How to prune crocuses after flowering. Crocuses - graceful primroses in the garden and on the windowsill

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Crocuses: planting and caring for them in open ground require specific knowledge so that this fragile and delicate flower takes root in the soil and pleases the eyes of its owners with its colorful petals. Another name for the plant is saffron, and most gardeners believe that it blooms exclusively in spring. However, breeders have long developed special varieties of crocuses that can bloom in the fall.

Selection of planting material and planting site

Saffrons are distributed throughout almost the entire territory of Eurasia and thrive in temperate climates. But, before moving on to the issue of planting and caring for crocuses in the open ground, you need to select healthy plant bulbs and highlight right place for planting flowers in your garden.

How to Select Viable Saffron Bulbs:

Even healthy parts of future flowers require pre-treatment before planting. It is necessary to peel off the old skin from the bulbs and disinfect them by sprinkling them with ash or soaking them in a manganese solution.

Planting and caring for crocuses in the open ground should take place in spacious flower beds (the flowers can take over the entire area in a short time). They should be located in open areas where there is a lot of sunlight. Therefore, it is not recommended to plant saffron under trees with a dense crown.

The soil for crocuses of all subspecies should not be excessively wet. The structure of the soil should be loose, nutritious, light and not acidic. Do not be afraid if the soil in the garden does not meet these requirements; it can be made suitable for saffrons using simple methods. Coarse river sand, gravel or crushed stone, which is used as a drainage layer, will help get rid of excess dampness. The acidity of the soil is neutralized by the mixture and lime, ash or rotted manure.

Time to plant crocuses in the garden

When to plant crocuses in open ground? It all depends on the plant variety that the gardener has chosen, but they are all divided into flowers that bloom in spring or autumn.

Spring flowering plants include:

Since the flowering of these subspecies of decorative flora occurs in the spring, crocuses are planted in open ground in the fall. They should be planted from late September to early October.

If you plant spring-flowering varieties earlier than the second half of September, the saffron may bloom before the frost period and eventually die. And if you plant a flower later than the first half of October, the soil for the bulbs will be too cold, they will not be able to take root in it and will simply freeze.

Autumn-flowering saffron subspecies include:

Flowers bloom in the garden in the fall, and therefore crocuses are planted in the ground in the spring (late May) or early summer (first half of July).

How to care for saffron?

Saffron is not a flower that needs abundant watering. If autumn or spring (depending on what type of flower is planted) was rich in precipitation, then they should be watered only when the soil becomes dry not only on the surface, but also in depth. Otherwise, the plants may simply rot.

Caring for crocuses in open ground is quite easy. Periodically you will need to weed the flower rows, getting rid of weed. The soil (especially after rain) must be loosened so that the root system of plants has access to air.

Like any decorative flowers, crocuses need feeding. However, it is not recommended to fertilize saffron with organic mixtures. It is better to purchase granulated, enriched with potassium and phosphorus. Nitrogen-containing fertilizers should be applied with caution, in small doses, as they can provoke the growth of fungus on the plant bulbs.

Fertilizing should be applied in at least 2 stages: first, fertilize the soil before planting crocuses, and then during the period of their intensive growth.

Below are photos of crocuses in open ground:

I've always liked street flowers. Due to the lack of my own home or dacha, I even tried to grow some of them in indoor pots. This is how our family became friends with crocuses. So, before purchasing a summer house with a large flower bed, I already knew well what flowers I would start landscaping with and how to care for this plant.

Until now, there is no single opinion among flower lovers on this matter.

Some believe that After flowering, the bulbs must be collected, assess their condition, throw away spoiled ones, disinfect healthy ones (for example, soak in a pink solution of potassium permanganate and dry, although such a procedure is not necessary).

Others say: It’s not worth digging up bulbs every year, they winter well in the ground. True, in five years their “nest” will grow greatly - that’s when you can pick up a shovel. Moreover, the bulbs can either be completely transferred to a new location, or simply divided: some can be left in the old “nest”, and others can be transplanted.

When should you dig up bulbs?

It all depends on the type of flowers.

Autumn-flowering varieties are dug from June to August.
Spring crocuses are removed from the ground from July to September.

In any case, look at the plant: flowering should end and the leaves should turn completely yellow.

Be careful: crocus roots are fragile.

How to store them in winter?

First of all, after removing the bulbs from the ground, they need to be meticulously inspected. Immediately discard rotten and lethargic ones - by placing a single rotten onion in a common box, you will doom all the others.

Planting material needed:

clean off stuck earth,
dry it a little
free from the upper scales,
trim, removing broken, dry roots,
disinfect if available mechanical damage, that is, scratches without rot (ash or crushed charcoal or activated carbon are suitable for this).

Store the bulbs in a basket or box, placing it in a cool place. Make sure that they are not exposed to water (including condensation), as well as sunlight. It is important that planting material not frozen. The room (closet) should be about 22 degrees. By the way, before planting, the bulbs can be hardened by moving them to a room with 15 degrees.

A good container option for bulbs: a box made of wood or thick cardboard. If you have several varieties or types of bulbous plants, do not forget to attach a note to each “pile” or cell with the specified variety, as well as the date of collection.

There is no need to cover the box with a lid; the planting material must breathe. Place the bulbs in a loose layer.

Terms and rules for planting crocuses

Generally, spring varieties It is customary to plant in the fall, and autumn ones in the summer.

The general landing rules are as follows...

Site selection. It is advisable to choose a sunny flowerbed, although if you have solid partial shade or shade in your yard, that’s okay too.
Priming. Nourishing, breathable, not wet, light, not sour. Isn't yours like this? When digging a flower bed, you can add coarse (river) sand or gravel. And if the soil is clayey, you can “fluff” it with the help of ash. If the variety of crocuses you bought especially does not like moisture, you can make a high flower bed (with wooden sides, and, if desired, with a cellophane bottom), and pour gravel or crushed stones onto its bottom as drainage.
Fertilizer. During the same digging, you can enrich the bed with rotted manure, compost, or peat softened with lime.

In autumn, before winter

It’s not too late to plant bulbs in open ground - in September.

This is done like this:

You should leave about 8-10 cm between holes, especially if you do not plan to dig them up next summer. In a couple of years, each bulb in the flowerbed will be overgrown with a “family” of children, and the flowerbed will turn into a continuous flowering carpet.
Planting depth - one bulb size (if the soil is heavy) or two sizes (if it is light).
After planting, the flowerbed should be watered.

