During the year, two main stages in the saffron vegetative cycle are distinguished: activity and resting stages. During the activity stage, from August to April, the plant restart its metabolic activity (activation phase), flowering, rooting, sprouting, foliation and stooling take place (flowering and vegetative growth phases). Resting phase include dormancy and maturity phases.

Flowering occurs between October and November depending on the climatological conditions of the zone. It lasts between 15 and 20 days.

Flowers are collected according to the saffron producing region at daybreak, before to be opened (Spain) or near the midday when the flower is just opened (Greece or Italy).

Vegetative growth starts after flowering (December- April). Although roots and leaves had just grown during flowering, it is after that phase when they really develop theirselves and stems get weight. Young shoots are turned into young corms which develop thanks to their photosynthetic activity and to mother corm reserves inputs. This one wrinkles in order to leave space for the new corm.

Between January and February all shoots, had flowered or not, produce leaves ranging between 40 and 60 cm.

It is the moment when the corm reachs its definitive aspect and size. Towards April, when daily temperatures rise and ground get warm and dry, mother corm roots and leaves die and detach.

Resting phase is the perfect moment for rejuvenating the cultivation. In this moment it is possible to clean and replant the corms in other plots having been out of saffron cultivation at least during eight years. In Spain cultivation rotation are done every four years, in Italy every five or six years and in Greece every six or seven years.

Corm restart its activity and it starts to sprout. Flowers as well as leaves grow in lenght inside cataphils. Shoots undergo an important longitudinal growth leaving back the flakes which protected theirselves and they reach the land surface.