How to Plant Gladiolus Bulbs in Florida

Gladiolus bulbs germinate throughout Florida.

Botanically speaking, gladiolus doesn't propagate from a bulb, but through corms. Corms are bulbous structures made of solid tissue. True bulbs are made of different layers of modified leaves called scales. Although gladiolus grows throughout Florida, it is tender to frost in north Florida, where you must dig it out for winter storage. It is also sensitive to summer's heat in south Florida, where you should also avoid planting it that time of year. Gladiolus flowers appear in various colors depending on the cultivar.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Water
• Watch
• Pickax
• Compost
• 12-4-8 fertilizer
• Rake
• Trowel
• Corms
• Mulch

Instructions

1. Test the drainage in a site that has complete sun exposure. You'll find different techniques. "Sunset Western Garden Book" recommends digging a 2-foot hole and filling it with water. After it drains, add more water. The site has adequate drainage if it takes one hour or less for the water to disappear. Bulbs that sit in a wet environment underground end up rotting. To get around poor drainage, build a raised bed.

2. Till the ground with a pickax and amend it with 4 inches of compost, manure or another organic matter. Add 1 lb. of a 12-4-8 (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) fertilizing formula per 100 square feet. Rake the surface to a smooth bed.

3. Dig 3-inch holes 4 inches apart with a trowel for your gladiolus corms.

4. Put the corms in the holes, refill the holes with topsoil, and firm the ground with the palms of your hands.

5. Water the bulb bed thoroughly.

6. Cover the planting bed with a 2-inch layer of mulch to choke weeds and conserve moisture. Pull any weeds that manage to sprout as soon as they pop through the ground. Gladiolus blooms three months after you plant the corms.

Tips & Warnings

• According to University of Florida Extension, corms should be dug up, dried and stored at 40 to 50 degrees F for next season when foliage begins to yellow.

References

• "Sunset Western Garden Book"; Kathleen Norris Brenzel, ed.; 2001
• University of Florida IFAS Extension: Bulbs for Florida