An example of such an autumn planting is in the report video:

Planting for forcing

In fact, this is the germination of crocuses in an indoor pot. For some, this is a way to liven up the house in winter, and for others, it is to prepare a lot of beautiful gifts for your friends or relatives for the March holidays.

Ideal if you have a large-onion Dutch variety and the bulbs are the same size.

Take a wide but shallow pot. You can plant from six to eleven bulbs here at a time - since crocuses are small, it is better to give them not individually, but in a bouquet.

The soil needed is the same as for outdoor flowers: light, airy, not retaining moisture, neutral in acidity. Place some drainage at the bottom.

See the process of such planting, turning an outdoor plant into a cozy one indoor flowerpot, and you can also hear a lot of sensible comments in this video:

When giving such bouquets to your friends, do not forget to warn them: after the crocuses wither, you should not throw away the pot - the bouquet is not disposable. Let them continue to carefully water the plant, you can even pamper it with universal flower mineral fertilizer. And when the leaves are completely dry, let them dig up the bulbs, wrap them in a cotton rag or paper napkin and store until autumn, until they fall into open ground.

Spring planting

If you hesitated and planted crocuses in pots for forcing too late (in mid-spring), this is also not a problem. When this miracle blooms, the grass outside will already turn green. This means that the “guys” can be taken out into the open ground.

For many gardeners spring planting of crocuses it seems even better than the autumn one, because you don’t have to worry about how the bulbs will overwinter in the icy soil.

Here's how to do everything:

Caring for a flowering plant in a flower bed

Watering. In spring, flowers do not need additional moisture - unless the winter was snowless, and in the spring there was almost no rain.
Nutrition. I have already said that before planting crocuses you need to add organic matter to the soil. During the active growth of flowers, they also really need food, but in this case it is already would be better suited complex mineral fertilizer. Just focus not on nitrogen (in rainy weather, this microelement can play a cruel joke on the flowerbed, causing fungus), but on potassium and phosphorus.
Loosening the soil. Since the bulbs love air, the soil in the flowerbed needs to be fluffed up from time to time. At the same time, you will remove weeds that steal valuable moisture from the flowers.

By the way! From small bulbs in spring you can grow not only crocuses, but also many other elegant flowers. Which ones? See:

Crocuses are very beautiful spring flowers. They are blooming in early spring and bloom for 7 to 10 days. After the flowers wither, the leaves remain fresh, but in the middle of the first summer month they also wither - these plants enter a dormant period.

With the onset of dormancy, the corms can be dug up, but this is not necessary, since crocuses can grow in one place for up to five years. But many gardeners still prefer to dig up corms in order to sort them out and discard sick and damaged ones. The sorted corms can later be planted in a new location.

The soil in which the plants are planned to be planted must be fertile and fairly light. It should be remembered that crocuses do not tolerate waterlogging. Therefore, if the soil in the flowerbed is clayey, you need to add sand and fertilizers - compost and manure.

Crocuses are light-loving plants, so they need to be planted in open, well-lit areas. If this condition is met, the flowers will be large and beautiful. Plants can develop normally even with slight shading, but in this case the flowers will be smaller.

If you want the flowerbed to be decorated with flowering plants for as long as possible, plant other spring flowers next to the crocuses -,. The plants will bloom one by one, allowing you to admire bright colors all spring.

It is necessary to ensure that the soil in which crocuses grow is properly moistened. Sprouts emerging from corms need to be watered. And then water as needed. The soil should dry out a little between waterings.

The soil on which crocuses grow must be quite fertile. If you planted the corms in good prepared soil, then during flowering they do not need to be fed with fertilizers. If the plants have been growing in the same flower bed for several years, it is necessary to add fertilizer to the soil.

You should select fertilizers that have a high content of potassium and phosphorus. Phosphorus is essential for buds to form and flowering to last longer, while potassium helps keep the corms large and healthy. Fertilizers need to be applied three times.

The first time is when the sprouts appear, the second time is when the buds begin to set, and the third time is after the end of flowering and the flowers have completely withered. During the first feeding, potassium should be added twice as much as phosphorus, and during the second and third, potassium and phosphorus should be taken in equal quantities.

Rules for planting crocuses

Now there are many varieties of crocuses, and some bloom not in spring, but in autumn. Corms of autumn-blooming crocuses are planted starting in mid-July. Crocuses that bloom in the spring are planted in the fall - from September to October.

Large corms are planted to a depth of 10 to 12 cm, and small ones - from 4 to 5 cm. It is also important to ensure that the distance between the corms is at least 5 cm, but if you do not plan to replant the crocuses in the next few years, you can plant at a distance of 3 cm.

Rules for caring for corms

In mid-summer, when the crocuses have completely faded and the leaves have withered, it’s time to take care of the corms. If you do not want to transplant the crocuses to another place, then you don’t have to dig them up. It is enough to carefully remove faded flowers and leaves. Crocus corms usually tolerate winter frosts, but in those regions where the winter months are quite harsh, the flower beds are covered with branches or leaves.

If you want crocuses to grow in some other place next year, then in July you need to dig them up and sort them out - leave the large and healthy ones, and throw away the sick and damaged ones. Corms are stored at a temperature of 18 to 22 ° C in well-ventilated rooms. Crocuses can also be grown in apartments on windowsills. But in such conditions, the rules for caring for these plants are completely different.

This is interesting

Crocuses are valued not only by flower growers. For hundreds of years, chefs from all over the world have used these plants in their culinary recipes. After all, saffron is a valuable spice of bright orange color - nothing more than the stigmas of crocus flowers.

Crocus - varieties, soil, propagation

The genus Crocus belongs to the iris family (Iridaceae) and has about 80 species distributed in the Mediterranean, middle and Eastern Europe, in the Caucasus, Middle East, Asia Minor and Central Asia.

History of the plant

The plant's scientific name comes from the Greek word kroke (thread); another, no less famous - “saffron” - from the Arabic sepheran (yellow, golden). Both define the most important part of the crocus flower - its long, thread-like pistil, branched at the end, colored bright yellow.

Crocus is one of the oldest cultivated plants. It was planted more than 3000 years ago. At that time, saffron was grown for its orange pistils, from which a dye was obtained that was used by artists. It was also used to dye fabrics yellow and orange.

