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How To Grow Ranunculus. Soaking, Presprouting, Planting, Covering, Harvest

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Rating: 4.0; Vote: 1

Here's how to grow ranunculus. Your growing zone and particular growing situation will dictate when your ranunculus should be planted. Zones 7 and higher or those with high tunnels can plant them out in fall. However, those in colder zones with no greenhouses should plant in very early spring. I am in 6b and do not have a high tunnel. I find that planting them out approx. 4-6 weeks before my last frost date and protecting them with a low tunnel made of wire hoops and frost cloth works best for me. Don't plant them outside until you are sure the ground won't freeze. Experience is the best teacher - especially when it comes to ranunculus. Everything that I'm sharing with you today is from trial and error on this particular land and in this zone. You will need to adapt to see what works best for you. You can find links to other grower's in other zones at the end of this tutorial. In my zone corms should be planted out approximately 4-6 weeks before the last frost. Before planting I soak and presprout to give them a head start. This should be done 2 weeks before planting out. When you purchase ranunculus corms they will be shipped to you in a dry dormant state. The corms can be stored dry and at room temperature for several months. No special treatments is necessary. Plan to start the soaking and presprouting process two weeks before you plan to plant them out in the garden. Place the corms in a bucket of room temperature water and soak them for 4 hours. The water temperature should never exceed 55 degrees F. I place mine in old daffodil bags so they are easy to lift out of the bucket. Change the water every hour to avoid the build up of bacteria. You can also use a fish pump to arrate the water or leave a gentle stream of water running in the bucket for the 4 hours. I find simply dumping the water every hour works just fine. Once the corms are soaked it is time to presprout them. Presprouting will result in blooms about 3 weeks earlier and will help us weed out any dud corms. Fill a planting tray that has no holes with lightly moisten high quality potting mix to the depth of about 1-2 inches. It is VERY important that the soil is not wet, just lightly moistened. Place the corms with the tuberous fingers pointing down in the medium. They can be placed very close together. We will not be growing them in this tray - just presprouting them. Cover the corms with a light layer of lightly moistened soil. Once again - not wet - just lightly moistened. At this point some people will tell you to cover the tray with a dome. I personally found this problematic so I do not cover the tray at all - however, find what works best for you. Place the tray in area that stays dark and cool. The ideal temperature is 50 degrees. The soil should stay slightly moist during this time. Never wet, and not bone dry. Leave the tray in this cool dark area for approx. 2 weeks. Check them every day or so for any signs of rot and discard any corms that are moldy or rotten immediately. Once about 2 weeks have passed you will see that the corms have developed roots and have begun to sprout. This is the right time to plant them out in the garden. Once again try to correlate your presprout with the time you want them to go out into the garden so that you are not trying to hold over corms that are ready to go outside. Ranunculus need full sun and well draining soil. The plants can take cold ground and cold temperatures, but the corms should never be allowed to freeze. Before planting, incorporate a good 2-3 inches of compost to the bed. Plant the corms 2 inches deep and about 9 inches apart. I have head some growers push the spacing to 6 inches apart, however, I have never personally tried this. Next I hoop and cover my plants with a frost cloth. I use Agribon 30 and metal hoops that are bent by a local farmer. I use metal staples to secure the cloth to the ground. Ranunculus open in the day and close at night. Harvest Ranunculus after they have opened and closed a few times, generally 3 days. If the center bud feels hard, wait, and check it the next day. It should feel squishy like a marshmallow. Harvest in the early morning. You can cut them more open, they will just have a shorter vase life. You can expect a vase life of 10 days. Once the weather warms up you will see the Ranunculs start to go dormant. Don't worry, this is normal. Ranunculus do not like long hot days and will stop producing when temperatures are consistently in the 70s. Zone 6b/7a with high tunnel - Zone 3/4 - Zone 8-10
Date: 2022-08-07

