How to grow saffron crocus? A complete guide to cultivation techniques

Saffron crocus is also called fanhonghua or xihonghua, and its stigma is a precious Chinese medicinal herb with sedative and expectorant effects, mainly used to treat jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, menstrual irregularities, fever and other conditions. Saffron crocus is widely cultivated throughout China. Below is an introduction to saffron crocus cultivation techniques, for the reference of growers.

I. Plant characteristics

Saffron crocus is also known as xihonghua or fanhonghua. Saffron crocus flowers but does not set fruit, and reproduces asexually through corms. Saffron crocus prefers a mild, cool climate, fears heat and is relatively cold-tolerant, growing best at -5°C to 25°C. The soil is best if it is fertile sandy land. The corms lie dormant in summer and send out roots and sprout leaves in autumn. They bloom in late October. The flowers open during the day and wither at night. In China, the method of propagating corms in the field and harvesting flowers indoors is mostly used; the filaments have high active ingredient content and excellent quality, and saffron crocus can be cultivated in most regions.

II. Preparations before putting saffron crocus on the shelves

1. Room selection

Choose a room facing south, with good ventilation, spacious and bright.

2. Shelf design

The shelves for saffron crocus are designed to be 1.5-1.8 m long, 1 m wide and 1.8-2 m high.

3. Disinfection

Use a 500-fold dilution of 25% carbendazim to disinfect the bed surface, shelves and trays to prevent disease.

III. Indoor management techniques for saffron crocus

1. Putting on the shelves

In the first year of planting, you need to buy healthy corms weighing 20-30 g each, free of mold spots and disease spots. Generally the planting corms can be used for 8-10 years. Saffron crocus corms increase by about 2 times each year; from the second year on, you can expand the planting scale and increase planting benefits without investing in corms. The corms can be put on the shelves in mid-to-late August. Before putting them on the shelves, soak the corms in a 500-fold dilution of 25% carbendazim for 20 minutes to prevent disease. Place the corms with the top facing up and the base facing down, closely arranged in a single layer in the trays, then place the trays on the wooden shelves.

2. Management during the sprouting stage

Late August to mid-September is the flower bud differentiation stage, and the room temperature should be kept at 24-27°C; indoor humidity should be maintained at 70-80% to promote sprouting. From late September to mid-October the corms begin to sprout, the room temperature should be kept at 16-23°C, and the indoor light should be gradually increased to enhance natural lighting. Indoor humidity should be controlled at around 80%.

3. Management during the flowering stage

Late October to mid-November is the flowering stage, and the suitable temperature is 15-18°C, otherwise flowers are prone to dying and rotting. Humidity should be kept at 70-80%.

4. Keep the terminal buds and remove the lateral buds

From late September to mid-November the corms will grow many lateral buds. In order to cultivate large corms and increase filament yield, the lateral buds should be removed in time. Generally, corms below 20 g keep 1 main bud, those of 20-30 g keep 2 main buds, and those above 30 g keep 3 main buds.

5. Harvesting flowers

Indoor corms bloom from the end of October and finish in mid-November, with a flowering period of about 15 days. The flowers are harvested before they are fully open. Generally this is done at 8-10 am and 1-3 pm, with two concentrated harvests per day. Flowers that open on a given day are picked that same day.

6. Removing the filaments

The freshly picked flowers still need to have their filaments removed in time, and this process is called removing the filaments. The pistil of saffron crocus is composed of three stigmas joined together and the style below them, and its most effective part is the red stigma of the pistil. The method of removing the filaments is to gently peel open the harvested petals and pinch off at the point where the filaments fork, taking out the red part of the style. Note that the style should not be left too long, as too long will affect the appearance of the filaments. In production, it is required to harvest the flowers, peel the flowers and remove the filaments on the same day. If the fresh flowers are not all peeled by that night, the piled fresh flowers will generate heat and cause the filaments to deteriorate easily.

7. Processing method and storage

To ensure the quality of the filaments, artificial drying is mostly used nowadays. Spread the harvested saffron crocus stigmas thinly on white paper and dry them in a drying oven at 35-40°C for 6-8 hours. The dried filaments should be stored in a sealed, cool place.

IV. Field cultivation management

1. Treatment of the corms

Plant the corms from which the filaments have been harvested into the field in mid-November. Before planting the corms, soak them in a 500-600-fold dilution of 25% carbendazim for 20 minutes to prevent pests and diseases.

2. Land preparation

Saffron crocus benefits from crop rotation and dislikes continuous cropping. Choose a sandy plot with good drainage, loose and fertile. The previous crop is best if it was beans, corn, rice or similar crops. Saffron crocus is a fibrous-rooted shallow-rooted plant, so applying sufficient base fertilizer is very important. Apply 4000-5000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure per mu; when applying fertilizer, be careful to spread the fertilizer evenly on the ground.

3. Making beds

While plowing, mix the base fertilizer into the soil, break it up fine and rake it level. Dig furrow beds running north-south, with a bed width of 1 m, a height of 20 cm, and a spacing between beds of 30-40 cm. The advantage of growing on beds is that it increases soil aeration, makes root rot less likely, and in cold weather it also facilitates covering with plastic film, improving the warming and moisture-preserving effects of the film cover. Open furrows on the bed surface, with a furrow depth of about 8 cm. The furrow spacing is about 20 cm, and then the corms can be planted.