Dried crocus stigmas give food not only an exquisite taste and aroma, but also a color that is pleasing to the eye.

And in ancient times, saffron was part of numerous medicinal, perfumery, cosmetic and magical potions. It was even believed that it was an aphrodisiac, capable of healing almost all ailments, from headaches and melancholy to relieving pain during childbirth.

Modern research has confirmed healing properties crocus In particular, it turned out to be a promising raw material for obtaining drugs against certain types of cancer.

Spring and autumn varieties of crocuses

Crocuses– corm ephemeroids growing in steppes, meadows (including high-mountain ones), some species – in forests.

By flowering time are divided into two groups: spring-flowering and autumn-flowering.

Corms of spring varieties of crocuses are planted in late summer - early autumn (August-September), before they begin to grow. Autumn varieties - in summer (June - early August).

Planting depth, as a rule, is equal to the height of three bulbs. Shallow planting is not a problem for crocuses: they have a remarkable ability to grow special, thick roots that pull the corms that are on the surface into the soil. Crocus flowers open fully only in a sunny place.

Soil for crocuses

The best soil for growing crocuses is light loam. During the period of summer dormancy, the development and formation of flower buds is very well influenced by dry soil, therefore, when preparing a place for planting, usually arrange at least a small drainage from a large river sand or fine gravel. Before planting, add nutritious compost, rotted manure or peat (with added lime) to poor soils.

It is useful to give mineral fertilizers (phosphorus and potassium) to spring crocuses in early spring, after melting snow. Organic - late autumn. Autumn views On the contrary, mineral fertilizing is received in the fall, after flowering, and organic fertilizing in early spring.

Crocuses require well-moistened soil during the growth period. Therefore, after a winter with little snow and a dry spring, it is useful to water the plantings: once - at the beginning of the appearance of buds, then - during the period of leaf formation. Left without watering, the plants, of course, will not die, but they will bloom faster, and subsequently will not receive enough nutrients due to poor leaf development. Autumn crocuses, as a rule, do not need watering during the flowering period.

Reproduction and transplantation

Work on transplanting crocuses and dividing their nests is carried out during the summer dormancy period: in June - the first half of August, autumn-flowering varieties are transplanted; in July - early September - spring.

Crocuses reproduce well vegetatively, forming many children, and therefore require replanting every 4–5 years. Otherwise, the corms in the nest become smaller (and the flowers, of course, too). The result of severe thickening can be a complete cessation of flowering.

The dug up corms are sorted, cleaned of old scales and roots, and checked for diseases and pests. Then they can either be planted again immediately, or left to dry in a well-ventilated, warm room.

Remember that spring varieties need to be planted in the ground no later than the end of September, autumn varieties - the end of August.

Crocuses are easily propagated by daughter corms. The larger the mother bulb, the more babies it produces. Shallow planting also contributes to an increase in the number of daughter corms. Children bloom in the 3rd–4th year. Vegetative propagation allows you to maintain the purity of the variety.

Crocuses are also propagated by seeds. This method is especially promising for spring-flowering natural species (in autumn-flowering species, seeds do not always have time to set). It is better to sow freshly harvested seeds. The first flowering of young plants occurs in the 4th–5th year. Crocuses do not require shelter for the winter.

Diseases and pests

In central Russia, mice feast on crocus bulbs (in Holland there is a saying about this: “If you want mice, plant crocuses”), moles, caterpillars of cutworm butterflies and slugs.

Crocuses are susceptible to viral diseases: whitish spots appear on the buds, and they, as a rule, do not open due to deformation of the tips of the petals. There are no means to combat such infections. Plants affected by the virus are destroyed, and the soil is disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Drying the dug up planting material followed by treatment with special preparations helps against fungal diseases (softening of corms, the appearance of spots under the scales). Yellowing of crocus leaves (chlorosis) can be caused by improper growing conditions (poor drainage, etc.).

Crocuses or saffron are a favorite plant of many gardeners. How to transplant a crocus from a pot into the ground? There's nothing complicated about it. Subject to simple instructions and recommendations, everything will be done quickly and painlessly for the plant. It’s worth saying right away that novol and fenom products have good reviews and the price is reasonable, but they are not always worth using.

The most optimal timing of forcing is considered to be - late spring(for autumn-blooming crocuses), and October-November - for spring-blooming ones.

Planting is carried out only during the dormant period!

Crocuses are planted in the ground closer to winter. It is advisable to stock up on bulbs in August or September, since these months are dormant. If the autumn is warm, then the dates shift a little, towards November. Before planting the plant, it is necessary to prepare the soil.

Fertilizing the soil. The soil is fertilized with manure and loosened. Not suitable for crocus flowers high humidity and moisture stagnation. The ideal soil for the plant is mixed soil.
The area should be disinfected, as excess moisture can harm the plant and cause rotting. It is recommended to dig up the area and loosen the soil 10-15 days before planting.
To ensure the plant enjoys good flowering, choose a bright place. Make sure that nearby trees do not create shade, because flowering plants need solar heat. Be extremely careful when choosing soil, because it should not contain nitrogen compounds.
Feeding. Crocuses need additional feeding containing potassium and phosphorus. Potassium has a beneficial effect on the formation of the bulb; accordingly, the plant will be characterized by active growth. Phosphorus allows you to extend the flowering period; it is important for crocus buds.

Planting crocuses in the ground in spring

Plants must be planted without flowering. If you were disembarked flowering plants, then after a year they will be able to gain strength and the first buds will appear. When planting in winter, you should adhere to the following recommendations: the bulb is immersed in the soil 10 cm, no more. There should be free space between the planted bulbs, and the distance should not be less than 5 cm. The bulb is covered with soil exceeding twice the diameter of the bulb. Regarding the depth of planting, there are no specific recommendations, since crocuses have flexible roots, which, depending on the growth phase, can stretch and lengthen.

Crocuses (saffron) are very popular among gardeners. But if almost no questions arise about caring for the plant, then after flowering many do not know what to do with their bulbs.

There is no consensus on whether crocuses should be dug up after flowering. Some gardeners see the need to hold this event annually. Others believe that this can only be done once every 3-5 years. Both statements are true in their own way.

But you can find out for sure about the need for this event only by familiarizing yourself in more detail with the conditions for their cultivation.

Do I need to dig it up?

