How to grow crocuses at home?

Crocuses belong to the Iris family. These are bulbous perennial herbs, unique in properties, use and beauty. Some of the first to gain color in spring, have long been considered symbols of love and youth. Crocus planting is possible at home in a pot, but with proper care.

Known more than 100 varieties of crocus, some bloom in spring, others in winter.

Description of indoor crocus

The stem reaches a height of 20-25 cm. At the roots there is a semblance of scales. The flower resembles the shape of a glass. It has 6 petals of various colors. They are narrowish, linear, tucked up on the sides. The flowers are monochromatic and two-colored (yellow and blue).

After flowering the main crocus bulb dies off, and instead of bulbs appear. They are separated and transplanted. The flowering of "babies" occurs one year after transplantation. It is possible to grow flowers from seeds, but this will most likely lead to a loss of varietal properties.

Store the bulbs only after weathering for 2 weeks.

The nuances of growing a house in a pot

Plant breeding will not be a difficult task if you follow the principles:

• Providing adequate lighting;
• Maintaining temperature balance - up to 20, and in winter - up to 10 degrees.
• Soil drainage (gravel, river sand);
• Irrigation in small volumes, but regularly;
• Landing in the ground, consisting of turf, leaves and sand;
• Use loam, fertilize with a mixture of manure and lime;
• Plant only elastic bulbs.

Disembarkation is in progress 3 months before the expected flowering.

For planting, you need to use only elastic crocus bulbs

Varieties for growing at home

Dutch varieties are best suited for indoor cultivation:

1. Joan of Arc - is distinguished by voluminous white petals and yellow stigmas, a light lilac base and a height of 4 cm. Flowering in mid-April.
2. Flower Record - a small stem, but a large purple-blue bud with a darkish base. Bloom in late April.
3. Cream beauty - has large golden buds and yellow-orange stamens. Flowering in early May.
4. Blue Pearl - small blue buds with a yellow base, up to 8 cm high. Flowering in early April.
5. Prince claus - it is distinguished by the snow-white color of the bud with a bright purple back and a strong aroma, up to 8 cm high. Flowering in early April.

How to plant

Planting in a pot can be divided into several stages, which begin with the selection of the bulb.

2 weeks before flowering, we move the pot home, observing a gradual increase in temperature.

The choice of planting material

It is better to buy bulbs in the fall. When choosing, you should pay attention to the absence of spots, putrefactive inclusions and damage to the bulb. They must be removed and treated with ash.

Further remove scales and roots... In stores, planting material is sold depending on the size according to the International Standard for Measuring Bulbous Plants. It is better to choose a large onion.

Preparing for landing

Place the bulbs in a cool place before forcing.

Before forcing the onion must be placed in a cool place.

• If the flower is taken from the garden, it must be dried, sorted and removed to a warm room (20-35 degrees) in June when removing it. Within 15 days, lower the temperature to 17 degrees. After mid-August, cool again, transferring to a dark place with a temperature of up to 10 degrees, for about 4 weeks.
• If the bulbs are dried, they are left at a temperature of 20-25 degrees for a couple of days. And then put it in the refrigerator.

Pot

Tara for crocus needs to be taken large diameter and shallow height... The presence or independent production of drainage in it is mandatory.

It is necessary to decide in advance the number of bulbs planted in one pot - the choice of a pot depends on this. The bulbs must not touch each other and the container walls. There are special pots on sale for planting bulbs. They have holes for sprouted flowers.

Crocus flower stigma is saffron

The stigma of the crocus flower is used in cooking as a spice - saffron.

Landing

To the bottom of the pot lay out pieces of bricks or tiles... Under it is a tray for collecting liquid. A sandy or sandy loam layer is prepared, the soil is poured on top. Bulbs of the same size and type are planted in each pot.

Can be planted in sand, as well as in a mixture of leaves and turf. The pre-chilled bulbs are transferred to a pot, placing 10 cm apart and from the walls of the container. They can be buried in the ground, or they can be left on the surface (planting depth 5-10 cm).

After planting, the pot is removed to a dark and cool room (up to +10 degrees). And the rooting process begins.

Care

If all the rules and recommendations are followed, you should have patience and information on the proper care of crocuses.

Watering rules

Watering is not needed immediately after planting if the soil was moistened before.

As the land dries up, the soil needs to be irrigated with a small amount of water. Excess liquid damages the bulbs.

