Six Key Cultivation Methods for Gladiolus to Help Your Flowers Bloom Abundantly

Gladiolus is also called changlan, sword lily, flat-stem iris, shiyangjin, shisan taibao, and so on. Its original species comes from South Africa. The main producing countries are the United States, the Netherlands, Israel, Japan, and others. Gladiolus is an important cut flower and can be used in flower baskets, bouquets, vase arrangements, and so on. It can be used in flower borders and specialized flower beds. Dwarf varieties can be grown in pots for ornamental display. So what are the cultivation methods for gladiolus? Next, let the editor of Yiqizhuangxiu.com briefly introduce them to everyone!

Cultivation Methods for Gladiolus: Six Methods to Make Your Flowers Bloom Abundantly

1. Soil: It likes fertile, deep sandy soil and requires good drainage. Sandy sloping soil with good drainage is most suitable, and a pH of 5.6-6.5 is appropriate. It should not be planted in heavy clay soil that is prone to waterlogging.

2. Watering: Gladiolus is a flower that needs a lot of water. Watering in a timely manner and keeping the soil moist are important measures to encourage more flowering. If hot, high temperatures occur, misting should be done promptly to increase humidity and lower the temperature. After rain, attention should be paid to drainage.

3. Temperature: The optimum temperature for growth is 20-25°C during the day and 10-15°C at night. When the temperature is above 27°C, growth is hindered and the petals are easily scorched. Below 10°C, growth is slow.

4. Sunlight: Gladiolus does not tolerate shade and is a long-day plant. The most suitable condition is 16 hours of light per day. Cut flower varieties are greatly affected by light. With sufficient sunlight, they grow robustly, have strong resistance, and produce bright, long-lasting flowers. However, in hot summers, strong direct sunlight should also be avoided.

5. Fertilizing: Gladiolus is a shallow-rooted plant, so fertilizer should be applied shallowly. Fertilization should include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Topdressing should be done at the two-true-leaf stage (after flower bud differentiation) and at the heading stage, applying once with dilute manure water plus urea, applying a heavy potassium fertilizer once at the mid-stage, and paying attention to controlling nitrogen later to avoid excessive vegetative growth and lodging. For plots mainly used for bulb production, potassium fertilizer should be the main focus.

6. Pests and diseases: Common diseases of gladiolus include corm rot and leaf blight; common pests include thrips and slugs. Attention should be paid to care and timely treatment.

Cultivation Methods for Gladiolus: Six Methods to Make Your Flowers Bloom Abundantly

Cultivation Methods for Gladiolus

Complete Guide to Home Flower Planting Techniques and Key Points for Growing Flowers at Home

With their gorgeous beauty, flowers decorate nature extraordinarily beautifully and give people enjoyment of beauty. Growing flowers can enrich and adjust people's cultural life, add pleasure, cultivate temperament, improve health, increase scientific knowledge, enhance cultural and artistic literacy, and also has many important economic values. Below let us take a look at the complete guide to home flower planting techniques!

“Three Suitables” for Growing Flowers at Home

1. It is suitable to grow flowers with strong abilities to absorb toxic substances: Some flowers can absorb certain concentrations of toxic gases in the air, such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen fluoride, formaldehyde, hydrogen chloride, and so on. Wintersweet can absorb mercury vapor. Pomegranate plants can absorb lead vapor in the air. Snapdragon, canna, morning glory, gladiolus, dianthus, and others can, through their leaves, convert highly toxic sulfur dioxide via oxidation into non-toxic or low-toxicity sulfate compounds. Narcissus, four o'clock flower, chrysanthemum, saxifrage, and others can convert nitrogen oxides into proteins in plant cells. Spider plant, aloe, and snake plant can absorb large amounts of indoor pollutants such as formaldehyde.

2. It is suitable to grow flowers that can secrete bactericidal substances: The bactericidal substances secreted by flowers such as jasmine, lilac, honeysuckle, and morning glory can kill certain bacteria in the air, inhibit the occurrence of diphtheria, tuberculosis, dysentery pathogens, and typhoid bacteria, and keep indoor air clean and hygienic.

3. It is suitable to grow flowers with “complementary” functions: Most flowers mainly carry out photosynthesis during the day, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, and at night carry out respiration, absorbing oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. Cacti are just the opposite: during the day they release carbon dioxide, and at night they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Growing flowers with “complementary” functions in the same room can not only allow the two to benefit each other, but also balance the indoor oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, keeping indoor air fresh.

