Saffron is, weight for weight, one of the world’s most expensive spices. And you can easily grow your own at home! It is the perfect seasoning for paella and many other Mediterranean dishes, and for adding to rice for that authentic Indian curry taste.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Crocus sativus, commonly known as saffron crocus or autumn crocus, is a species of flowering plant in the iris family Iridaceae. A cormous autumn-flowering cultivated perennial, unknown in the wild, it is best known for the culinary use of its floral stigmas as the spice saffron. Human cultivation of saffron crocus and the trade and use of saffron have endured for more than 3,500 years and span different cultures, continents, and civilizations.
The plant is most commonly known as the saffron crocus. The alternative name autumn crocus is also used for species in the Colchicum genus, which are not closely related but strongly resemble the true crocuses; in particular, the superficially similar species Colchicum autumnale is sometimes even referred to as meadow saffron. However, the true crocuses have three stamens and one style supporting three long stigmas, while colchicums have six stamens and three styles; and belong to a different family, Colchicaceae. Colchicums are also toxic, making it particularly crucial to distinguish them from the saffron crocus.
Crocus sativus is a perennial herb that grows about 10 to 30 cm high. It develops as an underground corm, which produces leaves, bracts, bracteole, and the flowering stalk. It generally blooms with purple flowers in the autumn. Flowers are sterile, have six petals and three red to orange colored stigmas. Leaves are simple, rosulate in arrangement with entire margins.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Saffron crocus thrives in full sun. However, these plants bloom in fall when many trees have dropped their leaves, so crocuses can grow in areas that receive partial shade from trees during the summer.
Temperature and Humidity
Saffron crocus thrives at 70°F but grows in a wide range of temperatures from 50°F to 90°F. They tolerate lower temperatures for short periods. They are not cold hardy in USDA Zones 3-5, so dig the corms or move plants in a container to a warmer sheltered area after they bloom in fall in those zones.
This plant doesn’t do well in high humidity; the saffron product quality is affected. The best humidity range for saffron crocus corms is 40–50 percent.
Watering
Water your saffron crocus regularly in the spring and fall. It may need water during the winter if there is no snow outdoors. Saffron crocus goes under dormancy in the summer but still needs little watering. It may develop rot and molds if over-watered.
Water it immediately after you have placed it in the desired location as the corms start to develop hairs soon after it is placed in the planting location and needs moist conditions. It is recommended to water it weekly equivalent to 1.2 cm during the entire period of growth. Don’t let the planting beds dry during fall.
Soil
Saffron crocus grows fine in well-drained soil with rich organic content. Loose, powdery soil under the corms initiates good root development and triggers drainage necessary for speedy vegetative growth and flower initiation. The bed selection site must be elevated than the garden soil at an exposed location. Corms are prone to rot if the soil keeps too much water so the addition of compost, peat moss or coco coir may help you to retain sufficient moisture for optimum growth of corms.
Saffron crocus performs well in the pH range of 6-7 provided that the moisture stays minimum during the dormant period of corms. So, good drainage is more important than maintaining the optimum level of the soil pH.
Fertilizing
The corms hold sufficient nutrients to produce crocus blooms when planted, but the plants may benefit from being fertilized once a year if the soil wasn’t amended with an organic fertilizer, such as bone meal, at planting time. Sprinkle a granular fertilizer with a 5-10-5 NPK ratio on the ground around the plants in early spring. Make sure no fertilizer touches the corm. Follow the product directions for quantity.
Planting Instructions
Early fall is the planting time for saffron crocus. It’s also foraging time for chipmunks and squirrels who keep their sharp eyes out for new plantings to eat—disguise your gardening work by planting in the midst of groundcover or spreading a thin layer of mulch on top of the newly planted crocuses. If you want to be super secure, tack down a layer of chicken wire on a newly planted crocus bed.
Dig 3 inches down in well-drained soil, and plant the saffron corms with the pointed end down. The pointed end usually has some dried roots, which helps show you the way. It’s up to you to decide whether to dig one 3-inch trench or use a narrow trowel to open one 3-inch hole at a time.
