Crocus

The second name of this culture is saffron. It is considered a genus of herbaceous tuber-bulbous plants, which is a representative of the Iris family. In natural nature, this culture grows in Central, Northern, Southern Europe, as well as in the Middle East, in Asia Minor and Central Asia, in the Mediterranean. This culture feels great in meadows, forests and steppes. Currently, there are about 80 species of this plant and about 300 different varieties. Translated from the Greek language, crocus is "thread, fiber", and its second name is saffron, which derives from the Arabic word, which means "yellow", thanks to the shade of the stigma of this flower.

This culture was mentioned in their manuscripts by the ancient philosophers of Egypt and doctors, and now crocus is very popular among flower growers, since this culture is one of the more beautiful early spring flowers, although there are many species of this plant, the flowering period of which occurs in autumn season.

Crocus: description and features

In the photo: two-flowered crocus

Crocus is a representative of low-growing crops, its height is no more than 10 cm. The diameter of its bulb is up to about 3 centimeters, and its shape is round or flattened. The superficial part of the bulb is in scales, and the bulb also has a bunch of fibrous roots. Crocus has no shoots. During the color or after its end, narrow basal leaves are formed, having a linear shape. These leaves are arranged in a bundle that covers the scales.

The flowers in this culture are single and have a goblet shape, in diameter they can be up to 5 centimeters. Such flowers can be yellow, lilac, cream, purple, blue, orange or snow-white, although there are varieties of varietal in which flowers are spotted or two-colored. Such flowers bloom on a rather short and bare peduncle, and are also surrounded by filmy scales. The flowering period is massive and is approximately 17-20 days in duration. All varieties of this culture are usually divided into 15 separate groups.

Crocuses - landing: features

In order for the crocus to grow successfully after planting, some nuances must be taken into account.

Disembarkation time and place

Species of this flower, the flowering time of which begins in the spring of the year, must be planted in an open area in the fall, and species that give color in the fall are planted in an open area in the summer season.

The planting site should have sufficient light, although these plants grow quite well in the shade and in the shaded area. The soil for these flowers should be chosen light and dry, and also well-loosened and endowed with a good amount of nutrients.

The landing site is prepared in advance and a drainage layer should be introduced into the ground, in the form of which large river sand or fine gravel can appear. In the form of organic matter, compost, rotted manure or lime, together with peat, must be added to the soil for digging, since the culture is rather bad, it grows and develops in acidic soil. With clay soil, ordinary wood ash is introduced into it.

There are types of this plant that are categorically unacceptable to grow on wet ground, and for such species experienced gardeners recommend building rather high beds, and drainage is made for them from rubble or gravel.Before planting, be sure to carefully inspect the material for disembarkation so that it is not with any damage or other flaws.

How to plant crocus in the autumn season

When the bulbs are planted in an open space in September, the beginning of color can already be observed in the spring. The planting of the bulbs is done in loose soil, and they must be planted at a depth that is twice more than themselves. When the onion is planted in a rather heavy soil, it sinks only one of its size.

The distance between the planted bulbs should be about 8-10 cm. Further plantings require abundant enough watering. It is worth noting that planting these plants too close is not recommended, because they should be grown on one site for about five years. During this time, a whole colony of daughter children is formed in the bulbs, and the place of growth itself looks like a solid carpet of these beautiful flowers. After five years, you need to do the planting of these plants.

Disembarkation for distillation

A large number of gardeners love to grow garden flower crops at home when it is winter outside. The easiest way will be to grow those flowers that are bulbous. Crocus is also one of these crops.

Experts recommend opting for large-flowered Dutch varieties. To do this, select from five to ten onions of approximately identical size, plant them in one container, very shallow, but wide. As a result, you will get a whole bunch of beautiful flowers.

Neutral and loose soil is poured into the landing container, with a fairly good liquid and nitrogen throughput.

Bulbs that have already bloomed should not be thrown away. They are constantly watered and fertilized with mineral complex fertilizers, in the form of a weak solution, especially for indoor flower crops.

After changing the shade of the foliage to yellow, they begin to gradually reduce watering until this procedure stops altogether. After the leaves are completely dry, the bulbs are removed from the container. All residues of the soil are completely removed from them and wrapped with napkins, after which they are folded into a container made of cardboard. Store such material for planting in a dry and dark place, until the arrival of the autumn season, when they are planted in an open space.

