Crocus or Saffron: how to plant and care for a plant outdoors

2024 Author: Arianna Cook | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-12 17:55

Description of the crocus plant, the rules for cultivating saffron in your garden, advice on reproduction, protection from possible pests and diseases during care, interesting notes, species and varieties.

Crocus (Crocus) can be found in scientific and popular literature under the name Saffron. All plant species are part of the Iridaceae family, which has the synonymous term Iris. Locations in which these delicate spring flowers grow naturally occur in the Mediterranean and central regions of Europe, and may include Asia Minor and the Middle East. Crocuses are often "guests" in Central Asia, spreading almost to the western Chinese regions. They prefer to settle in a wide variety of biological parts, which include both meadows (also in high mountain areas) and steppes with forests. In any case, the plant will need a sufficiently sunny location and well-permeable soil.

Today, scientists have described about 80 different types of crocuses and up to three hundred of their varietal variations.

Family name	Iris or Iris
Life time	Perennial
Vegetation form	Herbaceous
Breeding method	Mainly with the help of baby bulbs
Landing period	For spring blooming - autumn, for autumn blooming - summer
Landing rules	Distance between bulbs 30-40 cm
Priming	Lightweight, loose, dry and nutritious
Soil acidity values, pH	Neutral soil (6, 5-7)
Lighting degree	Any
Humidity parameters	Watering is needed after a snowless winter or if there was no rain in the spring
Special care rules	Drought tolerant
Height values	0.1-0.15 m
Inflorescences or type of flowers	Single growing flowers
Flower color	Yellow-flowered or blue-flowered, pink, white and burgundy shades can be found
Flowering period	Spring or Autumn
Decorative time	Spring-autumn
Application in landscape design	Group planting, decoration of flower beds and flower beds
USDA zone	4 and up

The scientific name for crocuses was given from the Greek word "kroke", which means "thread" or "fiber". This is because if the stigmas dry up, then they very much resemble filaments of threads. But the second name "saffron" is rooted in the Arabic term "zeferan" or "zeferan", which translates as "yellow". This became possible because the stigmas of the flowers have a bright canary shade. The first mentions of crocus were found by scientists in papyri found on the territory of ancient Egyptian settlements. Not only doctors spoke about him, but also philosophers.

Curious

Few flower growers know that crocuses bloom not only in early spring. There are varieties that bloom in the fall.

All types of crocuses have corms, whose diameter can be about 3 cm. Their shape is rounded or flattened from the sides, and the surface is covered with scales of various shades, but these indicators directly depend on the variety of plants. Such corms become a source of root lobes, united in a bunch. Saffron usually does not have a stem. Leaf plates can appear during flowering or after a short period after it, they are located in the zone near the roots. The outlines of the leaf plates resemble elongated stripes, which in the lower part cover the vaginal scales. The foliage is of a pleasant rich herbal shade.

Crocus flowers are usually arranged singly, occasionally one corm can become the source of 2-3 peduncles. The flowering stem is rather short, and the flowers are always surrounded by scales that have a filmy appearance. The perianth size is large, characterized by an elongated funnel-shaped shape. At the rim, the limb has three pairs of lobes, which smoothly flow into elongated tubules that grow in the form of a cylinder or glass. The diameter of such a flower does not go beyond 20–50 mm. The stamens, which originate from the pharynx of the perianth, may be shorter in length than itself. Filaments are also short, anthers crowning them are linear, erect. Usually their length is much longer than the filaments. The column has three stigmas and threadlike outlines.

The time when you can enjoy the saffron flowers can be in both spring and autumn. Usually, due to the color of the petals in the flowers, all crocuses are usually divided into two groups:

1st - plants with flowers, the color of which varies from canary yellow to deep orange (yellow-flowered);
2nd - flaunting with a blue tint of flowers, this can include tones from light purple to dark ink colors (blue-flowered).

There are also albino forms, which are most often found in blue-flowered varieties and only rarely in yellow-flowered varieties. Usually the height of a plant is characterized by the height that flowers reach, and it ranges from 10-15 cm.

Curious

Just 1 gram of saffron can give a yellow tint to one hundred liters of water.

After the flowering is completed (the duration of this massive process stretches from 15 to 20 days) and the flowers undergo pollination, the crocuses form fruits that look like boxes, inside which there are three nests. These chambers are filled with small angular seeds.

Saffron not only pleases with early flowering, but is also distinguished by its special unpretentiousness.

