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Posted By: ChillnPepper Gladiolas!! - June 25th, 2006 at 02:49 AM
Good news is that they actually bloomed this year! clp
The bad news is that I haven't a clue what to do after they bloom! shk

Do I cut the flower stem? If so where, when & how? confused I guess I just never really figured that they would bloom since last year they just produced greenery.

shocked
Posted By: alankhart Re: Gladiolas!! - June 25th, 2006 at 06:57 AM
Once it's completely finished blooming, you can cut the stem where it starts to come out of the foiliage, but make sure you leave the foliage so it can get energy to bloom next year.
Posted By: buzylady Re: Gladiolas!! - June 25th, 2006 at 07:29 AM
Is that they are. Producing only greenry the first yr.? I planted some in a large pot. They are very green, but I don't see any sign of flowering.
Posted By: Anonymous Re: Gladiolas!! - June 25th, 2006 at 07:58 AM
All of the ones I planted bloomed the first year! thumbup
Posted By: Anonymous Re: Gladiolas!! - June 25th, 2006 at 10:18 AM
some do bloom the first year (most do) but in my life time of growing glads (they are the first flowering plant i can remember ever) i have had a couple of batches that didn't. and one batch, i had planted too deeply. Duh not sure what to tell you besides that!

oh, they do make great cut flowers, and are a florist's favorite!
Posted By: buzylady Re: Gladiolas!! - June 25th, 2006 at 10:55 AM
Oh good, maybe it will still happen. I can't remember what color mine are.
Posted By: tkhooper Re: Gladiolas!! - June 25th, 2006 at 01:38 PM
depending on when you plant them they can come up later in the year too right? I'm sure mine were much later last year than this year. Last year was their first year in the ground.
Posted By: ChillnPepper Re: Gladiolas!! - June 26th, 2006 at 01:54 AM
You know?.... Duh I do not actually remember when I planted them last year...but this I was convinced that they were not going to bloom again because it was sooooo long from the time the foiliage seemed mature to the blooming point. Seems like they took forever! zzzzz

Next year I am going to 'time' those buggers!

Thanx for the tip Alan!

Ya'll know what IS strange tho? I planted all of the Glad bulbs at the same time but they bloomed at different times...here's the twilight zone part idea ...and when they bloomed; all of the orange bloomed first, the yellow second and a pale yellow/almost white last.

Straaange und unjusual? Or no?
Posted By: Anonymous Re: Gladiolas!! - June 26th, 2006 at 11:25 AM
differnt colors can and do bloom on a different schedule. mine are blooming in "waves" with the different colors blooming at differnt times.
Posted By: Triss Re: Gladiolas!! - June 26th, 2006 at 11:35 AM
I am still waiting on mine to bloom as well and looking forward to seeing what colors I have. Once mine open up almost to the bottom, I will be cutting them for indoor blooms.
Posted By: tkhooper Re: Gladiolas!! - June 27th, 2006 at 03:18 AM
Mine came into bloom today and they are looking great. I'm thinking maybe I should be looking at getting some different colors. But then maybe not. Decisions decisions lol. One thing I know is that making the twine grid is working great helping them stay upright without having to stake each one. Because with 13 plants this year I definitely would have been hurting for stakes. This way I only needed 4 and I could afford the pretty ones at the dollar store. They even held them up during the heavy rains we had yesterday and today.
Posted By: buzylady Re: Gladiolas!! - June 27th, 2006 at 04:34 AM
tkhooper,please explain the twine grid, and do they usualy need staking?
Posted By: ChillnPepper Re: Gladiolas!! - June 27th, 2006 at 06:50 AM
Good request buzylady! I was wondering about that grid business myself shocked
Posted By: porter57 Re: Gladiolas!! - June 27th, 2006 at 01:26 PM
mine look terrible this year
im thinking ive got an infestation of thrips
(looked it up on the web)
the flowers are malformed and the flower stalks have weird bends in them. ive tried dusting with sevin but i dont think they are gonna recover.
oh well,i may have to dig all of em out and get new stock next year.
Posted By: Anonymous Re: Gladiolas!! - June 27th, 2006 at 02:15 PM
Last year I just put two long bamboo sticks in the ground, one on each end of the bed....then I tied some twine from one end to the other.....it stopped them from falling forward because they get pretty tall and heavy....so yep they usually need staked up with something.

This year I have about 25 of them throughout the yard! flw
Posted By: njoynit Re: Gladiolas!! - June 28th, 2006 at 01:05 AM
I plant mine a lil deeper.I bought a couple new bags this year also. my mixed bag on clearance for $2 really sucked.My 4 bags from family $ were great.the red ones did have falling issues,but some stayed upright due to other plants.Its called traderhorn a midseason bloomer.