Crocus care

Crocus Tomasini: Photo of the variety

Caring for these plants does not require any special costs and difficulties.

Procedure glaze required only when there was almost no snow cover in winter and very little rain in spring. The growth of these plants depends entirely on the amount of liquid received. But it is worth noting that the crocus tolerates the dry period quite steadily.

The surface of the ground where this plant grows should be regularly loosen, while simultaneously carrying out weeding.

During intensive growth, crocus requires feed but be aware that the introduction of fresh organic matter into the soil is strictly prohibited. These plants are good for feeding with mineral fertilizers, especially they love phosphorus and potassium. With fertilizers containing nitrogen, you should be careful, because with a high nitrogen content in the soil during rains, these crops can form a fungal infection.

For the first time, this crop is fed immediately after the arrival of spring through the snow, while applying complex mineral fertilizers.

The second time, they feed during the color with the same fertilizer, but with a lower nitrogen content. At a time when the foliage changes color to yellow on flowers whose color period is in the spring, they stop caring until the autumn period, but only if the time has not come to get the bulbs out of the ground.And those plants that give color in the fall will decorate your site with their beautiful flowers in the month of September.

How to transplant crocus

It is not at all necessary to dig up the bulbs annually during the winter period. Although experienced gardeners say to do this once every four years, and in the second summer month, when these flowers have a dormant period. This is done because during this period the mother bulb increases its size quite a lot, due to the fact that it is overgrown with numerous daughter bulbs.

The bulb of this plant forms from one to ten bulbs annually, depending on the varietal variety. The bulbs are done very closely and the flowers eventually become smaller.

In what period should you dig up the bulbs? The bulbs should be planted continuously every about four years. If you want to get material for landing, then you are allowed to do this more often.

Digging this culture, blooming in the spring season, depending on which variety it belongs to, should be from the middle of the summer season until September, and varieties that give color in autumn need to be dug up from the first month of summer until August. Then, when the dug out bulbs are already dry, it is required to remove dead roots and scales with defects from them.

All bulbs infected with the disease should also be removed, and all mechanical damage should be treated with crushed coal or ordinary ash. Bulbs are stored in a cool and dry place until they need to be planted in an open space.

Reproduction

How exactly to propagate a crocus - by children or daughter bulbs, which are separated from the mother bulb during transplantation - is described quite well and in detail above.

Bulbs that are separated are planted in an open space in exactly the same way as the original planting. After disembarkation, the separated subsidiary bulbs in an open space, its first period of color can be observed after about three years, depending on the species and variety.

For the reproduction of this plant, which gives color in the spring, use seminal method. Although gardeners do not like to use this method of propagation, because the grown flowers, data from seeds begin to give color only after about five years.

For crops that give color in autumn and grow in mid-latitudes, the seeds cannot fully mature until the arrival of the winter period.

Diseases and pests, preventive measures

If all the rules and features of agricultural technology are followed, these flowers will quite staunchly resist various diseases and attacks of various harmful insects. The greatest harm to the bulbs of this plant is caused by field micethat often eat these bulbs. Therefore, it is better not to leave the dug out bulbs in the open space.

Experts recommend packing them in an egg container. Sometimes, when examining the bulbs, you can see holes, they are made wireworm. When palpated, this pest is quite hard and has a yellowish tint.

With a large amount of this pest, experts recommend laying out bundles of straw, hay or old, not rotted grass on your site at the end of April or early May. They need to be moistened, and then covered with boards on top.

After these pests get into such a trap, they are taken out and burned. If required, this procedure is repeated. Slugs are another common enemy of these plants. To combat them, they are collected by hand and incinerated.

It is worth noting the fact that the reproduction of this culture is also carried out by self-sowing, so these flowers can grow in various places that are completely inappropriate, and thereby turn into a weed.

Sometimes in the garden you can find a plant in which the flowers are endowed with a flattened shape, and their petals are covered with gray specks, and these flowers do not completely open. This means having viral diseases, which is often brought by pests such as thrips, aphids and mice.

Infected plants need to be urgently removed from the flower bed and burned in order to prevent the spread of the disease. After that, the place where the infected specimens grew should be watered with a fairly strong solution of manganese potassium, and hot.

