Growing crocuses at home

Spring-blooming crocus varieties

There are about 300 different types and subspecies of saffron, intended for cultivation at home or for cultivation in the open field.

Spring crocus

A typical representative of the Saffron family. It is distinguished by purple petals, bell-shaped corolla, orange stamens. The leaf plates are colored dark green. Flowering begins in early spring and lasts 14 days.

Crocus two-flowered

In nature, the plant is found in the Crimea, the Caucasus, Iran, and some regions of Italy. The flower has an unusual color.

The main color of the petals is creamy white, but they have oblong burgundy-purple specks, longitudinal lines. Stamens are yellow, elongated.

Crocus golden

A low-growing, stocky plant, the height does not exceed 20 cm. The homeland of the golden crocus is the Balkan Peninsula, some Asian countries. The flowers are bright yellow, the leaf plates are rich green.

There are two most famous subspecies of golden crocus - Blue Bonnet, Nanette. Flowering begins in April, lasts 10 days.

Crocus Tomasini

The variety is found on the slopes of hills, in deciduous forests. For the first time crocus was discovered in Hungary, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Serbia.

Tomasini corollas of a delicate lilac shade, a feature of the variety is the ability to form 3 flowers from one bulb. The most common subspecies are Laylek Beauty, Whitewell Purple.

Dutch hybrids

This variety is artificially bred for cultivation at home. The varieties Vesenny and Uzkolistny are taken as a basis. Dutch hybrids are distinguished by their large flower size; flowering duration - 20 days.

Features of distillation

Forcing crocuses is a special procedure. In a short period of time, a large flower with a long flowering period can be grown.

The choice of planting material

A quality bulb must meet the following requirements:

1. Dense structure, uniform dark brown color of the husk.
2. The absence of any mechanical damage on the surface of the nodule.
3. Healthy flakes without rot, mold, unpleasant odor.
4. The diameter of a good bulb is at least 7 cm. It is believed that a large tuber is the key to large flowers.

Important! The bulb must be in a state of complete dormancy. The presence of sprouts, roots will not allow the flower to germinate by the desired date.

Cooling

Planting crocuses in the ground - 70-80 days before the desired flowering

It is important to refrigerate the bulbs before this time. Often a regular refrigerator is used for this.

Saffron tubers are placed in a paper bag, placed in a cellar, refrigerator with a temperature in the range of + 3 ... 8 ° C for a period of 25 to 30 days.

Rooting, flowering

It is better to plant crocuses in flat wide containers, a flower takes root in them faster

How to plant crocuses in a pot at home? It is important to adhere to the following algorithm of actions:

1. Place drainage at the bottom of the bowl. It can be expanded clay, broken brick, foam. Without drainage, the water will stagnate, causing the bulb to rot.
2. Apply a small amount of soil.
3. Place the planting material in the center.
4. Cover with earth so that a very thin layer of soil remains above the tail.

Advice! If the goal is to grow only flowers, without further propagation of the bulb, then sand can be used instead of soil.

The crocus pot should be kept in a cool, dark place until germination.

Sprouted saffron should be kept at a temperature not higher than +20 ° C, otherwise flowering will come faster than expected and will be short-lived. Watered once every 20 days.

If flowering is planned for March, then the planting material is cooled in November, the bulbs are planted in the ground in December.

Autumn crocuses

Albus

Albus

• Has snow-white flowers. They bloom in late September and bloom in early October.
• It closes at night and in cloudy weather. The diameter of the flowers is about 70 mm.

Artabir

• One of the tallest varieties, it grows up to 18 cm.
• Its delicate blue flowers bloom in early October.

Sollux

Sollux

• Blooms in the second half of September. He has light flowers that have a violet-blue tint.
• It exudes a pleasant aroma that distinguishes it from its brethren.

Banatsky

Banatsky

• Crocus grows up to 30 cm. It blooms with purple or lilac flowers.
• The variety is listed in the Red Book. It is used for decorative purposes.

