We, the gladiolus corms, are not true bulbs but solid storage organs, and our life cycle is one of growth, dormancy, and renewal. After a season of sending up our magnificent flower spikes and gathering energy from the sun through our leaves, we begin to senesce. Our foliage yellows and dies back, signaling that we are redirecting our energy downward. The original "mother" corm that was planted exhausts itself and withers away. In its place, a new, plump "daughter" corm forms on top of the old one. It is around the base of this new corm that you will find us—the cormels, or cormlets. We are our plant's way of creating clones for future generations. We are ready for harvest only when the foliage has completely died back and our outer husks, or tunics, have become dry and papery.
Once you carefully lift the entire plant cluster from the soil, you will see the structure of our family. The large, healthy new corm is your prize for the next season's main bloom. Gently break away the shriveled remains of the old mother corm from the bottom. You will then see us, the small, pea-to-marble-sized cormels, clinging to the base of the new corm. We must be carefully separated by hand. Some of us may detach easily, while others might require a gentle twist. It is important to handle us with care to avoid damaging our basal plate, the area from which our roots will eventually emerge.
After separation, we require a period of curing. Please place us in a single layer in a warm, dry, and well-ventilated location out of direct sunlight for about one to three weeks. This process allows our tiny tunics to dry and harden fully, sealing the wounds from separation and preventing rot during storage. Once we are thoroughly dry, store us in a mesh bag or paper envelope, labeled with the variety. Keep us in a cool (around 40-50°F or 4-10°C), dark, and dry place until the next planting season. This period of dormancy is crucial for our development.
When the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed in spring, it is our time to be planted. To give us the best start, you can soak us in lukewarm water for a few hours before planting to rehydrate our tissues. Plant us in well-draining soil, about one to two inches deep and spaced two to three inches apart. While the large daughter corm will flower in its first year, we, the cormels, are juvenile. In our first growing season, our primary goal is vegetative growth. We will spend the summer photosynthesizing and building energy stores, developing into small but robust corms. We will not flower this year.
At the end of that first growing season, after the foliage dies back, you will lift us again. You will find that each cormel has transformed into a small, but full-sized corm, often referred to as a "jumbo" corm if we grew well. After another cycle of curing and storage over winter, we are then ready to be replanted the following spring. This time, equipped with a full season's worth of stored energy, we will send up a strong flower spike. From a tiny cormel, we will have matured into a flowering gladiolus, ready to produce our own daughter corms and a new generation of cormels, thus continuing the glorious cycle.
