The Planting Depth for Saffron Crocus

Planting Depth

• Planting depth influences the growth of the crocus. Work by the New Zealand Institute for Crop and Food Research suggests that planting between 4 and 5 inches below the surface produces progressively more flowers and heavier corms, but planting deeper than 8 inches results in fewer flowers and lighter corms. As a rule of thumb, plant corms 4 to 6 inches deep.

Conditions

• Growing conditions have a practical effect on the best depth to plant crocus bulbs. The soil should be fertile and well drained. If your workable soil is shallow, it's better to plant slightly nearer to the surface than into a waterlogged or sterile soil horizon. Crocus corms prefer a location that is cool and moist in winter and warm and dry in summer.

History

• The saffron crocus, Crocus sativus, is a cultivated species with a history that dates back more than 3,000 years to the Minoan civilization in Crete. According to the New Zealand Institute for Crop and Food Research, the modern saffron crocus probably originated from the wild Crocus cartwrightianus. It was cultivated for its long stigmas.