The Best Months to Plant Saffron and a Detailed Guide to Its Growing Period

Which month is best for planting saffron? How long is its growing period?

Saffron corms are placed indoors from June to October; a 10 sq m room can hold the corms for one mu of saffron. Flowers are harvested from late October to early November, the indoor growing period of the flowers is about 60 days, and the corms are transplanted to the field before mid-November, with the corms ready for harvest in early May of the following year.

Saffron likes a warm, humid environment, with an optimum growing temperature of around 15°C, and 16°C to 20°C is suitable for flowering. Saffron is generally planted in autumn, so which month is best for planting saffron?

For cultivation and management, saffron requires a loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. It dislikes heavy, clayey soil and prolonged waterlogging. Its growth habit is to lie dormant in summer, send out roots and leaves in autumn, and bloom from October to November, with the flowers opening by day and closing at night. Under ordinary cultivation conditions it does not set seed, and its whole growth period is about 210 days. Whether spring-flowering or autumn-flowering, it is an autumn-planted bulbous flower. That is, it begins to sprout in autumn, grows and flowers through the winter and spring, sets seed in the seed-setting types, and enters dormancy in summer. The corm lives for one year, similar to the tulip, with new and old corms renewing alternately once each year.

Plant in September-October in autumn. The soil should be plowed, turned and finely worked, with plenty of decomposed organic fertilizer and a small amount of superphosphate applied as a base fertilizer. Space plants 10 cm apart with 20 cm between rows, at a depth of 8 to 10 cm, covering with 5-8 cm of soil. Weed promptly during the growing period, pay attention to drainage after rain, and during autumn drought loosen the soil and water to keep it moist so as to encourage rooting. It flowers in October; applying a quick-acting phosphorus fertilizer once during the bud stage gives larger, more vividly colored flowers. After flowering, top-dress promptly 1-2 times with decomposed cake fertilizer water to promote corm growth. In northern regions, straw mats or similar materials are needed to protect against cold in winter. In spring of the following year, pay attention to watering to encourage the new corms to swell. In summer of the next year it enters dormancy, the above-ground parts of the plant dry up, and the whole growing period is about 7 months, with an optimum growing temperature of 10-15°C. Forcing cultivation is also possible. After one planting, the corms can be dug up and divided several years later when they become crowded. Store the corms in a dry room at 17-23°C.

For home pot cultivation, saffron is best grown from spring-flowering varieties; generally a 15-18 cm diameter clay pot can hold 5-7 corms, planted in September-October. After planting, water thoroughly and first place outdoors to grow; once rooted, move to a cold room with a temperature slightly higher than the outdoor air, and give plenty of light and it will bloom in due course. Saffron can also be grown by hydroponics,