Propagate crocuses using brood bulbs
The multiplication of crocuses in the garden works automatically, even without you doing anything about it.
also read
- Crocuses are slightly poisonous - be careful with cats
- The best time to plant crocuses
- Crocuses require little maintenance
Crocus bulbs form brood bulbs that provide new flowers in the first year and more crocus plants in the next year.
You can remove the crocus bulbs from the ground at any time after flowering and plant them elsewhere. If you leave the onions in the ground, whole carpets of crocuses will form over time.
Grooming crocuses around the house
If you want to bring spring into the house with blooming crocuses, collect some brood tubers from the ground in autumn. In order for the tubers to bloom later, they need special treatment.
- Dig up brood bulbs
- Clean the onions and let them dry a little
- Store tubers in a dark and cold place
- Then put in a saucepan
Crocuses only sprout when the crocus bulbs have gone through a cold phase. This time, called “stratification” by experts, must last ten weeks.
If you don't have a place to keep the onions cool and dark enough, put them in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator for ten weeks.
Growing crocuses from seeds
Crocuses can be grown from seeds, but this method rarely works with purchased tubers. The planting of early crocus bulbs is much faster and the plants bloom vigorously in the first spring.
Crocus seeds are almost never capable of germination. If you want to propagate crocuses from seeds, you must buy seeds from a specialist dealer. It is spread over a wide area according to the instructions, covered with some earth and stepped on.
Wild crocuses sow themselves. If you want to create entire crocus meadows, you can harvest the seeds and sow them over a wide area in the desired location before winter.
Tips & Tricks
The crocus' greatest enemy is the vole. It can destroy entire stocks of crocus bulbs. Chase away the nuisance or plant the crocus bulbs in special planters.
