Growing Saffron Flowers in South Carolina USA
- 1). Purchase Crocus sativus bulbs from a garden center or an online plant supplier. If purchasing them in a garden center, wait until late summer or early fall, which is when they will be available in stores.
- 2). Fill a bucket with 1 part potting soil and 1 part sand. Mix the two ingredients together until combined, using a trowel. Fill a rectangular plant container 3/4 full with the soil mixture.
- 3). Dig a hole that is approximately 2 to 3 inches deep in the soil, and place one saffron bulb into the hole with the pointed end facing up. Fill in the hole with soil until the bulb is completely covered. Plant additional saffron bulbs at the same depth, but space them 2 to 3 inches apart.
- 4). Place the plant container in an outdoor location that receives at least three to four hours of sun per day. Choose a location that is partly covered so rain does not fall on the plants.
- 5). Water the bulbs every other day just until the top 1 inch of soil is damp. Due to high humidity in South Carolina, you may need to water less often. Wait until the soil feels completely dry before adding water.
- 6). Once the leaves of the saffron plant start to die back, around March or April, stop watering the plant completely and move the container to an indoor location for the remainder of the summer months. This is to avoid having the bulb get too wet in the rainy South Carolina summers.
- 7). Wait until you see new green sprouts emerge from the soil in the fall months and move the container back outdoors. Begin watering the plant again every other day until the flowers bloom.
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