Growing Gladioli

• 1). Choose corms 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Smaller corms will produce leaves, but not necessarily blooms. Select corms that are plump, with high centers, not flat, thin corms.
  
  
• 2
  Gladiolus Corms
  
  Plant corms 3 to 6 inches deep. Space them 5 to 6 inches apart. It doesn't matter how the corms are positioned in the earth.
  
  
• 3). Choose a well-drained soil. Gladioli do best in a sunny spot.
  
  
• 4). Plant after the danger of frost has passed. Don't plant after early July.
  
  
• 5). Water weekly in hot dry weather (less than one inch of rainfall per week). Start watering when there are five leaves on the plant.
  
  
• 6). Control weeds with shallow hoeing or mulching. Dust or spray with fungicide when the plants are 6 inches tall.
  
  
• 7). Remove the corms before hard frosts begin. (In warmer climates they can be left in the ground, covered with hay or straw.) Carefully lift them with a garden fork. Remove soil, trim off the old stem and the majority of roots. Put corms in a dry, airy place for one to two weeks. Then store them in a frost-free place that isn't too dry until it's time for the next planting season.