“Three Don'ts” for Growing Flowers at Home

1. Do not grow too many flowers that give off strong fragrance and pungent odors: Flowers such as orchids, roses, Chinese roses, lilies, and night-blooming jasmine can all give off rich fragrances. One pot in a room can fill it with fragrance, but if too many fragrant flowers are placed indoors and the scent is too strong, it can excite people's nerves, and especially if people smell it for a long time in the bedroom, it can cause insomnia. The gases given off by poinsettia and Chinese evergreen are unfavorable to people. If the microparticles released by tulips and hydrangea are contacted for too long, the skin can become allergic and itchy.

2. Do not place too many: At night most flowers release carbon dioxide and absorb oxygen, “competing for air” with people, and at night most living rooms are closed, with insufficient air circulation with the outside. If too many flowers are placed indoors, it will reduce the indoor oxygen concentration at night and affect sleep quality, such as chest tightness and frequent nightmares.

3. Do not place toxic flowers indoors: For example, oleander is toxic in its stems, leaves, and even flowers in spring, summer, and autumn. The milky white sap it secretes contains a substance called oleandrin, and accidental ingestion can cause poisoning. The bulb of narcissus contains lycorine toxin. If a child accidentally eats it, it can cause symptoms such as vomiting. The sap of the leaves and flowers can cause skin redness and swelling, and if the sap gets into the eyes, it can harm the eyes. Too much contact with mimosa can easily cause sparse eyebrows and yellowing hair, and in severe cases hair loss.

“Six Avoids” for Growing Flowers at Home

1. Carelessness: Flowers, like people, are living things and need careful care. Many flower growers lack the proper careful and diligent attitude toward these beautiful lives. First, they are mentally lazy and do not like to study flower-growing knowledge, content to remain laymen for a long time, and their management is not methodical. Second, they are physically lazy and unwilling to spend too much time and energy on flowers. After the flowers enter the home, they are left neglected in a corner, enduring hunger and thirst for a long time and suffering from pests and diseases. In this way, no matter how good the flowers are, they will gradually wither, so lazy people cannot grow flowers well.

2. Loving them too much: Contrary to the above situation, some flower growers love flowers too much and their hands itch if they do not fiddle with them for a moment. Some water and fertilize without any regularity, watering whenever they think of it, causing the flowers to die from excessive water or fertilizer. Some casually move the flower pots around, moving them to several places a day, making the flowers constantly adapt to the environment, disrupting normal growth patterns. If this continues, it would be strange if the flowers were not tormented to death.

3. Chasing fame and profit: Some flower enthusiasts believe that if you grow flowers, you should grow famous flowers, because famous flowers have high ornamental value and great market profit. Under the control of this mentality, they spare no expense and seek out famous flowers and trees everywhere. As a result, often due to the lack of good maintenance conditions and management skills, the flowers die soon after purchase, which both mistreats precious flowers and wastes money. This is a conceptual misunderstanding. The correct approach should be to start with ordinary, lower-grade varieties, gradually explore the patterns and techniques of flower growing, and after reaching a certain technical level, gradually purchase more precious varieties. Only then is success more likely.

4. Not distinguishing good from bad: Some flower growers are greedy for variety and completeness, bringing home whatever they see regardless of type. This not only makes management more difficult, but also brings into the home some flowers that are not suitable for growing, polluting the environment and harming health. For example, flowers with toxic sap can easily cause poisoning when people touch them. The smell of some flowers affects people's nervous system and can easily cause breathing difficulty or even allergic reactions. In short, growing flowers at home should not be greedy for variety and completeness without distinguishing good from bad. You should choose types with smaller plant shapes, attractive appearances, and no harm to human health.

5. Constantly changing: Some flower growers are restless and have no theme in growing flowers. The flowers at home are changed as quickly as a revolving lantern. This is a great taboo in flower growing. First, changing types too quickly and growing them for too short a time is not conducive to cultivating flowers and trees with beautiful shapes and high ornamental value. Second, trying every kind of flower only superficially is not conducive to improving flower-growing skills, and in the end one remains a flower novice. Therefore, only by choosing one or two kinds of flowers and focusing on studying and cultivating them can a flower grower truly gain something.

6. Not having new concepts: Today, new knowledge and new technologies in the flower-growing industry emerge endlessly, but most flower growers still cling to traditional maintenance methods and are not good at using new technologies and new equipment in the use of containers, water and fertilizer management, and seedling cultivation, such as soilless cultivation, odorless flower fertilizers, and various flower containers. As a result, home flower growing is unhygienic, unattractive, not novel, and has relatively large side effects.

