How to Plant Saffron Crocus Corms: A Detailed Guide to Planting Time and Methods
Saffron crocus is a very well-known flower variety with certain ornamental value, and its medicinal value cannot be ignored either. Generally, the stigmas are used as medicine, and precisely because of this, it attracts many people to grow it. When many people grow saffron crocus, they do not know the specific planting time and methods. Let us learn about them together below!
How to plant saffron crocus corms
1. Selecting corms. After flowering in spring, the faded flowers should be removed immediately to avoid nutrient consumption, and 1 to 2 applications of a compound fertilizer solution based mainly on phosphorus and potassium should be given to promote strong, robust corm growth, while normal care continues. By summer, when the aboveground parts turn yellow and wither, take out the corms, dry them in the shade, and store them.
2. Storing the corms. Cut off the remaining leaves level with the top, remove the remnants of the mother corm, then move them indoors, grade them by size, and place them on indoor rack shelves. There is no need to bury them in soil; place the corms with the growth buds pointing upward, arranged flat in rows on the tray, with a slight gap between the corms.
3. Indoor potted division. In autumn, depending on the shape of the corms, those with daughter corms can be divided. Simply break them apart by hand and plant them in pots.
4. Care after dividing the corms. After dividing, appropriately increase indoor air humidity and keep the soil moist. This promotes corm sprouting. After mid-August, temperatures drop, and generally no cooling measures are needed. The suitable temperature for saffron crocus is 15-18°C; controlling the indoor temperature well after division can promote flowering.
When to plant saffron crocus
The growing period of saffron crocus is in winter and spring. There are two types, one flowering in autumn and one flowering in spring, and planting is generally carried out from September to October each year.
How to manage fertilizer and water for saffron crocus
1. Watering: Saffron crocus is usually planted in autumn, and its growing period is winter and spring. The climate is cold and dry, so appropriate watering is needed. Seedlings emerge about 20 days after planting; water once before emergence to help the seedlings emerge. Water once before winter to increase soil temperature and prevent freezing. Water once in mid-April to reduce the harm of dry hot winds. When watering, note that when the temperature is relatively low, do not use icy water; the water temperature should be comparable to room temperature, so that the potting soil does not freeze and affect plant growth.
2. Fertilizing: Before planting saffron crocus, add sufficient base fertilizer to the potting soil, such as cake fertilizer, barnyard manure, burnt soil, plant ash, chicken and duck manure, etc., and also apply some superphosphate. After rooting, apply a dilute liquid fertilizer with balanced nitrogen and phosphorus once every 10 days. Avoid applying fertilizer too concentrated, so as not to cause excessive leaf growth and affect flower bud growth. After flowering in October, apply 1 to 2 more applications of a quick-acting fertilizer balanced in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to benefit the growth and development of the corms.
Common diseases of saffron crocus and their control
1. Rust: High humidity favors the occurrence of rust. Spores spread with the wind, and teliospores and telial pustules overwinter on diseased plant residues. In late spring and early summer, when temperatures are low or moderate and humidity is relatively high, they infect the leaf surface, causing leaves to wither and die. Control methods: seed treatment, dressing seeds with 15% triadimefon at 0.2%-0.4% of the seed amount; clean the field, collect and burn diseased residues, and implement crop rotation of more than 2-3 years; chemical control, spray fungicides promptly at the early stage of disease, spraying once every 7-10 days for 2-3 consecutive times, using a 0.1% solution of 20% triadimefon emulsifiable concentrate, 0.3° Baume lime sulfur mixture, and other agents applied alternately.
2. Fusarium wilt: Fusarium wilt is also called root rot. The pathogen mainly damages the roots. At the early stage of disease, brown spots appear on the root crown, and a pink sticky substance appears on the surface of the stem base, ultimately causing the basal cortex and fibrous roots to rot and leading to plant death. In mild cases, losses are 10%-20%; in severe cases, the entire field can be destroyed. Control methods: strictly implement crop rotation without continuous cropping, and keep the soil well drained; promptly pull out diseased plants and burn them, and disinfect the diseased holes with lime; remove dead branches, fallen leaves, and weeds in the field to eliminate overwintering pathogens; drench the roots with solutions such as 50% carbendazim and 50% dexon at 0.17%-0.20%.
The methods for growing saffron crocus are actually not difficult. First, do a good job of selecting corms, then sow at the appropriate time. After planting, management needs to be strengthened, with timely watering and fertilizing, as well as timely disease control. Only by doing these well can saffron crocus be guaranteed to grow better.