Pot grown crocus

[JanB]

What do you all recommend as a compost mix for pot grown crocus please, both Autumn and Spring flowering?

[Janis Ruksans]

What do you all recommend as a compost mix for pot grown crocus please, both Autumn and Spring flowering?

I use 3 parts of coarse sand with little ammount of clay in it and 1 part of peat moss + dolomite chalk up to pH 6.5-6.9 and complex fertilizer (granulated, slow releasing). For some species - pestalozzae, scharojanii, pelistericus etc. some additional peat moss is added to push down pH to around 6-6.3.
Janis

[JanB]

Thank you, Janis, will aim for this.

[Maggi Young]

 Previously we used two parts loam, one part humus and two parts gravel (3-6 mm) - but that was before we ran out of our own loam  - so now we use  equal parts of sand , humus and gravel = and we add bone meal to each mix.

[JanB]

Thanks Maggie, new to this croconuting!

[Matt T]

My mix is similar to Maggi and Ian's: approximately equal parts gritty sand, loam (I buy John Innes 2 or 3) and instead of grit I now use coarse perlite (cheaper here and it's lighter, better aerated and, I think warmer) and bone meal for slow release feed. This year I have added one part of humus to my mix in the form of compost because the JI was a bit too fine and sandy for my liking. I use the same mix for all my bulbs.

Give plenty of water when actively growing i.e. when they have leaves. After the initial waterings avoid giving too much water to autumn crocus that bloom before the leaves appear. An occasional feed does no harm - two or three waterings with tomato food at half strength or a dose of Ian's favourite sulphate of potash after flowering.

I've found all Crocus, autumn and spring flowerers to be easy plants to grow and most also give good increase. Enjoy your blooms!

[Yann]

I use, depending on my stock, 50% grit 6mm + 40% loam + 10% humus (leaf mould+peat)
When i'm out of loam i used garden soil sterelized 20mn in an old micro-wave.

And for 2 years i use a 90% seramis+ 10% coarse sand mix, the bulbs are double sized compared to loam compost.
But it needs to pay attention to the watering+feeding and this after the foliage died. The bulbs still needs of few water in this very porous support. I've lost some bulbs in my Seramis tries because i didn't water enough after the flowering period and they dried completly.

[Alex]

Hi Maggi,

Do you change this mix for pelistericus, scharojanii and their ilk, or use the same one for everything?

Thanks,

Alex

[Maggi Young]

Hi Maggi,

Do you change this mix for pelistericus, scharojanii and their ilk, or use the same one for everything?

Thanks,

Alex

More humus for those, Alex.  And those pots live outside all the time in open plunges. 

[Tony Willis]

Hi Maggi,

Do you change this mix for pelistericus, scharojanii and their ilk, or use the same one for everything?

Thanks,

Alex

hi Alex

I use ericaceous compost for pelistericus and scardicus with added silver sand. They seem to like the peat in it and the sand gives good drainage as I keep them wet all year round.  Although I see signs of new growth they are still in full leaf from the current season and sed has only just ripened.

[Alex]

Thanks very much Maggi and Tony.  You both grow these species incredibly well, I wish I could do half as well....I suspect that being situated in the cool North is more important than any compost here

Alex

[Janis Ruksans]

Instead of bonemeal (not buyable here) I use granulated slow releasing fertilizer with microelements (so named potatoes composition). More peat is added to scharojani, lazicus, scardicus, pelistericus, pestalozzae (both - white and blue), carpetanus, duncanii. I hope all are mentioned.
Janis

[Maggi Young]

- Janis - wishing you the happiest of Birthdays! 
 Maggi