Plant, care, propagate and more

Crocuses banish the melancholy of winter from the garden and herald the approach of spring. Reason enough to settle the colorful flower in large numbers in beds and lawns. All important questions about professional planting and care are answered here.

Plant crocus properly

Since it is one crocus is a bulb-like bulbous flower, successful cultivation depends crucially on the quality of the seedlings. Only plump, undamaged onion bulbs are suitable for planting in beds and lawns. In a sunny, warm location, follow these steps:

Thoroughly rake, weed and enrich the soil with sifted compost
Dig planting holes 7-10 centimeters deep
Insert the flower bulbs in small groups with the tips upwards
Cover the planting site with soil, press down lightly and water a little

The delicate elfin flower is also decorative in the bucket or flower box. Use a good quality substrate potting soil based on compost, enriched with some sand for good permeability. Drainage at the bottom of the pot prevents dangerous waterlogging. If you plant several crocuses next to each other, the bulbs should not touch.

care tips

The care protocol for crocuses is easy to understand, even for the novice gardener. If you cultivate the flower outdoors, Mother Nature will take care of the water supply. Crocuses are only watered a little in planters when the substrate surface has dried. About a portion of compost with horn shavings or Liquid fertilizer for potted plants makes the flower happy every 2 weeks throughout the growing season.

The linchpin of a professional cultivation is the pruning at the right time. After flowering, give crocuses enough time to allow the bulbs to absorb any remaining nutrients from the leaves and flowers. Only then do you cut or mow off the completely withered parts of the plant.

What is the best planting time?

In order for crocuses to bloom in full splendor in spring, it depends on the planting time. Pick a warm, dry day in September or October and you're spot on. Autumn crocuses, on the other hand, are already planted in August so that after 6-7 weeks they show what they are made of.
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When is flowering time?

The crocus genus is home to both early flowering species and fall bloomers. So the question about the flowering time is quite justified. With the right combination, the spring bloom can even be extended, because some species squint at the sun particularly early, while others do their best well beyond Easter. The flowering period extends over these phases:

Crocus chrysanthus, korolkowii, imperatii, elfin crocuses and wild species flower from the end of January/beginning of February to the end of March
Crocus minimus, roseus and others bloom from early/mid March to late April
Crocus ligusticus, pulchellus and saffron crocus flower from September to November

propagate crocus

Properly planted in light, well-drained soil, crocuses will reproduce entirely independently using daughter bulbs and seeds. If you want to have an accelerated effect on the offspring, use the following procedure:

Dig up the bulbous bulbs about 4 weeks after flowering
Discard damaged, moldy, or rotten specimens in household waste (not compost)
Spread the crocus bulbs out on untreated newspaper in the airy, cool cellar
At the beginning of the planting season, cut off the onions with a sharp knife and plant them

crocus per sowing to propagate is hardly practiced among hobby gardeners. Since these are cold germs, the procedure is quite complex due to the stratification. In addition, you can look forward to the first flowering after 4-5 years at the earliest.
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Is crocus poisonous?

Spring-blooming crocuses are at best slightly poisonous for small children. For adults, the flower poses no danger. The hazard potential of autumn-blooming crocuses is somewhat different. First and foremost is the saffron crocus. Although this flower provides one of the most valuable spices in the world, excessive consumption causes severe poisoning.
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Is the crocus poisonous to cats?

The popular spring flower is extremely toxic to cats due to its picrococin content. If your kitty likes to nibble on plants, crocuses are not suitable for beds and lawns. If the smallest amounts get into the stomach, they cause the worst symptoms of poisoning, which lead to an agonizing death.
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A profile of the crocus

The following profile conveys all the attributes that are important for successful cultivation:

Plant family: iris family (Iridaceae)
Genus: Crocus (Crocus) with 80-100 species
Hardy herbaceous plant
Onion-like tubers as an outlasting organ
Growth height 5 to 15 centimeters
Flowering time: depending on the species from February to March or October to November
Capsules with numerous seeds after flowering
Lanceolate foliage, dark green and white marginal or central stripes
Special properties: toxic

The crocus bulbs

A vole basket works wonders to protect crocus bulbs from being eaten. This is a close-meshed wire basket. First place this in the planting hole to spread a thin layer of sand on the ground. Fill in the excavation enriched with compost and plant the crocus bulbs 7-10 centimeters deep. You can safely do without a lid, because the pests do not penetrate to the surface of the earth.