Spring Care for Home Potted Flowers

1. Propagating good seedlings: Chinese roses, geraniums, pomegranates, winter jasmine, and others can be propagated in spring by taking healthy branches for cuttings. Azaleas and jasmine like acidic soil, so sturdy new branches 5~10 cm long can be cut, the lower leaves removed, and 3~4 top leaves kept for cuttings. For cuttings, black mountain soil, vermiculite, or yellow sand can be used as the medium. The cuttings should be misted appropriately to maintain a certain humidity, and generally roots will form after about 1 month. Orchids, agave, and spider plants can be propagated in early spring by division or by runners respectively. Spring-sown herbaceous plants grown from seed, such as asparagus fern, five-color pepper, mimosa, impatiens, scarlet sage, morning glory, and marigolds, can be broadcast sown or sown in spots.

2. Repotting and changing soil: Repotting and changing soil is a method of supplementing fertilizer for potted flowers in spring. Generally, small pots are repotted once a year, and large pots once every 3~4 years. Tall plants need larger pots. If some root systems are too dense or have dead or rotten roots, they should be pruned appropriately. After repotting, generally the first watering should be thorough, then the plant should be placed in a shady place. Later, water again when the potting soil is seen to be dry. Generally, after new roots grow, normal watering can be resumed and the plant moved to a sunny place.

3. Pruning and trimming: Pruning and trimming should be carried out according to different plants. Azaleas and winter jasmine should not be pruned excessively. For pomegranates and Chinese roses, dead branches, damaged branches, or overly dense branches can all be cut off in early spring to encourage abundant flowers and lush leaves. Jasmine should have old leaves removed when repotted to encourage more new branches to sprout. Climbing vines such as Boston ivy, banksia rose, wisteria, and multiflora rose can be trained so that the leaf surface receives as much sunlight as possible and grows vigorously.

NoteIn early spring, potted flowers should not be moved outdoors too early, so as to avoid cold air invasion and cold damage. Watering can be increased as the temperature rises, and keep moisture and dryness balanced.

Summer Care for Home Potted Flowers

1. Water in a timely manner: In summer, flowers have luxuriant branches and leaves and consume a lot of water, so in summer flowers should be watered thoroughly every morning and evening.

2. Set up frames for shade: All potted flowers must have a frame set up in summer, with reed curtains placed on it for shade, so that they can safely pass through the hot summer.

3. Pay attention to ventilation: For indoor flowers, when the temperature exceeds 30°C, attention should be paid to ventilation. Open the windows and let fresh air flow into the room to prevent heatstroke and lower the temperature.

4. Maintain moisture and lower temperature: In summer, some grass can be placed over the potting soil so that sunlight does not shine directly on the soil, thereby lowering the soil temperature and also preventing the soil moisture from evaporating too quickly. A sprayer can also be used to moisten the leaves of the flowers, and at the same time wet the surroundings to lower the temperature and increase humidity. This is very beneficial for some flowers that like cool conditions.

Autumn Care for Home Potted Flowers

1. Add water and fertilizer management: After the Beginning of Autumn, the weather gradually turns cooler. For some foliage flowers such as asparagus fern, spider plant, and sago palm, generally apply a dilute liquid fertilizer once every half month to keep the leaves green and improve cold resistance. For chrysanthemums, camellias, azaleas, and others that bloom once a year, liquid fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus fertilizer should be applied in time to ensure sufficient nutrients and make the flowers bloom more and larger. For Chinese roses, milan, jasmine, and others that bloom multiple times a year, sufficient fertilizer and water should be supplied so that they continue to bloom. For some ornamental fruit flowers, such as kumquat, finger citron, and fruiting pomegranate, 1~2 applications of dilute liquid fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus fertilizer should be applied.

2. Timely autumn sowing: Autumn cuttings. In autumn, mature flower and tree seeds should be harvested in time, and tulips, gloxinia, snapdragon, and others should be sown in time. Especially for seeds that easily lose germination ability, they should be sown in time in autumn. Combined with pruning, flower trees can also be propagated by cuttings. For example, cuttings of Chinese roses, roses, and multiflora rose have a relatively high survival rate.

Winter Care for Home Potted Flowers

1. Overwintering of deciduous woody flowers: Most deciduous woody flowers originate from temperate regions. Common ones include pomegranate, honeysuckle, Chinese rose, ornamental peach, and winter jasmine. They are generally dormant in winter, so the room temperature can be controlled at about 5°C. If there is a balcony or small courtyard, cold-hardy potted Chinese roses, ornamental peaches, pomegranates, honeysuckles, and others can be placed together in a wind-sheltered spot on the balcony or in a corner of the courtyard, wrapped and covered with plastic film, and they can overwinter safely.

