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| Hi all I planted a row of gladiolus bulbs in the spring, all of which were coming up nicely. This week, some rabbits in my yard decided to munch on the foliage, some of it all the way down to the ground (I had read that gladiolus were poisonous to rabbits, but the ones in my yard must have strong stomachs... I caught them in the act). Is there any hope for them? Might they still bloom, or if not, will I be able to collect the bulbs for next year? I'm so sad, I was really looking forward to their blooming. Any tips for keeping the rabbits away (other than planting them out in a container out of reach)? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by duluthinbloomz4 zone 4a (My Page) on Fri, Jun 21, 13 at 16:13
| Chances are, if most of the foliage is gone, they won't bloom this year. Whether or not the corms will have enough energy to produce a new corm for next season is doubtful too, but you won't know until you lift them in the fall. Instead of in a row, like marching soldiers, the years I plant glads, I plant them a little deeper than recommended and close together in large groups. This helps keep them from falling over with their heavy bloom stalks. Also makes it easy to put a chicken wire cage around the groups to keep any rabbits away. Chicken wire becomes invisible and blends in, especially if there are other plants nearby. |
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| Thanks for the tip! One thing that might be hopeful is that I don't think the foliage for most of them had fully emerged from the ground. (They were varied sizes, some were a foot tall and others had only emerged about 3-4 inches). Would it be a good/bad idea if I dug up the bulbs in re-planted them in a safer location where the rabbits can't access? Next year I'll probably just plant them in containers |
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- Posted by purpleinopp 8b AL (My Page) on Sun, Jun 23, 13 at 18:36
| Bulbs will grow when they can. I realized when drought killed the lawn a couple summers ago that part of the lawn was a patch of Gladiolus bulbs. They were tiny because they never got a chance to grow much from being mowed for who-know-how-many-years. At least 7 that I know of. I pulled out a ton of them and put them where they don't get mowed, gave a bunch away. The biggest ones bloomed this year. The rest look like they will be big enough next year. Just let yours grow when they will, store them when it's too cold. As long as they don't rot in storage, you should get some blooms eventually. |
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| Hi This is my first year at growing gladiolus,I have just lifted them out for the winter and all the bulbs seem to have grown babies.Can I save these and plant on.Advice p,ease |
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| daph4210 yes you can but it will be two or three years before they are large enough to bloom. You will probably leave plenty in the soil by accident when you dig them. If you are in a zone where they hardy you will be busy weeding them out. Al |
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- Posted by Emerogork2 4 (My Page) on Tue, Oct 21, 14 at 22:46
| I stopped digging out my glads years ago. They grow and bloom very well. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian MI z5 (My Page) on Wed, Oct 22, 14 at 10:06
| i cant believe gork can grow G in zone 4 ... on a perennial basis... unless they are planted on the foundation where the chimney keeps the soil z7 ... while running 24/7 all winter long ... dad actually got some canna to do such .. in MI... not by plan .. but by leaving such.. while digging out and storing the bulk ... go figure... i would love to see a pic of gorks plants... to verify the ID ken |
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- Posted by Emerogork2 4-5 (My Page) on Wed, Oct 22, 14 at 10:37
| First let me stand corrected. Apparently this area has been upgraded to zone 5. For 60 years the maps and local nurseries and the weather station all said that it was 4 and now that I look at the interactive maps, it is warmer. Zone 5. At any rate, most of these bulbs have been in place for over 10 years. At first I thought it was a condition set up by the foundation as that is where I noticed it first but then bulbs about 4' away bloom without any help. A few years ago, I planted some that were 50' away from any heat sink that would warm the soil. They are practically in an open field. They have been blooming every year. These are three different colors,purchased at different times and from different locations so they are not any special cultivar. |
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