Last Updated on July 16, 2020 by Gary Stephen
There are many peoples who want to about how to grow saffron at home. Saffron is one of the highly expensive and luxury spices in the world. Saffron has often described as a spice that is worth more than its weight in gold. Once upon a time, the high-class peoples of the society used it. But nowadays it’s used by almost everyone.
You may wonder to hear about if it is possible to grow saffron at home. The answer is it is possible and you can grow saffron at your home garden. Keep reading this article to know how to grow saffron at home.
What is Saffron?
Saffron is a spice used to flavor and coloring foods. It is orange, yellow, or purple in color. Saffron is actually stigmas of the plant which got picked from the saffron crocus. The plants can grow up to 30 centimeters in size. In the past, people use saffron as medicine for cough, cold, and flatulence. Hence, saffron is high in potassium, protein, and carbohydrates. So, for those several health benefits, you ca list saffron in your healthy balanced diet plan.
The plant is normally found in the warmer climate of the Middle East and the sub-continent. The plants are expensive because of the labor involved to produce the plant. Thus, the farmers use the same way to grow the plants they’ve used for centuries.
How to Grow Saffron at Home
Saffron is an autumn blossoming crocus. The Saffron comes from the saffron crocus bulb. The spice is actually the red petals of the crocus flower. Every saffron crocus produces only one flower every time. On the other hand, each flower will only produce three stigmas or petals. Follow the step by step process to learn about how to grow saffron:
Step-1:
Find a perfect location where the soil will drain well. If you plant the crocus in poor soil, it will not grow well. It will be better if you raise the soil level 2-3 inch to improve the drainage. Keep in mind that, saffron crocuses will not survive a long time in waterlogged soils. Prefer a site for planting where the crocuses will get the full day (6-8 hours) sunlight. The saffron crocuses need average moisture in the spring. But, they need dry soils in the summer when they are dormant.
Step-2:
Dig holes 3-4 inch deep and 2-3 inch wide and plant the crocuses. You can buy them from local nurseries. But, you can also find them in online nursery shops. They are small and rounded with a top-plant facing upwards. Plant the bulbs with face in upward.
Step-3:
After planting the crocuses, be careful when watering them. The roots will start growing in autumn. But, the flowers and buds will start growing in late summer and fall. You need to water the plants at least one time every week. Besides, you can fertilize them once or twice a year. You will need about 50 to 60 saffron flowers to produce 1 tablespoon of saffron spice.
Step-4:
Trim the flowers and collect the stigmas from the flower carefully. Mid-morning of a sunny day when the flower is fully opened is the best time for harvesting the stigmas. Then dry the stigmas under the sun for some moments. Your saffron is now ready to use for cooking. You can conserve them in an airtight container for later usage.
How to Grow Saffron in Container
If you have a shortage of space, you can grow saffron in containers. This process will also help you to save your crops from gophers, mice, or voles. Growing saffron crocuses in the container is a little bit different from growing them in the ground. We will show you the step by step process of growing saffron in the container below.
Step-1:
First, find a large container. If you choose a plastic container, make sure it has enough holes for the drainage process. Then, fill up the container with compost. Try to select the natural compost because the growth of crocuses will depend on it.
Step-2:
Place the crocuses in the hole with the face in upwards. Now place some more compost on the container. Then, wait for the plants to come above the soil level.
Step-3:
Now, water the plant every day. The growing plants will need the right level of moisture. The plants will need a lot of water for blossoming. But, overwatering may cause the death of the crops.
Step-4:
The plants grow fine without any kind of fertilizer. If you wish you can use nitrogen fertilizer to increase the growth rate of the plant. But it will be better if you use natural fertilizers on the plants.
Step-5:
Cut the flower and collect the stigmas as we discussed above.
According to CNN, a pound of saffron sells for 1500 US dollars or more. Even so, it is delicious, colorful, and healthy. Moreover, nowadays we need it almost every day for several recipes. So it will be a great idea if you are going to grow saffron crocuses at home. We hope that this article about how to grow saffron will help you grow saffron at home.
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