Avoid contact with the petals when watering - this can cause the appearance of brown spots. Water the plant abundantly - when the first shoots appear and until the flowers wither. Then watering is done less and less, and after September, they stop altogether.

When watering, you must try not to fall on the crocus petals

Necessary lighting

After disembarking, the first time plant aging required... It is carried out in dark, cool places. If you are going to move the pot to the light, you need to check the sprout. If it is loose, you need to wait a little longer until the light stage comes.

With a sprout height of 5 cm, it is transferred to a bright, cool place (up to 15 degrees). As the flowering period begins, containers with plants are transferred to a cool, dark place.

Humidity level

Needed good drainage to avoid stagnant water... Loose soil is also suitable to provide moisture and air to maintain moisture levels. For a dark, cool room, you can choose a basement.

Crocus blooms in a period of up to 10 days.

Top dressing

It is carried out only during the active growth phase (in the spring and summer periods). Mineral or organic fertilizers are used at least 3 times during the entire period.

To increase the flowering period, apply a phosphorus-containing top dressing. Potash fertilizers are added to improve the condition of the bulbs and maintain their health during the winter. Avoid nitrogen-containing feed, they may be due to the appearance of fungus on the plant.

To increase the flowering period, use a phosphorus-containing dressing.

Additional care

When caring for crocuses leaves must not be plucked until they wilt completely (not earlier than the end of May). Since this will lead to a weakening of the bulbs.

Usually the same bulb do not reuse, but if you still decide to do this, then you need to take into account the facts:

• Choose a nutrient soil;
• Apply top dressing;
• Irrigate the soil through the pallet.

Is it possible to prolong the flowering of a crocus - is it possible or not, and is it necessary

When tying a bud, the temperature at home is needed not more than 16 degrees... This will extend flowering for several weeks.

To increase the flowering period, it is enough to follow the rules:

• Move to a cool place at night, where the temperature is 1-3 degrees;
• Reduce illumination;
• Keep away from direct sunlight.

When flowering, there will be no repeated flowering of the crocus.

Crocuses are beautiful and fragrant flowers that, when properly planted and cared for, will easily grow at home. They can be a great gift for the desired date and holiday. And they will also delight the eye and create coziness.

Crocuses bloom in many flower beds in early spring. They are so adorable in their diminutiveness that they are often presented directly in pots. But it's not enough just to push the corms into the ground. I would like to present exactly the blossoming flower. Moreover, it should be timed to a certain date.

How to grow crocuses at home? It's actually very easy. The secret of distillation is to imitate natural processes. This can be done by the most novice florist. And if he correctly prepares the planting material and takes quality material, then success is guaranteed.

What bulbs to plant

The first thing to do is choose a good planting material. Unlike other bulbous, crocus size is not measured by diameter, but by the circumference at its widest point. We need a package that has the number 10 plus. The largest flowers on plump stems are obtained from such raw materials. And simultaneously up to 6 pieces.

If there is a smaller number on the package, then there will be fewer colors, respectively. They themselves will be small.

Choose for yourself the varieties of the selection of Holland. They are mostly hybrids. They work very well at home. Local or natural plants produce small flowers or do not bloom at all. Why then all the work? And don't be confused with plants blooming in autumn. During your forcing, they have a deep rest period after flowering.

But it is not enough to fall for a beautiful photo on cardboard. You need to have some more idea about the correct choice of corms. They must meet the following requirements:

1. Firm and resilient. Press lightly on the raw material. It should spring nicely. Softness speaks of incipient damage.
2. Smell if possible. If there is even the slightest moldy odor, put it off without regret. Such material was stored in inappropriate conditions.
3. Examine the bulbs carefully. They should be free of dark or damp spots and visible damage.

Once you've made your choice and brought your purchase home, take your time. Quarantine the bulbs. Dark cool place. Look at them in about 10-12 days. Everything is good? Are there any signs of disease, mold, or rot? So, you can safely plant.

Advice. Buy corms in season. This time is from the end of July to the end of September.

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Which pot to choose

The material of the container does not matter. Much more important is its size. For crocuses, shallow but wide containers are suitable. A group of plantings in one bowl looks very impressive. And decorated with fine gravel or pebbles is generally a masterpiece.

It will be quite enough to take a pot with a height of 12-14 cm. But always with wide drainage holes. And it is not installed in a pallet, but on a stand. This will allow excess liquid to drain off. Crocus bulbs react very nervously to stagnant water. They immediately begin to rot and wither.

