The beautiful colors and folds of ranunculus petals can’t be beat! They bloom in early spring, providing the flower farmer a head start on the season. Watching their buds unfold confirms in my mind that all the preparation and extra hours I put into growing them is well worth it.
Do you grow ranunculus? If not, I think you’re missing out on one of the most stunning flowers.
Here’s what it takes to add ranunculus to your garden or flower farm.
- Soak your ranunculus corms for at least 3-4 hours. You want them to be viable, not mushy, so don’t soak them any longer than that.
- Pre-sprout the corms in a good quality soil mixture. Here at the farm, I pre-sprout my corms in trays with four-pack sections. I suggest you do the same. This makes it easy to lift them for planting later into their permanent home.
- After soaking, place the corms, with claws pointing downward, into the soil mixture. Make sure the soil is lightly damp, but not heavily moist.
- Cover the corms with less than an inch of soil. This layer of soil should not be wet. If it’s wet, the corms will be vulnerable to rot.
- Place the trays in a cool, dry location with no light. The ideal temperature for pre-sprouting is 50 degrees.
- Check your pre-sprouting corms daily for mold or rot. Discard any unhealthy corms. The corms should sprout in about two weeks, sometimes a bit longer. After they’ve sprouted, they’re ready for lifting from the trays and planting.
- Plant your sprouted corms. Here at the farm, we plant our ranunculus in a high tunnel. If you don’t have a high tunnel, plant your corms directly into the ground, but provide protection against hard winter freezes.
- Create a protective covering by using bendable material and frost cloth.
- When temperatures warm above freezing, uncover your young ranunculus so they can get more sun—but be ready to recover them each evening when temps are expected to drop below freezing. As you know, flower farmers live by the weather!
- Whether planting your ranunculus in the ground or inside a high tunnel, add a layer of compost to give them a good start to a healthy, successful growing season.
Ranunculus are cool plants. They don’t like heat and are usually treated as annuals. So, to ensure you have a bountiful harvest each spring, purchase corms every year.
Explore K. van Bourgondien’s selection of ranunculus and order yours today.
Happy Gardening!
Pamela Anthony
Beehind Thyme Farm & Garden