Beautiful

Beautiful

• It has the largest flowers, up to 12 cm in diameter. Blue-violet flowers with dark veins begin to bloom in September.
• Peduncles grow up to 18 cm, they do not have leaves, as they appear in the spring and die off by the middle of summer.

Sowing

Sowing

• Grown on an industrial scale. Its pistils are used as a spice for first and second courses. They call it "saffron".
• It has erect leaves with curved tips. They are covered with hairs.
• The plant itself can reach a height of 30 cm.
• Flowers are white and soft purple. Their scent is similar to that of violets.
• The mass bloom lasts about 20 days, but each individual flower only blooms for 3 days.

Pallasa stunted

Pallasa undersized

• It cannot be taller than 6 cm. Flowers have a delicate purple color with a pink tint.
• Their diameter is about 4.5 cm. It has a long flowering period of up to 30 days.
• You can admire them in September.

Crocus Sharoyan

Sharoyan

• It blooms in yellow-orange color.
• Its height is 20 cm.
• It dissolves in early August.

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Growing crocuses in a pot

Crocuses are grown at home by forcing.

When the sprouts are strong enough and have reached a height of 3-5 cm, the pot must be taken out into the light and provided with a temperature of 10-15 degrees. In favorable conditions, saffron will bloom in two weeks.

Did you know? Forcing is the process of removing a bulbous plant from dormancy for flowering at an unusual time, performed under the influence of physical factors - temperature, humidity, light.

Watering crocuses

Crocus does not like excessive moisture and is resistant to drought, so you need to water the plant sparingly, 2-3 times a week when the top layer of the soil dries out. During flowering, the plant should be watered through the pan, removing excess liquid half an hour after watering.

Fertilizer and feeding

During planting, the plant does not need to be fertilized. Potash and phosphorus fertilizers are most useful for the development and flowering of crocuses. Top dressing is done at the emergence of seedlings (in a 2: 1 ratio), during the formation of buds and after flowering (in equal parts). The use of nitrogen fertilizers is not recommended.

Long-lasting flowering care

To find out why crocuses stopped blooming, you need to analyze the conditions of their maintenance. Do not forget that saffron is a spring primrose, and it may not like the temperature (20 degrees and above) or too bright room lighting. To prolong the flowering of home crocus, you need to hide it from direct sunlight or bright lamp light and maintain a cool temperature (14-16 degrees, even below 0 at night). Under the right conditions, the decorative effect of some varieties lasts up to three weeks.

Did you know? One of the most expensive spices in the world is saffron – made from dried saffron flowers stigmas. To get a kilogram of spice, you need to collect the stigmas of 200 thousand flowers. The leading position in the world production of spices (90%) belongs to Iran.

General information about culture

Saffron, or crocus, is a representative of the Iris family. Refers to the genus of perennial corms. It reaches a height of up to 15 cm.

The size of the bulb can be up to 3 cm in diameter. One, rarely 2-3, flowers grow from it. By color, they are divided into two groups:

• yellow-flowered - from yellow to orange;
• blue-flowered - from light lilac to dark purple.

Outdoor crocus care activities

Saffron leaves are linear and basal, covered with scales below. Present during and after flowering.

The seeds of the plant are angular and small in size, the fruit is a three-celled capsule.

Origin story

In the East, crocuses began to be grown before our era. They were mentioned in the writings of Hippocrates, Solomon and Homer. Introduced to Europe during the Crusades. First they began to cultivate in the countries of the western Mediterranean.

For your information! The first decorative species appeared in European botanical gardens in the 16th century. Spring crocuses, narrow-leaved and yellow crocuses laid the foundation for obtaining a large number of varieties.

Dutch hybrids have taken the lead in terms of commercial success. The formation lasted for several centuries. The countdown for modern commercial varieties is from the beginning of the twentieth century.

Saffron is used in cosmetology. It is found in balms, creams and gels. You can make your own care products at home. The plant nourishes, rejuvenates and improves skin structure.

