glad cormel propagation

I am in zone 5 and dug up my non-hardy glads to discover that there are many little cormels. I did a little online research and got conflicting information. One site said to replant the cormels and they will flower the second year. The other said after curing [drying for storage], remove the old shriveled corms at the base of the mother corm. What if I want to multiply? When it comes time to plant, could I leave the cormels attached to the mother or could I detach and plant separately? Is glad propagation is not possible in zone 5? Please help.

glads, dont remember a prob with either style of propagation/ removing the little ones assists the larger ones growth, but the little ones should also grow for you and will reach a larger size their 2nd year. you could experiment n try it both ways to see which you prefer, n it will probably depend on the glad you are trying to propagate,also

eden,

I think you're talking about two different things happening here. Most non-hardy glads in my experience form one or more (I have seen as many as three) new mature, large corms on top of the old one, which gets dark brown and kind of dry. You can pull this old, used corm off and discard, and pull the new mature corms apart and replant. Some corms also produce lots of baby cormlets, which are usually quite small and surround the perimeter of the main corm, and there may be dozens of them. Why some bulbs produce lots of cormlets and others just form mature corms above the old one, I don't know - I have seen both things happen in my old garden. Maybe someone has an answer to that. Although non-hardy glads will likely not overwinter in your area, I have read about people as far north as Minnesota propagating them and I am certain it can be done. I would pull the baby cormlets off and replant separately the following spring.

I leave the cormels on the mother bulb the second year (unless they fall off themselves which often happens). I divide them off and plant separately the third year. I don't always get flowers the third year but always the forth.

I've had the same experience with the glads as Steve. Mine were mixed in with the TB iris and when I wanted to move the iris I disturbed all the glads. I was surprised to see lime sized corms, some with a new one formed on top of an old desicated one and then dear lord there were the little cormlets! I'm not exaggerating when I say hundreds. I couldn't wrangle them all to remove them so this year I had baby glad shoots looking like blades of grass sprouting up among the new TB iris. I imagine in another year or so I'll be up to my neck in 6 ft tall white glad stalks again:lol:

The ones I did remove with the noid iris were given to a friend who told me she also had a bedful of glad sprouts.

Thank all of you for sharing. I'm storing all of the corms and cormels/cormlets...I just can't seem to discard anything that may possibly grow into a beautiful flower one day.

welcome to the club eden! Its an obsession (shared by many here at DG)