How to plant

Some sources recommend planting crocuses close to each other. This tip only applies to small bulbs. They give one flower at a time, so the splendor of the bouquet is due to the tightness of the planting.

If you have chosen large mature corms, then try to keep a distance of at least 2.5 cm between them. This will allow the glasses of crocuses to unfold in all their glory.

The planting depth should be such that only the very tip remains on the surface. Let's take a step by step how to plant crocuses correctly:

1. A thick layer of drainage is placed on the bottom of the pot. These are broken shards, bricks, small gravel, marble chips. Pebbles and expanded clay will also work.
2. Then a little soil is poured. Its composition is simple. This is in equal parts garden soil, sand and peat. Everything should be loose and permeable.
3. Place the bulb with the bottom down.
4. Holding it with one hand, the second is covered to the top with a mixture of sand and peat.
5. Watering. As soon as the water drains, they are harvested for rooting.

The difference in the composition of soil mixtures allows the roots to firmly hold the plant in the container, and the bulb to contact with water as little as possible.

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When to plant crocuses

It is very easy to calculate the landing time. It is necessary to subtract 14 days from the estimated date of flowering. And also reduce the time for the cool period. This is 12 weeks. Total: 14 weeks for everything.

For example, you need a blooming crocus by January 1st. We do all the necessary calculations. You need to plant the bulb on September 24.

Care and maintenance during the cold period

So we come to the moment when we take on the role of the creator. That is, we artificially create conditions of detention as close as possible to natural ones. To do this, for 12 weeks, you need to place containers with bulbs in a dark, cool place with high air humidity. Temperature from +4 to + 8 ° С. Humidity is not lower than 70%.

The refrigerator is not good, it's too dry. It's too warm under the bathroom. Insulated loggia or balcony - a lot of light. A barn, cellar, basement, underground floor will do. Just be careful, corms are quite to the taste of many rodents.

Water your pasture stock periodically as needed. Moisten the surrounding air by spraying or watering. And watch the temperature. Too high will cause crocuses to wake up ahead of time. Too low can cause rot and mold. And absolutely exclude the slightest illumination.

You can't often go down to the cellar or basement to water containers with corms? Then cover them with thick foil. Just be sure to make a few small holes. This is necessary for ventilation and evaporation of condensate.

Next stage
As soon as 15 days remain until the estimated date, the bowls with corms are pulled out for distillation. Just do not drastically change the strength of the lighting and the temperature regime. The approximate procedure is as follows:

1 day. They took it out of the cellar and put it on the floor at the front door. It's a little cool and dark there.

Day 3. We put the pot on a stand, a table, a bedside table in the back of the coolest room.

Day 5. They pushed it close to the window, but covered it up from the central heating battery.

7th day. They put it on the windowsill. Do not open the battery. We do not put insulation under the pot, because the roots should still feel cool.

14-15 days. We admire the flowering.

All these days, we do not forget to water the crocuses as the top layer dries. Spray periodically from a spray bottle. Just don't fill them up like a fire truck. The soil mixture should be slightly damp, but not soggy. Otherwise, the crocuses will quickly lose their decorative appearance or even turn yellow and wither.

If you did everything correctly, then you can admire the beautiful flowers for up to 11 days in a row. At the same time, nobody canceled the usual care. And be sure to cover the flowers from direct sunlight. It prolongs flowering well.

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Content after flowering

Do not rush to get rid of the corms after they delight you with their beautiful flowering. They can still be planted in a flower bed or garden. Indeed, in one place they can grow up to 5 years. And during this time they will bring you great offspring. Small onions can be grown and planted everywhere. Or use milking cultivation at home.

To do this, you must not change the containment mode. The peduncles that have served their time are carefully removed. For example, scissors or pruners. This will allow you not to draw off nutrients from the uterine bulb.

By about the beginning of June, all the leaves will turn yellow and dry. This is the most natural natural time for crocuses to retire. Until this moment, it will be necessary to feed the plant twice with a full complex mineral fertilizer. Preference is given to a composition where there is the most phosphorus and potassium, but a minimum of nitrogen. The feeding solution is prepared in accordance with the instructions on the package. Each manufacturer has its own.

Crocuses are not treated with organic matter. This can cause root rot and other diseases. Indeed, in natural conditions, they are accustomed to living in mountainous areas with poor soil, which has a neutral reaction. And organic matter is nitrogen and soil acidification.