Rules for planting and caring for crocus in the open field

Choosing a landing site saffron should be characterized by sufficient lighting, but it has been noticed that such plants can feel comfortable both in partial shade and in full shade.
Crocus soil try to select in such a way that it is light, not wet and not heavy, with sufficient looseness and saturated with elements useful for growth. In the process of planting, it is advised to mix coarse river sand or small gravel into the soil mixture, which will serve as drainage and protect the bulbs from waterlogging. It is also necessary to use organic matter when growing crocuses, which is compost, mixed lime with peat chips or rotted manure. It is necessary to lime the soil because the growth of crocuses on soil with high acidity is difficult. If the substrate is clayey on the site, then it is better to mix it with wood ash. There are types of crocuses for which moist soil is completely unsuitable, for their cultivation it is recommended to equip beds with an elevation, in such places crushed stone or gravel will act as drainage.
Crocus planting. Bulbs of varieties in which flowering is confined to the spring months are planted in open ground in September-October, summer days are suitable for autumn-flowering ones. Before planting the corms, they are carefully examined and those on the surface of which injuries, wounds or flaws are seen are discarded. When planting in autumn, the bulbs should be in the soil in September, then you can enjoy flowering in the spring months. Planting is carried out in a prepared loose substrate, while the depth of the embedding should be a couple of times the size of the bulb. If the soil on the site is heavy, then the planting depth will be equal to the size of the corm. It is recommended to leave 7-10 cm between the bulbs. A close planting threatens with thickening of saffron bushes, since the place of planting does not change them for 3-5 years, and during this period the colony of onion babies is growing. After planting, abundant watering is carried out. Only after five years can crocuses be planted.
Watering. For spring flowering species, moisture will be needed when the winter was snowless, and in the spring there was no rain at all. The height of the plants will directly depend on the amount of moisture they receive. Crocuses have excellent drought tolerance. After watering, the soil is loosened on the site and the weeds are removed.
Fertilizers for crocuses are introduced only during the period of activation of their growth. It is recommended to use complex mineral preparations or products containing potassium and phosphorus. Caution should be exercised with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, since in rainy weather, an overabundance of such funds can provoke fungal diseases. Fresh organic matter is strictly prohibited when growing crocuses. The first feeding of saffron bushes is carried out even on the lying snow at the beginning of spring, using a complex mineral fertilizer, for example, Kemiru-Universal (for 1 m2, 30–40 g of the preparation will be required). When flowering begins, a second feeding will be needed for the crocus, but they try to choose preparations with a lower nitrogen content.
Digging the bulbs for breeding, it is performed when the crocuses have a dormant period. In spring flowering species, it occurs in the summer. Usually, transplanting is carried out at least three years after the time of planting the bulbs, since 1-10 children grow up per year and it becomes very cramped for them.
Storage of crocus bulbs. After the saffron bulbs are removed from the soil, they are transferred to a shaded area with ventilation to dry. Then you need to clean them of soil residues, damaged or dried scales. All places with wounds are sprinkled with coal powder, the bulbs are placed in a cardboard box in one layer. Until the arrival of August, storage of such bulbs is carried out in a room with heat indicators of 22 degrees and no less, otherwise a violation of the process may occur, in which flower buds will be laid. In the last month of summer, in the room where the container with crocus bulbs is located, the temperature is lowered to 20 degrees, and the next week is brought it to 15. However, such conditions are possible only in specialized flower nurseries. Ordinary growers store planting material at room temperature, dry and shaded, with good ventilation.

See tips for planting and caring for irises outdoors.

How to breed crocuses?

To enjoy the spring or autumn flowering of saffron, you can use the seed method or plant children (daughter bulbs).

Seed propagation of crocuses

This method is used to propagate mainly spring-flowering varieties. However, it should be remembered that the seedlings of such crocuses will begin to bloom only after 4–5 years from the moment of sowing. It is because of this that such reproduction is not suitable for many gardeners, as well as in plants that bloom in the autumn months, the seeds simply do not physically have time to ripen until the winter cold. Therefore, the method of reproduction with baby bulbs is usually applicable.

Crocus propagation with the help of children

Usually after 3-5 years from the time of planting saffron corms, around them you can find a whole "colony" of young bulbous formations. Many growers prefer to grow these plants indoors. It is easiest to cultivate such bulbous representatives in the room. For forcing, it is recommended to use Dutch saffron varieties, characterized by large flowers. From all planting material, from 5 to 10 bulbs with approximately the same size are selected. They are planted in the landing container one by one. The pot should be taken wide, but not too deep. The soil is selected loose and nutritious (for example, peat-sandy) or intended for growing bulbous plants. Each bulb will subsequently delight you with a whole bouquet of flowers.

Bulbs that have faded should not be disposed of. They are watered and fed using a weak solution of complete mineral fertilizers, intended for indoor ornamental flowering plants. A sign for reducing watering is a change in the color of the leaves - it turns yellow. Gradually, soil moisture ceases altogether. After the foliage has dried, the bulbs are removed from the pot, cleaned of soil residues, wrapped in napkins and placed in a cardboard box. Storage of such corms is carried out in a dark and dry place until the time comes to plant them in the ground.

