Colchicum colchicum: planting and care (photo)
SPRING FLOWER IN AUTUMN PERMANENT
In all its appearance colchicum (he is a colchicum, an autumn tree) recalls the beloved primrose - crocus, but only its flowering begins not in the spring, but in the autumn, it seems to be completely out of time ...
In fact, there are spring-blooming bollards, but they are less known (for example, autumn crocus yellow, autumn crocus regel, autumn crocus sowicz) Depending on the dormant period (summer or winter), the flowering time comes - in autumn and spring, respectively. But we will talk about autumn species. Most famous autumn colchicum and magnificent colchicum, slightly less - Bornmüller colchicum, Byzantine colchicum.
Colchicum - perennial corms of the non-temporal family (although not so long ago they were attributed to the family of melantius, which includes, for example, the genus of the raven eye and hellebore).
THIS PLANT IS POISONY! And even the water in which the flowers stood, can cause harm. So be very careful!
By the way, so similar in appearance to Kolkhikum crocus is absolutely harmless in this respect, and even vice versa, its dried and crushed stigmas are used as seasoning - remember saffron? An ever-growing crocus grows to a height of 10-20 cm during the growing season (and some species, for example, the evergreen tree is magnificent, 40 cm).
3-4 lanceolate or elliptic leaves grow from corms in spring-flowering species simultaneously with flowers, in autumn-flowering ones, after flowering in the spring of next year.
See also: Flower Kolhikum (autumn crocus) - photo, planting and care
In the south, in conditions of Sochi, the leaves appear as early as December-January and vegetate until summer. Flowers solitary, from one corm grows from 1 to 4 large (4-5 cm) flowers. They can be simple or terry, white, yellow, but more often pink and purple.
So, autumn-flowering species emit leaves in spring, and around mid-June they will wither. Flowering autumn crocus will please only in the fall.
In the most common autumn crocus culture (S. automnale), the leaves are rather large, oblong-lanceolate, juicy-green, with an almost parallel veining, gathered in a high rosette. Flowers are short-lived, although not as ephemeral as those of crocus.
It is best to plant corms in groups of several in rockery, on a hill or in a flower garden (not too close to each other, so that there is a place for the growth of children). An interesting autumn crocus planted by clumps under trees or near a pond.
Colchicum can be planted both in sunny areas and in partial shade. The soil needs fertile, friable: put humus or peat in ordinary land on your site, and if you have heavy loam, more sand.
POOR CLUBS in July or early August, at a depth of 10-15, see and at a distance of 15-20, see. For safety in case of a harsh winter, plants can be covered by sprinkling with sand or peat. During the growing season, the usual care is needed: loosening the soil, weeding, top dressing (nitrogen fertilizer 2-3 times so that the leaves grow large and healthy and then give nutrients to the corm, which, in turn, will give abundant flowering). But watering is usually not required (moisture in the corm is enough for a short vegetation of the leaves, but an overabundance of water can harm the plants).
In one place, autumn crocuses can grow 3-5 for years, until many babies are formed, after which the plants become cramped, the flowers may shrink or flowering stops altogether. Then the corms need to dig, divide, and plant again.
But the plant can easily tolerate annual digging (for example, if you decide to move it to another place). It is possible to remove corms from the ground when the leaves of the plant are dry - around the beginning or middle of July. You should not delay this - brown dry leaves easily lose touch with the corm, and then it will be difficult to find and dig it out without risking damage. Store warm (about 20 °) in a dry ventilated area and already in August again planted in the ground.
REPLENISHMENT OF A TIMELESS
Although for the most part colchicum is propagated by daughter corms, seedlings can also be obtained, which, however, will not bloom soon - only for the 4-5th year. Seeds in plants that have faded in the fall ripen only the next year in the spring. They are sown fresh in June-July.
The second type, common in culture, is Autumn crocus magnificent (C. speciosum), whose natural habitats are in Transcaucasia, Iran, Turkey. A large number of varieties were obtained from both species, differing in the shape and color of the perianth. There are terry cultivars - for example, Waterlyli variety (water-lily - “water lily”), quite well-known among domestic floriculturists. You can choose any - to your taste!
See also: Custerless flower (photo) - planting and care
KOLHIKUM OR KROKUS?
