They don't do well indoors. There, you've read it again :)

Good quality bulbs can be flowered at least once indoors but chances are they will be weak next year or not come back at all. Seems a bit late though, haven't they flowered already?

Try to give them a rich soil, as much light as you can, regular water, and then store them warm and dry over the summer. You'll know if they are getting enough light because the flowers will open.

ok. so i shouldn't bring them in at all during the year like for the winter? no i just got them yesterday and there bulbs that haven't bloomed or anything yet. ok so can I plant them now?

ok well i was thinking that i would plant them now and wait about a week til they bloom and then put them outside even though it gets around 28-40 at night. and then bring it in in the summer.would that work?

Definitely nothing to lose by planting them. Most likely they will flower almost immediately. Inside may not be warm enough in summer but certainly you should keep them dry.

ok so when i plant them should i keep them outside or should i keep them inside until they bloom? would that be bad if they flowered that fast? oh ok how warm does it have to be for them in the summer?

How much frost do you expect to get over the winter? And how long does it last for - hours? Or days?

Saffron will certainly take 4-5 degrees of frost for a day without harm so long as they are well-drained in the first place. They can be container-planted for over the winter to let them grow on. Full sun and excellent drainage.

When you come to plant out for the next season - a rich soil, 4" deep and 4" apart. Remember you need to divide them every 1-2 years so treat them as a crop rather than a 'patch of colour' in the garden. Row cultivation.

If you're leaving them in the ground - they need to be dry over the summer.

If you want the saffron - pick the flowers before they open to take out the saffron for drying. If you just want the flowers - leave untouched to enjoy.

well we got it sometimes but it only lasts for hours..ok yeah i plan to have them in containers all year..what do you mean by "plant out for the next season?" they need to be dry no matter what in the summer right? ok thanks vetivert8

ok well ive planted my bulbs about 4 days ago and so far they haven't popped up. do you know about how long it will take?

Commercial saffron is picked as soon as a fully open flower is formed. The "strands" are not fully formed or coloured until then. As hydroponics are used now they must be growable indoors, but only under the right conditions. I read recently that field crops are grown somewhat like potatoes in Spain, lots of deep rich soil and feeding, and then of course a long hot summer. Maybe soon we will be able to grow them in the UK again as a commercial crop.

ok thanks brian but how long until the bulbs will sprout and start growing?

well its been about 8 days or so and they still haven't came thru the soil. maybe its to cold outside? its about 35-40 at night.

Unless they were 'sprouted' when you got them - they need to form roots before shoots. (Which sounds contradictory I know...)

A bulb can produce its leaves from the reserves of food inside the bulb and will do so in the worst of places (remainder bins at the big box stores...) but, before it can do much else it must put down roots. Has to.

If you damped the mix when you planted don't add any more for a while until the container is about half as heavy as it was when you first watered it. Let it dry out. You've provided the 'drought-breaker' and reminded the bulbs to get going. They've got to produce roots to collect water before they can sustain a drive for the surface. Look again toward the end of January.

If you have one single bulb planted up - use that as your sacrificial examination bulb so you can decant and replant to see what progress you can expect with the others.

If the bulbs weren't greatly fresh on planting - expect some losses. No fault to the gardener; the bulbs lose vigour, is all. But some should come through.

well they were sprouted when i got them, there were big roots coming out from the bottom and on some like 3 or 4 roots but its been 3 weeks now and still nothing above the soil..well i watered them pretty well when i first planted them, do you think they could have rotted? but i haven't watered since cuz i was afraid of rot or something. do they grow fast? ok i will dig them up come end of Jan. but i will keep looking in the mean time..what do you mean use one as my sacrificial examination bulb?

If I have acquired bulbs late in the season (fossicked in the remainder bins...!) then I often plant one separately from the others so I can check on progress or lack thereof.

I personally found this crocus to be 'deliberate' about growing (took a while to get settled in). Like you, I kept checking, and I'm looking forward to hearing what they're up to at your end.

(I'm contemplating wild methods for giving mine a decent summer baking at the moment as the weather is not co-operating. Worth a try :-D. )

well there all in seperate pots..ahhh i see well i hope its just settling in and that it will grow. do you think that by planting late in the season that it will be weak next year? or is that just for indoor growing of it.yeah i will keep you posted..lol yeah, dont you just keep them outside in the summer because they like the really hot weather?

I expect an autumn flowering bulb to flower more or less on time, if it going to. Out of season bulbs usually abort the flower, in my experience, excepting south African bulbs when you can control flowering time to some extent by when you start watering.

hm ok well i hope it doesn't brian. i'll just see how it does if it comes through the soil.

Autumn flowering crocus, including C. sativus, will flower without roots if they are left unplanted and warm at the appropriate time. This is not exactly good for the plant but it happens!

thats crazy! i thought they wont flower when its warm, dont they go dormiat during the summer?

Yes they do...the bloom in cool fall weather:D

Here is some more cultural/growing information for you....

Here is a link that might be useful: Crocus sativus

ok thanks vera..i think i have already read that though but its a very good and helpful site nevertheless.