Saffron is one of the most popular and expensive spices in the world, whose name is always associated with Iran. In this article, you will learn how to make a saffron greenhouse.

Saffron is one of the most popular and expensive spices in the world, whose name is always associated with Iran. Until the past few years, saffron cultivation was only reserved for hot and dry areas of the country, such as the eastern regions, but today, growing it in greenhouses has greatly increased its production.

In this article, we intend to provide you with details about how to make a saffron greenhouse. So stay with us until the end of this article.

What is saffron?

Saffron is actually a purple flower with three petals, three stamens and three stigmas, the last part of which, as the most expensive spice in the world, has medicinal and edible uses. Iran's saffron is one of the best examples in the world and it is considered the main export pole of this product to other countries. But these days countries like China, Egypt, Spain, Pakistan and Italy are also cultivating it.

According to historical documents, Iran and Asia Minor are the main origin of saffron, and the cities of Kermanshah, Hamedan and Isfahan were important centers of its cultivation. But with the Mongol invasion of our land, the cultivation of saffron in these areas was stopped, and after that, for many years, the cultivation of this flower was reserved only for the eastern cities of the country.

But currently, with the plans implemented by the agricultural jihad and the desire of people to earn money through saffron cultivation, they have resumed its cultivation in other provinces of the country such as Kermanshah, Isfahan, etc.

Construction of saffron greenhouse

The high demand for saffron cultivation and significant profit from its cultivation has encouraged the people of different regions of Iran and even countries such as the United Arab Emirates to expand the area of saffron cultivation by establishing a greenhouse.

Cultivation of saffron by hydroponic and aeroponic methods are two ways to grow it in a high comparison in the environment simulated with the climate of Khorasan, the description of each of them is as follows:

Cultivation of saffron by hydroponic method

Hydroponics or the method of growing in water is a type of modern agriculture in which the roots of various plants are placed in tanks filled with water with soluble minerals. Then, by turning on the pump and making the water flow, the nutrients are delivered to the roots of the plants.

Hydroponic cultivation of saffron in the greenhouse has various advantages as follows:

The growth rate and efficiency of this cultivation method is much higher than its cultivation in the soil.
The density of saffron bulbs cultivated in hydroponic tanks is much denser than the normal way of growing it.
In the hydroponic system, the plant does not need continuous watering, so it saves water.
Controlling light, moisture and nutrients in this method is much easier than growing in water.
With the hydroponic system, farmers will not need rich land and soil substrate.

Despite the many advantages of this system, the high start-up cost as well as the lower quality of the final product are among the disadvantages of hydroponic saffron cultivation.

Construction of saffron greenhouse by aeroponic method

Aeroponics is an almost new agricultural method that is not yet popular among farmers of various crops. In this system, neither the soil nor the flow of water play a role, and the roots of the plants are suspended in the air.

Farmers use water sprays containing minerals to prevent airponic saffron from drying out and to replenish the food they need. This saffron cultivation system increases the production rate and reduces the harvest period. It also saves water.

On the other hand, controlling the necessary growth conditions and preventing pest attacks are two more advantages of the air-cultivation method. But in this case too, the high cost of setting up and the lower quality of the products are the negative points of the aeroponic system.

Advantages of building a saffron greenhouse

In explaining the popularity of how to build a saffron greenhouse, it is better to mention the advantages of growing this product in a greenhouse:

• Product yield and volume of production in the greenhouse is much higher than cultivation in the traditional way.
• Saffron is a product with a low water requirement, but its cultivation on a large scale will waste a lot of water, which can be saved by growing it in a greenhouse.
• With the construction of a saffron planting greenhouse, it is possible to grow this product in all regions of the country.
• Direct sunlight sometimes reduces the quality of saffron, which solves this problem to a large extent by building a greenhouse.
• In the normal case and in the traditional way, the farmer should prepare a land with a large area to cultivate a large amount of saffron. But with stratified cultivation and the use of new methods, the density of the crop also increases.
• The traditional method of growing saffron requires 5-6 years to achieve high profitability, but the construction of a saffron greenhouse will provide the possibility of achieving profit in the first year of cultivation.
• Due to the placement of saffron onion in the soil in the traditional cultivation method, more diseases and pests threaten this flower.
• But in the greenhouse system, farmers have more control over preventing pest attacks.
• Saffron is a plant with low water requirement, for this reason, the construction of a greenhouse for its cultivation is applicable even in hot and dry areas with low water reserves.
• Harvesting and selling saffron has an acceptable profit due to its high economic value.
• All parts of saffron flower can be used.

How to make a saffron greenhouse

Growing saffron in the greenhouse has different stages as follows:

1. Buy high-quality onions

The high quality of the final product of saffron depends to a large extent on the quality of its onion. In other words, the heavier and larger the onions, the more valuable the stigma produced from them. Onions are kept in cultivation halls and transferred from there to the greenhouse or the main land.

Be careful that the month of June is the sleeping time of these onions and the best time to transfer them to the ground. Doing this in the following months will shock the plant and reduce yield. At this stage, the onions should be kept in an environment with a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius and a humidity of 40 to 55 degrees.

After that, the ready-to-plant onions should be kept in a completely dark greenhouse with a temperature of 23-25 degrees Celsius and a humidity of 75-85% and be careful not to come into contact with water. These conditions will continue until they are transferred to the main platform.

2. Transfer the bulbs to the ground or the main bed

After moving the bulbs and transferring them to the main greenhouse, farmers should transfer the ready-to-grow bulbs to the main growth medium, i.e. soil, hydroponic or aeroponic system, in September. The flowering season of onions is October, when farmers remove extra flowers to improve the quality of the copper crop.

Each quality onion naturally produces 12 to 14 flowers, so they should be planted at least 5 cm apart. Mid-November to the end of this month is the season of harvesting flowers and removing the stigmas from it.

It is better to know that high-quality onions have a useful life of up to 8 years and can produce full and fragrant or colored stigmas. After the expiration of this time, the bulbs should be replaced with new samples.

Equipment needed to build a saffron greenhouse

Part of how to build a saffron greenhouse is related to the equipment needed for this space. The tools and equipment are different depending on the method of saffron cultivation, but in general, we can consider the following tools as necessary for setting up a greenhouse:

• Skeletonization and covering of the greenhouse
• Installation of heating and cooling systems
• Installation of sensors sensitive to temperature and humidity
• Canopy to adjust the amount of light
• Layered trays and water tanks in hydroponic and aeroponic methods

The cost of building a saffron greenhouse

Cultivation of saffron with the traditional method does not require high capital, but setting up a greenhouse for its cultivation costs more. The amount of this cost is also different according to the type of cultivation system, type of skeleton, type of greenhouse cover, type of onion, irrigation system, etc.

final word

Saffron is a valuable flower with medicinal and edible benefits, which our country is considered one of the main poles of its cultivation and export to other parts of the world. In this article, we explained how to build a saffron greenhouse and its benefits