Crocuses in the pot have faded - what to do next with the bulbs

Hello, help me with advice: my crocuses in a pot have faded, what should I do next with them? The plants were given to me as a gift, but now the foliage is beginning to dry on them. To throw it away, my hand simply does not rise. And if I transplant them to a flower bed, will such crocuses from a pot start growing on the street?

In early spring, on the eve of Women's Day, the flower market is flooded with spring primroses: tulips and crocuses. And if the first ones go as a bouquet, then the second ones are most often sold in pots. However, after a couple of weeks, the happy owners of such a gift are faced with the question: the crocuses in the pot have faded, what to do next. Some people just throw away the dying bush, believing that it has already "outlived" its own. Indeed, this early flowering can be achieved through a forcing process that significantly weakens the bulb. However, with proper care, it is possible to preserve the faded bulbs and even reuse them for forcing.

Potted crocuses have faded: what to do next

So, when the inflorescences wither, but the leaves are still green, you need to continue to water the bush. The bulb that has given a peduncle is now moving on to the next growing phase - reproduction. You need to help her in this by feeding her at least once (even better - twice) with potassium and superphosphate. Further care for faded crocus is as follows:

1. With the yellowing of the leaves, you should begin to reduce watering, gradually removing it altogether.
2. When the foliage is completely dry, remove the bulbs from the pot.
3. Clean them from the ground, separate the children and free them from old dry scales.
4. Dry for a couple of days, wrap in newspaper and leave in a warm and dark place for a month.
5. Store the prepared bulbs in the lower section of the refrigerator (not in the freezer!).

Crocuses can be planted outdoors in September. They must spend at least two years there, after which the bulbs can be used again for forcing.

How to prolong the flowering of potted crocuses

Under natural conditions, these primroses do not wait for warm days and make their way through the snow at the first rays of the spring sun. It is quite natural that crocuses are more comfortable in the cool, at temperatures from 10 to 15 ° C. In houses and apartments it is usually much warmer, so it is not surprising that after a couple of days the flowers fade.

To prolong flowering, crocuses need conditions that are as close to natural as possible. No matter how much you want to show off and put a bush on a warm window in the kitchen, you shouldn't do this. Better to put the pot in the coolest place. And even at night, take it out to the balcony or an unheated veranda, where the temperature is about 3 ° C. Then the crocus will bloom for up to 3 weeks. In addition, to preserve the bulbs, they only need to be watered in the pan. When watering in a pot, there is a possibility of decay.

What to do with crocuses after flowering - video