It is possible to separate the formed baby bulbs from the mother's corms during the transplant. It must be removed from the ground, separate the children with a sharp knife and carefully sprinkle all sections with crushed charcoal. You can plant the children immediately on the garden bed, following the rules for the initial planting. After such a planting, the plant received from the baby will delight with its flowering after 3-4 years. This process will directly depend on the species and varietal form.

Crocus protection from possible pests and diseases during gardening

You can please flower growers that if all the rules of agricultural technology are followed, then saffron shows itself to be a rather persistent plant, it rarely gets sick and is almost not affected by harmful insects. This is because in the spring, flowering occurs at a time when insects are not yet particularly harmful to plants.

The greatest problem when caring for crocus in garden cultivation is brought by field mice. These small rodents simply spoil the corms from all, if they remain on the street without any protection or supervision. Gardeners who have been cultivating saffron for a long time recommend using egg trays for storage - bulbs fit perfectly into their cells.

It happens that when examining the surface of the corms, holes made by wireworm larvae are found, it is also called a click beetle. The insect is colored yellow and has a hard-to-touch shell. If a large number of pests are noticed on the site, then traps are built for them. So some gardeners in mid-spring or early May lay bunches of hay on the ground, or they use straw or last year's rotted grass for them. Then the bundles are moistened, and wooden boards are placed on top. When beetles and larvae fall into the traps, they are removed and destroyed.

Slugs or snails love to eat crocuses. For the destruction of such pests, manual collection or the use of drugs such as "Meta Groza" is recommended.

Curious

If you do not pay enough attention to caring for saffron, then it begins to multiply by self-seeding, germinating in the most unexpected and unacceptable places. Then the plants become not a decoration of the garden, but a difficult-to-remove weed.

It happens that crocuses are affected by viral diseases. Then, plants are found in the flower bed, in which the flowers have taken flattened outlines, and the surface of the petals has become spotty with a gray bloom. At the same time, the buds do not fully open. Unfortunately, there is no cure and it is recommended that the affected bushes be dug up and burned so that the infection is not transferred to other garden plantings. This disease is caused by pests such as field mice, aphids or thrips. The soil where such saffron was grown is processed, for example, watered with a hot and strong solution of potassium permanganate.

When the soil is waterlogged, the crocus begins to suffer from fungal diseases, among which the most common are fusarium, gray rot, penicillous and sclerocial. Humid and warm weather usually also contributes to this. To prevent such problems, it is necessary not only to adhere to the above rules for caring for saffron, but also to scrupulously examine the bulbs before planting. If, after inspecting the bulbs that have just been removed from the soil, wounds are found on their surface, they are immediately sprinkled with activated carbon powder or wood ash. Then these bulbs are dried at a heat reading of 20-24 degrees. Before planting, all planting material must be etched with fungicidal preparations.

Interesting notes about the crocus flower

It is customary to use saffron not only as an ornamental plant, for a long time people have noticed its features - when the stigma of flowers dries, they have a pleasant spicy aroma, so they were used as a rather expensive spice. At the same time, it was also noticed that dried stigmas of such varieties as Crocus speciosus, Pallas crocus (Crocus pallasii) and Alatavian crocus (Crocus alatavicus) contain a substance that contributes to the yellow color. This property is actively used in the food industry to give a pleasant shade to butter or cheeses, as well as liqueurs and other alcohol-free drinks.

It is noteworthy that saffron has been known in Germany since the early years of the Middle Ages. The powder from his stigmas was used to give paint, which was used for illustrations in manuscripts of ocher color. And when an imitation of a gold leaf was required, the saffron powder was mixed with protein and a golden lacquer was made, which gave the tin surfaces of the items a golden sheen.

It is known that crocus flowers help to suppress some forms of cancerous tumors and relieve depression. There is unverified information that crocuses helped to slow down the process of loss of vision in elderly people, but doctors have just begun to work in this direction. Since ancient times, doctors have noticed the medicinal properties of saffron and prepared medicinal drugs on its basis.

Most of all, for a long time, paint based on dried crocus stigmas was appreciated. For example, on the territory of the Celestial Empire, clothes with such a shade could be worn especially by the emperor, and for all other people there was a ban. In ancient Greece, there were legends telling that the goddess of the dawn Eos wore only robes of a golden yellow color scheme.

But even nowadays, saffron, as a spice, is not uncommon in eastern bazaars, and the cuisine of eastern countries uses saffron powder in the preparation of pilaf, meat dishes.

Crocus was introduced to the lands of the Western Mediterranean in the times that were marked by the Crusades - in 1096-1270 from the east. But of all the varieties, only the crocus species was of value in the eyes of European gardeners. And only in the XVI century, European botanical gardens acquired decorative types of saffron, such as, for example, spring, narrow-leaved and yellow. It was these three most common species that gave rise to work on the development of new varietal forms, among which the most popular today are hybrids obtained in Holland and Chrysanthus (a spring-flowering hybrid with a golden color of flowers).