If agrotechnical rules are not followed or the care of this crop is improper, it can quickly become infected. fungal diseaseseg fusarium, penicillus, sclerocial and gray rot. Moreover, the danger of contracting these diseases increases significantly if it is damp and warm weather outside.

For prevention, you need to do a high-quality and very careful examination of the bulbs that you buy in the store, but if they have wounds when digging out the bulbs, then they must be sprinkled with ordinary ash, and then dried at room temperature. Before planting the planting material in an open space, it must be etched using a fungicide solution.

Digging and storing the bulbs

In the photo: crocus, variety - cute

Often, beginner growers ask themselves the question: what to do with crocuses that have faded? Flowers that have withered along with the peduncles need to be cut off, while leaving the leaves, since this foliage will decorate your garden for many weeks.

After a while, this foliage will change color to yellow and wither. After the leaves of this plant are completely dry naturally, the bulbs of those varietal varieties, the beginning of the color of which occurs in the spring, need to be dug out. After which they are allowed to dry out and put away for storage until autumn, after which they are again planted in an open space.

As mentioned earlier, you do not need to do this every year. If the plants were planted in an open space less than 3 years ago, and the soil surface is still visible between them, then you do not need to plant them. In this case, for the winter period, the surface of the site is covered with a rather thick layer of peat, or fallen dry leaves.

The period of time when it is necessary to dig up the crocus

For these flowers, the moment of flowering of which begins in spring, the annual cycle begins in the last weeks of the winter period or the first weeks of the spring period, when the leaves of the crocuses begin to grow.

Around the middle of June, these flowers have a dormant period, and in the fall they "wake up" again and begin to intensively accumulate nutrient elements, as well as build up roots. Even at this moment, the end of the formation of the renewal point occurs.

Therefore, when the crocus is dormant, its foliage should be whole. Digging or planting bulbs of varietal varieties, in which the moment of flowering occurs in the spring, is required precisely during the dormant period, or more precisely, from the second decade of June until the end of the summer season.

These flowers, which give color in autumn, start their annual cycle in the last third month of the summer season. At first, the crocus begins to bloom, and then leaves grow back. In the same period, the formation of a replacement corm can be observed. In such flower crops, the dormant period begins about one month earlier than in varieties that give color in spring. If there is a great need to dig these plants out of the ground, it is necessary from the very beginning of June to the end of August.

Features of storage of bulbs

After you dig up the bulbs, they must be folded in a dark place so that they dry out. Then, the remnants of the earth, as well as dead roots and scales, should be removed from these bulbs.Then they must be put into a container, and in one layer. Very small onions will fit perfectly in containers after sweets, for example.

It must be said that where the bulbs will lie and be stored, there must be an air temperature that does not fall down from the 22 degree mark, otherwise the process of kidney formation may be disrupted. In the first days of the month of August, the air temperature in the room should be reduced by two degrees, and after about one week the temperature should be about 15 degrees.

It is sometimes possible to withstand such a temperature regime only in special places, and amateur flower growers simply store bulbs in a dark and dry place, moreover, sufficiently ventilated and the air temperature in such a room should be room temperature.

Crocus: varieties

Now there is a huge variety of varietal varieties of this culture, which are included in 15 different groups.

The first group includes those subspecies that give color in the fall season, while the other 14 groups include varieties that give color in the spring season. Thanks to such a species as spring crocus, scientists have bred a huge variety of subspecies and their hybrids, and it is worth noting the fact that the largest number of them were published thanks to Dutch breeders.

The most famous commercial subspecies are part of the Dutch group of hybrids. Another of the most beloved and commercial subspecies groups is the one called Chrysanthus. Consider briefly the description of the groups of this flower culture, as well as its most famous subspecies.

Spring flowering varieties

• Crocus two-flowered... In natural conditions, this subspecies can be seen growing in the territory from Iran to Italy, as well as in the Caucasus and Crimea. This flower culture is endowed with different natural forms: with snow-white buds; with flowers of a lilac-bluish tint with small brown spots on the outside of the sepals; with petals on flowers of a light shade, having brownish-purple stripes; with flowers of a brownish-purple hue on the outside of the sepals, and on the inside - white. The pharynx of flowers of this subspecies has a white or yellow color.