No matter how much gardeners argue about the need to dig up saffron, a decision must be made based on several factors:

climate;
variety;
preliminary forcing.

If the climate allows crocuses to be left overwintering in open ground, then it is not necessary to remove them from the soil. When this is not possible, immediately after flowering the planting material is removed from the soil. Otherwise, the plant may develop fungal or bacterial diseases (fusarium, gray mold etc.).

In harsh climates, bulbs need to be dug up every year. The only exceptions are plants after home forcing. In order not to destroy the bulbs, the planting site is insulated with straw, dry leaves or mulching material.

When to dig up crocuses after flowering in conditions of sharp temperature changes? When the above-ground part completely withers, the bulbs are removed from the ground. It is better to do this during the plant's dormant period - from mid-June to the end of summer. Healthy specimens are selected from the resulting planting material and placed in a ventilated room where the temperature is maintained at +18-+20 degrees. They are not taken out from there until the very moment of landing.

When to replant crocuses after flowering

It is not worth replanting crocuses every year to a new place. Enough to implement this event once every 3-4 years. Crocuses with early flowering are replanted during the dormant period, from July to September. Late flowering - from June to August. By this time, the bulbs have time to acquire “babies”. If they are not separated during transplantation, the plant’s flowering will be smaller and less frequent.

In order for crocuses to bloom, you need to store the bulbs correctly.

Caring for faded plants

Caring for crocuses after flowering is easy. It is the same for flowers grown at home and stored in open ground. When the flower has faded, its peduncles are cut off without affecting the leaves. Only when the entire above-ground part turns yellow and dries out are the bulbs dug out of the soil.

How to store crocus bulbs

In order for crocuses to bloom profusely in the spring, you need to provide them proper storage. After digging, the planting material is cleared of soil, dead scales are removed from it, rotten areas are removed and laid out on a flat surface in one layer. The temperature at the storage location should first be +22, at the end of summer, +20, and then - +15. Cooling the planting material is an imitation of natural wintering conditions, allowing the saffron to gain vitality for future growth and flowering. The room where the bulbs are located should be well ventilated, dark and dry.

What to do with crocuses after flowering at home

Growing crocuses at home in order to produce sprouts is called forcing the plant. It is best to grow large-bulbed Dutch hybrids at home, having the same size of planting material (5-8 cm). They are less susceptible to sudden temperature changes and diseases. If the bulbs have already been forced, then you should not expect them to bloom again.

After the above-ground part has dried, the planting material is dug up, wrapped in cellophane and stored in the refrigerator until planting in open ground in the fall, ventilating periodically.

This wintering will allow the crocuses to “come to life” and germinate in the spring. But only those bulbs that look strong and large should be planted in the flowerbed.

If you plan to grow the plant again at home, you will need:

after planting, transfer the pot with the plant to a cool and wet room(cellar, open loggia);
carefully monitor the appearance of sprouts (after about 9 weeks) so as not to freeze them;
2 weeks after planting, move the pot to a more warm room, but not too much sharp drop temperatures;
3-4 days after warming, place the container with crocuses in the warmest room.

Forcing provokes flowering of the plant, but causes stress in the bulbs, which will affect their further growth. Therefore, this event is carried out only in extreme cases (for a gift, sale, etc.).

The process of preserving bulbs for open ground after flowering at home is as follows:

At the first signs of drying out of the above-ground part of the plant, the pot with it is taken out to a ventilated balcony or loggia, where the temperature is maintained at +5-+9 degrees.
After the leaves turn yellow, cut off the entire upper part of the flower.
After 2 days, when the soil is completely dry, the bulb is dug up.
Planting material is stored in a dark and cool place.

If you leave a faded bulb in a pot, it will continue to grow. In this way, it will be possible to carry out the forcing again. But after this the plant is guaranteed to die.

After planting the bulbs from home to the garden in the first spring, they will not bloom, but will “save strength” for the next season. The place for planting the plant should be well lit, with loose and light soil. When digging the ground, rotted manure, compost or peat are added to it. And if saffron is planted in clay soil, wood ash is added to the soil. Planting material is planted to a depth of 2 bulbs with a distance between plants of 7-10 cm. After planting, the ground is irrigated abundantly and mulched with humus.

Caring for crocuses after flowering is easy. The main thing is to know how to store them during wintering and when to plant the bulbs in open ground so as not to harm the plant.

Crocus (Crocus) or saffron is a herbaceous corm perennial of the Iris family (Iridaceae). The natural habitats of crocus are rare forests, steppes and meadows of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. This delicate, exquisite flower blooms in early spring, right after snowdrops. But there are species that delight with their buds in September and October. Growing crocuses does not require any special skills and is not a hassle. We'll show you how to care for crocuses in your garden so you can enjoy the graceful flowers in spring and fall.

An unpretentious corm primrose that is widely used in garden design.

The name crocus is more common among gardeners, although in the scientific literature the plant is called saffron. Crocus – low growing plant, whose average height is 10 cm. It does not form stems, but narrow linear leaves grow directly from the ground.

The flowers are goblet-shaped, from 2 to 5 cm in diameter, arranged singly on short stalks. The colors of the flowers are different: yellow, orange, cream, and white, purple and lilac, blue and violet. Saffron also comes with bicolor or spotted flowers. Crocuses bloom for about 2-3 weeks.

In total, the genus Crocus includes about 80 species and 300 varieties, which are divided into 15 groups. One of them includes varieties that bloom in autumn, the other 14 groups include varieties that blooming in spring. The spring crocus species (Crocus vernus) has given rise to various hybrids, the most popular of which are the Dutch large-flowered varieties.

Growing in open ground

Growing and caring for crocuses is not difficult. As with any other flowers, you need to choose the right site for growing saffron, prepare the soil for planting, provide access to light, moisture and nutritional compounds.

Choosing a landing site

It is better to plant crocuses in a sunny area that is well lit. Although the plant reacts normally to partial shade, the flowering of crocuses growing in a lack of light will not be as abundant, and the size of the buds will be small.

Crocuses do not tolerate excess humidity, so a place where melt and rain water stagnates is completely unsuitable for them.

Is it possible to plant saffron next to other flowers? Undoubtedly. Crocus planted with tulips, daffodils and other bulbous plants will provide beautiful bloom flower beds from early spring until summer. Newly blooming buds will replace flowers that have already faded.

