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Question about Glads

20 years ago

Planted quite a few glads this past summer for the first time. I dug them up last week and the bulbs were huge with most of them having anywhere from 10 to 30 or so of what I think might be 'babies' around the root. Is that what they are? Can I overwinter them still attached to the main bulb? If so, what about planting them next year?

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

Margaret

Comments (9)

  • 20 years ago

    Yes you can either break them off now or in the spring. If you have room to plant them in a nursery bed and treat them well, they will grow up and flower for you, probably in a couple of years. The first year they will look like not much more than a large blade of grass.

    Sounds like you're doing something right if they're that big and having babies ;-)

  • 20 years ago

    Thanks, northspruce.
    Will give that a try in the spring.

  • 20 years ago

    I have found glads to be cheap enough that I don't even bother keeping them till the next season. So waiting 2 to 5 years for the baby bulbs to mature enough to have flower stems.......uhuh...I don't think so.

    Not meaning to discourage you.....but you will have to lift all these little none flowering bulbs every fall, and plant again every spring.

    If you do this...take some pics of your progress and how long it takes for them to flower.

    Lazy Sierra. :-)

  • 20 years ago

    Thanks, Sierra.
    Guess I didn't really think about the amount of 'work' this would result in over several years. Have to admit that I am not very long on patience, so waiting for a few years to see results is probably unlikely, especially if I have to lift them all every year. I think I will try planting the little bulbs next year and see what happens......
    Often lazy Margaret...!

  • 20 years ago

    I agree that it's a lot of work but if they are a particularly nice colour/pattern or an expensive newer variety, it might be worth it. Glads can be a bit expensive if you get a fancy named variety. Kinda like tulips. There are cheap "big bad bag o bulbs" ones and there are expensive mail order ones.

  • 20 years ago

    If you planted all the glad babies in pots and then sunk them in the ground it might make it easier to dig them up next year in the fall. Then you aren't trying to find anything that might only be the size of a raisin in the ground. I don't know how fast the corms grow and I would imagine the first few years the foliage would look like grass? Just an idea to try and make things easier.

    Syreeta

  • 20 years ago

    Well, I think I'm going to give these 'babies' a try for one year.
    Syreeta, I like the idea of putting them in a pot...but don't they at least grow a bit the first year, presumably making them easier to find?
    They aren't really expensive glads - mostly I like the colours - some are 'blackjack' and the others just a fuschia colour that I love and some white ones to balance out those intense colours.
    Now I just have to figure out a spot for a glad nursery. Oh, oh, I can feel another garden coming on.! Yikes!
    Margaret

  • 20 years ago

    Margaret,

    What is the point of trying them for only one year? The tiny bulbs will grow....may even double in size.......but the most you will see from them is what looks like a blade of grass.....or maybe two blades of grass. You may not even see that.

    Putting them in pots would be an easier way to lift them next fall.....but you would have to make sure that they each have enough space to grow....and good drainage is a must or they will rot. If the pot and space isn't big enough you will have to re-pot each spring.

    Small corms will not flower...even if you buy smaller ones....sometimes you don't get flowers. IMO even the most expensive mail order glads are still cheap to replace every year....I buy the jumbo corms very early spring and start them indoors...sometimes I buy locally and sometimes I buy mail order and ask them to ship early...the bags usually consist of 6 to 10 corms.....The jumbos are more expensive but well worth it when they flower.

    Sierra...wondering about northspruces "big bad bag o bulbs"? LOL!

  • 20 years ago

    You know... the cheap generic ones where you only get yellow even though the pic on the label has a rainbow of beautiful colours? LOL This happens to me with cheap mixed flowers.

    Well I guess to each their own about saving things and being cheap. I shouldn't really talk about saving glads because I used to have a ton that I saved religiously and grew up the babies, but then one summer I forgot to plant them. Oooops now I have no glads.

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