• Spring crocus... This crop can grow up to a height of 170 mm. The bulbous tuber of this crocus is flattened and its surface is covered with mesh scales. The leaves are narrowed and linear, endowed with a dark greenish tint, despite the fact that on their surface there is a longitudinal strip, which has a silvery-light color. The flowers open in a funnel-bell-shaped form with an elongated tube, have a lilac or snow-white hue. Each bulb can have 1-2 flowers. The moment of color begins in the spring season and lasts approximately 20 days.

• Crocus Tomasini... In natural conditions, this species can grow in Hungary and in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, and these flower crops love to grow in deciduous forests and on hillsides. The pinkish-lilac leaves of the perianth may have a snow-white border along the very edge. The flowers, when opened, are star-shaped and have a white tint of the throat. From each bulb, three flowers can form, with a height of about 6 centimeters. The color period begins in the month of April and lasts up to 20 days. This species has been cultivated since 1847, and it should be said that this species is one of the more favorite. The most famous subspecies are: Laylek Beauty (the subspecies is endowed with rather wide-open flowers, almost flat in shape, reaching a circumference of 30 millimeters. pale tint), Whitewell Purple (flowers are not small enough and wide open endowed with an almost flat shape, can have a circumference of up to 40 millimeters and have a lilac-purple color. The lobes are rather narrow and elongated in shape. The tube is endowed with a white color and can be long up to 350 millimeters).

• Crocus golden... In natural conditions, this flower culture can be found on the slopes of the rocky Balkans and Asia Minor. The growth of this flower is no more than 20 cm.The bulb has a spherical flattened shape. The leaves of this plant are rather narrow. The flowers are endowed with a yellowish-golden tint and the perianths are folded back, on the outside, which have a gloss. There are such forms that have tan marks or stripes of a brownish hue on the outside of the petals. The pillars are endowed with a light red color, while the anthers have an orange tint. The flowering period begins in April and lasts approximately 20 days. The variety has been cultivated since 1841, and the most popular and widespread subspecies are: Blue Bonnet (flowers reach a length of about 3 centimeters, endowed with a yellow throat and sky-blue perianths), Nannet (flowers have a creamy yellow color, and on their outer on the side there are strokes of a purple tint), I.G. Bowels (subspecies, with rather large flowers of a gray-brown shade on the outside, and inside - a bright yellow color). like: reticulated, narrow-leaved, Imperate, Crimean, Korolkova, yellow, Zibera, Alataevsky, Ankyrsky, Geufel, Kosikansky, Adam and many others.

Autumn blooming crocus

• Crocus beautiful... This species loves to grow on forest edges in the highlands of the Balkans, Asia Minor and Crimea. The leaves can grow up to 300 millimeters long. The flowers have a lilac-purple tint and can grow up to 70 millimeters in circumference; the flowers have longitudinal veins that have a purple color. The color period begins in the first half of autumn. There are such garden forms in which the buds have a lilac, snow-white, heavenly, dark blue, pale purple color. The most common varieties of this species are: Albus (with white petals on the flowers and with a pale yellowish tube), Artabir (flowers have a sky-blue tint, and there are dark veins on the bracts), Oksinan (flower petals have a violet-bluish tint, a wide dark perianth, and still rather sharp leaves are drawn).

• Crocus Banat... In natural conditions, this species can be found in the Balkans, Carpathians and Romania. The species got its name in honor of the historical Banat region, located in Romania. The leaves of this plant are linear and can grow to a length of 150 millimeters, and also have a silvery-gray tint. The flowers are endowed with a light lilac shade and yellow anthers. Flower growth can be approximately 140 mm. The outer perianth leaves are approximately 4.5 centimeters long, while the inner ones are much narrower and shorter.

• Crocus cute... Quite a spectacular look, in which the flowers are endowed with a light purple hue and have stripes of a dark color on their surface. The circumference of the flowers can reach up to 80 millimeters, and in height such flowers grow up to 100 millimeters. One bush of this species can have about 5-10 flowers, and their disclosure occurs from the first half of autumn. This type of crocus is resistant to cold, but not strong.

Florists also like to grow crocuses, the color of which comes in the autumn, such as: Pallas, beautiful, Gulimi, Sharoyana, hill, medium, holo-flowered, late, yellow-white and others.

