Gladiolus provides tall, spiky, summertime blooms that are so spectacular, it’s difficult to believe that “glads” are so easy to grow. However, although glads don’t require a ton of attention, it’s important to know about various ways of cutting back gladiolus leaves and when to cut back gladiolus. Read on for simple tips on pruning back gladiolus.
Pruning Back Gladiolus via Pinching
Pinching, a way of pruning back gladiolus, is a task that you should do throughout the blooming season to keep the plant neat and healthy. To pinch glads, just remove faded glad blooms with your fingertips or garden shears. Pinching wilted blooms will encourage the opening of the remaining buds on the stalk. Additionally, some gardeners like to remove the top, unopened bud to speed up the blooming process for all of the buds up and down the stalk.
How to Trim Gladiolus by Pruning Blooming Stems
Remove the entire blooming stem once all the buds on the stem have opened and faded. To complete this step, use pruners or shears to cut the stalk near the ground. Don’t remove the leaves; this step comes later in the season. Removing the foliage too early can affect the plant’s ability to bloom in the future.
Trimming Leaves on Gladiolus
So what about removing the foliage? Cut the leaves to the ground when they die down and turn yellow in late summer. It may be tempting to remove the wilting leaves earlier, but doing so will deprive the corms of nutrients provided by the leaves via photosynthesis. You can also cut back any remaining stems at this time. Now that you know the best times and methods for pruning back gladiolus plants, you can expect nicer blooms and healthier growth each season moving forward.
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Gladiolus Plants With Scab – Controlling Gladiolus Scab On CormsIf you are growing gladioli, you’ll want to know about gladiolus scab. For more information and tips on prevention and control, click here.
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Botrytis On Gladiolus Plants: How To Control Gladiolus Botrytis BlightGladiolus botrytis diseases are not uncommon, so knowing the signs and how to manage them is important. Learn about gladiolus blight here.
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Treating Glads With Fusarium: How To Control Gladiolus Fusarium Rot
If the corms of your unplanted glads appear discolored and unhealthy, they may be infected with gladiolus fusarium rot. Learn more about fusarium wilt and rot on gladiolus plants in this article to see if your corms can be saved.
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Gladiolus Leaf Diseases: What Causes Leaf Spots On Gladiolus Plants
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Is Your Gladiolus Falling Over – How To Stake Glads In The GardenGrowing glads is so simple, but sometimes the tall gladiolus falling over in the garden can be troublesome, if not unattractive. Luckily, with a little added support, this can be easily remedied. Click this article for additional information.
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Gladiolus Are Falling Over – Learn About Staking Gladiolus PlantsProlific bloomers they are, but gladiolus plants falling over is not uncommon. Staking gladiolus plants will keep their brightly colored heads from dipping or breaking, and there are any number of items that can be used as gladiolus plant stakes. Learn more here.
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Companion Planting With Gladiolus: Plants That Grow Well With GladiolusAs well as bouquets, gladiolus looks amazing in flower beds and along garden borders. But what are some good companion plants for gladiolus? Click this article to learn more about plants that grow well with gladiolus.
