We 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 transplanting. 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 difficult 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 - differs in 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 stains, 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. You can bury them in the ground, or you can leave them 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 getting on 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 can be a consequence of 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.

After the winter cold in the country or in a city apartment, beautiful crocus flowers give a lot of positive emotions. If you are not indifferent to this plant, then you need to know the rules of planting and caring for it. These messengers of spring can grow not only in the open field, but also at home on the windowsill. From the article you will learn how to cause crocus to bloom at home on New Year's Day or Valentine's Day.

About the plant

These flowers belong to the iris family, they are grown practically all over the world. The bulb of this culture is perfectly adapted for wintering in the open field, so that with the first rays of the sun it can come out of its confinement in the form of a beautiful flower. It does not bloom for long, after a few days it withers, the leaves of this early plant are able to hold out until the middle of the first month of summer, then a dormant period begins. During this period, gardeners dig up the bulbs for culling and planting in a new place.

This culture, in addition to its aesthetic purpose, has a culinary value. The stigma of the flower is used by culinary experts as a spice. It is called saffron. How to care for crocuses?

Crocuses: growing and care in the open field

In order for these charming flowers to grow lush and beautiful, you need to know how to care for, propagate, plant them. When grown outdoors there are rules for these colors:

• Today there are a huge number of varieties of this culture. Each variety blooms in its own time, so you need to know the planting rules. So, if the crocus blooms in the spring, it is planted in the fall, if in the fall, then in the spring.
• Flowers love fertile and light soil, do not require frequent watering, so if the soil is more clayey, then you need to dilute it with sand and apply fertilizer.
• Crocuses need good lighting. If grown in appropriate conditions, the plant will thank you with large flowers. It can bloom in a shaded place, but it will noticeably yield in beauty to that flower that stays in more comfortable conditions.
• Before sprouting, you need to monitor the moisture content of the earth.When the culture grows and sprouts appear on the surface, the plant should be well watered. Then the plant will not need abundant watering, the soil will need to be moistened only as the earthen coma dries.
• If the soil is fertile and flowers grow in it for the first time, then you do not need to feed them. It is necessary to apply fertilizers when crocuses have been grown on this substrate for more than one year.
• Recharge the earth at least 3 times. The first time the plant is fed when the shoots appear, the second - after the appearance of the ovary of flowers, the last - when the culture fades. The fertilizer must contain potassium and phosphorus. The required amount of potassium is required by the plant during the growth and development of the bulbs, phosphorus has a beneficial effect on the formation of buds and flowering.
• The bulbs are planted according to their size. Small ones are planted to a depth of 5 cm, large ones are buried in the soil up to 12 cm. There should be a distance of more than 5 cm between the plants, but a smaller interval of 3 cm is also allowed, if it is not planned to grow in a new place.

Crocus care, as you can see from the above, is not very difficult. If you do not plan to transplant to a new place, then after flowering, only remove dead ground part... If the plant lives in harsh climatic conditions, it is necessary to cover the bulbs with a layer of leaves or dry grass for the winter. The transplant is carried out as follows: in the middle of summer, the plants are dug up, sorted and taken for storage in a well-ventilated place with a positive temperature of 18 - 20 degrees, where they are located before disembarkation.

Crocuses can be grown together with other bulbs. In the same flower bed, tulips, daffodils and other bulbs can coexist with them. Since they bloom at different times, your front garden will be constantly in bloom. To do this, in the fall, they are planted in accordance with the placement plan on the site.

Bulb selection

For flowers to grow beautiful, you need choose bulbs carefully... It is better if the material for the plant is a specially bred variety, it is sold in flower shops. Among the most adapted to the cold conditions of our country, the Dutch hybrids stand out. They endure sharp temperature changes and delight with excellent flowering.

