The Organic
Revival
Spices · Corm

Growing saffron

Crocus sativus · also called kesar, kong (Kashmiri)A low autumn-flowering crocus grown from corms for its red stigmas, dried into the spice. In India it is a crop of the Kashmir valley and Kishtwar, planted in July and picked by hand in autumn.

Temperate Himalaya: Kashmir valley, Shimla, Kullu, Uttarakhand hills

Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Includes AI suggestions where no published guide covers a detail
An open purple saffron crocus flower on bare soil, with its three long red stigmas and yellow stamens
Photo: Emilie40 · CC0

At a glance

Saffron in the Temperate Himalaya

  • Season

    Corms planted in July, flowers picked in autumn (October to November)1

    Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

  • Sowing to last picking

    A perennial planting. Corms stay in the ground for four years and flower every autumn, from the first autumn after planting. Leaves grow through winter and spring, then the corms rest from about May to August.1

    Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

  • Sow

    15 to 30 July1

    Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

Across India

When to sow it

Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.

Wait until July

The next sowing here is 15 to 30 July.

  • Sow
  • Harvest
  • Today
Temperate HimalayaKashmir valley, Shimla, KulluSub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, DehradunNo guide for this region yetCold desertLadakh, Lahaul and SpitiNo guide for this region yet
Compare all 12 regions
Cold desertLadakh, Lahaul and SpitiNo guide for this region yetSub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, DehradunNo guide for this region yetNorth-west plainsPunjab, Haryana, DelhiNo guide for this region yetGangetic plainseastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal plainsNo guide for this region yetNorth-east hills and valleysAssam, Meghalaya, SikkimNo guide for this region yetArid westRajasthan, Kutch, north GujaratNo guide for this region yetCentral plateauMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, VidarbhaNo guide for this region yetDeccan plateauinterior Maharashtra, Telangana, north KarnatakaNo guide for this region yetSouth interiorBengaluru, Mysuru, interior Tamil NaduNo guide for this region yetWest coastKerala, Goa, KonkanNo guide for this region yetEast coastcoastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal AndhraNo guide for this region yet
Today
See the dates as a table
RegionSowNurseryTransplantHarvest
Temperate Himalaya15 to 30 JulyMid-October to early November
Cold desertNo guide for this region yet
Sub-tropical foothillsNo guide for this region yet
North-west plainsNo guide for this region yet
Gangetic plainsNo guide for this region yet
North-east hills and valleysNo guide for this region yet
Arid westNo guide for this region yet
Central plateauNo guide for this region yet
Deccan plateauNo guide for this region yet
South interiorNo guide for this region yet
West coastNo guide for this region yet
East coastNo guide for this region yet

From seed to harvest

One season, day by day

Days from sowing

  1. Before sowing

    Compost or well-rotted FYM

    15 t per hectare (7.5 quintals per kanal) · Spread evenly and mix in at the first ploughing. It helps the soil hold water. · First ploughing

    Vermicompost1

    10 quintals per hectare (50 kg per kanal) · Mix well into the soil before the corms go in. · Final ploughing, before planting

  2. Day 40 to 60

    Seeds come up1,2,3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

Saffron needs water most from August to November. SKUAST-Kashmir sets five waterings of 140 m³ a hectare each, about 15 days apart: two for sprouting (1 to 15 and 16 to 30 September), one before flowering (1 to 10 October) and two after flowering (10 to 20 and 21 to 30 November). That is 70 mm on top of about 131 mm of rain from August to November. Keep the top of the beds from staying wet, as corm rot follows.1,2

What it needs

Soil, sun and warmth

  • Soil pH1,2,3

    7 to 8

    Loose, friable, well-drained clay or clay loam that is calcareous, rich in organic matter and free of pebbles. Slightly alkaline soil gives a better stand.

  • SunlightNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

    Full sun. Grow it in an open field with no shade from trees or buildings.

  • TemperatureNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

    Grows best at 10 to 25 °C

    Takes hard frost.

    Monthly temperatures for the Temperate Himalaya aren't in the library yet.

Water and feeding

Watering1,2

Saffron needs water most from August to November. SKUAST-Kashmir sets five waterings of 140 m³ a hectare each, about 15 days apart: two for sprouting (1 to 15 and 16 to 30 September), one before flowering (1 to 10 October) and two after flowering (10 to 20 and 21 to 30 November). That is 70 mm on top of about 131 mm of rain from August to November. Keep the top of the beds from staying wet, as corm rot follows.

Sprouting: September, two waterings. Before flowering: early October, one. After flowering: November, two.