Crocus: the most popular species and varieties

Usually all varieties of saffron are divided into 15 classes, among which only one pleases with flowers in the autumn months.

Crocus species characterized by flowering in spring:

Spring crocus (Crocus vernus)

… Usually its height does not exceed the parameters of 17 cm. The corms have a flattened shape, the outer side of which is covered with openwork scales. The leaf plates have a narrowed linear shape, their color is rich emerald. On the surface of the leaf, there is a stripe located in the axial part, which stands out against the general background in a whitish-silver tone. The buds, opening up, acquire the contours of funnel-shaped bells with an elongated tube. The shade of flowers is whitish or lilac. One bulb gives life to 1-2 buds. Spring flowering lasts a little less than a month. It was first cultivated in 1561.

Two-flowered crocus (Crocus biflorus)

The natural range on lands stretching from Italy to Iran can be found both in the Crimea and the Caucasus. A blue-flowered species with the following forms:

bluish-lilac color of the petals, on the reverse side of which there is a chocolate spot;
snow-white flowers with stripes on the petals with a brownish-purple tone;
flowers, painted on the inside of the petals in a snow-white tone, their reverse side is purple-brown.

The flowering pharynx can be either whitish or canary.

Golden crocus (Crocus chrysanthus)

prefers to grow in nature on slopes of rocky soil, common in Asia Minor and the Balkans. The height is not more than 20 cm. The outlines of the bulb are spherical-flattened. The leaves are characterized by strong tapering. Flowers delight the eye with a yellow-golden hue. Perianths in them with a limb, the outer side is shiny. There are forms, characterized in that the petals from the outside have stripes or tan marks of chocolate color. The color of the columns is slightly red, but the anthers are bright orange. The buds begin to open in mid-spring, and this process stretches up to 20 days. Cultivation began in 1841. The best varieties are recognized:

Blue Bonnet with measurements of the length of flowers about 30 cm, the throat of a dandelion bright color, the perianths take on a pale blue color.
Nanette. The petals have ink-colored lines on the outside against a creamy yellow background.
I. Gee. Bowels (I. Gee. Bowels) with a large size of flowers, the petals of which are grayish-brown on the back, and the inner one is canary.

Crocus tommasinianus -

a frequent visitor to the natural spaces in Hungary and the former lands of Yugoslavia. They prefer both deciduous forests and hillsides. The color of the perianth leaves is pinkish-lilac, but there may be a whitish border along the edge. The shape of the flowers at full disclosure is represented by a star. The throat in the flower is snow-white and the tube is of the same color. One bulb is the source of the formation of three buds, while the height of the flowers reaches 6 cm. For a 20-day period in April, you can admire the flowering. In culture, the variety has been popular since 1847 and since then. Among the varieties are:

Lylek Beauty has flowers with a fairly sweeping opening, while the corolla looks almost flattened. When measured, the diameter of an open flower reaches 3 cm. Anthers are invariably golden, the lobes of the petals are narrow, elliptical. On the reverse side, they are lilac-colored, and inside a flower of a more delicate tone.
Whitewell Purple with similar strongly open flowers, taking a flattened contour, while the diameter can be 4 cm. The flower lobes are elongated, with narrowed outlines. The color of the petals in them is lilac-purple. In length, the snow-white tube approaches 3.5 cm.

There are many more varieties with spring flowering, which are always successful in florists, such as, for example, yellow and net, Etruscan and Malia, narrow-leaved and Crimean and others.

Crocus species characterized by flowering in autumn:

Beautiful crocus (Crocus speciosus)

the natural area corresponds to the Balkan region (its forest edges), as well as the lands of the Crimea and Asia Minor. The foliage is close to 30 cm in length. The average diameter of the flowers is 7 cm. The petals in them are lilac-violet, while on the plane there are veins located along the axis and painted in a crimson tone. Flowering is observed in the first weeks of September. The species has been cultivated since the beginning of the 19th century. There are also garden forms, the petals in the corolla of which have a snow-white, lilac, pale purple, indigo and blue tint. Best varieties:

Albus the owner of snow-white flowers with a pale yellow tube.
Artabir bloom of sky-blue color, while bracts with dark-colored veins.
Oxinan characterized by a blue-violet color of the petals, their perianth is wide and of a darker color, and the leaf tops are pointed and drawn.

Cute crocus (Crocus pulchellus)

The color of the petals in the flowers is pale lilac, but on their "surface" there is a pattern of stripes of a dark tone. When opening, the flower in diameter varies within 6–8 cm, while the size of the plant does not exceed 7–10 cm. One bush can have 5–10 buds, opening from the beginning or in the middle of autumn. The plant is not afraid of small frosts.