Strands of Gold: Growing Saffron 9/5/20, 21:07

Strands of Gold: Grow Your Own Saffron

Lynette Morgan (/contributors/lynette-morgan) | January 8, 2020

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Takeaway: While saffron bulbs take up Day Month their Year
little space, yield is somewhat low. Fortunately, most recipes
only require a few strands of dried saffron, so a square foot of growing space is usually sufficient for most
DD MM YYYY

gourmets. Remember me
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Saffron—a delicate, exotic and expensive spice from far away lands? Not
ENTER
necessarily so. Saffron spice consists of the dark red-gold, dried stigma
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/668/stigma) of the saffron corm
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/29/corm) flower and has traditionally
been grown outdoors on a commercial scale in countries such as Spain, India and
Iran where the climate is warm and dry and labor cheap for the time consuming
process of harvesting.
However, saffron is not difficult to grow indoors
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/793/indoor-gardening) and these days
saffron bulbs (https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/21/bulb) are readily
obtainable at the right time of year for those who want to grow some of their own
exotic spice. While saffron bulbs may take up little space, their yield
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/17221/crop-yield) is somewhat low – it
takes around two pounds of fresh flowers to give 2.5 ounces of red stigmas, which
when dried results in a yield of 0.4 ounces of usable spice.

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Each saffron corm usually produces between one and three flowers in a season
so yields per square foot are perhaps one of the lowest of any hydroponic plant
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/3127/hydroponic-crops). On the other
hand, most recipes only require a few strands of dried saffron, so production from
a square foot of growing space is usually sufficient for most gourmets.

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What is Saffron?
There are many imitations and cheap substitutes for saffron on the culinary
market. Some of these consist of counterfeit strands while others are just color
substitutes of cheaper spices such as turmeric.
Saffron, although having a long shelf life, is best used within a year of drying and
it is difficult to tell if product many years old is being sold as top quality spice.
Nothing equals the intense color and subtle flavor of true saffron and some even
claim that there are slight flavor variations between saffron grown in different
regions of the world.
Read also: Hydroponic Ginger & Turmeric Production
(https://www.maximumyield.com/hydroponic-ginger-turmeric-
production/2/2840)
Saffron is the world’s highest priced spice and is often sold by the gram or half
gram of the best quality product. As with most crops, it is likely that the growing
conditions, soil (https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/2823/soil) type, nutrition
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/582/plant-nutrients), temperatures,
plant health and harvesting, handling and drying practices play a major role in the
final quality and flavor of this spice.
Hydroponic production
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/3483/hydroponic-gardening) where we
have control over basic nutrition and supplements and indoors where
temperature, light and the growing environment can be manipulated, give the
potential for some extremely high quality saffron to be grown.

The Saffron Plant

The saffron crocus (Crocus sativus L) grows from a small rounded corm (similar
to a bulb). The corms are purchased while dormant, and planted out in late
summer or early fall when they rapidly burst into life with the production of small
crocus flowers. This exotic spice is made from the dried red-gold stigma which
forms inside the blue/purple flower. Each flower produces on average three
stigmas which give three strands of saffron. After flowering, the plant resumes
vegetative growth of thin, dark green strap like leaves and then multiplies itself
with the production of many small daughter corms.
Nowadays saffron corms are sold by various seed suppliers and nurseries
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/581/nursery-horticulture-or-
greenhouse) in small quantities for home gardeners to purchase. However bulbs
are not usually available year round and are commonly advertised for sale in mid
to late summer through until fall. When buying corms for the first time, it is
important to realize that like many flowering bulbs, the corms come in size grades
from very small (0.6 grams) which would be a non flowering type requiring an
additional season’s growth, to very large (24 grams).

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The smaller corms are usually less expensive, but they may not produce flowers
in the first season or produce a much lower yield of saffron and a lower number of
daughter corms after flowering. The best planting grade for hydroponics
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/70/hydroponics) is around 15 grams
which is usually over an inch in diameter. The corms arrive dry in a dormant state
ready for planting out.

Growing Saffron Indoors

Indoors, there are two ways of running a saffron system—the dormant corms can
be purchased, planted, flowered, harvested and the corms discarded, all over a
six week period. Or after the short flowering period, the bulbs can be grown on,
producing vegetation and new daughter cormlets over a period of many months,
until they become dormant in mid summer. The first system means the corms are
planted at a high density since they won’t be grown on and multiplied.

This sort of bulb ‘forcing’ (https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/3765/bulb-