When choosing bulbs, you should be guided by one simple rule: if the planting material is large, then large flowers will form, from one bush there will be many of them. The bags of Dutch hybrids are labeled 10+, so bulbs with a circumference of more than ten centimeters are indicated. From this material a powerful bush is formed, on which 5-6 large buds will be tied. Bulbs with an indicator of 8-9 cm give 2-3 flowers. Such selective planting material is able to reproduce flowers with a diameter of up to 7 cm, while the stem will be up to 20 cm long.

Growing in pots

These flowers are widely grown at home due to the fact that the plant is able to bloom for a certain holiday. They prepare flowering for the New Year, Valentine's Day or March 8th. A special method of forcing plants is used.

Crocus growing requires wide and not very deep container... Be sure to make rather big drainage holes at the bottom to remove excess water. Broken brick or the remains of a tile will fit as drainage, it is placed on the bottom of the pot. We put a tray under the container to collect moisture. Crocus substrate requires sandy or sandy loam. It is not necessary to fertilize the soil. To form a thick bouquet, we plant the bulbs close to each other. To get the flowers ready for the deadline, you need to know when to plant them. Landing is done 16 weeks before the holiday.

After planting, we send the pot to a cool and dark place for several days. Crocuses are grown at a temperature of 5 to 9 degrees... Usually, a cellar is used for these purposes, since it has constant temperature and humidity. You should constantly monitor the sprouts, which should not appear earlier than 10 weeks from the moment of planting. If they appear, then, so that the plant does not bloom before the appointed date, the temperature in the room must be lowered.

After 14 weeks after planting, we transfer the pot to the house. You cannot immediately put the flower in a warm place, we prepare the flower for a high temperature gradually. First we place it in a cold room, then a warmer one, lastly we put it on the windowsill of the warmest room. After a while, flowers will appear that will delight with their beauty only for 10 days.

Crocus species

All varieties of culture conditionally subdivided into several groups:

1. Botanical or early spring blooming.
2. Large-flowered or blooming in spring.
3. Blooming in the fall.

The first group includes crocuses that can give flowers after the last snow has melted. This period, depending on the region, is between February and April. The plant is not very tall, reaches 8 cm, the flowers are beautiful. Botanical buds are not very large, but there are many of them and the bushes are lush. These flowers have a very strong and pleasant scent.

This group boasts the following varieties:

• Blue pearl grows to form pale blue flowers. The inflorescence is yellow at the base. This variety blooms early and abundantly.
• Yellow is the most common crocus variety. It is named so because of its color of flowering, which is abundant. However, there are many other names as well.
• Prince Claus, according to many experts, is the most beautifully flowering variety among the entire plant species. They are distinguished by their white color, which is set off by a bright purple back. This variety blooms very early and luxuriantly, has an unprecedented aroma.
• Cream beauty. This variety blooms profusely and very effectively, has creamy flowers with orange stigmas.

Large-flowered or blooming in spring bloom after the first group after 10 days. They are distinguished larger buds... The well-known large Dutch hybrids were obtained from these varieties by crossing. In our country, these plants bloom somewhere from mid-April, it all depends on the weather. Sometimes it happens that they bloom even in conditions of lying snow in dark places. This group has an extensive palette of colors - from light whites and yellows to dark purples.

This group includes popular varieties such as:

• Jeanna D'Arc. A snow-white crocus with a delicate lilac base and a height of 4 cm. The buds appear in mid-April.
• Pickwick grows large with an original white and purple color.
• Flower Record has a short stem but a large purple flower with a dark base. In our country, it blooms from the end of April. It grows well in a group, so it is perfect for rock gardens.

Crocuses blooming in autumn give their beauty in late September or early October. Those that were planted a year earlier shed their leaves in the summer, and form buds in the fall. Among the most popular varieties of this group is the beautiful crocus. It grows unpretentious, reaches 20 cm, dissolves before everyone else - in mid-September. The beautiful crocus has a wide color palette - from white to purple.