In nature, crocuses grow in meadows with other perennial herbs, and when grown in the garden, they can also be planted together with peonies, daffodils and other flowers.

The soil

Saffron prefers soil that is light and dry, loose, and fertile. Drainage is provided with fine gravel or coarse sand. Krokus does not react well to acidic soil, so peat mixed with lime and compost can be added to the soil for digging. Clay soil is improved by adding fine gravel or decomposed compost.

Landing

They know how to plant crocuses experienced flower growers. The planting depth should be equal to two bulbs if the flowers will grow on light soil. Crocuses are planted in heavy soil to a depth equal to one bulb. An interval of 7–10 cm is usually left between the bulbs. And for those who do not plan to replant crocuses for 3–4 years, you can plant the flowers closer - at a distance of 3 cm. After planting, the soil is watered.

When to plant crocuses depends on when the flowers appear. Spring crocuses should be planted in the fall. Plants that bloom in the fall should be planted in June.

Crocuses can grow in one area for 3 to 5 years. During this period, many children appear on their bulbs, and when the crocuses bloom, the area becomes a continuous carpet of flowers. But if plants become crowded, their number and size decrease flower buds. Therefore, crocuses need to be planted after 4–5 years.

Do I need to dig it up and when?

The faded bud can be cut off, and after a while the green leaves will turn yellow and dry out. Whether it is necessary to dig up crocuses after flowering is up to each gardener to decide for himself. After all, saffron is a perennial that can grow in one area for more than one year.

If replanting flowers is not planned, they are not dug up, but only the dried buds and leaves are cut off. In southern regions with warm climates, the bulbs can withstand winter cold. In areas with harsh weather conditions, the soil with the bulbs should be covered with small twigs or fallen leaves.

One of the main advantages of plants is that their bulbs do not have to be dug up every year.

If the flowers need to be transplanted to a new area, they are removed from the soil. When to dig up crocuses depends on the time of flowering. For spring plants best time- July August September. Bulbs of varieties that bloom in autumn are removed from the soil from June to August.

Bulb storage

The planting material is dried in the shade, sorted, removing bad scales and dead roots from the bulbs. Damaged bulbs are sprinkled with ash, and diseased and small ones are discarded. The material selected for planting is placed in one layer in a box or box.

According to the rules, the bulbs are stored at temperatures above 22 ° C until August, otherwise they will not form flower buds. At the beginning of the last summer month, the temperature is reduced to 20 ° C, and after another 7 days - to 15 ° C. But a botanical garden or flower farm can provide such conditions. At home, store the bulbs in a dry, dark and well-ventilated place at room temperature.

Caring for crocuses in the garden

Caring for crocuses at home is quite simple. The soil must be regularly moistened and loosened, weeds must be pulled out in a timely manner, and fertilizers must be applied if necessary.

Watering

For good growth During plant development, the soil must be constantly moist. As the soil dries out, young shoots need to be watered. But it is important to ensure that upper layer the soil dried out before each watering.

Fertilizer application

Planting crocuses in fertile soil will provide the plants with normal nutrition. But if the soil is poor, or flowers have been growing in one place for more than one year, they need to be fertilized with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. mineral supplements. Phosphorus ensures abundant formation of buds and increases the flowering period. And potassium is needed to maintain the health of the bulbs. As for nitrogen fertilizers, their excess causes fungal diseases.

Fresh organic fertilizers cause various diseases; crocuses cannot be fed with them.

During the season, fertilizing is applied to the soil three times:

when sprouts appear;
during the formation of flower buds;
after flowering is completed.

When first fertilizing, potassium is taken in half as much as phosphorus; during subsequent fertilizing, equal ratios of fertilizers are applied.

Planting for forcing

Some gardeners grow crocuses at home in winter using the forcing method. Wherein indoor flower requires other conditions of detention. Most often, large-flowered Dutch hybrids are grown by forcing.

It is necessary to outline the expected flowering date, and 3.5–4 months before the scheduled date, plant the bulbs in wide, shallow containers of 5–10 pieces. The soil for planting crocuses in pots should have good moisture and air permeability, be loose and have a neutral environment.

Flowers in a pot are kept in a place with a temperature of 5 to 10 ° C (this can be the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, basement, cellar). Two weeks before the expected flowering date, the temperature is raised: the pot is moved to the coolest place in the house, then to a warmer room, and finally, the flowers are placed in the sun on the windowsill. They will bloom soon.

If the bulbs are placed tightly in the pot, you can get beautiful bouquet crocuses

Problems of growing crocuses in open ground

If planting and care at home are carried out correctly, plants are practically not susceptible to disease and insect attack.

A danger to plants is the larva of the click beetle (wireworm), which feeds on the bulbs. Flower growers have figured out what to do with this pest. They advise at the end of April or beginning of May to spread wet hay or straw over the area with crocuses and cover them with boards. The larvae will definitely move into the traps, which then need to be burned. Plants can also be attacked by slugs (they will have to be collected by hand), and mice and other rodents also like to feed on the bulbs.

If the flower has a flattened shape, does not bloom completely, and its petals are covered gray spots, most likely the plant is affected viral disease. Its carriers can be mice, aphids, and thrips. Affected flowers should be immediately dug up and burned. Disinfect the soil with a hot concentrated solution of potassium permanganate.

Self-seeding of crocuses can also be a problem: flowers sprout in the most unexpected places and turn into weeds.

If crocuses are not kept properly at home, the plants may become sick:

gray mold;
fusarium;
sclerotial or penicella rot.

To prevent diseases, it is important to plant healthy bulbs and transplant carefully. If there is still damage on the bulb, you need to sprinkle this area with ash, and before planting, soak the bulbs for 20 minutes in a solution of a fungicidal agent.

Reproduction

Flowers are easiest to propagate from bulbs that form on the mother corm. They are separated and seated one at a time.

You can also grow flowers from seeds. But this is more difficult to do, since most often plants lose their varietal characteristics, and begin to bloom only after 4–5 years. Therefore, this method of reproduction is not popular. The best option– buy plant bulbs in flower shop or greenhouse.

Purchase Features

In order for the plant to grow strong and delight you with its flowers, it is important to buy high-quality planting material and carefully inspect the bulbs before purchasing. They must be healthy, large, and without damage. Dutch varieties available for sale with large onions are marked + 10 on the packaging bag. They produce 5–6 large flowers. Smaller bulbs produce 3–4 flowers, and very small ones produce 2–3 flowers. The size of the flowers also depends on the size of the bulbs (in selected large specimens it reaches 5–7 cm) and the height of the plants.

