Kitchen Garden Forum

I have recently dug up my gladioli bulbs, cut off the tops and let them dry out a bit. 2 questions: a) do I break off the roots to leave a bare hollowed base, or leave them on? Some have broken off by accident, so do I have to do anything about protecting them?
b) some bulbs have got little holes in them - they look like something has bored its way in. Do I store them with the others, separately, or throw them away?
Thanks
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Granny

Bit late on this, but for sure keep the holed ones seperate if you want to see what happens or bin them to play absolutely safe.

When I dig mine up I don't worry about the roots on or off. But I often find the original corm gone mushy or hollow and lots of little corm-lets round the old base, they are a bugger to pick out but worth it as each is a new plant.

Thank you ,Peter.
I'd more or less done what you recommended, but it's nice to have it confirmed.
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Granny

I don't lift my Gladioli, or my Dahlias. The Dahlias are cut down, covered in muck and then either fleece or a double layer of old net curtain, they have survived 5 years so far. The Glads I just leave in the ground. My ground is light and sandy so this is probably the secret. Not sure what your gound is like in Cambridge, we are in Kettering.

We have quite a loamy soil with some gault here and there. I don't know if that would maske a difference. I like the idea of covering them up rather than all the hassle of lifting, storing, replanting etc. I'll give that a go next year. Thanks.
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Granny