4. Planting the corms

Saffron crocus is propagated by corms. Many main buds and lateral buds grow on the corms; the main buds flower while the lateral buds do not. Each bud can form a small corm, and the mother corm can produce 6-15 small corms. If the buds are not removed, there will be more and more small corms and the flower yield will become lower and lower. Before planting, following the principle of keeping the large and removing the small, keeping the strong and removing the weak, remove the excess lateral buds. Planting saffron crocus requires a relatively large amount of corms, about 500 kg per mu. The row spacing is 15-20 cm, the plant spacing is 10 cm, and the depth is 3-6 cm. Place the main bud of the corm facing up, cover with soil and press firm. A reasonable depth is also an effective measure to increase filament yield, as it not only satisfies the growth of the corms but also inhibits the sprouting of new lateral buds. After planting is completed, water once thoroughly to give the corms enough water supply for growth. After 5-7 days, apply human and livestock manure together with water once more, applying 3000-4000 kg per mu to promote early rooting of the corms.

5. Covering with film

In late November, if the weather is below 5°C, it is time to cover with film. Cover with plastic film and press the film down with clods of soil, which serves to prevent freezing and raise soil temperature, and can also reduce weed growth and promote corm growth.

6. Removing the film

From late February to early March, when the temperature rises and the corms enter the reviving stage, the film can be removed. Clean up the removed film thoroughly to avoid polluting the environment.

7. Cultivation

After removing the film, loosen the soil and hoe weeds in time. The depth of cultivation is 2-3 cm; when cultivating, be careful not to damage the roots of the plants.

8. Topdressing

The corm reviving stage is also the period when the daughter corms rapidly enlarge and gain weight. After removing the film, topdress in time, applying 3000-4000 kg of human and livestock manure per mu together with watering, and topdress once more half a month later. In March-April, generally spray the leaves once every 10-15 days with 0.2% monopotassium phosphate, spraying 2-3 times in succession to promote rapid corm growth.

9. Removing lateral buds

In April, saffron crocus enters the late stage of field growth. If lateral buds are found growing, remove them in time so as not to affect the growth of the large corms.

10. Pest and disease control

After saffron crocus revives, the main disease is rot, and the main pest is the bulb mite. The control method is to spray a 500-fold dilution of 25% carbendazim on the roots of the plants after removing the film. If aphids appear on the leaves, dimethoate can be used for control.

11. Harvest

In mid-to-late May, when the aboveground branches and leaves of saffron crocus turn yellow, the corms can be harvested. At harvest, use a hoe to dig up the corm roots; after digging them out, remove the branches, leaves and residual roots, dry them in the field for two days, then store them indoors. Store in a ventilated, cool place.

The above is saffron crocus cultivation technology. We hope it is helpful to you. To learn more agricultural technical knowledge, please follow Huinong Academy!

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How to grow saffron crocus? Saffron crocus cultivation techniques

Video: Saffron crocus / xihonghua cultivation and management techniques

[Common questions] How to grow saffron crocus? Saffron crocus cultivation techniques

[Expert answer]

Introduction:

Saffron crocus is a perennial bulbous plant belonging to the genus Crocus in the family Iridaceae, native to the Mediterranean coast and the foothills of the Himalayas. The corm is oblate, about 2-3 cm in diameter, covered with a brown outer skin. The plant is about 7.5-12.5 cm tall, with linear leaves about 3-5 mm wide with a silver-gray stripe down the middle. Flower colors include blue, yellow, white and purple, and the flowers emerge from the leaf clusters; the flowering period is from December each year to March of the following year.

Saffron crocus cultivation techniques:

1. Turning the soil and preparing the land

(1) For open-field planting, plow the soil, make raised beds, and apply sufficient decomposed organic fertilizer and superphosphate as base fertilizer. Around mid-to-late May, after the aboveground parts wither, dig out the corms and place them in a cool place to overwinter the summer, then plant again in August-September.

(2) For pot planting, it is best to choose spring-flowering varieties. A 15 cm diameter clay pot can hold 5-6 corms. Plant in September-October, then place outdoors to grow; after rooting, move indoors, where the temperature is slightly higher than outdoors, and give sufficient light so that they bloom at the proper time. The water culture method is the same as the water culture method for narcissus.

2. Fertilizing

For open-field cultivation, pay attention to cultivation and weeding during the growth period, and after flowering topdress 1-2 times in time with decomposed cake fertilizer water to benefit corm growth.

3. Watering

After open-field planting, keep the soil moist to facilitate rooting. In the second year in spring, pay attention to watering to promote the swelling of new corms.

4. Temperature and light

For open-field cultivation, in winter in the north it is necessary to cover with straw curtains and the like to protect against cold.

5. Propagation

Saffron crocus is mostly propagated by the division method, dividing and planting in autumn the new corms formed on the mother corm.

6. Pest and disease control

Sclerotinia disease harms the corms and seedlings. When storing corms, injured or diseased corms must be removed to prevent the corms from deteriorating and to prevent infection and spread of pathogens. It can be controlled by spraying a 500-fold dilution of 50% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder.

[Editor's comments] After saffron crocus finishes flowering, the lush leaves still have high ornamental value. Its plant is small and lovely. If it is not grown on a large scale, it can also be potted on a home balcony, courtyard or windowsill. It can let you feel a touch of comfort amid busyness. Friends who like it might as well give it a try.

How to grow saffron crocus