No Flowers on Gladiolus

I planted 75 new gladiolus bulbs in spring. There is good leaf growth but no flower spikes on any of the plants.

Corm size, fertilization practices and pest problems can prevent flowering.  Small, undersized glad corms will produce leaves but no flowers.  Save larger corms to use in next year’s garden.  Smaller corms can be saved and grown for two seasons to reach flowering size.  Avoid high nitrogen fertilizer that encourage leaf growth and discourage flowering.  If these aren’t the problem, take a closer look at the plant.  Thrips, virus, and aster yellows can prevent or distort flowers.   Discard diseased infested corms.  You can treat thrip-infested corms with an insecticide labeled for this purpose prior to storage.  For best results discard all infested plants and corms and start with new pest free corms next season.

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