Crocus August 2015

[ruben]

My first flowering crocus for the new autumn season 2015.
Crocus suworovianus - Looks like Crocus vallicola but this one needs some drier growing conditions.

Pictures taken indoor due the bad weather.

[pehe]

Nice start of the Crocus season!
There is no sign of my suworovianus yet, but scharojanii flavus will probably open tomorrow if we get some sun.

Poul

[Janis Ruksans]

Very nice start! With me long pause after beautiful blooming of scharojanii in mid-July. But I'm not disappointed. For me still left to replant some 500+ pots with white-blue flowering spring crocuses (those with basal rings are replanted). Today as first ones were planted Central Asian species, then followed Crocus abantensis. Weather still is very hot and when it became too hot for working with pots I gave first watering to autumn blooming crocuses. At seven o'clock temperature outside was 14.4 C, but between pots sensor shows even higher temperature from yesterday. Even night didn't cooled soil.
In attached pictures some steps and current views of my greenhouse. No crocus blooms yet although shoots are long. Blooms only some Colchicums - C. parnassicum finished long ago, now blooms C. kotschyi and C. paschei.

[Janis Ruksans]

Here I pictured beautiful reticulation of Crocus abantensis corms. On other picture you can see the difference of corm size depending from growing style. Both corms were grown from same size mother corms but pot where grew larger corms (right) were brought outside greenhouse soon after blooming. The pot producing smaller size corms was left in greenhouse. There are few species which is quite sensitive to heat in greenhouse.
I'm sensitive, too. Today we had + 28 C outside, I was almost killed...

[ruben]

Looking forward to see you're scharojanii Poul!
Here no sign of scharojanii flavus yet..

Nice greenhouse Janis! Take care of yourself, when its to hot its refreshing to drink a good cold beer once upon a time 

[pehe]

We got some sun today, and Crocus scharojanii flavus has opened.
The small 'blue' in the upper corner is Muscari aucheri 'Autumn Glory'.

Poul

[ruben]

Stunning! 

Scharojanii flavus is really special, do you keep it wet whole year long?
Great muscari, would love to grow it one day

[Janis Ruksans]

Still no flowers here. I continue replanting. Another nice surprise from yesterday. Between others I repotted Crocus carpetanus. It always was bad grower with me, formed very small corms and bloomed irregularly and sparsely. Last year I changed growing method for this crocus. I used my standard compost, but contrary to other crocuses after covering of corms with thin layer of coarse sand (my traditional "sand bed") I put in pot ~ 1cm thick layer of acid peat moss and then up to top covered with my standard mix ( 3 parts coarse sand + 1 part of peat moss + dolomite chalk for pH 6.7 + slow releasing granulated complex fertilizer). Results fantastic. I never before got so good and large corms of C. carpetanus!
Janis

[pehe]

Stunning! 

Scharojanii flavus is really special, do you keep it wet whole year long?
Great muscari, would love to grow it one day

I water them during spring and summer to keep them damp all time. In autumn and winter nature keep them damp as they grow plunged in sand in an open frame. I repot them in June/July in a moist retentive compost. Almost the same way as growing C. vallicola.

Poul

[Janis Ruksans]

I'm bringing scharojani flavus outside when weather allows and its pots are getting all summer rains but not specially watered in dry weather. I found this quite dangerous. Usually those additionally watered were poorer than those left to nature. Of course - summer rains are not unusual here. Similar treatment now are done with vallicola, suworovianus, pelistericus, scardicus, abantensis, cvijicii, veluchensis, albiflorus etc. C. cvijicii kept outside now is with long roots and very good looking. Those left in greenhouse still only with buds and no new roots formed, corms slightly smaller - not so dramatically as with abantensis, but notable.
Yesterday noted first two flowers on C. suworovianus, but it is only very start. Today we heavy rain and my repotting of crocuses are stopped. Still need 2 full days to finish.

[t00lie]

We got some sun today, and Crocus scharojanii flavus has opened. :
Poul

Yummy Crocus Poul.

The following taken yesterday aren't so exotic ......

Crocus cvijicii ,(ex Gothenburg ),first flowering from seed.

Crocus sieberi subsp. sublimis 'Tricolor' and close up.

Raised as C. pestalozzae.

[Janis Ruksans]

Yummy Crocus Poul.

The following taken yesterday aren't so exotic ......

Crocus cvijicii ,(ex Gothenburg ),first flowering from seed.

Crocus sieberi subsp. sublimis 'Tricolor' and close up.

Raised as C. pestalozzae.

The last now named C. coerulea (or pestalozzae subsp. coerulea)
Janis

[ruben]

Thanks for the information Janis.
Is the best position to grow suworovianus (in open ground) full sun with a wet soil or is semi/shade better for this species?

[Janis Ruksans]

Thanks for the information Janis.
Is the best position to grow suworovianus (in open ground) full sun with a wet soil or is semi/shade better for this species?

In wild I saw it  only on open spots. Here it receive minor shade (less strong sun) some part of day - shade is made by polytunnell. Only don't keep too wet. In wild there are occasional showers in summer, but mostly weather is quite dry.
Janis

[ruben]

Thanks Janis!