Best Methods of Growing Saffron Easily at Home
Saffron is a popular herb that offers excellent health benefits. It is also an expensive herb that you can ever come across. Because saffron offers high returns and impressive health benefits, it is an awesome idea to learn the methods of growing saffron indoors at home. If you learn how to grow saffron indoors productively, you can have attractive and aromatic herbs at home. These herbs are an excellent addition to your favorite dishes. You may not always find saffron bulbs at your local nursery. However, if you search online, you can find them easily.
How to plant saffron?
Reputed nurseries sell saffron bulbs nowadays. Many online stores also sell these herbs at affordable prices.
When you make a buying decision, you must choose saffron crocus bulbs. Don’t confuse them with autumn meadow crocus.
How to grow saffron to meet your exact needs? Firstly, you must decide on the number of corms you need. A simple rule lets you know how much you need to grow. A person needs three threads every single time. You can make a decision based on the number of people in your home. If you have 5 members and want to make saffron dishes every two months, you should grow 30 plants.
The best season to plant saffron corms is fall. These herbs show reduced tolerance to wet soil. So, indoor areas provide the ideal climate for them.
Take a 6-inch planter. 1-2 inches of coarse sand or fine gravel must be laid at the bottom before filling the remaining part of the container with rich, properly-drained potting soil.
When it comes to planting, you need to go two to three inches deep. Don’t forget to keep the points facing up.
Once it is done, use soil to cover the area. You have to maintain a distance of 2 to 3 inches between each bulb.
The saffron crocuses must be placed in a cold room where the temperature stays between 35 and 48F. You must also make sure that the plants receive sun exposure for 4 to 6 hours a day.
You should water the bulbs on alternate days. Keep watering until you see the grass-like foliage starts dying back. You can expect this to happen around April.
Now, you can take the container to a warmer area where the temperature stays between 50 and 70F.
How to care for saffron plants?
You need to harvest the saffron flower stigmas from the blooms immediately. It should be done on the same day the stigmas open. You can find three stigmas on each flower.
The flowers must be cut open from the stems before plucking away the threads from the bloom. Take a paper towel or paper and place the threads to dry.
An airtight container can be used to store the threads.
You can infuse the threads in a liquid before use before. Another way is to toast and grind them into a fine powder.
Now, you have a clear idea about how to grow saffron indoors. Go and get your saffron and start planting.