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Comments and reviews: 20

Jacinta
I have the utmost admiration for those who have to cope with harsh winter climes - yet still manage to have exquisite gardens. Luckily - here in New Zealand, the majority of us live in temperate zones (except the deep south and the mountainous regions. Currently my ranunculus corms are in the fridge (along with the anenome, tulip and hyacinth bulbs. We have to trick them into thinking it's winter. My daffodil, freesia, muscari and Dutch Iris bulbs are in the ground and already popping their shoots up. I'll be planting the refrigerated bulbs in early May (late autumn here. Your vlogs are just choc-full of fantastic information Danielle. Thank you so much for taking the time to educate us all - your fellow flower lovers.
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Eidolin
I feel like every single guide skips over how to get your seedlings through to the bloom stage. I have lost about 20 ranunculus in the last 2 months and all of them sprouted successfully, so that part wasn-t the problem. A large number were lost to root rot from overwatering after sprouting even though I was being careful. But then after I changed the water schedule the root rot stopped but the plants suddenly started drooping and wilting (soil was slightly moist still so I know they weren-t dehydrated. Now several more have died or are dying and I don-t know what to do. I-m so frustrated I could cry. I never knew they would be this difficult and the money I spent on them has all been wasted -
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Stephen
Great video! I will never disparage buttercups again! (Buttercups are essentially wild ranunculus-I think-. I had great success this spring with the corms I planted; my question is whether they will return next spring. I live in zone 9b-Palm Springs-Do I need to do anything special with the corms over the long hot summer? Also, in my particular area we have not seen a frost for probably the last 10 years or so, whereas it used to be a regular thing. Does that make a difference to the corms? Should I refrigerate them?
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Shelianne
Thank you so much for this video. Concise and relevant information on ranunculus is impossible to find until now. I appreciate your generosity in providing links to other gardeners in zones closer to my own. This is my second year trying ranunculus and hopefully I will get a bloom this time. Just one flower would mean success to me. I have 4 corms that have leaves. out of 20 I purchased from local big box hardware store/garden center. I garden in 6a/5b in New York. Happy spring when it actually arrives -
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Granny's
Yes indeed. First day of spring and it was freezing here too. I don't mind the cold but a strong north wind was too much. I tried weeding for an hour but came in frozen and decided that an afternoon beside the log fire was a better idea. Hopefully the Artic blast will pass in a few days and we can get back into the garden. I love the colour of those Ranunculus and the pre sprouting is definitely working, they looked lovely and plump before planting out.
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Down
Hi Daniel, thank you so much for the great information. Ranunculus remained covered by the agribon until when? Do you water them by hand or you have irrigation on the bed? I just have planted my pre sprouted corms and got the mini tunnel and frost cloth, no irrigation system. We will be in average 4-10Celcius for a week but it will be rainy all week. Any answer is greatly appreciated. Love your garden.
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Angela
I soaked my ranunculus corns for about 10 minutes they swell just a small amount and I discovered that I should not have done so at this time of the year is that going to cause me a problem? I removed them immediately and I'm trying to dry them out and wait until spring I live in Georgia and it's a little early I should wait until spring I do believe is this true? I need some advice.
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Gardening
I'm getting ready to plant my corms in the next few days. They are coming up! I'm so excited. This is my first time. I'm in 6B as well. I'm wondering what happens and what to do after they go dormant in the warmer weather. Do they corms stay in the ground all summer, then removed in the Fall for next year? Thank you.
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Marianne
I-ve loved these flowers for years and have never been able to find a source until now(Eden Brothers in NC) I had no idea they were so fragile and finicky. I believe my zone is 5 (Mid-Coast of Maine) I-m terrified of killing them before I even get them in the ground. Do I dig them up before a fall freeze?
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Alice
Ok I glad I watched this I think I made some mistakes! I-m in Michigan so I hope this is going to work I just want them in my flower garden not for cut flowers yeah it still cold in Michigan too but I tired of waiting so I doing spring clean up and spray my deer spray because the deer are always here
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Shawn
Thanks so much for the info for other zones! I really appreciate it. My first attempt at growing ran in s was a dismal failure. This year 18 of 25 corms have sprouted and are happily stretching their legs. Now, thanks for your zone 3-4 link, I will be able to have my first tannic, (hopefully.
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Matthew
Great info! I just got my first ever ranunculus today from Walmart. I've wanted to try them for a long time. It's in bloom and I have it inside in my grow room until my last frost date (zone 5b. Once they are finished, can I just dig the corms up and store them until next year?
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luckyelfie
I-m in a zone 9 and have always just thrown the dry corms in the ground in October and they have been successful. Last year I presoaked and was not as happy. This year I-ll personal and prescription half and just toss the other 1/2 in the ground and see what happens.
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Joe
One thing I never see discussed is when to dig up your corms to save. I don-t know that many ppl do save them, maybe that is why? Once the heat kicks in and they finish flowering is like a bulb where there need the foliage to die back to feed the corm?
Thanks!
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Class
thank-you Danielle for sharing your knowledge - you are always so generous: -) I am very hesitant to -experiment- with these because they are so expensive here in Canada (18$CAN for 5 corms, the -some loss is expected- is tough, despite their beauty!
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Laurie
I have ranunculus plants that I purchased in bloom. I am in zone 6 b also and wondering what I should do when they are done blooming for the season. Should I take them out of dirt, cut them down, clean them off and store them in a dark location?
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Diane
Such a great tutorial! I had never heard of this flower before I saw one of your previous videos. They're absolutely beautiful! Do you then lift the rhizomes in the fall and store or do you consider them annual? I live in Michigan, zone 5b.
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Yolanda
This video was so perfect! My first round of corms did not do well, so I bought 2 more bags. The soil that I bought was already a little damp, so I didn't add water. I placed them in the cellar and they're finally sprouting. Thank you!
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Good
Thanks for the encouragement, Danielle! I have some pre-spouted corms in the ground now (Zone 9b in Southern CA) and I hope that at least a few come up in the Spring. :--) I appreciate your comments about being patient with ourselves.
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Reena
I must point out of how beautiful your hands are. It looked like not hands of a gardener who created such beautiful garden and tended to plants that produces amazing flowers. Thank you for sharing us your ideas and helpful tips.
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