•Gladiolus
•Importance: Gladiolus is always in demand both in domestic and export market. During winter
months, gladiolus can be exported to the European countries, where cost of production due to
excessive low temperature is much higher for that period. By exploring their climatic barriers, we
can earn a lot of foreign currency.
•The gladiolus is widely used in various ways by commercial growers and flower lovers. it improves
the look of the landscape garden by planting in borders, beds and groups. It can also be grown in
pots successfully for exhibitions and decorations. It gains popularity among the flower lovers for
floral arrangements and preparation of bouquets. A s a cut flower, it has good demand in the
market.
• Varieties: There are large numbers of varieties with different shaped florets, colours. Petal
structures have been evolved through interspecific and intervarietal hybrization. He modern
hybrids are botanically known as Gladiolus grandiflorus. Most of the cultivated varieties of
gladiolus have been developed in USA and Holland. The important varieties are-Melody, Tropic
seas, Snow, Princess, Apple Blossom, Oklahoma, King Lear, Florence Nightingale, Gold Dust, La
Palma, Patricia, Oscar, Sylvia, Lady Killer, Life Flame, Debonair, Camellia, Blue Lilac.
Propagation: Gladiolus is propagated through seeds and asexually through corms and
cormels, division of cormels and tissue culture. Propagation through seed is not followed
commercially. It is done only for developing new varieties. Seeds are taken from capsules,
30-40 days after flowering when they attain maturity and sown well prepared nursery beds
or pots having sufficient moisture. Seed takes 15-20 days for germination and seedling
produce cormels which flower in the second or third year.
Corms and cormels are tools for propagating gladiolus commercially. A number of smaller
corms produced between mother and daughter corms on short stolons are called cormels.
Cormels are planted to obtain corms of larger sizes. Larger sized corms @ 4-5 lac/ha can be
obtained when cormels are planted 5 cm apart at distance of 10-15 cm.
To minimize the seed cost, the corms are planted after their division into small pieces
containing bud and roots.
By micro propagation disease free plantlets in larger numbers can be obtained in a short
span of time.
Time of planting:
•February –April in hills
•September –November in plains
•Method of planting:
•Large sized (30±0.5 g) and medium sized (20±0.5 g)
•Diameter of corm: 3.5-4.5 cm
•Depth: 6-9 cm
•Row to row distance: 30 cm
•Plant to plant distance: 25 cm. But in case of commercial production, 15 x 20 cm may be maintained.
Application of manures and fertilizers
• Raw cowdung: 10 t/ha
• Urea: 200 kg/ha
• TSP: 225 kg/ha
• MoP: 190 kg/ha
• Cowdung, TSP and MoP during land preparation
• ½ urea-after emergence of four leaves an d the rest ½ of Urea-after emergence of seven leaves i.e. before
emergence of spike. It should be applied in both side of the row in the depth of 5 cm.
Mulching and earthing up: During emergence of 3-5 leaves and emergence of earthing up is
essential. After irrigation rain mulching is important to make aeration in to the soil.
Weeding: To get better yield weeding is essential. Care should be taken during weeding so that it
does not hamper the germination process.
Staking: During rainy season it prevents the plant. It is maintained 2 m apart. Staking need not be
necessary, in case of dense planting.
Harvesting of flowers: Spike emerges after 75-90 days after planting of corms. It is the high time of
harvesting the spikes when colour appears in the lower 1-2 florets. Care should be taken so that
complete blooming is not occurred.
Lifting of corms and storage: Corm should be lifted after 6-8 weeks of harvesting of flowers. After
cleaning this should be dried in shade and sorting should be done according to size of corms.
Healthy corms and cormels can be stored for a longer period. Best quality corms can be obtained
after 90-105 days of harvesting of flowers.