Medicinal properties of crocus:

• calms the nervous system;
• helps to get rid of headaches;
• the best remedy for worms;
• improves brain activity;
• prevents cancer cells from spreading;
• is a strong antioxidant;
• improves liver function;
• effective in ICD;
• has a positive effect on male sexual function.

Note! Dried stigmas of sown saffron were used as a spice in BC to this day. To add a special taste, color and aroma, it is added to pilaf, fish and meat dishes

Ideal time to harvest bulbs

Having admired the flowering enough, gardeners are beginning to be interested in the question: crocuses have faded, what to do with them next? It should be noted that these are frost-resistant plants, so they are usually not dug up or transplanted for 3-5 years. During this period, the mother onion grows overgrown with daughter ones in an amount of up to 10 pieces.

But it is important not to miss the moment when it is simply necessary to transplant crocuses to a new place.

Attention! Crocuses growing in one place for a long period are capable of reborn: tubers get sick, rot, flowers become rare and small. There are cases when it is recommended to dig up crocuses once a year:

There are cases when it is recommended to dig up crocuses once a year:

• in regions with cold winters for frost protection;
• to prevent the spread of disease;
• in order to obtain young planting material.

Cleaning weather

The dormant period for autumn plants is June-August, for spring plants - July-September. It begins when the leaves of the flower fall on the ground, turn yellow, and easily begin to flake off.

This is the best time to dig up crocuses after flowering for transplantation, reproduction and storage of tubers.

A dry, cool day is suitable for this type of work.

Crocus digging process

Prepare inventory:

• pitchfork;
• a piece of plastic or tarpaulin;
• secateurs;
• plastic box;
• household gloves.

Then they act like this:

On the side of the crocus bushes, a prepared piece of film is spread on the ground.
At a distance of 5-7 cm from the bush, a pitchfork is driven in to the entire possible depth and an earthen lump is removed onto a film.
They gently break it up and take out all the tubers.
They are cleaned of soil by hand or with a water jet.

The roots are carefully cut with pruning shears.
The onions are folded into a box, transferred to a shady place and dried, laid out on a flat surface in one layer .. The problem of how to dig up the planting material in order to transplant crocuses has been solved

The problem of how to dig out the planting material in order to transplant crocuses has been solved.

Digging up crocuses

What conditions are necessary for a plant

Crocuses cannot be called whimsical plants, the main thing is that the following conditions are met:

1. Low temperature - up to 20 degrees, in winter even up to 10.
2. Adequate lighting.
3. You need to water a little, but regularly.
4. Soil drainage.

After forcing, the plants must be left until the leaves are completely dry, but watering cannot be stopped. The bulbs are then stored.

Soil composition and pot volume and drainage

To choose the right pot, first determine how many bulbs you want to plant. Usually it is 5-10 pieces. The main thing is not to allow the bulbs to touch each other or the walls, so choose a low and wide pot. You can buy pots for forcing bulbs at a flower shop.

The following requirements are imposed on the soil for crocuses - neutrality, lightness and the presence of drainage. You can take a flower substrate or prepare a mixture of the following components, taken in equal parts, on your own:

• coarse sand;
• turf mixture;
• leaf mixture.

Another option is a thick layer of sand at the bottom, then the soil, but this is only used if later you plan to use the crocus for reproduction. For drainage, gravel, pieces of bricks, and tiles are sometimes also used. The pot itself must be placed on a pallet where water will flow.

Choosing a place

On the one hand, these plants love light, so the south side of the house is best for them. But at the same time, the temperature regime is also important. The ideal place is on the balcony. There, during the spring months, the necessary coolness remains, and by the time of flowering, in March-April, the air warms up to 16-20 degrees.

Lighting

The lighting depends on what stage of growth the plant is in. If you have just planted crocuses, then you need to hold them in a dark place until the sprout grows up to 5 centimeters and becomes strong. Then you need to rearrange the plants in a well-lit place, where they will be under the sun's rays for at least 4 hours a day. Move them back into the shade during flowering to keep the flowers open longer.

