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Clumps of crocus with no flowers
Daryl2
Posts: 452
I would appreciate some advice from you knowledgable people about some clumps of crocus that have no sign of buds or flowers. When we bought the house last year there were some big conifers which we had removed and there are now clumps of crocus growing underneath where they were. I assume the lack of flowers is due to them being starved of light (and moisture) for the past few years. Now that they are getting lots of sunshine, is there anything else that I should be doing to help them to make flowers next year?
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They might be suffering from overcrowding. You could try lifting and dividing the bulbs which you can replant in the same location after giving the soil a bit of a digging over to loosen it a bit if it has become compacted by removing the conifers, and adding some compost or topsoil and giving it a bit of a feed. Don't replant them too deeply - just about a bulbs depth would be fine, and make sure you water them in and they should be fine next year.
I agree - poor things are probably starved after living under the conifers. Heap on the compost and feed now, whilst they are still in leaf. You may be rewarded later this year if you are lucky, otherwise they should be fine next year. The alternative is to lift them after the foliage diies down, store until autumn, then plant in pots with good compost and pamper them in pots for next year before returning to the improved soil where you wanted them.
"Things" also like to eat crocus flowers.
Last Sunday I was admiring a lovely patch of purple crocus. On Monday I was admiring a fine pheasant strutting round the garden. Then I noticed my patch of crocus flowers had been reduced to from about 30 to just 3 - then it was 2 - then it was nearly roast pheasant for this Sunday's lunch
...and of course mice and squirrels absolutely adore the corms which is why people often plant them in pots with a a mesh over the top to precent them beingexcavated and consumed!
Don't get me started on the squirrels GG...
They dug in all my pots last autumn burying their nuts & foraging for bulbs - forgot to protect them with the mesh for just one night!
Thanks for those thoughts and theories I don't think they've been eaten, they have just come up all leaves and no buds so I will try giving them a good feed this year and if there is still no flowers next year I will lift them and replant.
Just a thought. Are you sure they are crocus. Clumps of grass also sound like Grape Hyacinth and they don't have flowers yet.
Oh, that's a good thought. I'll have another look tomorrow.
Here's some of them. What do you think? Sorry the picture is a bit shadowy.