Weeding1,2,3

Saffron is low and slow, so weeds can cut flower and corm yields by about 30%. Hand weed from December to April while the leaves are growing, with light hoeing in winter. Hoe once in the second half of June to air the soil, but skip it if the soil is wet, as that brings corm rot and packs the soil. Hoe again in August and leave a fine tilth so the sprouts come through. SKUAST-Jammu asks for at least three hoeings in the summer rest.

WhenWhatHow muchHow
First ploughingCompost or well-rotted FYM15 t per hectare (7.5 quintals per kanal)Spread evenly and mix in at the first ploughing. It helps the soil hold water.
Final ploughing, before plantingVermicompost10 quintals per hectare (50 kg per kanal)Mix well into the soil before the corms go in.

Sources1

Varieties and yield

Typical range1,2

8 to 10 kg a hectare

Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.

Varieties grown here1,2

  • Shalimar Saffron-1 (SD 1-13)

    SKUAST-Kashmir composite variety. Large corms that look like gladiolus corms, suits high-density planting, moderately resistant to corm rot and leaf blight.

Pests and diseases1,2,3

Organic and cultural controls only.

  • Pest

    Blyth's vole

    Signs

    A small burrowing rodent, active from November to April. It bites the shoots off at the corm and carries the corms away to store. Plants wither and dry in patches, much like corm rot.

    What to do

    • Clear fallen debris and grass from the field so voles find no food or cover
    • Cut boundary bunds down to about 30 cm so voles leave them
    • Smoke out live burrows with a burrow fumigator burning cow dung, maize straw and local herbs
    • Set live traps in a grid or line, 15 to 20 traps a hectare
    • Work with neighbours: control works only across large joined areas, repeated

    Prevention

    • Keep the field and bunds clean of weeds and debris

  • Pest

    Indian crested porcupine

    Signs

    A large quilled rodent that digs up and eats the corms.

    What to do

    • Place lamps in and around the field at night
    • Fence the field with metal sheet 45 to 60 cm high

    Prevention

    • The porcupine is protected under the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife (Protection) Act, so keep it out rather than harm it

  • Disease

    Corm rot (Fusarium)

    Signs

    Plants wither and dry in patches and the corms rot. Wet soil in the top of the beds makes it worse.

    What to do

    • Collect and burn affected plants with their corms
    • Mix Trichoderma into FYM before spreading, 1 kg to 20 kg of FYM

    Prevention

    • Plough deep in the summer months
    • Plant on raised beds with paths between them that drain water away
    • Plant only healthy corms
    • Add well-rotted FYM, 20 t per hectare
    • Do not hoe when the soil is wet

Seed and the season's end

Saving seed1,3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

Saffron sets no seed, so it is kept going from corms. Each corm makes 3 or 4 daughter corms. Lift them after the planting cycle, which is four years for Shalimar Saffron-1.

When the seed is ready

Lift in June, when the leaves have dried off and the corms are dormant.

Cleaning the seed

Clean off the husk and soil. Keep large, healthy corms, at least 2.5 cm across, for planting, and throw out any that are soft or rotting.

Store lifted corms in boxes, covered with soil, at 19 to 23°C and 65 to 75% humidity for 40 to 45 days, then plant. Good storage stops them sprouting early.

After the last picking1

After the fourth year, lift the corms in June while they are dormant. Store them in boxes covered with soil at 19 to 23°C and 65 to 75% humidity for 40 to 45 days before planting again. In a high-density planting Shalimar Saffron-1 can give 250 to 275 quintals of corms a hectare at the end of the cycle.

Work the dried leaves into the soil when hoeing in summer.

Rotation

A planting stays four years. Then lift the corms in June and plant them again in freshly prepared land rather than the same beds, which cuts the build-up of corm rot.

Sources

Where this comes from

Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.

These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.

  1. 1Package of Practices for Shalimar Saffron-1 (Manual Series AU/DR/Booklet/PoP/Saffron/20/009)Advanced Research Station for Saffron and Seed Spices, Directorate of Research, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-Kashmir)Read the source
  2. 2Package of Practices for Shalimar Saffron-1 (SD 1-13), Heritage Crop (pamphlet)Advanced Research Station for Saffron and Seed Spices, Konibal, Pampore, SKUAST-Kashmir (AICRP on Spices extension pamphlet)Read the source
  3. 3Package of Practices for Kharif Crops 2016 (5.2 Saffron)Directorate of Extension, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-Jammu)Read the source

AI Farm Manager · In development

Plan this crop on your land

AI Farm Manager will turn guides like this one into a plan for your own plot. It doesn't make plans yet.

See how it will work