These two growths are often confused, they look alike. Nevertheless, for attentive grower the differences are obvious:
1. Colchicum leaves are wide, glossy, while crocus leaves are very narrow, with a white stripe along the central vein.
2. Often (although not always) colchicum flowers are pale lilac and pinkish, in crocus - dark purple, white, yellow.
Z. And here is the most accurate sign: the colchicum has 6 stamens, the crocus has 3.
TIMELESS - AUTUMN MIRACLE
One day in September at a fair, I saw bulbs with protruding delicate light lilac flowers with yellow stamens similar to crocuses. The saleswoman said it was a colchicum. What kind of plant I did not know then.
Other sellers asked for similar bulbs almost 10 times more expensive. I decided to buy a couple of inexpensive bulbs: see what grows. The saleswoman assured that now they can be planted.
Bulbs for about a month lay on the balcony. The flowers faded, the bulbs looked unpresentable. It was already the end of October, when my mother dropped them off in the country, behind the house.
So we became the owners of an extraordinary plant - colchicum.
Since then, every spring we see the thick greenery of wide leaves (they remind me of the leaves of lilies of the valley, only larger), by the summer it fades and disappears. And in September, when all the plants have already bloomed and are retiring, beautiful lilac flowers appear up to 7 cm in diameter. Over the years, two inconspicuous small bulbs have grown, forming a whole clearing. They bloom for about a month, then fade.
One day, at the end of September, my mother arrived at the cottage and said that her acquaintance was already blooming, while ours was just crawling out of the ground. Asparagus grew next to the flowers. We tied her fluffy paws, as the thick shoots of asparagus covered the colchicum, creating a shadow over it. And soon they saw the first blossoming flowers.
Colchicum is an unpretentious plant. Like other bulbs, it grows on light soils not subject to stagnation of moisture. Prefers sunny places. Corms of colchicum are planted to a depth twice as high as corms.
We have this plant grows well and blooms annually for more than 10 years in one place. And although it is recommended that colchicum be propagated by planting a nest of bulbs in August, before flowering, our experience shows that this plant can be planted well after flowering, and during flowering, in mid-autumn, it perfectly takes root and grows, forming new corms.
Unfortunately, the time of primroses is very short, and nature gave us a second chance to admire the blooming "crocuses" called colchicum in mid-autumn.
© Author: T. SEMENOVA
COLCHICUM - THE CHARM OF AUTUMN
Large flowers of colchicum, or colchicum, perfectly enliven the garden in the fall and look impressive when many other plants lose their decorative effect.
The first time I saw this amazing flower was in the fall, in September, on one of the summer cottages and was captivated by its incredible beauty. I decided to definitely plant it in my garden. I found out the name of the plant and the next year in August I bought bulbs at one of the garden centers.
All parts of colchicum are poisonous, so I work with it only with gloves.
FLOWER FEATURE
Colchicum V has an interesting life cycle. In early spring, in April-May, when spring bulbous plants bloom, only large, elongated green leaves appear. At the beginning of summer, in mid-June, the green mass begins to turn yellow and lie down - the corms go into a dormant state. At the end of August and beginning of September, peduncles unexpectedly appear from the ground, on which large single goblet-shaped flowers are located, but without leaves.
LANDING AND CARE
I planted colchicum in the second half of August. For planting, I chose a sunny, wind-protected place with loose, fertile sandy loam soil without stagnant water. I first dug up the area with a shovel, removing the weeds and adding half a bucket of humus and 1 tbsp to the soil per 1 sq.m. superphosphate and 2 tbsp. wood ash.
The corms were placed at a distance of 20 cm from each other, deepened to three of their heights. A small layer of river sand was poured under each as drainage. I also sprinkled sand on top, and then a layer of soil.
The colchicum bloomed that same fall. The unique flowering lasted about three weeks.
The plant tolerates drought well and receives enough natural precipitation. I water only when it blooms, if there is no rain at that time.
Colchicum is not afraid of our winters, but just in case, I mulch the bushes with humus.
I feed it twice a season: in early spring - with complex mineral fertilizer in liquid form for flowering plants, in autumn, after flowering ends, - with phosphorus-potassium fertilizer (all according to the instructions).
In order to prevent gray rot and other fungal diseases, as well as attacks by slugs and snails, I try to avoid excessive waterlogging, loosen the soil around the bushes, promptly remove weeds and divide the clumps. I do not plant colchicum in the shade, lowlands, or too close to each other. I treat the corms with a fungicide before planting.
When damaged by diseases and pests, I remove the affected plants, and dust the remaining specimens and the soil around them with wood ash.
