How to Grow Saffron? Latest Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial
Saffron is an extremely precious traditional Chinese medicinal herb with powerful activity and potent effects. It is widely used in the beauty, cosmetics and spice industries. Nowadays many people like to use it for health preservation, and its price is high. Because of its powerful effects and high price, it has attracted many people to grow it. So how should saffron be grown? Let us take a look at the detailed introduction below.
1. Land preparation and fertilization
At present, saffron cultivation in China mostly adopts the method of field propagation and indoor flower harvesting, and this method allows it to be cultivated everywhere in China. Before planting, choose soil that is fertile, loose, well-drained and slightly alkaline. It is best to plant it on gently sloping land or hillside land. One month before planting, apply 3000-4000 kg of farmyard manure per mu, with 200-300 of other fertilizers decomposed, plow it deeply into the soil, rake it evenly and level the beds.
⟦NL>2. Sowing
Saffron propagates by corms. Sowing is generally carried out in August-September. Before sowing, the lateral buds of the corms should be removed. Generally, according to the size and weight of the corms, 1-3 terminal buds are retained and the rest are removed. After bud removal, place the corms in a cool area to dry for 2-3 days so the wounds heal. Drilling is mostly used for sowing. Open furrows 5-8 cm deep on the bed surface, with row spacing controlled at 15-20 cm. Water once thoroughly so the water fully penetrates the soil, then place the corms flat in the furrows at 10 cm intervals, taking care to keep the terminal buds facing upward, and then cover with soil. Generally, 20000 corms are used per mu, amounting to 400-500 kg.
3. Field managementAfter sowing, if the temperature is lower than 5 degrees, it is unfavorable for corm germination, so at this time plastic film should be applied promptly, which can prevent freezing cold, raise soil temperature, and also reduce weed growth. When the seedlings break through the soil, the film should be broken promptly to release the seedlings, so that the seedlings are exposed outside the film and grow quickly. If the film is not broken in time, it may affect corm growth. When the temperature rises after the beginning of spring the following year, the ground cover should be removed promptly. After the ground cover is removed, timely cultivation and weeding should be carried out, and care should be taken not to cultivate too deeply, so as not to damage the plant roots. This is the rapid growth period of daughter corms. While cultivating and weeding, timely topdressing should be carried out to ensure what is needed for corm enlargement. Generally, 3000-4000 kg of organic fertilizer is added per mu, and fertilization can be carried out together with several applications. In addition, according to plant growth, 2-3 foliar fertilizer sprays can be applied to promote corm growth. After entering April, saffron enters the late growth stage. At this time, the field should be checked frequently. If lateral buds are found growing, they should be removed promptly so as not to affect corm growth.
4. Pest and disease control
In spring, from February to April, the temperature begins to rise. This is the peak growth season for saffron, but it is also a period of high incidence of pests and diseases. At this time, pest and disease control work should be done well to avoid affecting yield and quality. Saffron is highly prone to rot disease and wilt disease. In severe cases, these diseases can cause large-scale plant death and are extremely harmful. The control method is to disinfect the plants, so generally after removing the film, carbendazim should be used promptly to spray the plant roots for control.
5. Harvesting
May is the harvest period for saffron. After saffron blooms, the red style and stigma of the pistil should be picked promptly. When mid-to-late May arrives, the aboveground stems and leaves of saffron begin to wither and turn yellow, and at this time the corms can be harvested. During harvest, dig them out together with the corms, remove the residual branches, leaves and roots, leave them in the field to dry slightly for 2-3 days, and then store them indoors in a ventilated, cool place, and plant them again after August.
The above are saffron cultivation techniques. We hope they can help you. If you want to learn more about saffron cultivation, please stay tuned to us.