Temperature regime

Crocuses that are about to bloom or have already bloomed should be in the coolest place in the house. The ideal temperature is + 14-16 degrees. At +20 and above, the plants bloom for a very short time, and after a few hours they can shed their petals. Even frosts down to -3 are permissible at night.

Humidity

Crocuses are drought-resistant, so they do not need abundant watering. But drainage is very important, otherwise the bulbs will rot. In no case should water stagnate in the ground. Spraying of plants is acceptable, but also infrequently and little by little.

Resting state

The crocus falls into a dormant state after all the leaves are dry. This period falls in the summer months.

It is important to store the bulbs correctly by placing them in a cool, dark and dry place. Watering at this time is not required so that the bulbs do not rot.

Wintering crocuses

In the cultivation of crocuses, their correct wintering is of great importance, since at this time the corms take root and form a bud.

Crocus is a fairly frost-resistant flower, so the planting site of the bulbs does not even need to be covered. But it is better to protect it with spruce branches or branches, since the plant may not survive very severe frosts. In addition, crocus corms are a delicacy for rodents, and even crows can rake them out of the ground in snowless winters.

In the spring, the site must be freed from branches and debris, but the ground cannot be loosened until the first shoots appear

If the soil permeates water well, then you can not loosen it at all, but if this is still necessary, then do it very carefully, trying not to damage the bulbs

Suitable varieties for the home

Dutch varieties are recommended as pot plants. These include the following:

• Prins Claus emits a pleasant and persistent aroma; if the appropriate conditions are created, it can bloom in winter;
• Jeanne D'Arc resembles snowdrops, only with larger flowers, the core of the buds is golden;
• Flower Record with a small stem, but voluminous inflorescences of a rich purple color;
• Blue Pearl means blue pearl; variety with azure buds, yellow at the base.

As a rule, growers do not stop at just one option, they create whole kaleidoscopes from different crocuses on their windowsills. The only condition is not to plant different varieties together in one container, otherwise you can get sprouts of different sizes and non-simultaneous flowering. The following varieties are also suitable as indoor flowers:

• Cream Beauty (soft creamy shade);
• Golden Yellow (hybrid);
• Remembrance (deep purple color);
• Crocus Oxonian (with deep blue buds and golden orange heart).

Features of planting bulbous for the balcony

When growing any bulbous on a balcony or loggia, the general rules for planting bulbs in containers are observed. It is best to study agricultural techniques for each type of plant individually, but still there are general principles of planting.

1. Bulbous crops are always planted at a depth equal to three times the height of the bulb itself (counting from the bottom).
2. It is not worth planting the bulbs too tightly, since the plant is not driven out for more spectacular flowering, but it is preserved and grown from year to year, and for normal growth and development it is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of free soil. The landing distance is selected in accordance with the preferences and sizes of a particular species. So, for crocuses, the optimal distance is 5-6 cm, and for tulips - 10-12 cm.
3. The substrate needs to be given more attention. For bulbous pots, light, loose, water-, air-permeable and necessarily nutritious soil is selected. If you compose it yourself, then mix equal parts of sand, peat, turf and leafy soil. It is undesirable to use garden or garden soil, but if you want to save money or have no choice, then be sure to improve it with the addition of organic fertilizers, sand and peat.
4. At the bottom of any container or container in which bulbous plants are planted, a drainage layer must be laid. For bulbous plants, its minimum height is 5-6 cm.
5. After planting, they provide stable, light moisture for rooting.

It is not necessary to plant only one bulb in a container - they can be planted in groups and mixed together to create bulbous compositions. At the same time, the main principle of planting bulbous plants in pots is observed - arrangement in tiers. Planting is carried out from large plants to small ones, given that such plants are planted at different depths and at different distances between the bulbs.

Tulips and daffodils are placed first, sprinkle them with soil and place the next tier of plants - hyacinths or muscari, and then even smaller primroses bulbs. But when planting different bulbs together, try not to forget about the individual approach and do not thicken the plantings too much, leaving enough room for normal root development and access to nutrients.

