Star gladiolus, Gladiolus murielae: care from A-Z

The star gladiolus is a bulbous plant that looks good both in the garden at home and in a vase in the living room. Although the graceful plant is considered to be particularly easy to care for, it still has certain requirements. Because from the optimal location to the planting and subsequent care, certain factors should be taken into account. With proper care, however, the Gladiolus murielae will certainly form its beautiful flowers, which bloom until late summer.

Characteristics

• Botanical name: Acidantera bicolor var. Murielae
• Synonyms: Star gladiolus, Abyssinian gladiolus, Gladiolus murielae
• Origin: Ethiopia
• Location: bright and sunny
• Soil type: loamy to sandy-loamy
• pH value: neutral
• Growth: upright, graceful and elegant
• Growth height: up to 110 cm
• Flowers: numerous, star-shaped
• Flower color: white, violet-brown center
• Flower scent: intense in the evening hours
• Foliage: deciduous
• Lifespan: several years
• Frost hardiness: no, overwinter at 5 - 10 degrees

Location

The star gladiolus originally comes from Ethiopia and is therefore used to a warm climate. In local regions it is often used as a cut flower in vases, but it can also be cultivated successfully in the tub or in the garden! In any case, it is important to ensure that there is sufficient plant spacing in the flowerbed, as this should be around 10 to 20 centimeters. In order for the Abyssinian gladiolus to grow and thrive, the location should also meet the following requirements:

• bright and sunny
• lots of fresh air
• sheltered from the wind
• Temperatures not below 1 degree
• ideal summer temperature: 20 degrees
• ideal winter temperature: 10 degrees

floor

The Gladiolus murielae usually gets along well with potting soil or normal garden soil. Accordingly, the star gladiolus prefers a loamy or sandy-loamy soil. It is important that the soil is always dry to fresh and free from weeds. Ideally, the floor will also have the following features:

• PH-level neutral
• Low in lime, slightly acidic
• humus
• permeable

Tip: Heavy soils can easily be loosened with sand.

Planting

The earliest possible date for planting the star gladiolus is after the ice saints, namely from May to June. If the tubers are planted on this date, the plant will have ample time to grow and will be in bloom in late summer. As a rule, the tubers of the plant are placed in the ground, but this should not be done indiscriminately! First of all, it is advisable to prepare the bed for planting. For this purpose, the bed is dug about as deep as a spatula about two weeks before it is inserted. Likewise, all weed roots and small stones should be removed and then compost should be incorporated. The planting itself is designed as follows:

• Dig out the planting hole
• about 10 cm deep
• If necessary, fill the hole with potting soil
• Place the tuber in the soil with the flat side down
• The tuber should look 1/3 out of the ground
• Cover with soil and press down lightly
• pour abundantly

Tip: After it has been put in place, it has proven useful to additionally cover the soil with bark mulch.

Fertilize

Ideally, the soil is already enriched with compost before planting. As a result, the star gladiolus is not only supplied with nutrients over a long period of time, but also constantly. As an alternative to compost, manure, which is also an organic long-term fertilizer, is of course also suitable. Only a few additional fertilizers are required under these conditions:

• fertilize from June to July
• 1. Fertilize four weeks after planting
• 2. Fertilize after another four weeks
• preferably with a long-term bloom fertilizer

to water

The star gladiolus wants to be watered extensively, especially on hot summer days. Overwatering should be avoided as much as possible, because waterlogging can cause the tubers to rot more quickly. Especially when planting in pots, it is important to ensure that excess water can always drain off well. When pouring, you should also pay attention to the following:

• water from May to October
• water daily!
• at the latest when the soil is dry a few cm deep
• Water twice a day in summer if necessary
• do not water in autumn after flowering

Tip: To keep the moisture in the soil longer, it is worth adding a layer of mulch.

Cut

The pruning usually takes place in autumn, ideally in the period from October to November. However, this is only a guideline, because the optimal time for pruning can be seen on the respective plant:

• remove all flowers after flowering
• Shorten faded parts down to the base of the leaves
• Only cut back the green when the leaves are very yellow
• This allows onions to store important nutrients for the coming year
• this promotes rapid growth

Star gladiolus in the vase

If you prefer the star gladiolus as a decoration in your living room, you can of course also place it in a vase. The pretty flower looks particularly good in tall vases because it has a very tall stem. In order to keep the Gladiolus murielae in the vase, it is best cut off before flowering. The stem is cut off, but it should never be cut too deep! The leftover plant residues contain numerous nutrients that the tuber needs to produce a new plant. As soon as the flower is cut off, leaves and impurities are removed and then placed in the vase. In order for the Abyssinian gladiolus to survive in the vase for as long as possible, it should be cared for as follows:

• Location: not in the sun!
• room warm, fresh water
• Change the water daily!
• Always cut the stem with a knife
• Cut off dead flowers directly
• this also causes the upper flowers to open

Note: It is not advisable to supply the star gladiolus with fresh flowers, as this will shorten the flowering time. “Home remedies” such as sugar or copper coins should also be avoided, as these lead to the faster death of the flower.