[Linked Image]

I didn't get pics of pricillia its a blend of pink/white/yellow.

http://www.bloomingbulb.com/XQ/ASP/...lower.Priscilla/QX/cartProductDetail.htm

When I can tell the stem is not going to form seed,I'll snip it off.My Family$ glads were planted& blooming in 60 days& the other 10 should bloom july 4thish(I counted 60 days dug& sunk)I use to grow these in Indpls.I had 250 plus bulbs I dug up EVERY LABOR DAY! to store till May. a 30 gallon trashcan with peat moss.I'm SOOOOO GLAD 2 not have do that anymore.I use to plant out 9 rows 23 ft long& would bloom over a 10 week period.I even made the paper once.
Posted By: ChillnPepper Re: Gladiolas!! - June 28th, 2006 at 03:09 AM
25! Wow! I'll bet that is a gorgeous site when they're in bloom!

I have, roughly, 10 and only one started getting a bit tipsy and had to be staked. They are not the short variety, so I was wondering... idea do they get taller each new season?
Posted By: ChillnPepper Re: Gladiolas!! - June 28th, 2006 at 03:16 AM
That is a great pic njonit! Just beautiful!

What is that ferny-ish greenery called?
Posted By: buzylady Re: Gladiolas!! - June 28th, 2006 at 03:46 AM
Oh say Now I see. smile
I think my flowers are drowning. It is raining again. At least I don't have to drag the hose around to water everything. But I've have to drain some water from my pond before it overflows. When the sun finally comes out I'll be pulling weeds galore.
Posted By: njoynit Re: Gladiolas!! - June 28th, 2006 at 01:52 PM
ferny stuff is cosmos.it really DON'T need fertilizer,but some DO grow 5 ft tall....those are close......and the thicker stemed one will be 5 ft.was a mix of pinks,burgandy,white.
Posted By: Karrie Re: Gladiolas!! - June 29th, 2006 at 03:27 AM
I planted my glads, from bulbs. They are tall with 5 flower heads on them, I spaced mine 30 days apart with a planting in the back yard.

I grew up in Indy we never dug our glads up and they have been coming back year after year. Grandma has them all along her fence line and has for as long as I can remember and I know she didn't dig hers up eithor.

I have purple buds and I planted some called fire cracker they looked red and white stripped I sure hope they bloom but it appears that the purple are the first to bud, I mixed them up in each batch so hopefuly they will time them selves just right and I will have one color right after the other.
Posted By: tkhooper Re: Gladiolas!! - June 29th, 2006 at 03:38 AM
I started out with 9 bulbs last year and I have 13 this year. I'm really looking forward to next year. And then I'll de-clump and spread them out somemore. That's if I'm still hear. It looks like they are getting closer and closer to selling the building and widening the road.
Posted By: davidk07 Re: Gladiolas!! - June 29th, 2006 at 04:26 AM
When is a good time to plant Glads? I live in FL where its quite hot already in zone 9a

Thanks, David
Posted By: tkhooper Re: Gladiolas!! - June 29th, 2006 at 04:44 AM
Hi David,

It's usually suggested that you start planting them in early spring and stagger the planting doing some every two weeks so that so will be blooming through out the summer. I don't know anything specific about zone 9a. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
Posted By: Anonymous Re: Gladiolas!! - June 29th, 2006 at 05:34 AM
david, they can go in the ground nearly anytime in florida, as long as they get adequate water until they are established.
Posted By: davidk07 Re: Gladiolas!! - June 30th, 2006 at 04:27 AM
Thanks TK and Jiffy, Do Glad bulbs go bad after a certain amount of time if not kept cool?

David
Posted By: Anonymous Re: Gladiolas!! - June 30th, 2006 at 05:37 AM
i dunno that david. i've kept them for ages and planted and they've come up, then i've bought new ones, planted them right away, and they didn't. i kknow that they aren't "kept cool" once you plant them, it gets HOT here!! laugh laugh
Posted By: tkhooper Re: Gladiolas!! - June 30th, 2006 at 05:43 AM
I don't know either. Sorry.
Posted By: Karrie Re: Gladiolas!! - June 30th, 2006 at 02:28 PM
Here are my bulbs I planted this year, I had my first bloom today, I was so pleased. This is my 4 year old beside them to show how tall they have gotten, she is about 45 inches tall.........

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Her purple jammies match the bloom! lol
Posted By: Triss Re: Gladiolas!! - July 1st, 2006 at 04:03 AM
What a sweetie Karrie!!!
Posted By: Karrie Re: Gladiolas!! - July 1st, 2006 at 08:32 AM
Thanks Triss. She loves to go out with me first thing every morning and look for new blooms. Its a nice way to start out day.
Posted By: Triss Re: Gladiolas!! - July 8th, 2006 at 07:47 AM
I have my first set of glad buds. Cannot wait to see their color!

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Posted By: Karrie Re: Gladiolas!! - July 10th, 2006 at 02:47 PM
I went home to Indy this last 4 days and the glads I planted last year were breath takeing! The color was so vivid and beautiful. I had red ones with white centers and white ones. My grandfather passed away so I cut several spikes of each put a red white and blue ribbon on them and placed them with him (He was a soldier) We had more compliments on them then we did any other flowers there. I cannot wait to go back this fall and dig those bulbs.
Posted By: Triss Re: Gladiolas!! - July 16th, 2006 at 05:19 PM
My first bloom turned out to be a beauty.

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