The following varieties are no less popular among autumn crocuses:

• Long-flowered blooms from early November.
• Holoflora has beautiful purple flowers.
• Pale ocher. Forms small creamy inflorescences.

If you want to get a wonderful festive bouquet for the New Year, then plant the bulbs in early October. Then, for the winter holidays, with good care, you will receive excellent crocuses blooming on the windowsill.

Crocus flowers

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 Arabic “saffron” means “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 crocuses - 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 depth is 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 soil 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 begin 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, fresh organic matter is not recommended.
• 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 occurs after 3-4 years. During this time, the mother bulb will become overgrown with many daughter bulbs, which 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 in color, 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 blooming.

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 throat.

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.

Crocus in a pot can become a bright accent of winter and spring holidays. How to care for a plant to get blooming specimens by a certain date? Growing a crocus indoors is not difficult if the corms are properly prepared for distillation.It is advisable to use planting material of Dutch selection, in this case, the room will be decorated with large flowers of bright color, resembling an elegant bowl in shape.

Crocus, or saffron - the harbinger of spring

Crocuses are herbaceous bulbous perennials, representatives of the Saffron genus, all species belong to the Iris family. Plants begin growing in early spring, with colorful buds emerging from the ground before the long narrow leaves. Crocus rims, reminiscent of an ancient goblet, open wide on a clear day and close in inclement weather. Popularly, these large flowers on a low, thin stalk are called harbingers of spring, ornamental onions.

In the color of the petals of different species and varieties of crocus, almost all shades of purple, blue, lilac are found, there are varieties and hybrids with white, yellow, pink and purple corollas. Saffron is found in the wild in the countries of the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins, its cultivars have spread throughout the world. Crocus in a pot is bred indoors, caring for this plant should recreate as much as possible conditions that resemble temperature changes in the plant's homeland. At the first stage, the bulbs need warmth, and before forcing, they need cold, which is the case in the soil in winter. During the entire pre-planting period, the temperature conditions change in stages so that the bulbs adapt to them.

Which crocuses are suitable for forcing indoors

The choice of planting material should be considered carefully, taking into account the characteristics of different groups of varieties of this flowering plant. For example, species common in nature give small buds indoors. Caring for crocuses - saffron chrysanthus hybrids - is difficult, its petals often dry out indoors. It is easier to get large flowers from Dutch hybrids created by breeding Crocus vernus.

The most common of the cultivated species in the wild is found in the Pyrenees and in the Alps, where its single purple or lilac corollas reach a diameter of 5 cm. From this species cultivars are obtained, united in the group of large-flowered or Dutch crocuses. They are unpretentious, and the size of the goblet corollas is 2 times larger than the flowers of the natural species. More than 50 varieties have been bred, differing in size and color of flowers. There are cultivars with white, purple, blue, yellow, purple petals. Many hybrids are characterized by contrasting transitions of shades, stripes, dashes. Plants reach a height of 15 cm, long narrow leaves appear after the buds. The bulbs of the crocus varieties of the Dutch group are covered with brown skin on top.

How to choose corms for distillation in the store

For indoor forcing, different varieties of saffron are used. A large-flowered crocus looks very decorative in the room. Most flower growers know how to care for indoor plants at home, but few know how to choose saffron corms to get flowers for the New Year and the Orthodox holiday of the Nativity of Christ. You should pay attention to the early hybrids, because the late varieties bloom in April-May.

It is better to go to a flower shop for planting material in August or September. At the end of summer, the corms of the new crop go on sale. They are usually removed from the ground after flowering, then stored for some time at temperatures above 30 ° C. In the store, you need to inspect the bulbs, choose those that have a diameter of at least 5 or 7-8 cm in a circle. If you plant large specimens, then flowers will appear faster from them, the crocus in a pot will be more lush. Care for the next 4-5 weeks is to store the corms in a cool and dry place.