Overwinter

The Gladiolus murielae is generally not considered to be hardy, but the tubers can overwinter in particularly mild areas in winter. However, it is advisable to move the star gladiolus to a frost-free place during the cold winter months. For this it is necessary to lift the plant out of the earth. This is best done after the leaves have already turned yellow and die on their own. After the star gladiolus has been lifted out of the earth, it is overwintered as follows:

• Cut off the remaining leaves over the onion
• free from earth
• place on newspaper to dry
• store when all moisture has been removed
• for example in paper bags
• Location: cool, dry and dark
• Temperature: 5 - 10 degrees
• in any case frost-free!

Tip: When digging up the tuber, it is advisable to use a digging fork!

Multiply

The Abyssinian gladiolus is an onion plant that naturally forms tiny daughter onions. These can be easily separated before overwintering, dried like mother onions and then stored. In the following year they can be used in the bed as usual, but with the difference that they are not planted that deep into the ground. Because a planting depth of around four centimeters and a planting distance of around 10 centimeters are completely sufficient for the daughter bulbs. When propagating with daughter bulbs, however, it should be noted that the first flowering does not occur until two to three years later! Propagation by seeds, on the other hand, requires even more patience, which must first be obtained:

• Do not cut off faded flowers, but leave them to stand
• wait for seed pods to mature
• Sow seeds in a planter
• cover with some earth
• moisten well
• Cover the vessel with foil
• Take off the foil every day
• change foil if necessary
• Place the container in a sunny location

Note: The seeds can also be sown directly in the bed! For this purpose, the seeds are distributed in the bed and then covered with a layer of soil about three centimeters high. The bed is then poured extensively, but waterlogging must be avoided at all costs!

Pests

Like many other gladioli, star gladioli are often attacked by numerous pests. In the garden it can happen that voles nibble on the roots and thus impair the growth of the flowers. However, these can be driven away relatively effectively, for example by cats. Alternatively, the small rodents can also be kept away with different scented plants such as garlic or sweet clover. In addition to voles, the following vermin also pose a threat to the Abyssinian gladiolus:

Aphids

Aphids are widespread and infest a large number of garden plants, including star gladioli. The pests appear particularly often in early summer, as a dry and warm climate favors an infestation. However, this can be recognized relatively quickly by various symptoms, such as deformation of the plants, sticky undersides of leaves and aphid clusters. It is advisable to act quickly in the event of an infestation and to control the aphids as follows:

• slight aphid infestation: rinse off infected parts of the plant
• Spray infected plants with nettle stock
• alternatively, soapy water is also suitable
• natural enemies: earwigs and ladybugs

Thrips

Another common pest is thrips, a tiny insect. However, an infestation with thrips can be seen relatively well, as yellow spots initially form on the leaves. These turn silvery to white in the further course. The pests also leave excretions on the leaves, which can be seen as small black dots. If an infestation is not treated early, the leaves will dry out and eventually fall off. The larvae of the thrips can also overwinter on the tubers and thus spread and multiply again in the following year. To avoid this, it is best to proceed as follows:

• Hang up blue boards
• use spray if necessary
• Check the tubers before wintering
• clean carefully before storage

Diseases

Not only pests, but also various fungi and other pathogens make life difficult for gladioli. Star gladioli are particularly often attacked by fungal diseases such as gray mold. In many cases, however, the diseases can be treated successfully, and early detection is often crucial for the success of the treatment.

Gray mold

The gray mold is noticeable through a gray, velvety coating. Gray mold is particularly dangerous for the star gladiolus because it wilts or wilts. The affected parts of the plant rot and ultimately lead to the death of the plant. However, the disease can often be successfully combated if it is recognized early enough:

• Reduce humidity (if possible)
• Always water the plant from below
• Maintain sufficient planting distance
• Dispose of affected parts of the plant
• Cut back into healthy tissue
• Spray fungicide

Fusarium dry rot

If the star gladiolus dies during the growing season, this is often due to the Fusarium dry rot. The infection can be recognized by weak, crooked and brownish shoots, which ultimately fall off. However, it is more insidious when the infestation sets in during the summer. In this case, the tuber initially rots before any symptoms become noticeable above ground. Brown spots form on the tubers and show whitish spore containers when wet. Unfortunately, control is not possible, which is why affected plants should be removed from the stock and destroyed immediately. In order to prevent spread or emergence, the following should be taken into account:

• Always check overwintered tubers
• Always store tubers in a cool place
• warm, moist soil promotes infestation
• change location in case of infestation
• Spores can survive in the soil

Note: Fusarium dry rot is also transmitted from mother to daughter onion! In the event of an infestation, the mother and daughter onions must therefore be destroyed.