Crocus: description
Crocus, also called saffron, belongs to the iris family. It grows wild in Europe in mountain meadows. Most varieties are purple in color, although white, yellow, or multi-colored crocuses can be found.
Plants of small height (5-20 cm), relatively large cup-shaped inflorescences, closes into a bud at night. Protruding yellow stamens are visible in the middle of the petals. These fragrant plants have a sweet, honey-like scent that insect pollinators love.
Crocuses are bulbous plants, although in fact the underground part is shoots not exceeding 2 cm in diameter. Flowers and leaves grow directly from small adnexal tubers covered with characteristic mesh scales.
Crocuses bloom in March, sometimes even when there is still snow. Of the 80 species, fourteen adorn flower beds not only in spring, but also in autumn. Each bulb produces only one flower.
Properly grown crocuses usually bloom for about three weeks, after which their foliage is most visible and can last up to 2 months. Narrow leaves grow strongly only after flowering.
Crocuses: growing
They grow best in a sunny or slightly shaded location. Crocuses require slightly acidic humus soil, permeable and sufficiently moist. On clay and waterlogged soils, they grow poorly and do not live long. Too heavy soil can be mixed with sand and peat. Plants need constantly slightly moist soil, they do not like too wet soil.
Soil for crocusesHow to care for crocuses? They should be watered abundantly immediately after planting. After that, keep the soil constantly moist. From the moment the first buds appear and during the period of green foliage, the crocus bed is regularly watered once a week. However, avoid excessive flooding, which can lead to rotting of the bulbs and the death of flowers.
Fertilize twice in the spring (using only nitrogen fertilizers). After planting the tubers, feeding begins after 2-3 weeks, with a predominance of phosphorus and potassium. The first time immediately after germination, the second – immediately after flowering. Enrich the crocus bed with organic compost, which will provide the bulbs with essential nutrients immediately after planting. After fertilizing, the plants must be watered abundantly.
Note! To ensure good growth and development of these plants, experts recommend sprinkling the crocus bed with NPK fertilizer every fall to ensure that the bulbs have an adequate supply of nutrients through the winter.
Digging and storing bulbs
Crocuses can grow in one place for several years. Every 3-4 years they need to be dug up. They fade quite quickly, but the bulbs should be dug up only in June, when the leaves of the crocuses dry up.
The leaves are used by the bulbs to accumulate nutrients, without which the plant will not be able to bloom in the next season. Mother bulbs live only one year, die off after flowering, and in their place, daughter tubers from leaves are formed from thickening bases.
After the bulbs are dug out, they should be cleaned and dried, spread out in a thin layer on paper or a tray. After drying, they throw away those on which there are traces of fungal diseases. Store in a paper bag in a dry place at a temperature of about 20°C. After re-planted in the ground in the fall in September or October.
Crocuses: when to plant and how
Planting crocuses is carried out in the fall – from September to October. Plants look best in groups of up to a dozen bulbs. The soil in which the bulbs are placed is covered with a thin layer of peat or bark mulch. Mulching the soil will help crocuses bloom a little faster in spring.
The bulbs are placed at a depth of 6 to 10 cm. The planting depth depends on the size of the tubers: small ones are planted 5-6 cm, large ones about 8 cm. The distance between the tubers should be 10-15 cm.
Reproduction of crocuses
They spontaneously reproduce by tubers growing in the ground. During the growing season, the mother tuber dies off, and several new ones form in its place. Over time, large clusters of bulbs become very dense and flowering is clearly poorer.
In this case, it is recommended to dig up the tubers after flowering, dividing the fused groups into smaller parts. Store them at home for re-planting in the ground in late autumn.
Additional Information! Most often, these plants are planted in groups at the edge of the flower beds, where they are a wonderful colorful accent at a time when the garden is still quite gray and gloomy. Planting crocuses in rock gardens and on the slopes is also very popular. Experienced gardeners hide crocus tubers between plants to cover up yellowing leaves.
Forcing crocuses in pots
Some varieties of crocuses (Flower Record, Jeanne d’Arc, Pickwick) are suitable for forcing, i.e. to obtain flowering plants much earlier than in nature.
Forcing crocuses in pots
To do this, choose large healthy tubers, plant them in flat pots in October and water them.
Note! Gardeners use forcing by planting bulbs in pots, thereby speeding up the flowering time. Some varieties of crocuses are suitable for forcing, i.e. to obtain flowering plants much earlier than in nature.
To do this, choose large healthy tubers and plant them in flat pots in October and water them.
Bulbs planted in this way should be stored for about 10 weeks in a shaded room, where the temperature is not lower than 9 ° C. All this time, the substrate is kept constantly moist. From the end of January, they can be transferred to a room with a temperature of 15-17 ° C.
Since crocuses need a lot of light (too little, the shoots will quickly stretch), the best place is a window sill that does not have a radiator under it, in a bright, often ventilated area.