How to prepare crocuses from the garden for distillation

How to grow a crocus in a pot, how to care for it if the bulbs are dug out in a garden plot, grown in a flower bed? This material is also suitable for planting.It is better if these are large-flowered varieties of the Dutch group:

• "Flower Record" (dark purple) - most often used for forcing;
• "Remembrans" (purple);
• "Vangart" (light blue, lilac) - early variety;
• "Nigro Boy" (dark purple) - late;
• Joan of Ar (white);
• Yellow Mammoth (yellow).

It takes at least three months to prepare the selected bulbs for forcing. In June, crocuses are dug out of the ground in a garden or in a rock garden. Then large specimens without visible defects are dried and selected for distillation, from which a beautiful crocus in a pot will turn out. How to care for corms so that the distillation result is excellent?

Storing the bulbs

Duration and temperature conditions of storage of planting material:

• 1 week - at a temperature of 32–34 ° С;
• 2 weeks - 20 ° C;
• 5-6 weeks - 17 ° С;
• 4–5 weeks - at a temperature of 4–9 ° С (in a refrigerator or in a dark cool room with low humidity).

If you plan to get a blooming crocus earlier, then the cooling period of the corms can be shortened. When forcing saffron for the New Year holiday, the bulbs should be planted already in the first ten days of September. And if flowers are needed in February or March, then crocuses are planted 1-2 months later.

How to grow crocuses in a pot

After cooling, the saffron bulbs are placed in pots where rooting takes place. Crocuses are usually grown in shallow but wide containers. Place several bulbs of the same variety in one pot or container in order to get flowers at the same time. The containers are filled with drainage material, then loose soil with good air and water permeability.

The reaction of the substrate should be neutral, and its nutritional properties do not matter, because everything necessary for the future flower is stored in the bulb. Knowing this, some flower growers carry out forcing in fine granite chips, sand, expanded clay. Crocus can also be grown in containers filled with a mixture of leafy soil, turf and coarse washed sand.

How to care for saffron after planting

It is very important to prevent the bulbs from rotting, so they should not touch. Also, when planting, do not press crocus in a pot against the walls of the container. How to care before distillation:

• lightly compact the soil around the bulbs;
• water;
• remove the pot or other container with crocuses in a dark cool room for rooting;
• water only when the top layer of the substrate dries up.

Rooting of crocuses at temperatures no higher than 9 ° C continues for 9-12 weeks. In the event that flowering should start later, the bulbs are cooled to 2 ° C and stored a little longer. By the beginning of budding, a sprout about 5 cm long appears at the top of the bulb, white filaments of roots are visible in the drainage holes of the pot.

Forcing crocuses

How to care for crocuses before flowers appear? In about two weeks, containers with corms are transferred to a room where they should bloom. It should be a cool place, because crocuses do not tolerate heat. A room where the temperature rises above 20 ° C is not suitable for blooming saffron.

An excess of sunlight or artificial light has a negative effect: the buds open faster and wither after a few hours. Crocus bloom will last up to three weeks if you provide moderate ambient lighting and a temperature of about 15 ° C. At night, the room where the flowers are located should be cool.

Frequent watering is harmful to the crocus, it is better to add water once every 2-3 days. Plants do not need to be sprayed with water, they tolerate low air humidity well.

Possible problems when growing saffron, their elimination

You have a charming "green pet" in a pot on your windowsill - a crocus (flower). How to care for this plant to ensure its decorative appearance?

1. If the temperature is too high during storage, the buds will not appear or bloom.
2. If the leaves turn yellow, watering should be slightly reduced.
3. When flowers appear, water is poured only into the pan, and not onto the substrate.
4. Crocus does not need feeding during flowering.
5. Do not allow stagnation of water in the sump, its surplus must be drained.

When flowering is over, the bulbs can be left to dry in pots. In the fall, they are useful for planting in open ground. If you leave the corms in a container and store them indoors, then they are unsuitable for re-distillation in this form.