Starting a Gladiolus Farm to Make Money

What is a Gladiolus?

A gladiolus is a striking flower that can be grown in perennial gardens. In fact, it is one of the well-known flowering bulbs. It grows from corms wherein clusters of dark green stiff fronds emerge. From mid to late summer, you will be able to see the blooms. There are times when some farm owners grow lilies, peonies, and dahlias together with the gladiolus. Since the flowering plan produce spikes, it is also called little ‘swords’.

Choosing the Location of your Gladiolus Farm Biz

You need to choose the ideal location for the farm. The place should have well drained soil. In most cases, the flowering plants can grow in moist and in full sun areas. Still, it would be best to have a balance between these two. If you want to have blooms all throughout the summer, you can do space planting every week which can be 1-10 days apart. If you have a large space, you can plant the gladiolus in doubles, in groups, or in staggered rows. It’s even great to grow the gladiolus along the borders of the farm. With the spikes of these flowering plants, strangers and other animals can be held at bay. When you are planting the gladiolus, you can dig out trenches and then plant the corms. Whether you’re planting in groups or in rows, 2-3 inches space should be given to each of the flowering plant. The rows need to be 20-36” apart. Keep in mind that as the farmer (supposing you’re the only one caring for the farm), you will need to watch over your plants. During the gladiolus’ growing season, you should provide ample water. The ground should be soaked thoroughly. When the area of the gladiolus is heated, don’t water the flowers. You can use organic fertilizer when the plants are already 6-8” tall. By this time, the spikes have already appeared. The gladiolus is self supporting although you can also stake them. For good support, you can hill up the soil on the sides of the flowering plant.

Now that you know how to plant the gladiolus, you will now consider the supplies and where you can get them. Make sure that you have all the required garden tools so that when it’s time to sell the flowers, you can easily harvest them. It’s also a good idea to hire extra help especially if your gladiolus farm is large. Maintain your farm properly and you can expect more money to come in.