2. Overwintering of evergreen woody flowers: Such as oleander, kumquat, and osmanthus, which are in a semi-dormant state. The temperature is generally controlled above 0°C, and they can safely pass through the severe winter. For milan, jasmine, hibiscus, and gardenia, they should be placed in a place with sufficient sunlight. The indoor temperature should be kept at about 15°C. If the temperature is too low, it will cause the flowers to die.

3. Overwintering of annual and biennial herbaceous flowers: Such as fairy primrose, coleus, and calceolaria. Keeping the room temperature between 5~15°C allows normal growth. For perennial herbaceous flowers such as asparagus fern, impatiens, geranium, and wax begonia, keeping sufficient sunlight and a room temperature of 10~20°C allows them to grow well. For herbaceous flowers that are dormant in winter, such as clivia and oncidium, maintaining a room temperature of about 5°C and giving an appropriate amount of light is enough. Light should not exceed 8~10 hours per day. At the same time, strengthen fertilizer and water management, and they can bloom after two months.

What are the particular requirements for water used to water flowers?

1. Water choice: The best water for watering flowers is neutral or slightly acidic river water, pond water, or rainwater. Rainwater is best for watering flowers because it contains more natural minerals. Next is river water and pond water. In particular, greenish pond water is rich in nutrients and is a relatively ideal water for watering flowers. In cities, tap water is often used to water flowers, but tap water contains a relatively high amount of bleaching powder and chemicals, so when using it to water flowers, it should be stored for one or two days first. In addition, if a few slices of vitamin C are put into tap water, the chlorine in the water can be eliminated. Generally, add one slice per basin of water, let it sit for half a day, and then it can be used to water flowers.

2. Temperature control: As the flower proverb says: “When southern flowers move north, add alum when watering”; “For southern flowers grown at home in the north, fish tank water is better for watering”; “Fish water is fat and rice water is strong; both are most suitable for watering potted flowers.” Whether in severe winter or midsummer, do not water flowers with cold water. When the temperature is below 10°C, an appropriate amount of hot water can be added to the water to make the water temperature as close as possible to the soil temperature and create a microclimate suitable for flower growth.

How can you tell whether potted flowers lack water?

1. Tapping method: Gently tap the upper middle part of the flower pot wall with the knuckle of your finger. If a relatively crisp sound is produced, it means the potting soil is already dry and needs immediate watering. If a dull, muddy sound is produced, it means the potting soil is moist and watering can be temporarily skipped.

2. Visual method: Observe with your eyes whether the color of the surface of the potting soil has changed. If the color becomes lighter or appears light gray-white, it means the potting soil is already dry and needs watering. If the color becomes darker or appears dark brown, it means the potting soil is moist and watering can be temporarily skipped.

3. Finger test method: Gently insert a finger about 2 cm deep into the potting soil and feel the soil. If it feels dry, rough, and hard, it means the potting soil is already dry and needs immediate watering. If it feels slightly moist, fine, and soft, it means the potting soil is moist and watering can be temporarily skipped.

4. Pinching and twisting method: Pinch and twist a bit of the potting soil with your fingers. If the soil becomes powdery, it means the potting soil is already dry and should be watered immediately. If the soil forms flakes or granules, it means the potting soil is moist and watering can be temporarily skipped. The above methods are all based on experience, and they can only tell people the approximate condition of whether the potting soil is dry or wet. If you need to know accurately the degree of dryness or wetness of the potting soil, you can buy a soil moisture meter. Insert the moisture meter into the soil, and you can see words such as “dry” or “moist” on the scale, so you can know exactly when to water.

Homemade Fertilizers for Home Potted Flowers

1. Soaking liquid fertilizer: Use a small vat (or small jar) and put in waste vegetable leaves, melon and fruit peels, chicken and fish scraps, fish scales, waste bones, eggshells, and moldy foods (peanuts, sunflower seeds, beans, bean powder), and so on. Add water and sprinkle a little trichlorfon, then cover tightly. After high-temperature fermentation and decomposition, it can be used. When using, take the supernatant liquid, add water to dilute it, and then it can be used. The above waste materials can also be mixed with some old potting soil, add some water, put into a large plastic bag, tie it tightly, and leave it for a period of time. After fermentation, it can be used.

