or cloudy day.

As you can see, in order to achieve the fast flowering of the skewer, it is necessary to apply focused efforts throughout the season. But this work is worth the reward, which will be the abundance of bright and lush flowers.