Arrangement of flower bulbs in a container

Means and methods

Crocus or saffron is a delicious spring primrose grown in specific climates, often on an industrial scale, for a special seasoning with an unusual flavor.

Greek and Iranian saffron, which has a unique and refined aroma, is especially appreciated.

Like any bulbous plant with beautiful flowers (such as tulips or hyacinths), bulbs can be germinated and made to bloom by creating the right conditions for them.

It is inexpressibly pleasant to receive a living plant in a pot for the holiday, which will not wither immediately in a vase, but will delight both eyes and heart with its flower for a while.

Many women who are not engaged in either summer cottage work or gardening, after the end of flowering, try to preserve the plant, or extend its life with the help of habitual actions:

• still watering it abundantly;
• holding on a windowsill, illuminated by the sun;
• fertilizing it in a pot with liquid fertilizers or growth stimulants;
• transplanting into a more spacious container.

When this does not bring the expected result, they begin to look for an answer to the question of how to store crocuses after flowering at home, or how to make them bloom again. The secrets of distillation have been known for a long time.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, hyacinths were planted in pots in the form of bulbs, and placed without watering in a cool, dark and dry place. In the pre-Easter chores, they did not forget to take the pot out of the hiding place, put it closer to the light and begin moderate watering.

As a result, on the Easter table in any weather there was a blooming hyacinth, beautifully decorated with a corolla of colored tissue paper. But it makes no sense to put a pot with a flower on which a holiday gift recently flaunted in this way.

Such a bulb will not bloom a second time because it has already undergone a distillation process. Experienced gardeners recommend cutting off the drying or yellowed upper aerial part, and digging the bulb itself and keeping it wrapped in cellophane in the refrigerator. During the season, it can be planted in the country, in the front garden or in the park.

Features of distillation

To grow a plant and achieve abundant flowering at a certain time, you need to know some of the nuances. The forcing process consists of the following steps:

• selection of planting material;
• cooling;
• rooting.

Let's consider them in more detail.

The choice of planting material

To grow crocuses in pots, you should choose the right planting material. There are a large number of species and varieties of this culture, but not all of them are capable of blooming indoors. Natural varieties are not very decorative, because their flowers are small and inconspicuous. Chrysanthus hybrids are quite capricious and require special care, their buds often dry out without even blooming.

It is best to grow large-flowered Dutch hybrids at home, which delight with large showy flowers. Regarding the choice of a certain variety, it is necessary to focus on the expected flowering period.

The size of the corm is of great importance, and for forcing its diameter should not be less than 5 cm. The planting material sold in stores is usually sorted not by diameter, but by the circumference. For cultivation, corms are required starting from size 7/8, this allows you to get a single flower. Sizes 8/9 guarantee that 2 - 3 flowers will grow from one bulb, and at a size of 10 or more you can expect up to 5 - 6 pieces. At the same time, large planting material usually blooms earlier.

The best quality bulbs are available from mid-August to early September, that is, at the beginning of the season. It should be noted that caring for any crocus variety will be almost the same.

Cooling

In order for the flower to bloom ahead of time, for this it is necessary to artificially create conditions that will be as close to natural as possible. In this case, the corms should be cooled and rooted for at least three months.

If a crop is grown from a garden plot, then the bulbs should be dug up in June, after which they are dried and sorted, choosing the largest and healthiest, and then laid for storage.In the first week, they are stored at a high temperature, which can reach +34 degrees, then gradually reduce it to +20 degrees.

After two weeks, the temperature must be lowered by a few more degrees, and it is maintained at +17 degrees until about the second half of August. Then the cooling process begins, which should be carried out in a dry and dark room at a temperature of +4 to +9 degrees. In an apartment, the best place for this is a refrigerator, which ensures a stable temperature.

Some people use glazed loggias for these purposes, but due to temperature fluctuations that cause external factors, the planting material may deteriorate. If cooling is carried out in the refrigerator, then the bulbs can be stored in thick paper and not planted in the ground for up to a month.

