Sprouting Gladiolus bulbs

[nao57]

So... a neighbor gave me some gladiolus bulbs. I've never grown these before. They are unsprouted bulbs. I was curious to ask the best way to sprout them?

One of the ways I'd sprouted seeds in the past was putting them in wet toilet paper in ziplock bags. Will this method work with gladiolus bulbs? The bulb sizes aren't real great for the bags.

Also the directions on the packaging say to put the bulbs 8 inches down. Is that a typo? And what kind of sprouting rate should you expect with these?

Thanks.

 

[dirty hands]

Wait until spring to plant them.

You could grow them in pots and bring them indoors before it gets cold out. You would need grow lights for them.

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

There are hardy glads but i think only to zone 6 or 7

No need for grow lights they will go dormant come winter and just store them in a pot somewhere where it's not too harsh. But it might be worth waiting till spring if they're freshly dug and look like they'll keep.

8in seems deep to me, maybe 8cm

And don't do the wet paper towel thing, just bury it in dirt

 

[dirty hands]

I just figured it would be October before they bloom. If they bloom.