After the entire aerial part has dried, you need to carefully remove the corms from the soil. We shake off, carefully examine for the presence of mold, diseases, signs of decay. Everything is good? Is the onion clean? Dry it in a cool dark place for about 9-11 days. Next, cut off the roots, dry leaves, stems. We remove the falling off the husk. And we put it back in a dark and cool place before the autumn planting in the ground.

Approximately once every three weeks we inspect the planting material. We discard dried and diseased crocus corms, if any.

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Useful Tips

1. After quarantine, but before planting, be sure to disinfect the corms, containers and soil. By any means at hand. Good results are obtained by a 20-minute soaking in a strong solution of potassium permanganate and spraying with phytosporin. Do not neglect this procedure, you will avoid many problems.
2. Crocuses are not fed at home. They have enough nutrients from the bulbs. An overabundance will lead to deformation or a complete lack of colors.
3. Plant one variety and corms of the same size in one container. Otherwise, you will have to observe the following picture: flowers of one variety are adjacent to the withered leaves of another. Or faded buds next to unblown ones. Ugly and unprofessional. It is better to plant them in separate pots. So it will be easier to look after. Moreover, one flower also looks elegant and impressive in a pot if it is well-groomed and healthy.
4. Do not listen to those who advise you to use crocuses for culinary purposes. Eat innocent flowers. In the food industry, only flower stigmas are used. And even then, of a certain variety, purple sowing crocuses. The Dutch hybrids were clearly not bred for the purpose of obtaining a fragrant spice. They are meant to give flowers and are completely unfit for food. And then in every article they write such nonsense, without even bothering to find out the truth. And after all, many are led to this stupidity, pluck poor plants. Shove in sauces or baked goods.And they wonder: where is that divine aroma and beautiful color?
5. Do not try to grow crocuses from seeds yourself at home. This is a whole science with strict requirements for conditions, temperatures and the period of stratification. You get tired of waiting and dancing around with a tambourine. Although, if you are a biologist, botanist, or just an experimenter by nature, then give it a try. Suddenly it will work out.

How to grow crocuses at home? It turns out quite simple. Following the recommendations, you can enjoy blooming on the windowsill yourself. Or adjust the process to the birthday. Agree, an original gift.

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Video: how to plant crocuses in a pot

Crocus is a perennial with delightful flowers that appear with the first rays of the warm spring sun. The plant belongs to the Iris family and has more than 100 species. This flower can be found in Europe, the Caucasus, Asia and the Mediterranean. In home floriculture, crocus planting in pots is used, and if you wish, you can plan their flowering, knowing and applying certain basics of distillation.

Selection of planting material for crocuses

When choosing bulbs for planting, you need to consider the crocus variety. Suitable for home floriculture Dutch hybrids... They are adapted to indoor conditions and flower in large, bright buds, unlike wild varieties.

Crocuses are divided according to bulb size. In this case, not its diameter is taken into account, but the circumference. The larger the size of the planting material, the faster the plant will bloom. Better to choose number 8, 9, 10, then you can count on 3-5 large buds.

Preparing for forcing home crocuses

In order for the bulb of the home crocus flower to "wake up" from the winter sleep, it must feel the coming of spring. To do this, a well-dried, undamaged, paper-wrapped onion is placed in refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

The bulbs of garden crocuses are stored at a temperature of 17-18 degrees before forcing, and they are also placed in a refrigerator or underground when the time comes. The whole process, including cooling, planting the crocus and rooting in the ground, takes about 3 months.

How to plant corms at home

The composition of the soil is not important when forcing the bulbs of domestic crocus flowers. They can be planted in expanded clay, earth, sand, But if the plant is planted in a permanent place, then it is better to choose a light soil with peat and leaf mixture.

Forcing in sand provides for a more thorough care of the crocus and constant feeding, since the plant will not have enough nutrients.

Crocuses planted in priming, cool, putting in a dark place for 1-2 months. For these purposes, an underground or vegetable pit is suitable.

How to grow crocuses at home?

As soon as signs of rooting appear - roots and green shoots, a container or flowerpot with a home crocus flower must be transferred to a cool, bright place. As a rule, it is installed on a windowsill on the north side. The soil in the pot must be regularly moistened, but there is no need for top dressing. Taking proper crocus care at home will help the plant to bloom in 10-15 days.

