Hello All:

About a month ago I dug up all my canna and gladioli bulbs I had in containers outside. I brushed them off and brought them inside to dry. Guess that was a mistake because they got all soft and mushy.

Yesterday we got 15C! (We've had snow and frost already). I decided to dig up the glads I had in the ground. I rinsed them off and put them in the unheated garage to dry.


how long should I leave them to dry?

I have a small rubbermaid container with perlite in it. Is this good enough to store them over the winter?

Do I store the bulbs in the garage? Temps can get as low as -20C in there. If i kept it against a shared wall to the house it will probably be a little warmer.

Would the basement be better? probably be above 15C.

what in the world do I do with the baby bulbs? A few of them have at least 30 baby bulbs on it! Do I break them off and plant them separate from the momma? Leave them and plant the whole thing together next year?

some bulbs have what I think is the old original bulb on it. Its darker and sort of squished looking. It doesn't seem to want to be removed from the younger bulb. Do I just leave it alone?


Sorry for all the questions. But there's just so much info on the web (not all of it correct) it's hard to winnow thru it. I spent so much time and effort on my first set of bulbs and got nowhere, (I really liked those Cannas, ). I realize I can buy glads cheap, but I'm looking at this as sort of a learning experience if I decide to buy other (more expensive - or replace those cannas) warmer zone bulbs later on. Hope to get some advice from you soon.

Thanks

Mit