Nestle the corm in the hole or trench and cover it with enough soil to make it level with the surrounding area. Press down on the soil firmly, and then water the planting area with a watering can or a gentle spray from your garden hose. If the newly planted area dips down and forms a basin, add more soil to match the soil level nearby; otherwise, water pools and rots the corms. Space the corms 3 to 4 inches apart.
Saffron crocus has a satisfyingly short turn-around time; plant it in August or early September to harvest in October. To produce one tablespoon of saffron, you need to plant about 50 crocus corms.
Pruning
There is no need for pruning for saffron crocus but careful digging of corms is required after the leaves turned yellow in spring and fell from the plants. Stopping the active growth leads them to the dormancy. Dig it out and dried out in a cool and well-ventilated place. After they complete their dormant period about 12-15 weeks starting from the late spring to early fall, you can replant the corms again at a similar place at the same depth.
The period between yellowing in the leaves and withering is the time when the corms store energy and essential nutrients to add in the vigor of the future plants. Never cut the leaves before they stop growing naturally, which may affect the health and growth of the next year’s crop.
Propagation
After five years, dig up and divide the corms while they are dormant in July and August. Dry and store the corms in a cool, dry place or plant them immediately in a new location.
Potting and Repotting
You can plant saffron crocus in containers, but you’ll need a huge container to produce a small amount of saffron. Bury the crocus corms 2-3 inches deep in a well-draining potting mix and space them 3 inches apart. Water them and place the container in full sun.
If you only want a few plants for enjoying their blooms indoors, plant them in the fall and keep the container at about 70°F. The flowers will bloom six to eight weeks later. After the foliage dies back, remove the corms and plant them in the garden. Start fresh the following year with new corms rather than attempt to winter over the ones that have already bloomed indoors.
Pests and Diseases
Growing saffron crocus is not without its challenges. Chipmunks and squirrels pose a problem in fall, while mice, moles, voles, and rabbits feed on the foliage and corms during the winter months. During the growing season, the saffron mite is known for attacking any corms that are damaged, although planting the corms more than 5 inches deep prevents this. At the end of the saffron season, thrips lay their eggs in the leaves, causing unattractive spots on the leaves, but otherwise doesn’t affect the harvest.
Corm rot and root rot can usually be prevented by watering sparingly and planting in well-drained soil.
III. Uses and Benefits
The stigmas of the flower are used as the culinary spice saffron. It is also used for health purposes, especially in traditional Asian medicine – owing to biologically active chemical compounds (mainly alkaloids, anthocyanins, carotenoids, flavonoid, phenolic, saponins, and terpenoids) saffron causes among others mood-enhancing effect (including persons with major depressive disorder). Depending on the size of harvested stigmas, the flowers of between 50,000 and 75,000 individual plants are required to produce about 1 pound of saffron; each corm produces only one or two flowers, and each flower produces only three stigmas. Stigmas should be harvested mid-morning when the flowers are fully opened. Saffron crocus can be used as an ornamental.
IV. Harvesting and Storage
The lavender flowers of the saffron crocus bloom for two weeks. As the petals grow longer, so do the slender stigmas at the center of the flowers. Keep an eye on the flowers and pounce when the petals have stabilized in size. The traditional rules for harvesting sound like something out of a fairytale—pick the flowers in mid-morning on a sunny day—but there are good reasons for those rules. You want the flowers to be partly open and the petals to be dry.
The best way to harvest saffron is to take a basket into the garden, pick all the flowers and sit indoors at a table to tweeze the three red stigmas from each bloom. If you have the patience (and a garden kneeler), you can keep the flowers on show in your garden a bit longer by taking the tweezers outdoors and removing the stigmas on the spot as you pass each flower. If you’re plucking only the stigmas, gather them in a deep bowl to keep them from blowing away.
Find Where to Buy the Best Saffron Crocus (Crocus sativus)
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo_shipping cols_order=3,2,1,5,4 hide=badge visible=number border_color=info limit=8]