§1What this business is
Gladiolus is a bulbous cut flower used in most bouquets; a spike lasts 8–10 days in a vase. The farmer plants 80,000 corms in one acre on ridges 30 cm apart, with 15 cm between corms. Spikes are ready 60–120 days after planting and are cut at the tight bud stage, graded, bundled in dozens and sent to the flower market. After flowering the corms are lifted, cured in shade and kept in cold storage for the next planting, so planting material is bought only once. It is mainly a winter crop. The NABARD model assumes one crop a year with staggered planting.
Capacity: 80,000 plants per acre; 72,000 saleable spikes in year 1 and 76,000 a year after that; saleable corms rise from 3,000 in year 2 to 35,000 a year from year 4.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A farmer with irrigated land within reach of a city flower market and a cold store.
Who it is not for
A farmer far from any flower market or in a place with very hot or constantly humid weather.
Advantages
- Corms multiply, so planting material is bought only in the first year
- A short crop — spikes are ready in 60–120 days
- Needs no polyhouse; grows in open fields from the plains up to 2,500 m
- Extra corms and cormels can be sold as planting material
Drawbacks
- Planting material takes ₹2,40,000 of the ₹3,00,000 first-year cost
- The first year ends in a loss of ₹84,000 in the model
- Corms need cold storage between seasons
- Cut flowers must reach the market quickly
Skills you need
- Selecting and treating healthy corms
- Staggered planting for a steady supply of spikes
- Cutting at the right bud stage, grading and bundling
- Lifting, curing and storing corms
Why difficulty 3/5: The crop is easy to grow, but corm storage, disease control and fast marketing decide the profit.
§3Market
Who buys
- Wholesale flower markets in cities
- Florists and bouquet makers
- Decorators for weddings and events
- Other growers who buy corms
How it sells
- Bundles of 12 or 24 spikes sent to the flower market through commission agents
- Direct supply to florists and decorators
- Sale of corms and cormels as planting material
Good to know
- The model assumes ₹3 per spike and ₹1 per corm; cormels sell at up to ₹300 per kg but are left out of the income.
- For the domestic market spikes are graded A, B and C.
- The report says gladiolus is grown on 11,660 ha in India, with major production in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Maharashtra.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Workable fence around the plot | — | ₹6,000 |
| Cold storage space for corms between seasons (hired) | — | — |
From: NABARD model bankable project — Gladiolus Cultivation (1.0 acre)
- Gladiolus corms of 2.5 cm diameter and above80,000 per acre at ₹3 a corm = ₹2,40,000
- Farm yard manure10 MT per acre at ₹1,000 per MT
- Fertilisers — NPK 50:60:60 kg per acre and 5 kg of zincmanures and fertilisers together ₹14,690
- Plant protection chemicals₹5,000 in year 1
- Packing material — paper, elastic bands, boxes or gunny bags₹2,500 in year 1
From: NABARD model bankable project — Gladiolus Cultivation (1.0 acre)
§5Licences & registration
- No licence is needed to grow flowers on your own farm
- Land ownership or lease papers for the crop loan
- Nursery or seed licence from the State Horticulture Department if you sell corms as planting material on a regular basis
Start it in your state
Pick your state: today’s cost, central + state subsidy, raw material, land and help, on one page.
§6Schemes & subsidies
Research is in progress. We do not publish guessed numbers — this part will be filled in as soon as we have a source.
A 1-acre crop is below the NHB open-field rule of more than 2 hectares, so NHB does not apply at this size. Finance it as a crop or term loan from the bank, and ask the District Horticulture Office about state floriculture support.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Year 1 cost for one acre as printed in Annexure II: land preparation ₹2,500; layout ₹1,000; planting material ₹2,40,000 (80,000 corms at ₹3); planting ₹3,200; manures and fertilisers ₹14,690; plant protection ₹5,000; irrigation ₹1,500; interculture ₹9,000; workable fence ₹6,000; harvesting and packing ₹5,000; packing material ₹2,500; transportation ₹8,000; miscellaneous ₹1,600 = ₹2,99,990, rounded off to ₹3,00,000. The text of the same report gives the cost as ₹2,84,300. Land cost is not included.
Working capital: After year 1 the yearly cultivation expense is ₹54,000 in year 2, rising to ₹79,061 in year 6, because the farmer replants his own corms. The annexure takes a loan of ₹2,55,000 (85%) and margin of ₹45,000 (15%) at 13% interest; the text of the report mentions 14%.
Year not printed in the model project — it uses ₹3 per corm and ₹200 per man-day; planting material and labour cost more now.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: APEDA
- The model sells in the domestic market; export grades follow spike length and number of florets (Fancy, Special, Standard, Utility).
§9Risks — where people fail
- Fusarium rot and other corm diseases
- Price crash when many growers harvest together
- Corms rotting or sprouting in storage
- Thrips, aphids and viral diseases spoiling spike quality
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working gladiolus cultivation (open field, 1 acre) unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (No licence is needed to grow flowers on your own farm, Land ownership or lease papers for the crop loan), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Gladiolus Cultivation (Open Field, 1 acre)?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.