Indoor crocuses: how to prolong flowering

Crocus is loved by breeders for its rich, rich bud colors. However, these capricious bulbous plants can bloom very quickly, and in some cases, the buds may not appear.

If you observe the correct temperature regime and create gentle lighting, a home crocus flower can bloom for several weeks. During bud setting, the air temperature in the room should not exceed 16 degrees. Otherwise, the flower dries up quickly and falls off.

Crocuses: home care

For a home crocus flower to bloom longer, you must:

• clean it overnight in a cool room, the optimum temperature is 1-3 degrees of cold;
• choose a place where the bright sun will not penetrate;
• reduce the brightness of electric lighting in the room.

A faded plant will not bloom again... Therefore, it can be thrown away or buried in the garden. A home crocus flower planted in the ground will eventually give bulb babies, from which new decorative crocuses can be grown. But keep in mind that small bulbs, as a rule, either do not produce flowers at all, or are distinguished by the appearance of small, expressionless buds.

If you do decide to use an onion a second time, you should follow the strict rules of crocus care:

• pick up nutritious soil;
• use fertilizer and top dressing;
• moisten the soil only through the pallet so that the bulb does not rot.

As soon as an adult home crocus flower withers and leaves fall off, watering is stopped, and the bulb is taken out, dried and prepared for storage in order to be planted again in the substrate at the right time. Crocus care at home is difficult, but the bright, unusual buds are so delightful that many, even novice growers, grow these flowers with great enthusiasm.

The best varieties of crocuses

There are a huge number of species and varieties of this beautiful plant. Breeders do not stop experimenting with the color scheme of the buds and are constantly developing new varieties.

If you seriously decide to start growing and forcing crocuses, choose hybrid Dutch varieties, which are united by experts into one group called "Chrysanthus". These bulbs are adapted for home floriculture and have pronounced decorative qualities:

"Blue Purple", "Prince Claus" - bluish milk;

Goldilox, Dorothy, Romance, Mamut - ocher;

"Cream Beauty" - creamy vanilla;

"Gypsy Girl", "Advance" - two-tone, contrasting.

Among florists, varieties of home crocus flowers with large buds are especially popular, such as:

Purpureus Grandiflorus;

Flower Record;

"Remembrans";

"Grand Meter".

The original large-bud species that can be grown at home are Lajest Yellow (yellow) and Ruby Giant (purple-red).

Crocus (Crocus) or saffron is a herbaceous bulbous plant of the Iris family. The driving habitat is the steppes, forests, meadows of South, North, Central Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Minor and Central Asia.

The word "crocus" in translation from Greek means "fiber, thread", and in translation from the Arabic language "saffron" is "yellow" (the stigmas of the flower are painted in yellow). Crocus was first mentioned in Egyptian papyri.

In floriculture, crocus is known as a spring primrose, but there are also species that bloom in autumn.

Botanical description

Crocus is a low-growing herb about 10 cm high. Underground part: a flattened rounded bulb about 3 cm in diameter, enveloped in scales, a bunch of fibrous roots is attached to the bulb. There is no stem.

The leaves are linear, narrow, appear before or after flowering. A single goblet corolla with a diameter of 2-5 cm appears on a leafless peduncle. They can be painted in white, cream, blue, lilac, purple, yellow, orange, there are bicolor, decorated with spots, stripes. In general, the flowering period lasts 2-3 weeks.

How to plant crocuses in the garden

How to plant crocuses in the ground photo

• Spring crocuses are planted in the open ground in autumn, autumn-flowering ones - in summer.
• Choose a sunny site, they will normally grow in partial shade, shade.
• The soil is necessary nutritious, loose, light.
• Under the digging of the site, add rotted manure, compost or peat with lime. Add ash to clay soil.

Crocuses planted in small islands look very beautiful

• Cover the bulb to a depth of 2 times its size, if the soil is heavy - 1 size deep enough.
• Maintain a distance of 7-10 cm between the plants. Do not thicken the planting, because in one place crocuses can grow for 3-5 years, forming many "children" - the site will turn into a solid carpet of flowers.
• Water well after planting and mulch the soil with fine organic debris or humus.

Forcing crocuses at home

Forcing crocuses at home

You can plant crocuses for distillation. Forcing is a way to make a plant bloom indoors out of season. Dutch large-flowered varieties are best suited.

