Crocuses(Crocus) are one of the earliest flowering bulbous plants that usually delight with their beautiful flowers from March, usually white, yellow, pink, purple or blue. They look very impressive when planted on the lawn, they look best growing in clumps. See whatgrowing crocuses looks likeand when andhow to plant crocus bulbs
Crocuses - Crocus
Cultivation of crocuses
History of crocus cultivation
Probably not many people among us know thatcrocuses have been cultivatedby people for many thousands of years.Although they enchant with the beauty of their flowers, the interest in these plants was determined by utility considerations. Crocuses have been used in medicine for centuries, they were used to produce dyes and perfumes, and above all, they were used to obtain a very valued spice - saffron. In order to obtain this valuable spice, the autumn-blooming commercial saffron (Crocus sativus) is grown. To obtain 1 kg of saffron, as many as 170,000 flowers are needed, and from one hectare of cultivation, only 15 to 25 kg of this spice can be harvested.
Decorative qualities of crocuses
Most of the crocuses that we grow today for ornamental purposes bloom in early spring - in March (autumn-flowering varieties, as a rule, are not so showy anymore). The flowers, clustered in small clumps, create multicolored spots under trees, shrubs and on lawns, ranging in color from white, through yellow, pink, red to violet-blue.Crocuseslook great in home gardens, rock gardens and lawns.They can also be grown under covers - in pots or baskets.
Crocus bulbsare small in size and are actually shoot tubers. Shoot tubers have plants that accumulate spare substances in the lower part of the main shoot. After cutting the shoot, no rings will be observed, as in the case of bulbs.
Digging up and storing crocus bulbs
The crocuses fadequite quickly and in May there is no trace of their flowers. However, we do not dig out the onions until June, when the crocus leaves are also dry. The leaves are used by the bulbs to accumulate nutrients, without which the plant will not be able to bloom in the next season (crocus bulbs live only one year, they die after flowering, and in their place, daughter tubers form from the thickening leaf bases). This is an important note for people who spreadcrocuses on the lawn- in order not to damage the leaves too early, the grass can only be mowed when the crocus leaves turn yellow and begin to dry out.
After digging out the bulbs, clean them and spread them on a piece of paper or a tray to let them dry. Then put them in a paper bag and store in a dry place at a temperature of about 20 ° C. It is worth looking atcrocus bulbsand discarding the specimens with symptoms of fungal disease. To prevent the spread of infection, we can apply a fungicidal powder, such as Kaptan or Topsin, to the bulbs with a brush. Put the onions back in the ground in the fall, in September or October.
Planting crocuses
The crocus plantingis carried out in the fall - from September to October. Crocuses like sunny positions, humus soils that heat up easily and are moist. We can plant them in open places and exposed to wind without fear.
Crocus bulbsshould be placed at a depth of 6 to 10 cm. Plants look best in clumps. One clump may contain from a few to a dozen or so bulbs.The soil in which we placed the onions should be covered with a thin layer of peat or bark mulch. In addition to the general benefits of mulching the soil, thanks to this treatment, crocuses will bloom a bit faster in spring.
These plants also look great on lawns. Whenplanting crocus bulbs on lawns , choose places where the turf is not too compact. In loose-growing grass with not very dense roots, crocus flower shoots will more easily reach the surface. The holes for the bulbs can be made by sticking forks into the grass and slightly tilting them back and forth. To make it look natural, let's make sure the onions are placed irregularly, as if accidentally.
