Saffron (Crocus sativus L)
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the 'saffron crocus'. The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and coloring agent in food. The term “saffron” applies to the flower’s thread-like structures called stigma.
Saffron has a sweet, floral taste to it. It's earthy and has a complex nuanced flavor.
Saffron is a relatively easy plant to grow. It is very cold hardy, and thrives in extreme weather condition, and do well in low humidity, chill winter, and also hot and dry summer. Saffron is usually grown from corms which will be the 'mother' of the plant, after a while there will be baby corms growing under the mother and these will then push the 'mother' plant out and the new plants will take over. Technically you only need to buy the plants once as the baby corms from the mother plant will spread out and take over the 'mother' and continue multiplying. Saffron can be grown both indoors and outdoors and will also grow without soil like in the hydroponics system.
Harvesting takes place for five to six weeks from the beginning of April; stigmas must be picked within 48 hours and dried quickly to retain maximum color. Saffron is harvested by hand.
How much saffron do you get from one plant?
How much saffron do you get from one plant? The reason why saffron is so expensive and desirable is each flower only produces a tiny amount of the spice. Around fifty flowers will produce one teaspoon of the spice so the more flowers the more spice you can harvest!
*Per bag contained 3-6 mother plants. So you'll only need to buy once, expect full production in the second year! Each corms can produces up to 6 flowers, during the first year it may only produce 1 flower.
*Depending on the size of the mother corm, each corm will be replaced by 1-10 new cormlets
. Each original corm above 30g will produce an average of six new corms in its second year.
Plant Care
- Soil: Prefers well-drained, rich in organic matter soil with a pH of 6.0 to 8.0.
- Watering: Requires moderate watering during the growth period, but the soil should be allowed to dry out between waterings to prevent bulb rot.
- Temperature: Ideal growing temperatures are between 15°C and 20°C. The plant is dormant during the summer and requires dry, warm conditions during this period.
- Light: Full sun to light shade. Saffron crocuses bloom better under full sun.
- Fertilising: Apply a low-nitrogen, high-potassium fertilizer after flowering to support bulb growth.
- Pruning: Not applicable as saffron is grown from bulbs, but remove dead or fading flowers to maintain plant health.
- Mulching: Light mulching helps keep the soil temperature stable and retains moisture during the growing season.
- Pest Control: Saffron is relatively pest-free but watch for common bulb pests and fungal diseases.
- Flowering and Fruiting: Produces purple flowers in autumn; the red stigmas are the saffron spice.
- Potting: Suitable for container growing as long as the containers are deep enough to accommodate the bulbs and ensure excellent drainage.
- Feeding Regime: Minimal feeding required; a phosphorus-rich feed post-flowering can aid in bulb development for the next season.