• Take bulbs of approximately the same size, plant in an amount of 5-10 pieces in a shallow bowl.
• The soil needs a loose, water-permeable, air-permeable, neutral reaction.

How to plant crocuses in a pot

• Plant the bulbs evenly, slightly pressing into the ground and leaving almost no space between them, sprinkle with earth to the level of the growth point of the aboveground part, water moderately.
• Keep in this form in a cool place for 3-4 months at a temperature of +0 to + 10 ° C.
• In advance, a week or two before the desired flowering date, remove the crocuses and place in a warm, bright place, open and water.
• Seedlings will appear soon and the plants will bloom.

Crocuses at home

• After distilling the bulbs, do not throw them away: continue to water, feed with complex mineral fertilizers. When the leaves start to turn yellow, gradually reduce the watering until it stops completely. After the leaves have dried, remove the bulbs, peel off the soil, wrap in a napkin, place in a cardboard box, store in a dry, dark place until planting in open ground.

Crocus care in the garden

Crocuses are easy to care for.

Watering

If the winter was snowless, and the spring was without rain, there is a need for watering. In general, crocuses are drought-resistant. Loosen the soil periodically, remove weeds.

Top dressing

• During active growth, apply complex mineral fertilizers; it is not recommended to introduce fresh organic matter.
• Add more potassium and phosphorus, an excess of nitrogen (especially in wet weather) is fraught with fungal diseases.
• Carry out the first top dressing before flowering (30-40 g of fertilizer per 1 m²), the second - during flowering.

After flowering

When spring crocuses have faded and their leaves turn yellow, you can forget about them until next season. Treat autumn-blooming crocuses in the same way.

After flowering, wilted inflorescences should be cut off. Green leaves will decorate the garden for a long time. When they are dry, scoop up the bulbs as needed.

The crocuses remaining to winter for the winter should be mulched with peat or dry leaves.

When to dig up the crocus bulbs?

How to keep crocuses in winter

The need to dig up the bulbs arises after 3-4 years. During this time, the mother bulb will become overgrown with many daughter bulbs that will interfere with each other, the flowers will become small. You can dig, transplant, divide the bulbs more often.

You can dig up spring-flowering crocuses from July to September, autumn-flowering ones - from June to August.

Dig up the bulbs, peel off the soil, remove the dead scales, lay them in a single layer in a box or cardboard box. Ideal storage: keep the air temperature at 22 ºC until August, lower it to 20 ºC from August, and lower it to 15 ºC from the middle of the month. Such conditions are provided in specialized farms. At home, store at room temperature in a dark, dry place with good ventilation prior to planting outdoors.

Propagation of crocuses by bulbs

How to plant crocuses photo

Reproduction is carried out by separating daughter bulbs. Carry out the planting, observing the agricultural techniques described earlier. Flowering will occur in the 3rd or 4th year of life, depending on the variety, species.

Growing crocuses from seeds

Crocus seeds photo

Spring-flowering crocuses can be propagated by seed.Crocuses grown from seeds will bloom about 4-5 years after planting in open ground, so this breeding method is not very popular.

• You can sow before winter (in autumn) or grow seedlings in spring (sow in mid-March to early April).
• In both cases, the seeds must first be soaked in a growth stimulator for 30-40 minutes, then held in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
• For sowing seedlings, seeds must also be stratified.
• Sow the seeds less often in a bowl with wet sand, do not bury them in the soil, but simply spread them over the surface. Then cover with plastic wrap and place in the vegetable section of the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks, or dig in the garden and cover with spunbond.
• Then take out the bowl and place it in a warm, lighted place.

Crocus from seeds photo of seedlings

• When germination appears, irrigate for the first time with a fine spray.
• Grown plants are planted in separate pots or in a permanent place in the garden.

Crocus diseases and pests

Penicillous, sclerocytic, gray rot, fusarium are diseases affecting crocuses. This is facilitated by warm, damp weather. If you see flattened crocus flowers covered with gray spots, this is a sign of a viral disease. Affected plants must be dug up and destroyed.

Treat the soil with a fungicide. To avoid such problems, inspect the bulbs for damage before planting. If any damage is found, sprinkle this place with ash or treat it with a fungicide, dry it.

The bulbs can damage wireworms (click beetle larvae). They are yellow, tough to the touch. In late April-early May, spread last year's unripe grass, hay or straw around the site, moisten and cover with boards. It works like a trap. Burn them at the stake with the larvae.

