Crocus cultivation

[anita]

Hi, Just had a question for the experts.
I've been repotting my crocus (I'm in Australia so it's early summer and the corms are dormant) and found that all six bulbs of Crocus pulchellus albus have split into smaller corms. Last year the corms were quite large, they seemed to grow and flower normally this past season.
Is the splitting a normal thing or a sign of stress? We had a very dry late winter and spring and I didn't apply supplementary water, so they could have been forced to dry off early. (The pots are outdoors all autumn, through to spring - I put them undercover in summer to ensure a dry rest as I have to water the garden during the summer or practice xeriscaping!
On the up side I now have 51 corms in sizes up to hazelnuts rather than six the size of small walnuts!

Thanks Anita

[Ian Y]

Anita, breaking down into small bulbs or corms is a typical reaction to stress and you have the answer, more water and feeding when they are in active growth.
The good thing is that you now have so many more corms to build back up to flowering size.

[anita]

Thanks Ian.
I'll have to be a little more conscientious about watering.
 I usually rely on rainfall, with a couple of topups with liquid tomato fertiliser, as we are classic Mediterranean but I did think that some of the pots senesced early this year, because of the extremely dry late winter spring.
Fortunately the pulchellus are the only ones which have split so dramatically. In some other pots i.e. hadriaticus and niveus the only 'symptom' seemed to be that they hadn't sized up or multiplied as much as usual. Tournfortii seemed to be fine. Cheers A

[Ian Y]

Crocus grow in many differing habitats, some hot and drier some cool and moist so ideally we should give them individual attention.
Of course this is not what we do so depending on the weather some will always do better than others another year it will be different ones that do well.

[Janis Ruksans]

It is very important to keep konstant moisture regime as you start watering in autumn (yours) up to few weeks after blooming for spring crocuses and up to same time for most of autumn bloomers. Hazelnut size of C. puchellus could bloom, too. Such splitting quite often happens just for some break in moisture, forcing earlier ending of active growth. Of course - fertilizing is important, too.

[anita]

Hazelnut size of C. puchellus could bloom, too.

Hi Janis, It seems you were right about the hazelnut sized C. pulchellus albus blooming. I had a pot with over thirty blooms, smaller and shorter than usual and also not quite as robust as the flowers only lasted a day or two each when previously they would have been open for several days before going over. But I was delighted that they did flower.
I will be more diligent about watering (and fertilising) this spring. I use tomato food as it is low in in N and high in K.
regards A.