IHBT has developed ten varieties of gladiolus
with attractive colour and foliage viz Grace, The Saint, Brick Beauty,
Anurag, Tushar Mauli, Cute Munni, Palampur Queen, Palampur Princess,
Palampur Pride, Palampur Delight.
Gladiolus flowers are in demand for their elegant attractive spikes of
different hues and good keeping quality. Gladiolus can be easily grown
with a little care and attention in beds for garden decoration and cut
flower production and also in pots for interior and outdoor decoration.
Gladiolus can be grown outdoor and under greenhouse conditions. In the
plains, gladiolus flowers are available during the winter months only.
Gladiolus could be grown
in any type of soil provided it is well drained. For good performance,
it prefers a sandy loam soil, rich in organic matter. When the soil is
of heavy texture, gladiolus should be grown on raised beds or on
ridges. In light soils, the plants can be grown in the flat beds. For
good performance, a soil pH between 6 and 7 is ideal. However, a soil
with pH ranging from 5 to 7 can also be used for gladiolus cultivation.
A soil with pH lower than 5 should be treated with lime to make it
suitable for gladiolus.
To avoid the damage caused by soil borne diseases,
gladiolus should be grown in new soils where earlier there was no
cultivation of gladiolus If it is not possible, then select a plot of
land where gladiolus has not been grown for the last six years or more.
Otherwise to reduce the disease population, the soil should be
sterilized.
The land should be thoroughly prepared by digging the soil
to a depth of 45-60 cm. If the soil is of clay type to improve the
texture, sand may be incorporated with the soil. Application of well
decomposed FYM @ 10 kg per m2 will enrich the soil and will
also improve the moisture holding capacity of the soil. The beds should
be irrigated a day in advance before planting the corms. This will help
in planting the corms in a sufficiently moist but not too wet soil.
Watering during the first or second week after planting can then be
reduced to a minimum.
Gladiolus plants prefer a temperature regime between 100 and 250C. It can, however, temporarily tolerate very high temperatures like 400C provided the relative humidity is high and the soil is moist.
Corms can be planted in two ways viz. on flat beds and ridges. For high rainfall areas, it is advisable to plant in ridges. Depending on the plantation method, approximately 30-50 corms of 10/12 size per m2 or 0.8-1.0 lakh corm s are planted per acre. As the corms start sprouting, earthing up is to be done gradually. The soil encircling the plant will help in keeping the plants erect. The planting depth of the corms depends on the type of soil and planting time. Compared to heavy soils, more deep plantations should be made in lighter soils.
Gladiolus plants require plenty of water during the entire growth period.
The gladiolus plants are
affected by a number of insect and pests. Hence, regular spraying of
insecticides like Rogor, Monocil, Malathion, Metasystox etc. is
essential.
Among many fungal diseases which attack the gladiolus
plants, Fusarium, Botrytis, Stromatinia etc. are the most destructive.
To reduce disease incidence, only disease free corms should be used.
Regular application of different fungicides viz. Dithane M-45, Bavistin,
Benlate, Captan etc. will reduce infection.
The corms contain sufficient amount of reserve food material for a healthy growth during the first few weeks. It is better to defer the application of nitro-genous fertilizers till the 3rd leaf appears. Gladiolus plants do not require heavy feeding. At the time of soil preparation, 30 kg of P2O5 and 50 kg of K2O per acre should be applied. After the appearance of the 3rd leaf, 20 kg of N and again after one month balance 20 kg of N should be applied.
Institute of
Himalayan Bioresource Technology,Post Box No. 6 Palampur (H.P.) 176061 INDIA Tel:
+91-1894-230742-43 Fax: +91-1894-230433
E-mail:director@ihbt.res.in