Collect slugs by hand.

Field mice can eat succulent crocus bulbs. To prevent this from happening, it is better to use different planting zones (several groups in different areas). In case of an invasion, use ultrasound repelling.

Types and varieties of crocus with photos and names

Crocuses are classified into 15 groups. The first is autumn flowering, the rest are spring flowering. Dutch hybrids, the Chrysanthus group, are the most popular varieties in commerce.

Consider spring flowers.

Spring crocus Crocus vernus

Spring crocus Crocus vernus

Reaches a height of 17 cm. Became the basis for breeding many species, varieties. Leaves are standard. Funnel-shaped flowers are painted white or purple. Blooms for about a month.

Crocus biflorus Crocus biflorus

Crocus biflorus Crocus biflorus photo

Corolla can be pure white, white with brownish-purple stripes, white inside and brownish-purple outside, lilac-blue with brown outer spots.

Crocus golden Crocus chrysanthus

Crocus golden Crocus chrysanthus photo

Reaches a height of 20 cm. Golden-yellow flowers have an orange pharynx.

Varieties:

• Blue Bonnet - has large (3 cm in diameter) flowers of a pale blue color.
• Nanette - cream-yellow corollas decorated with purple stripes on the outside.
• I. Gee. Bowels - a large corolla is painted bright yellow on the inside, brownish on the outside.

Crocus tommasini Crocus tommasinianus

Crocus tommasini Crocus tommasinianus photo

The perianths are pink-lilac; a white border may pass along the edge. The opened corolla takes the shape of a star. 1-3 peduncles appear from one bulb.

Popular varieties:

• Laylek Beauty - corollas are about 3 cm in diameter. Petals are oblong, lilac color: darker outside and lighter inside.
• Whitewell Purple - the opened flowers look almost flat, their diameter is 4 cm.The color is lilac-purple.

Autumn blooming crocuses

Crocus beautiful Crocus speciosus

Crocus beautiful Crocus speciosus photo

Oblong leaves stretch 30 cm.Large flowers up to 7 cm in diameter are painted in a lilac-violet hue, there are longitudinal purple veins. There are forms with white, blue, dark blue, lilac, light purple colors.

The best varieties are:

• Albus - snow-white flowers.
• Artabir - has flowers of a delicate blue hue with dark veins.
• Oksinan - has flowers of violet-blue color.

Crocus pretty Crocus pulchellus

Crocus cute Crocus pulchellus photo

The height is 7-10 cm. Light purple corollas with stripes of a darker shade reach a diameter of 6-8 cm.

Crocus Banat Crocus banaticus

Crocus banat Crocus banaticus photo

Linear leaves of a silvery-gray color are extended by 15 cm in length. Flowers are light lilac, large.

Among the autumn-flowering crocuses, it should be noted: Sharoyan, Pallas, Gulimi, holo-flowered, medium, trellised, yellow-white, Kardukhor, Kochi, Cartwright.

Dutch crocus hybrids

Crocus white photo

Spring-flowering crocuses with large flowers. There are more than 50 of them. By color, they are divided into groups:

1. Pure white flowers or white, with a spot of various shades at the base.
2. Purple, lilac, lilac flowers.
3. They have a striped, lattice color.

Their colored starts in May and lasts 10-17 days.

In a temperate climate, the following varieties grow well:

• Albion is a white flower with a diameter of 4 cm, the length of the tube reaches 5 cm, covered with strokes of a lilac shade.
• Vanguard - has bluish-lilac flowers with specks of a darker shade.
• Jubilee - at the base of the corolla there is a clear light purple spot, the corollas are blue with a purple tint.
• Sniper Banner - light grayish-lilac petals inside are covered with a dense lilac mesh.
• Kathleen Parlow - White flowers with touches of lilac.
• Chrysanthus are hybrids that bloom in spring.

The most famous varieties:

• Gypsy Girl - corolla light yellow on the inside and yellow-cream on the outside. The cream-colored tube is accented with touches of dusty lilac.
• Marietta - the spot at the base of the corolla is greenish, the corollas are dark cream, outside there are stripes of a dark lilac hue, the tube is gray-green.
• Lady Keeler: The inner lobes are white, the outer lobes are white on the inside, and dark purple on the outside, have a white border and a gray speck at the base.
• Saturnus is a creamy yellow flower with a bright yellow throat. The outer lobes are covered with dense strokes of a lilac hue.