Purchased bulbs are usually well dried and stored at high temperatures, but should still be refrigerated. So that they can adapt, they are kept in a room for several days, after which they are placed in a refrigerator.

Blooming rooting

• The culture is grown in shallow and wide pots, and if several bulbs are planted in one container, then they should not come into contact with each other.
• Usually, a thick layer of sand is first placed in the pots, followed by a layer of soil. This ensures good drainage and nutrition of the roots.
• Sometimes the tip of the bulb is left on the surface, but usually it is completely buried in the ground.
• After the bulbs are planted in pots, they are taken to a dark room, where they are left for 2 months.
• At this time, the bulbs give roots, and the rooting process begins. The first green shoots should be expected shortly thereafter.
• When the sprouts are 3 - 5 cm high, the crocus should be brought out into the light, where it continues to grow at a temperature of 10 to 15 degrees.

It is quite simple to care for overgrowths, but if you know certain nuances and subtleties, then you can achieve not only their abundant flowering, but also wait for the appearance of buds by a specific date.

How to plant crocuses (video)

White crocuses

Spring crocus blooms almost immediately after the soil warms up a little. One (rarely two) flower grows from one tuber, more often white (but these flowers can also be purple). The flowering of this variety lasts about a month. In height, these flowers can grow up to 16 - 18 cm, their foliage is dark emerald in color with a silvery line in the middle, and the bulb of this flower is flattened.

The beautiful crocus can bloom in white flowers, as well as in different shades of blue and purple. The foliage of this plant can reach 28-30 cm in length. The buds appear in autumn.

Other common white-bud crocuses are:

• "Joan of Arc";
• Catherine Perlow;
• Snowstore;

• Snowbanding;
• Albus;
• Saffron Heuffeliana.

Beautiful crocus can bloom with white flowers

Yellow crocuses

Crocuses with yellow flowers include the following types:

• Narrow-leaved saffron with peduncle height up to 10 cm, blooming in the first decade of April with yellow flowers with brown stripes on the outer part of the petals.
• Crocus is yellow with a peduncle height of up to 8 cm, its buds are orange with a golden tint. The buds appear in early April.
• Suziatic crocus with a peduncle height of up to 10 cm, the color of the buds is yellow with a golden tint, the plant blooms in the first decade of April.
• Crocus Korolkov with a peduncle height of up to 8 cm, yellow buds with an orange tint, purple stripes on the outside of the petals. Blooms in early April.
• Crocus golden-flowered with peduncle height up to 7 - 8 cm, small yellow buds.
• "Beauty Cream" - with yellow buds.

Yellow crocuses bloom in early April

Lilac and purple crocuses

• Crocus Adams with a small peduncle (up to 6 cm long).The color of the flowers can vary from lilac with a light shade to purple with a dark shade of flowers. Their throat can be yellow or white. These beautiful flowers bloom in early April.
• Batan crocus with a high peduncle (up to 14 cm). Their flowers look like small funnels of a delicate lilac color. They bloom in early September.
• Crocus Geyfel with a peduncle height of 11-12 cm, blooming in the first half of April.

Other varieties of saffron with similar flowers:

• Agness;
• "Vanguard";
• Artabir;
• Violet Queen;
• "Nigro Boy";
• Paulus Potter;
• Pallux;
• Purpureu Grandiflore;
• "Remebrans";
• "Flower Record".

Batan crocus blooms in early September

Crocuses with unusual color of flowers

There are bicolor crocuses with a beautiful combination of colors. The most popular ones are:

• Crocus alatavsky has purple buds with a dark tint on the outside, and white inside.
• "Blue Bonnet" - the outer color of the petals, blue with a pearl tint, with a delicate yellow throat.
• "Violet Queen" - with purple petals and a yellowish throat.
• "Jubilee" - the base of the flower is purple, the petals are blue with a silvery tint.

Crocus alatavsky has purple buds outside with a dark tint, and white inside