2. Waste composting: Choose a suitable place and dig a soil pit 60~80 cm deep. Spread 10 cm of furnace ash at the bottom. Put rotten vegetable leaves, poultry and livestock internal organs, fish scales, chicken and duck manure, eggshells, meat waste, and broken bones into the pit. Sprinkle some insecticide, and cover with a layer of garden soil about 10 cm thick. Keep the pit moist to promote fertilizer decomposition. It is best to compost in autumn and winter. After the temperature rises in spring and it is decomposed with no foul odor, it can be mixed into potting soil as base fertilizer. It can also be sifted while moist through a 4 mm sieve and rolled into granules. The fine part is used as topdressing, and the coarse part as base fertilizer. When composting, some orange peel or diluted rice vinegar can be added to reduce the odor.

Clever Fertilizing for Home Flower Growing

1. Timely fertilizing: So-called timely fertilizing means applying fertilizer when the flowers need it. When it is found that the leaves become lighter or yellow and the plant grows thin and weak, that is the most suitable time for fertilizing. In addition, when flower seedlings sprout leaves and branches unfold leaves, topdressing should be applied to meet the fertilizer needs of rapid seedling growth. Different growth stages of flowers also have different fertilizer needs. The type and amount of fertilizer applied also differ. For example, applying more nitrogen fertilizer at the seedling stage can promote seedling growth, and applying phosphorus fertilizer at the flower bud stage can promote larger, brighter flowers and a longer flowering period.

2. Appropriate amount of fertilizing: Fertilizing potted flowers should follow “eat small meals often,” that is, fertilize frequently but with a small amount each time. Generally, apply dilute fertilizer water once every 7~10 days, and once every 15~20 days after the “Beginning of Autumn.” As the flowers and trees gradually grow, the fertilization concentration gradually increases. For example, the concentration of urea applied gradually increases from 0.2% in the early stage to 1.0%, and phosphorus and potassium fertilizer increases from 1.0% to 3.0~4.0%.

3. Seasonal fertilizing: In spring and summer, flowers grow quickly and vigorously, so more fertilizer can be applied appropriately. After autumn begins, the temperature gradually decreases and flower growth weakens, so less fertilizer should be applied. From late August to early September, fertilization should stop to prevent a second growth peak; otherwise, it is easy for the flower tissue cells to become tender, making overwintering difficult. For overwintering flowers, fertilization should stop because they are dormant in winter.

4. Temperature control: Potted flowers should not be fertilized around noon in high temperatures or on rainy days. Fertilizing at these times easily damages the roots. It is best to fertilize in the evening. After autumn and in winter, when temperatures are low and flower growth is slow, generally no fertilizer is applied. In summer, when temperatures are high and flowers grow vigorously, more fertilizer should be applied. When the temperature is high, the topdressing concentration should be low and the amount should be small; with dilute fertilizer water, topdressing should be applied more times.

5. Mixed application of medicine and fertilizer: If pests or diseases occur during fertilization, an appropriate amount of pesticide can be added to the fertilizer liquid, which can play the dual role of fertilizing and preventing pests and diseases.

Why do flowers grown at home die?

1. Too much fertilizer: Some people love flowers so much that, considering that potted flowers consume a lot of nutrients during the flowering period, they apply large amounts of chemical fertilizer, causing the concentration to be too high. In mild cases, this affects the absorption of water by root hairs; in severe cases, it causes the plant to die.

2. Too much undecomposed organic fertilizer applied: Because organic fertilizer has a large amount of microbial activity when decomposing in the soil, it causes soil oxygen deficiency, and the roots suffocate and die. On the other hand, organic fertilizer fermentation produces substances such as alcohol and lactic acid that are toxic to the root system, and fermentation releases a large amount of heat, raising the temperature and causing the phenomenon of “root burning.”

3. No place for growing flowers: People often put potted flowers in enclosed balconies facing east or west. In this way, due to the radiant heat of the sun, the temperature inside the balcony rises sharply, forming a hot, dry environment. Hot, dry conditions and poor ventilation also make red spider mite damage more likely, accelerating the death of the flowers.

4. Overwintered flowers suddenly moved outdoors: The leaves grown by flowers overwintered indoors belong to semi-shade leaves or shade leaves. If suddenly moved outdoors in early spring, shade leaves cannot adapt, and tender leaves and buds are easily scorched by sunlight. In addition, the large temperature difference between indoors and outdoors can easily cause fatal damage to the flowers.

5. Lack of sunlight: Some people, for convenience of appreciation, place flowers on indoor desks and tables, far from sunlight, causing their photosynthesis to be inhibited. The organic nutrients in the flowers can only be consumed and cannot be replenished in time, reducing the flowers' resistance and causing the plants to weaken and die. Watering too much and too frequently is also a cause of plant death.