The flower of the crocus

The seasonal duration of a crocus bloom usually spans 6-8 weeks. If the location meets the desired requirements, crocuses will quickly overgrow and the pretty flowers will appear every year in late winter or early spring. again in autumn.

A visit to the Husum crocus blossom is worthwhile to experience the impressive growth power contained in this 5 to 15 centimeter small flower. Every year in spring, more than 5 million crocuses bloom in rich purple on 50,000 square meters. The species Crocus napolitanus has been producing this flowering wonder of the north for more than 300 years.
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Crocus blooms in these colors

Crocuses bloom in all the colors of spring, with white, lilac, violet and yellow dominating. Red and pink shades are rarely found. The individual flower is by no means satisfied with just one color tone. In fact, there are often different nuances on the outside than on the inside. 'Tricolor', for example, presents an opulent blaze of color with flowers in purple and white around a yellow centre. The autumn crocus with violet, dark veined flowers and orange stigmas is in no way inferior.

An unexpected effect comes with yellow crocuses. Since the petals are reminiscent of the yellow beaks of blackbirds, nearby birds turn into angry brawlers who challenge the apparent competitor to a duel. A consistently yellow crocus bed thus quickly resembles a battlefield.
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The seeds of the crocus

When busy insects have done their duty, crocuses develop small capsule fruits after flowering. It contains numerous seeds. Hobby gardeners who spare no effort will harvest the fruits and take out the seeds. In order to motivate the seeds to germinate, they must be exposed to a cold stimulus. To do this, fill the seeds with moistened sand in a plastic bag, which is kept tightly closed in the refrigerator.

After 4-6 weeks, the first cotyledons break through the seed coat. Now get the crocus seeds out of their cold quarters and carry out further sowing according to the proven pattern. It takes up to 5 years for a young plant to present itself as a flower.
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The early bloomer crocus

If you missed the ideal time for planting in autumn, you can still make up for it with early bloomers. A few days without frost are enough. Put the onion bulbs approx. 7 centimeters deep into the earth and add a little compost to it.

The crocus in autumn

In order for crocuses to unfold their full beauty in autumn, the tubers are planted in August. A sunny, sheltered location in the rock garden, the gravel bed or in borders is ideal. Since autumn crocuses do not hate food, they get a portion of compost in the planting hole. In addition, the flower will be happy to receive fertilizer every 4 weeks until the end of flowering.

Unlike the spring crocus, the foliage leaves remain on the plant through the winter after flowering. Only when all parts of the plant have completely withered can they be cut off next year.
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Crocuses in the snow

If you are looking for the perfect plant neighbors for crocuses in the snow, you will find them among popular early bloomers. You can create magical carpets of flowers with other bulbous plants, such as snowdrop, Winterlingen and daffodils. Crocuses also create a harmonious appearance with snow shine, March crushers and anemones, all of which are not afraid of a glittering blanket of snow.
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The crocus species

Not so easy to discover your new favorite flower among the nearly 100 crocus species. Suitable candidates for the title are:

Crocus neapolitanus, the wild species from the Alps with purple flowers
Crocus angustifolius, a yellow beauty, ideal for the lawn
Crocus chrysanthus, the snow crocus to which we owe charming varieties
Crocus etruscus, the Italian forest crocus, which also accepts moist locations
Crocus savitus, the autumnal crocus to which we owe the precious saffron spice