Saffron crocus at home

I grew them in Tampa, FL successfully in the past, which surprised me, as even the nurseries I called couldn’t tell me if they would do well there or not.
I made a post with pictures of my experience linked below.

I say give it a try! :slight_smile:

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Look at my entry from October '23 above, on this thread. If you read the whole thread, you will see working lots of compost or well-rotted manure into your soil will improve your results. Covering with plenty of mulch and ensuring plenty of sun also help.
Be advised: saffron spends more than half the year in my neighborhood asleep in the ground. It sends up leaves spring and fall, which die back within weeks. Bloom time is fall. If you can let saffron dry out a bit in summer, it might prove useful. That happens in my yard without effort.

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Do you/have you put them in the fridge to get them to sprout again next year or do they seem to sprout in fall just naturally? My bulbs look pretty good still (if not a little small) I just don’t know if they need a cold period like seemingly every other bulb plant does.

They are a fall-blooming crocus. Get 'em in the ground ASAP so they can bloom if big and old enough. When the corms are about the size of regular crocus bulbs (1/2" across or more) they will bloom that fall. I find they can grow into bloom size in a season IF I put enough compost in the soil at planting. Otherwise they take 2-3 years to get full size and produce a corolla of corms around the blooming mature corm.
They will push leaves through the mulch spring and fall; surprisingly vigorous that way.

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No, they don’t need to go in the fridge. I kept mine in a somewhat cool dry place (protected from mice, which will eat them) over winter.

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I got greens only last year, but I didn’t get them until December. Lasted till about April when the sun dried them all up. I guess I’ll put them back in the pot now with sone extra compost and manure and see what I get this year. Did you fertlize them at all with bonemeal or maybe potash, or just alot of good compost/manure?

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Oh, @sharq, that question was directed to GrumpyPantsPlants. Beg pardon.

I’ve been growing them for years. I don’t harvest the stamens, i just enjoy weird and unexpected fall flowers. I forget where i bought them from. Possibly white flower farms or john scheepers. They might do better if i cared for them, but i do absolutely nothing except enjoy the out-of-season blooms.

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I’ve had the best results when ammending my soil with mushroom compost and vermiculite. (However, the most helpful ammendments probably are dependent on the nutrient profile and texture of the soil you start with).

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I mixed in some worm compost and will be adding some cow manure, planting in the bulbs and then covering them with mulch. Its a pretty rich soil with good drainage.

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About half have come up here and in another spot and some flowering. They’re nice surprises.

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Not sure how they’ll do next year but just planting the bulbs last month I already have saffron. very cool. I got these from white flower farms.


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That is where I got mine years ago. Now I must dig 'em all up, separate and replant with plenty of compost dug in and mulch spread above before they die out from neglect.

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dont think this guy was the one who came up with this but:

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I have SO many questions about this starting with how on earth is this working without a growing medium- is it really just using stored energy, and if so, does he plant them after they flower.

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The corms need to be planted after they flower. People do similar things with hyacinths etc. It’s a lot of work, only worth considering if you live in a climate where they don’t cope and you desperately want to grow it.

I’ve seen a few people do this with saffron locally, I’m not sure why. They only tend to do it once or twice here as it is extra effort/cost.

I am in a climate they do well in the soil with little work. I get heaps of threads most years. I can’t imagine anyone buying it from a backyard grower, but they do buy corms so it is worth growing.

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Very cool if it’s true, but I’m skeptical. The grow room containing only a bunch of forced corms on planks of wood is giving Scottish tea vibes.

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Saffron greens poking out. My corms were very small this year, I need to feed them alot more. Probably will only have greens this year.

The fact that they survived is pretty important though. I just brought the pot onto my covered patio before the rainy season and just didn’t water. They should be pretty easy to grow year after year like that.

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