IMPORTANT!
Many gardeners rush to cut off the leaves of a plant immediately, as soon as they begin to turn yellow and wither. I only remove them when they are completely dry, otherwise the corms will not develop well. To cover the empty space in the summer, I plant plants next to the colchicum that look decorative during this period.
© Author: Svetlana MARTYNOVA, Oryol. Photo by the author
IF COLCHICUM HAS NOT BLOWED
My colchicums usually bloom in late August or early September. But this year even the sprouts are not visible, although there were a lot of leaves in the spring. Maybe the bulbs have “disappeared”?
Galina Poladyeva
- Let's understand the possible reasons for the lack of flowering. Try digging up one bulb and inspecting it.
If she's okay, perhaps your colchicums this season just "decided to take a time out." This is rare, but it happens.
Is there any damage? Mice could do their best here. Although colchicum is considered a poisonous plant and supposedly even repels rodents, in the absence of other suitable food, colchicum will do.
If the bulb is soft, it means it is rotting from excess moisture.
Wrinkled - dries out (insufficient watering).
Don't be surprised if you find nothing in the ground at all. Dried or rotted crocus could have time to decompose.
Sometimes flower growers themselves are to blame for the lack of flowering in colchicum. For example, they transplant it not according to the rules. It is important to take into account the life cycle of the plant, which is very unusual. After the lush spring greenery dies, the bulb seems to freeze for a while. It is at this moment that she can be disturbed.
I did a forced transplant of colchicum with a lump of earth during the budding period - the flower did not react at all. But when digging in the spring or early summer, and if you also take and divide the clumps with leaves, flowering may either be absent or significantly delayed.
Another interesting point: it is recommended to grow colchicum in one place for 6-7 years. Otherwise, then it starts to thicken. In this case, the plant will behave unpredictably. Including: it may not bloom, get sick, or begin to freeze. On clay soil, bulbs often go deep, but they do not have time to form replacement bulbs at the required height. It is better to dig them up every 3-4 years and replant them.
KOLHIKUM LANDING AND CARE: VIDEO
© Author: N. SAMSONOVA, agronomist
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Colchicum Charm
In the third decade of August, I plant colchicum bulbs. I choose a dry, sunny place (in the shade, plants are actively attacked by slugs). I bring 30 g of superphosphate and 2 tbsp. wood ash per 1 sq.m of soil. I deepen the bulbs by 5-15 cm at a distance of 20 cm from each other. Colchicum blooms already this season, when the cold and rains begin (at the end of October). Flowering lasts a month.
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With their appearance in early autumn, crockworms seem to return us to spring, when a riot of colors had just begun. Graceful pink flowers on short stalks look charming and unusual among the fallen leaves.
I plant croppers in sunny areas (with light shading, if possible) so that in the spring the growing leaves are not obstructed by other plants. The soil should be light, fertile, deeply cultivated. In wet areas, I pour sand at the bottom of the holes.
Planting dates are until the end of September. Depending on the size, I deepen the bulbs up to 20 cm (large) and up to 10-15 cm (small). It is better to plant them in a curtain, so the crocus will look more spectacular. Plants can live up to 5-10 years in one place without dividing; for the winter I just add a little deciduous humus.
Attention: all parts of the crocus are poisonous. Be careful when planting bulbs, work with gloves!
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Colchicum (colchicum). In mid-August, you can plant (for flowering in the same autumn) its large bulbs - to a depth of 20 cm with an interval of 10-15 cm. Plant small bulbs more often, to a depth of 8-12 cm (they will delight with flowering next fall). The overgrown curtains are divided every 6-7 years, but so that the inflorescences do not become smaller, it is better to carry out this procedure every 2-3 years.
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My colchicum has grown greatly. When and how is it better to plant it?
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Colchicella corms winter in the ground without any shelter. In the spring, bright green oval leaves appear, and in July they die off. Around mid-late June, when the leaves begin to turn yellow, the plant can be dug up for division and transplantation. Dug bulbs are stored in a dry place and planted in the second half of August. Planting is carried out to a depth of 7-15 cm (depending on the size of the corm) at a distance of 7-15 cm. A whole nest is formed from one planted bulb in two to three years.
Colchicum can be propagated by seed. They are sown immediately after harvest in the fall - then they germinate better.
Colchicum are easily propagated by daughter bulbs. If too many are formed, the plants cease to bloom. Therefore, bulbs must be dug up and planted.