Crocus autumn - 2020

[Janis Ruksans]

Just harvested Crocus pelistericus. Leaves still were green, but you can see how well developed are new roots. It is most problematic to find best repotting time for this species. Last week I harvested corms which were ordered by my customers and new roots still were much less developed. The main secret for growing this crocus is correct substrate - it must be acid. I checked it in wild. It don't need keeping in trays with water etc. only I'm bringing its pots out of greenhouse when weather permits (just after blooming).
 Now I'm buying rhododendron and conifer mix, adding 2-3 parts by volume of coarse sand and use it for pelistericus, veluchensis, duncanii, carpetanus and yalovensis. The difference of medium pH on Crocus veluchensis you can see on 2nd picture - there were planted 2 pots with same number and size of C. cf. veluchensis - on left acid medium (pH around 5 or even below, on right standard mix (pH 6.5-7).

[Tomte]

Thank you for sharing these insights with us Janis. Amazing effect.
Are you also using this kind of substrate for C. sharojanii flavus?

[Janis Ruksans]

Thank you for sharing these insights with us Janis. Amazing effect.
Are you also using this kind of substrate for C. sharojanii flavus?

Yes

[jrd]

It is most problematic to find best repotting time for this species.

I couldn't agree more! I've been growing C.pelistericus for nearly twenty years now and it's a perennial puzzle knowing when to repot. In some years it is almost evergreen and I have completed the task towards the end of September, (in the English Midlands); more recently I tend to do this in the second  or third week of September, as in the photo attached, taken back in 2018. As you can see, the problem then is that root growth is starting and next year's flower buds are already well developed. It must be a nightmare to grow commercially if your customers are expecting 'normal' corms in autumn!

Interesting to hear your view about its pH requirements. I had previously mixed a healthy proportion of peat with JI No 2, coarse sand and grit, but in the last few years I have also included Melcourt propagating bark; I expect that the peat and bark help to bring the pH down quite a lot, but I've never measured this. I have used similar composts successfully for such as C. thirkeanus and from what you say it could benefit quite a few species.

I also agree heartily with your advice not to stand it in trays of water. I expect that photos of the plant in the wild more or less submerged in running snow-melt have contributed to this idea. It certainly likes plenty of water, but not stagnant water. I grow mine outside, in pots, open to the elements all year except when in flower, or when severe frosts are forecast. And I won't make you laugh Janis by saying what I consider to be a severe frost!

[Janis Ruksans]

After almost 3 weeks long interruption (hospital etc.) I returned to repotting of crocuses. Found that C. autranii already showed new shoots. Still surprised for crop - got incredibly large corms of Turkish Crocus fleischeri (from Chios Island - of usual size). C. pulchricolor formed minor corms but C. zetterlundii (earlier included in pulchricolor) formed so large as never before. The same I can tell about demirisianus and fauseri.

Yesterday got shocking mail from customer in UK (his initials are GS): "Also you have not sent all bulbs that i have paid for.missing is number9-151-202-206-216-220-275-403-404.I shall not be doing any more business with you Janis if this is what you do." - but he never ordered those plants. Checked all his mails - found 2 orders (very chaotic) but in no one were those numbers. Actually it is the first such letter from customer during 30 years of my export business...

[Yann]

Don't worry about that and keep care of you. Health is certainly more important than buyer's jump mood

[Maggi Young]

Many  of  us  have  been worried  about  Janis' health and  wish him well for  no more  hospital stays - but  we  have  some  really  pleasant  news  from him that we  can be  very  happy  about  - on 15th July  he  and  his  beloved wife,  Guna, celebrated their  25th wedding  anniversary - here  they are  again in the  church where  they were  married -



Congratulations  to this  lovely  couple!

[ArnoldT]

Ah, St. Swithin's Day.

[pehe]

A very good start of the Crocus season!

I have been strugling to get flowers in my Crocus scharojanii. They are much more difficult than C. scharojanii flavus, which flower reliably every year for me.
In 2015 I tried crossing these two in hope of getting a more reliable flowering of a deep yellow autumn Crocus. The crossing was succesfull and I got some seedpods on C. scharojanii flavus.
The seeds were sowed in 2016 and I got 12 seedlings. 4 of them died the first year, but 8 were growing well. This spring one had 4 leaves, one had 3 leaves and the rest only 2 leaves.
The leaves withered a few weeks ago and I hoped for the 4-leaved corm to flower for the first time this season. However I was very surprised that 7 out of 8 corms send up flower shoots!
That is exceptional good for first time flowering. It seems that my dream of a reliable deep yellow Crocus has come true

Poul

[ashley]

Well done Poul, they look beautiful.
Unfortunately I don't grow these but have always admired them.

[pehe]

Ashley, thank you!
I will post a picture when they are more advanced, and I will also be busy with my paint brush polinating them in hope of getting some seeds.

Poul

[pehe]

Here they are a few days later.
There are some variation, but the color is just as dark as the pure scharojanii for two of them. The one in the middle has some paler areas.
And yes, I have cross pollinated them.

Poul

[Yann]

I had a shock when i read "Autumn" still 36°c and UV 10 in France, autumn will wait...december?
The colors of your scharojanii are incredible, i never tried to grow these species. How do you keep the soil cool in summer?

[pehe]

In Denmark we “only” have 32 ^oC at the moment, so it is not autumn here, but we had had one of the coolest July.
I grow them in a bed facing North West. The bed is shaded most of the day by some Rhododrendron. Late in the afternoon they get about 2 hours sun, but now when it is so hot, I have put up a white shade so they do not get any sun. I keep the sand where they are plunged moist all the time.
One of the parents C. Scharojanii flavus grows well in another bed with about 5 hours sun a day, but also kept moist all the time.

Poul

[Janis Ruksans]

Here they are a few days later.
There are some variation, but the color is just as dark as the pure scharojanii for two of them. The one in the middle has some paler areas.
And yes, I have cross pollinated them.

Poul

Superb! Envy you!
Janis