forcing) could also be carried out in solution culture systems such as those used
for tulips and other flowering bulbs where the corm is supported with its base in
water The second system needs more space for the plants to fully develop and
many months of caring for the corms after they flower, although the reward is a
supply of new corms which could be sold or given away to others and a higher
yield of flowers in the next year.
Read also: Hydroponic Systems: From Rafts to Raceways & Everything In-
between (https://www.maximumyield.com/hydroponic-systems-from-rafts-
to-raceways-everything-in-between/2/17241)
Tying up your hydroponic system with vegetative saffron for nine to 10 months
however may not be attractive to those with limited space, although trays of
saffron plants are cold hardly and can be put outside for winter and spring if
necessary.
Corms can be stored in a dry place and planted out when the hydroponic system
is ready. The spacing should be approximately four to five inches apart and 1.5 to
two inches deep, in a tray of free draining, sterile growing media
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/2085/growing-media) such as coconut
fiber (https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/151/coco-coir) with some perlite
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/4568/perlite) mixed in. The media
needs to support the plants, but at the same time be friable enough for the young
corms to form without deformities so any substrate
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/801/hydroponic-substrates) used for
baby root crops would be suitable.
The flowers will have already been initiated in the corms during the summer
dormancy period and flowering will occur when moisture is provided and
temperatures start to drop in fall. Flowering
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/2570/flowering-stage) is triggered by
environmental conditions such as temperate and moisture which is easily
manipulated in a hydroponic grow room
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/3130/growroom). The ideal conditions
during flowering are 16 hour day length with day temperatures of 62°F and night
temperatures of 53°F. An indoor grow room or greenhouse

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(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/513/greenhouse) situation means the

flowers are protected from rain, moisture, wind and the lack of weeds makes
harvesting of high quality flowers much easier.

The Grow Room

After flowering the foliage (https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/203/foliage)
grows best at 60 to 65°F, with 12 to 14 hours of light to keep enough
photosynthesis (https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/93/photosynthesis)
going to bulk up the developing cormlets. Saffron typically flowers in autumn over
a short period, then produces a number of strap-like leaves which grow through
winter, spring and into summer, providing food reserves for the corm and
developing new cormlets.
After flowering and harvest in autumn, foliage will develop quite rapidly and during
this time, a standard vegetative
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/2190/vegetative-stage) nutrient should
be given to the plants as required. Recommended EC levels are 1.2 – 1.4 during
this stage. Leaf growth will continue until summer when the young corms start to
rapidly develop around the mother corm.
In their natural environment, the saffron plants’ foliage dies back in mid to late
summer, after the young corms have matured and as conditions become very
warm and dry. The corms then go into a dormancy period which is essential for
initiating the next season’s flowers which will bloom in the cooler, moist conditions
of fall.
In hydroponics we can easily replicate this by drying the media back after the
cormlets have formed and the foliage has died down. Having a dig around one of
the plants will soon reveal if the corms are ready for harvest and dormancy. The
tray of saffron corms, once fully dried, can be harvested and stored away in a dry,
dark place until they need to be planted out for flower production.
Read also: 3 Types of High-Value Cash Crops to Grow Hydroponically
(https://www.maximumyield.com/3-types-of-high-value-cash-crops-to-grow-
hydroponically/2/3652)
This is a time consuming process as the saffron plant needs many months (nine
to 10) after flowering, until harvest of the new corms with only one harvest of
flowers per year obtained. However, each mother corm, after flowering will
produce a number (four to 10 or more) young cormlets that can be used to
produce more flowers and greater harvests of saffron spice in the following
season.

Flowering and Harvesting Saffron

Flowering of the corms will typically occur quite quickly after planting; within a few
weeks the first emerging flower buds
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/2277/flower-bud) should be seen. The
flowers will fully open within three to five days and be ready for harvest. As each
flower blooms, it should be plucked or snipped from the plant and taken away for
processing.
Inside the flower there will be two or three thinner dark red colored stigmas which
form the saffron spice when dried; there will also be three, shorter, wider, golden
colored anthers (https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/241/anther) which
usually have pollen (https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/614/pollen) on their
surface – these are not part of the spice and should be discarded. The easiest
way of removing the saffron stigmas from the centre of the flower, is to pull back
and remove all the petals and then snip the red strands at the base. These will
then need to be dried before storage.
Saffron is very delicate and the strands should be placed on white paper and
allowed to air dry and fully desiccate. Any slight breeze will blow the strands away
and home dehydrators are not well suited to this. Being small and very light, the

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saffron will dry within a week in most cases and can then be stored in air tight
glass jars.
A small package of silicon desiccant can be used to make sure any additional
moisture on the strands or in the air does not cause any storage problems.
Insufficiently dried saffron can go moldy, so additional air drying time is
recommended if humidity
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/2040/humidity) levels are high.
While it has become possible for home gardeners to grow a container or pot with
a few saffron bulbs outdoors, often just for the novelty of seeing the flowers, there
has not been a great deal of research into hydroponic or aeroponic
(https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/137/aeroponics) production of this
spice.
It is likely that the best system will be similar to the hydroponic production of
forced tulips and other bulbs with the actual flowering phase being carried out
indoors or under protection to give the highest possible blooms, while the plants
are propagated (https://www.maximumyield.com/definition/99/propagation) and
bulbs grown outdoors through until dormancy.
Outdoor producers are restricted to one crop of saffron per season, however with
an indoor grow room, the environment can easily be manipulated to give the dry
warmth of summer to initiate flowering followed by cooler, damper conditions to
induce flowering whenever it is required.
References:
The Growth of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) in Aeroponics and Hydroponics. Fredric
V Souret and P J Weathers. Published in: Journal of Herbs, Spices and Medicinal
Plants, Volume 7, Issue 3, 2000. ISBN 1049-6475
Supplies of saffron corms:
(http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/)http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/
(http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/)
(http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/)http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/
(http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/)
(http://www.richters.com/)http://www.richters.com/ (http://www.richters.com/)

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