Pre-sprouting gladiolus speeds up flowering—and here's how to enjoy the blooms for longer!
Gladiolus, or sword lily, turns heads from July well into autumn with its vibrant blooms. Pre-sprout the bulbs for 3–5 weeks to enjoy earlier blossoms. If you’d like, you can stagger your pre-sproutings to keep the flowering period going as long as possible.
1. Pre-sprout gladioli, or sword lilies, for 3–5 weeks before planting them outdoors in a bed or pot. The pre-sprouting time can be longer if you have a greenhouse or another bright, relatively cool place. In warm conditions, you can also plant the bulbs directly in the ground.
2. If the bulbs seem a bit dry, soak them overnight in shallow water before planting.
3. You can plant the bulbs directly in an outdoor pot at about 10 centimeters deep. For a longer flowering period, plant both, bulbs and sprouted potted plants, in the same container. The bulbs grow quickly in warm, airy soil. Keep the pot indoors at first, then move it to a greenhouse or outside once there’s no risk of frost.
4. Plant the seedling in nutrient-rich soil, a bit deeper than before, and support it with a stake and string.
5. Enjoy the flowering, which starts in July and lasts well into autumn. If you like, you can cut and prop some of the flowers into a vase.