Crocus with large flowers

These flowers are considered fertile and have their main difference - unpretentiousness. The color period for such flower crops occurs in the spring season. Their flowers differ from the usual ones in a rather large size. For the first time varieties - they learned about Dutch hybrids in 1897, and now there are about 50 of them. It is customary to divide such hybrids into separate subgroups, which differ in the shade of flowers. These are the subgroups:

• In the first group there are crocuses, the petals of flowers of which grow with a light color, as well as those that are endowed with flowers of a snow-white shade with specks of a different tint at the base of each separate lobe of the bracts.
• The second group includes subspecies in which the sepals of flowers, when opened, are endowed with a violet, lilac and lilac tint.
• The third group includes subspecies with reticulated or striped petals on flowers, and there are specks at the base of the lobes.

The color period of such crops occurs in the month of May and lasts approximately 13-17 days.

Subspecies that can be successfully grown in mid-latitudes:

• Vanguard. The flowers in the open form have a cup-shaped shape and a bluish-lilac tint, and they can have a diameter of up to 40 millimeters. The lobes are oval and elongated with small spots darker than the shade at the base. The tube is approximately 450 mm long and has a bluish purple tint.

• Albion. The flowers of this subspecies have a goblet shape and are endowed with a snow-white shade. These flowers can grow up to 40 millimeters in circumference. The lobes are round and the tube is about 5 centimeters long. The surface of this tube is covered with a rare stroke, which is distinguished by a purple hue.
• Jubilee. The flowers of this variety have a goblet shape and a blue tint with a slight purple-violet tint. At the very base of the lobes there is a rather noticeable light purple spot, and on the edge there is a rather narrow and paler border. The tube grows to a length of approximately 550 millimeters and has a light purple hue.
• Kathleen Parlow... The flowers of this variety have a cup-shaped shape and a snow-white color, they can reach a circumference of about 4 centimeters. At the base of the inner lobes there are short stripes of lilac color. The tube is white and approximately 5 centimeters long.

• Sniper Banner... The flowers of this subspecies are goblet in shape and can have a circumference of about 4 centimeters. The lobes are oval in shape and are endowed with a mesh color: on the outside they are a light gray-lilac shade, and on the inside there is a dark lilac mesh. Shares of the outer circle with the darkest shade when compared with the inner circle. At the base of the lobes there is a fairly well distinguishable small spot with a dark lilac hue. The tube is about 4 centimeters long and has a dark lilac color.

Chrysanthus

These hybrids have a blooming period in spring and are due to the golden crocus, the natural form of the bicolor crocus and their hybrids. The flowers in this group have a small size when compared with the "Dutch", although this group also includes a large number of subspecies with flowers of yellow and pale blue shades. The most famous and beloved by gardeners subspecies of this group:

• Marietta. The flowers of this subspecies are wide open, almost flat, have a circumference of about 3.5 centimeters. The lobes are rather narrowed and dark cream in color, endowed with an oval shape and a yellow throat. At the base of the lobes of the outer circle, covered with frequent stripes of a dark lilac hue, outside there is a speck of greenish-brown color. The tube is grayish-green in color and approximately 3 centimeters long.

• Saturnus. The flowers are wide open and flat, with a circumference of approximately 350 millimeters. The apex of the lobes of the outer circle is slightly elongated. They are endowed with a creamy yellow tint, with a deep yellow throat. Outside, at the base, there is a small spot of greenish-brown tint. The parts of the outer circle are entirely covered with often-located stripes, which have a lilac tint. The tube grows to a length of approximately 250 millimeters and has a greyish green tint.

• Lady Keeler... The flowers of this flower culture are almost flat and have a cup-shaped shape, they can grow to a circumference of about 3 centimeters. The lobes are endowed with an oval and slightly elongated shape and a pure white tint from the inside. The lobes of the inner circle on the outside are dominated by a light color, and the outer circle is dark purple with a white edging, and at the base there is a small spot of dark gray in color. The petals of this flower, when opened, have a purple tint. The tube has a dark purple-violet tint and is approximately 3 centimeters long.

• Gypsy Girl... The flowers of this subspecies, wide open, are cupped and can grow to a circumference of about 3.5 centimeters.The outer side of the flowers is endowed with a pale yellow tint, while the inner side is yellow, and the throat is dark yellow. Inside on the lobes there are spots of small size and brown tint. The tube has a creamy shade and reaches a length of about 3 centimeters, and on the surface there are strokes of a dusty purple hue.