Botanically speaking, the onion
The gladiolus bulb is a storage organ in which the gladiolus stores starch and minerals for the next growing season during the resting phase. The onion enables the gardener to cultivate frost-sensitive plants such as the gladiolus without any problems in our latitudes. In autumn, the small tuber is dug up and allowed to hibernate in a frost-free room. In the next spring, when there is no longer any danger of late frosts after the ice saints, the gladiolus bulb will grow again planted and sprouts there again within a few days.
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Gladiolus bulbs From a botanical point of view, they are not real onions like our table onions, but rhizomes with limited growth. These have the property of forming numerous small daughter onions with which the gladiolus can be propagated without any problems.
Shift the flowering period
Unfortunately that is Gladiolus heyday
quite short and takes just two weeks in many regions. However, you can take advantage of the quick budding of the gladiolus and thus shift the flowering from late spring to October.Wish you bloom very early Gladiolus, you can drive the onions as early as March. Placed two-thirds in a flower drop with conventional soil, the gladiolus sprouts almost explosively from the room window. If you transplant them outdoors after the ice saints, you can soon enjoy the flowers.
To extend the flowering time into autumn, stick the bulbs one week apart for a longer period of time. This means that the gladioli germinate with a delay and you can enjoy the attractive flower stalks for weeks.
Gladiolus bulbs also thrive on the balcony or terrace
Bulb plants do not necessarily have to be planted in the garden. In planters Gladioli can be cultivated excellently on the balcony or terrace and add delightful accents. It is only important that the balcony is sheltered from the wind and sunny so that the gladiolus's needs are met. You also need to be careful when watering: gladioli need sufficient moisture, but if they are waterlogged, gladioli bulbs begin to rot quickly.
Tips
Onions have two recognizable sides: the roots develop from the flat side, while the leaves and flowers grow from the tip. Therefore, always place the onion in the ground with the flat side down.