Planting and caring for crocus flowers is not difficult. Plants look great on alpine roller coaster, they can decorate flower beds, borders, and lawns. The flowers are beautiful on their own and go well with other bulbous flowers. And in an apartment you can grow crocuses for the holiday and admire the beautiful graceful flowers on New Year or March 8.

Spring flowers (tulips, crocuses, muscari, daffodils) delight with bright, but not long-lasting flowering. Crocuses are one of the most popular bulbous primroses among gardeners. Their flowering lasts about a week, then the plant goes into a dormant state. What further care for a crocus?

There is no need to annually dig up crocuses that bloom in early spring. If the flowers are healthy and bloom profusely, they can be left undisturbed for 5 years. Later, the curtain grows and needs to be divided, transplanting the corms to a new area.

Experienced gardeners advise digging up crocuses after flowering has ended if there has been poor flowering or the foliage does not look healthy. Bulbs sitting in the soil can be affected by infection or pests.

When to dig up crocuses

Different climatic conditions on the territory of our country they dictate different terms for garden work. Crocuses begin to be dug up when the foliage of the plant falls to the ground and turns completely yellow. Approximate timing for removing spring crocuses from the soil:

in the middle zone and Moscow region, excavation begins in early July;
in the southern regions and in Ukraine - a month earlier, in June;
in the Urals and Siberia - at the end of July.

Autumn crocuses for transplantation are dug up from late June to mid-August. The plants will bloom next year.

Do I need to dig up crocuses if they haven't bloomed?

The lack of flowering in bulbous plants may indicate problems associated with a poorly chosen location or incorrect planting depth of the bulbs. Replanting the plant can correct the situation.

For crocus, choose sunny areas, with well-drained, loose soil and deep soil. groundwater. In the shade, the flower will only grow leaves, but not buds.

When planting, add to the soil full complex mineral fertilizer for bulbous plants. Low nutrient content in the soil is one of the signs of lack of flowering.

The correct depth for planting a corm in the ground is three times its height. Shallow planting leads to freezing of the bulbs in winter, and deep planting depletes the plant - all the strength of the sprout is spent breaking through the thickness of the earth in order to reach the surface; there is not enough strength for flowering.

For transplant

When a clump of crocuses grows, the plants become crowded. Leaves and flowers become smaller, flowering weakens. It's time to plant crocuses, separating the daughter bulbs from the mother bulbs.

Depending on the variety and the bulb planting pattern (loose or thickened), replanting begins every 3-5 years.

The process of digging crocus bulbs

Choose dry weather for work. Dig up a clump of crocuses using a pitchfork, carefully removing the cluster of bulbs along with a lump of earth.

Beacons will help you not to lose the location of the crocuses when the foliage withers. These can be plastic disposable knives stuck near the plants.

On a piece of film or tarpaulin, the earthen ball is carefully broken down and all the corms are removed. They are cleared of soil and the roots are trimmed with pruning shears.

Crocus corms are dried in the shade and sorted. All planting material with signs of deterioration: rot, mold, sores must be destroyed. Healthy-looking bulbs are pickled in a solution of phytosporin, Maxim, or a pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Storing crocuses before planting

Crocus planting material is stored in a dry and warm place until planting. The bulbs are scattered into cardboard boxes, according to the varieties, in one layer. The boxes are placed in a room with good ventilation and a temperature of +20 degrees.

Shortly before planting in the ground (a week to ten days), it is recommended to reduce the storage temperature to +15 degrees.

Crocus belongs to the genus of herbaceous bulbous plants. Botany describes about 80 species and 300 varieties of this flower. The geography of its cultivation is extensive, growing in the countries of Africa, Europe, and East Asia. The name of the flower is translated from Greek as thread, fiber. It has another name: saffron, which means yellow in Arabic. Indeed, the stigmas of all varieties of crocus yellow color. For summer residents, this plant is a spring primrose, but few know that it exists a large number of varieties that bloom in autumn. These crocuses need to be dug up in different time, the technology for growing them is slightly different.

Do I need to dig up crocuses after flowering?

Crocuses stock up nutrients in the bulbs, so even after the aerial parts die off, they can continue to grow. The following year, when the soil temperature rises to an acceptable level, the primroses will bloom again.

The bulbs can be left in the ground for the winter, but in this case a large amount of new planting material, the so-called babies, will be lost. Mineral fertilizers will need to be applied to flowers left in the garden, otherwise flowering in the second year will not be as abundant.

Plants are dug out of the ground in three cases:

for winter growing of crocuses as indoor flowers or forcing them;
transfer to a new place;
collecting babies and propagating flowers.

You need to dig up faded plants. After flowering, the bulb will enter a dormant period and can be stored in a warm room.

Caring for these flowers is very easy. Watering is carried out once every two weeks, and fertilizers are applied annually. Primroses are practically not susceptible to attack by insect pests. From time to time, the flower garden is weeded to remove weeds.

Timing for digging crocuses

An obligatory stage of caring for crocuses is digging up flowers and separating daughter scales from the mother bulb once every four to five years. Every year new babies are formed on the underground part of the flower. The growth of scales is 1-10 pieces depending on the variety. Over time, plants begin to interfere with each other, take nutrients from the soil, and depress root system neighbors, so the buds become smaller.

The dug up bulbs are sorted and dried. This is done when the flowers enter the dormant stage. The period for digging up autumn crocuses is from June to August, spring primroses - from July to September.

Technology for digging bulbs

The diameter of the bulb is 1-4 cm. The underground part of the flower consists of the mother bulb, several scales and a fibrous root system, which extends 4-6 cm deep into the soil.

Corms must be carefully removed from the ground. A shovel with a wide flat blade or a garden scoop is suitable for this. The shovel is immersed 10-15 cm into the soil and the flowers are lifted from below, lifting them to the surface of the soil. When digging, it is important not to cut the bulb with a shovel.

How to process and store bulbs

Plants are inspected. Small sections are processed charcoal. Healthy planting material is placed to dry in a ventilated, well-lit place, after clearing the crocuses from the soil. Bulbs affected by fungal diseases are burned.

