Digging up Gladiolus corms

Do you see the tiny cormlets at the base of each corm? Aw...Gee...they are so cute!

Who would have thunk that I'd be digging up gladiolus corms on Christmas Eve! It has been so warm, that I found the need to wait until now to dig them up. One must wait until the stalks have gone brown and dried up. Out of the five varieties of glads that I have, the dusty rose colored variety still had somewhat green leaves. But, I had to dig them up because we are going to get snow next Tuesday!

I put the corms of each colored gladiolus in different containers so that I'll know what colors they are when planting them in late spring.

Care of Glads: I need to let them cure for two days before transferring them to a cardboard box and storing them at 85F for two weeks to dry completely. We don't have any temp. approaching 85F, so I'll put them in the laundry room (where the boiler is located.) That will have to do.

I didn't know this, but the new corms form on top of the old ones, so I'll have to separate them and keep the new ones. Hmmm...do I see new ones in these photos? How am I supposed to figure out which is the original corm? I R Stumped;-)

 I'm also supposed to cut off any foliage then. (Well...I already did that when I should have left it on. I hope I didn't ruin them. Aughh..time will tell!) Then, I'll dust off the excess dirt.  I'll also keep the tiny cormlets and will try to grow them into new bulbs over the next few years. I haven't figured out how I am going to do that yet...  The Gardening Know How website has this so say about storage:

"When thinking how to store gladiolus over the winter, think about imitating the environment the corms would experience in nature, only just a little bit better. Place them in single layers in cardboard boxes with newspaper in between the layers, or store them on screens or in onion bags. You may also place the corms in a breathable bag, like a paper bag, a cloth bag or nylon pantyhose. This will allow the air to continue to circulate around the gladiolus corms while they are being stored.

Keep the corms in a cool, dry spot just about freezing, or around 40 degrees F. (4 C.). Many people choose the vegetable bin in their fridge or an attached garage to store their gladiolus corms. An unheated basement or enclosed porch is ideal as well. Store the corms until next spring, when all chance of frost has passed."

So, I'll store my bulbs in Neighbor Carla's basement, as it is kept at the optimal temp. of around 40 F for most of the winter.