growing gladiolus for cut spikes, want flowering timed for the marriage season demand
When to plant gladiolus corms so spikes are ready for the wedding season?
PPrashant Jadhav7mo ago · 247 views
5 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓6mo ago
Gladiolus spikes are usually ready roughly 70 to 90 days after planting the corms depending on variety, corm size and temperature, so count back from your target wedding season weeks and plant accordingly. Use large healthy corms of flowering size, since small cormels mostly grow up to size and do not give good spikes the same season. Plant in batches a week or two apart to spread flowering across the demand period instead of all at once. Support the spikes as they grow so they stay straight, which matters for cut flower grade. Harvest when the first one or two florets show colour and the rest are still in bud for good vase life. Confirm the days to flowering for your variety and season with your seed corm supplier or KVK.
AAvinash6mo ago
Use only big flowering size corms, the small ones I bought cheap just made leaves and tiny corms, no proper spikes that year. Staggered planting every ten days kept my spikes coming through the wedding rush.
SSagar Deshpande6mo ago
Support the spikes early or they bend, and a crooked spike fetches a poor rate. I stake the rows as they grow now. The straight tall spikes are what the bouquet buyers want for weddings.
MMahesh Patil6mo ago
Cut when the first floret or two just show colour and the rest are still buds, then they open in the vase at the buyer's end. I used to wait till more opened and they did not travel well. Early cut spikes last longer for the wedding decorators.
NNilesh Patil5mo ago
Count back from the wedding dates and add a buffer of a few days, a cool spell delayed my spikes one year and they opened after the main demand. The staggered batches also act as a safety net if one lot runs late. Do not bank the whole crop on a single flowering date.