During drying, it is necessary to ensure that insects or rodents do not spoil the bulbs, so they are not left on the ground, but placed in containers on the table. Dry the crocuses for 24 to 48 hours, placing them in rows. For storage, it is convenient to use plastic boxes with holes so that the bulbs are ventilated from all sides.

After drying, when the leaves and short peduncles turn yellow, they are cut off with scissors. Remove the roots of the flowers. The bulbs are then separated, the scales are separated from the mother plants with a sharp knife, and the sections are covered with a layer of wood ash.

Plant scales can be planted in separate containers and bulbs can be grown from them, this will speed up their flowering. If the children are planted immediately in the flowerbed, the plants will bloom only in the third year after transplantation.

Crocuses are wrapped in paper and placed in dry room. The bulbs lie in such a place without access to light until planted in open ground. The ideal storage temperature is +10°C, but you can keep them at +20°C.

When to replant crocuses

Spring-blooming varieties are planted in the ground in autumn, and autumn-blooming varieties - in summer. The area for flowers should be sunny. Crocuses take root in partial shade; they can be transplanted to heavily shaded areas, but abundant flowering in this case it won't.

Autumn varieties of crocuses are planted in the flowerbed in late July - early August, when the plants enter the active growth stage. The period for planting spring flowers is mid-September – early October.

The planting material is kept in a solution of a root formation stimulator so that the roots quickly begin to grow. You can use, for example, the drug Kornevin. The bulbs are placed in the solution for 5-10 minutes. After treatment with the drug, they are dried a little on newspaper or cardboard and planted in a flower garden. You can treat planting material with antifungal agents. To do this, use a solution of the drug Fitosporin-M or any other fungicide.

Crocuses are transplanted into a flowerbed taking into account the fact that flowers can grow on it for up to five years, so the average distance between the bulbs should be 7-10 cm. You cannot plant them densely, as the transplanted bulbs will be overgrown with new scales, for the formation of which you need to leave space .

In the holes where the crocuses will grow, you can pour:

river sand or pebbles;
garden perlite;
fine gravel;
expanded clay for flowers.

The thickness of the drainage layer should be 5 cm. Then the hole is filled with fertile soil with a neutral acid-base balance. If the soil on the site is acidic, add dolomite flour. Add a little high-moor peat to alkaline soil.

Crocuses are buried to a depth equal to two bulb diameters. If the soil is heavy, the depth is halved. After transplanting flowers to a new location, water the soil well.

You can add potassium and phosphorus fertilizers to the garden bed, which promote better flowering of plants. Fresh organic matter and humus are not added to crocuses.

Mass flowering of plants lasts from three to five weeks, depending on the variety. Flowers can grow in one place for five years in a row. Crocuses will be a decoration spring garden. You can plant plants of different colors and create a composition from these delicate primroses.

I've always liked street flowers. Due to the lack of my own home or cottage, I even tried to grow some of them in indoor pots. This is how our family became friends with crocuses. So, before purchasing a summer house with a large flower bed, I already knew well what flowers I would start landscaping with and how to care for this plant.

Crocuses have bloomed: your actions
Until now, there is no single opinion among flower lovers on this matter.

Some believe that After flowering, the bulbs must be collected, assess their condition, throw away spoiled ones, disinfect healthy ones (for example, soak in a pink solution of potassium permanganate and dry, although such a procedure is not necessary).

Others say: It’s not worth digging up bulbs every year, they winter well in the ground. True, in five years their “nest” will grow greatly - that’s when you can pick up a shovel. Moreover, the bulbs can either be completely transferred to a new location, or simply divided: some can be left in the old “nest”, and others can be transplanted.

When should you dig up bulbs?

It all depends on the type of flowers.

Autumn-flowering varieties are dug from June to August.

Spring crocuses are removed from the ground from July to September.

In any case, look at the plant: flowering should end and the leaves should turn completely yellow.

Be careful: crocus roots are fragile.

How to store them in winter?

First of all, after removing the bulbs from the ground, they need to be meticulously inspected. Immediately discard rotten and lethargic ones - by placing a single rotten onion in a common box, you will doom all the others.

Planting material needed:

clean off stuck earth,

dry it a little

free from the upper scales,

trim, removing broken, dry roots,

disinfect if there is mechanical damage, that is, scratches without rot (ash or crushed charcoal or activated carbon are suitable for this).

Store the bulbs in a basket or box, placing it in a cool place. Make sure that they are not exposed to water (including condensation), as well as sunlight. It is important that the planting material does not freeze. The room (closet) should be about 22 degrees. By the way, before planting, the bulbs can be hardened by moving them to a room with 15 degrees.

A good container option for bulbs: a box made of wood or thick cardboard. If you have several varieties or types of bulbous plants, do not forget to attach a note to each “pile” or cell with the specified variety, as well as the date of collection.

There is no need to cover the box with a lid; the planting material must breathe. Place the bulbs in a loose layer.

Terms and rules for planting crocuses

In general, spring varieties are usually planted in the fall, and autumn varieties in the summer.

The general landing rules are as follows...

Site selection. It is advisable to choose a sunny flowerbed, although if you have solid partial shade or shade in your yard, that’s okay too.

Priming. Nourishing, breathable, not wet, light, not sour. Isn't yours like this? When digging a flower bed, you can add coarse (river) sand or gravel. And if the soil is clayey, you can “fluff” it with the help of ash. If the variety of crocuses you bought especially does not like moisture, you can make a high flower bed (with wooden sides, and, if desired, with a cellophane bottom), and pour gravel or crushed stones onto its bottom as drainage.

Fertilizer. During the same digging, you can enrich the bed with rotted manure, compost, or peat softened with lime.

In autumn, before winter

It’s not too late to plant bulbs in open ground - in September.

This is done like this:

You should leave about 8-10 cm between holes, especially if you do not plan to dig them up next summer. In a couple of years, each bulb in the flowerbed will be overgrown with a “family” of children, and the flowerbed will turn into a continuous flowering carpet.

Planting depth - one bulb size (if the soil is heavy) or two sizes (if it is light).

After planting, the flowerbed should be watered.

An example of such an autumn planting is in the report video:

Planting" for forcing

In fact, this is the germination of crocuses in an indoor pot. For some, this is a way to liven up the house in winter, and for others, it is to prepare many beautiful gifts for their friends or relatives for the March holidays.

Ideal if you have a large-onion Dutch variety and the bulbs are the same size.

