Remove the loose husks, leave the wrapper husks intact. Also remove the small cormels and place them in a labeled paper bag for winter storage. Dust corms with insecticide before storing. Place them in trays, paper bags, mesh onion bags, or even old nylon stockings for storage. Keep the varieties separated since they multiply at different rates.
Light colors are more vigorous and multiply faster than darker colors.
The major insect pest of gladiolus is the gladiolus thrip. The foliage will be covered with whitish streaks, while the florets may appear discolored, misshapen and often unable to open. Thrips will overwinter in the corms and will injure them during this time. Several diseases may affect glad stems, leaves, and corms. These can usually be avoided by choosing clean corms and using good cultural practices.