Take a wide but shallow pot. You can plant from six to eleven bulbs here at a time - since crocuses are small, it is better to give them not individually, but in a bouquet.

The soil needed is the same as for outdoor flowers: light, airy, not retaining moisture, neutral in acidity. Place some drainage at the bottom.

You can see the process of such planting, which turns an outdoor plant into a cozy indoor flowerpot, and also hear many sensible comments in this video:

When giving such bouquets to your friends, do not forget to warn them: after the crocuses wither, you should not throw away the pot - the bouquet is not disposable. Let them continue to carefully water the plant, you can even pamper it with universal flower mineral fertilizer. And when the leaves are completely dry, let them dig up the bulbs, wrap them in a cotton rag or paper napkin and store until autumn, until they fall into open ground.

Spring planting

If you hesitated and planted crocuses in pots for forcing too late (in mid-spring), this is also not a problem. When this miracle blooms, the grass outside will already turn green. This means that the “guys” can be taken out into the open ground.

For many gardeners spring planting of crocuses it seems even better than the autumn one, because you don’t have to worry about how the bulbs will overwinter in the icy soil.

Here's how to do everything:

Caring for a flowering plant in a flower bed

Watering. In spring, flowers do not need additional moisture - unless the winter was snowless, and in the spring there was almost no rain.

Nutrition. I have already said that before planting crocuses you need to add organic matter to the soil. During the active growth of flowers, they also really need nutrition, but in this case, a complex mineral fertilizer is better suited. Just focus not on nitrogen (in rainy weather, this microelement can play a cruel joke on the flowerbed, causing fungus), but on potassium and phosphorus.

Loosening the soil. Since the bulbs love air, the soil in the flowerbed needs to be fluffed up from time to time. At the same time, you will remove weeds that steal valuable moisture from the flowers.

By the way! From small bulbs in spring you can grow not only crocuses, but also many other elegant flowers. Which ones? See:

Bright crocuses (saffron, iris family) are primroses that joyfully welcome the long-awaited spring. These flowers can be grown not only in your front garden, but also on the windowsill, in a flower pot. It is very important to understand how to store crocuses after flowering, so that in the new season they will again delight you with large buds and bright colors.

How to choose seed

You can get a flowering plant at home in the first planting season if you choose large bulbs. If you grow a crocus from children, you will have to wait a long time for flowering, perhaps a whole year. And if the flowers were grown from seeds - even longer (2 - 3 years).

Planting material should be purchased in late August or early September. If you plan to plant autumn varieties, it is done in the last trimester of August, and spring types of crocuses need to get into the soil no earlier than September.

Responsible purchasing of bulbs involves careful inspection. You need to make sure that the seed is free of damage, rotten areas and sprouted roots.

The structure of the bulbs should be dense, without peeling off the scales. And their color should be uniform, without the presence of dark and reddish spots.

If saffron is purchased in seeds, each one is also carefully inspected. It is important that their integrity is not compromised. There were no signs of disease or fungal infection.

If you use infected seed for planting, the healthy plants nearby will also die very soon.

When a crocus is acquired as an adult plant, you should not replant it immediately. It is advisable to wait some time until the flowering phase and the dormant period pass. And after that it can be transplanted into a flower pot.

How to dig up bulbs and at what time

Garden crocuses can bloom in one place for 5 years in a row. Residents of the southern regions do not dig them out of the soil at all. But in harsh winter conditions this is necessary.

Even saffron, which grows in flower pots, needs a period of rest. In this case, the bulbs are removed from the soil and given a “rest”, after removing the roots.

At the first signs of plant wilting, reduce watering, refuse growth stimulants and wait until the leaves turn yellow completely. You need to remove the leaves only when they easily peel off from the base.

Dig the bulbs out of dry soil so that stuck lumps of soil do not interfere with a close examination of the seed.

Crocuses are dried in the fresh air, in places protected from sunlight. In this case, you need to remove the remaining roots, leaves and sort out the bulbs.

The same scheme applies to indoor plants. One flower pot can contain several bulbs. But only the largest and healthiest of them will be able to germinate.

Only strong crocus bulbs that have a dense structure and large size should be stored for subsequent planting. Storage of crocuses will be normal if their shells are intact and there are no dark spots on the surface of the bulbs, which are signs of the onset of rotting.

Preparation for storage

The seed must be dried in the open air, avoiding exposure to sunlight. It is then placed in boxes or boxes with ventilation holes. The bottom of the containers is lined with newspapers, and the bulbs are laid out in them at some distance from each other, sorting them by size.

Crocus bulbs cannot be stored in plastic bags. The formation of condensation and lack of air access will lead to the formation of mold, which will quickly destroy the planting material.

Treatment with fungicides will help protect flowers from fungal attack. But this will not help preserve the plants if they are in damp places without sufficient air flow.

Before storing crocus bulbs at home, you need to find a room for them with a constant temperature, +15°C -+20°C.

The dormant period for such a plant is 2–3 months, and its planting in the ground usually occurs during September–October.

For indoor plants, the same planting time is possible, but you can store them until spring. For a long dormant period, choose a lower temperature (+10°C - +13°C), otherwise the crocuses will grow earlier than planned.

Forcing bulbs

Many summer residents are interested in the question of how to store crocuses after forcing them.

Forcing is the germination of planting material 3 - 4 months before the expected flowering.

In winter, crocuses are planted in pots with soil and watered moderately, gradually increasing the amount of moisture. The recess should not exceed 2 - 7 cm, and should correspond to the size of the bulbs.

These plants require wide, shallow containers with ample drainage and large holes in the bottom. It is better to use sandy or sub-sandy soils. But you don’t have to use fertilizers during forcing.

To produce a bouquet of crocuses, the bulbs survive close to each other.

Containers with flowers are placed in a dark place. They need cool air. Cellars or basements with a temperature of +5°C - +9°C are best suited.

After 10 weeks, the crocuses will sprout. But to prevent them from developing too actively, the temperature is lowered to +3°C - +4°C. At this temperature, crocuses are stored after forcing.

Vases with flowers are brought into a warm room in 12 - 15 days. before the expected flowering time. In this case, the temperature must be increased gradually, moving the flowers from the coolest place in the apartment to a warmer one.

The crocus blooms for 6 – 8 days.

We tried to describe in as much detail as possible how to preserve crocus bulbs after flowering. But if you still have any questions, be sure to ask them in the comments to the article.

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