Growing Things: How to get your Ranunculus to bloom

Q: As you indicated in a recent column, indeed spring will come! So, my thoughts go to Ranunculus which I have had no luck in growing! My neighbours babied theirs with grow lights in late winter, then put them outside and I put mine directly outside and neither of us successfully had the flowers come to bloom! Any helpful hints? Helpful thoughts? They truly are so beautiful!

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A: I agree Ranunculus are one of my favourites as well. I have a few tips on getting your Ranunculus to bloom:

• Soak the corms in room temperature water for four hours prior to planting. Do not oversoak, as this will promote rot. Some growers recommend letting the water run as a slow trickle while soaking or placing the corms in a mesh bag and then moving the bag up and down in the water every hour or so.

• Next, you can pre-sprout the corms. Use a planting tray that is half-filled with vermiculite. Place the corms pointy side down into the vermiculite and gently cover the corms with potting mix. Moisten the mix and cover with a plastic dome.

• Place the corms in a dark area for 14 days. Once they sprout move them under lights or in a sunny window. Keep them lightly moist.

• Once the danger of frost has passed and they are around 10 cm tall, you plant them outdoors. You can plant them in the ground or as I do in containers. I like growing them in pots because I can move them wherever I want to fully enjoy them and move them to optimum light conditions.

• A good rule of thumb for these plants is that they will usually bloom approximately 90 days after planting so you can time your outdoor planting accordingly. A March start will give bloom in June.

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• One thing to remember is that Ranunculus are cool weather plants so once the temperature gets above 21 C, the plants will stop producing buds.

I did have a good laugh as one of the growers calls these plants ‘little divas’. This is true as these little divas are a bit fussy but worth the effort.

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Learn more by emailing your questions to filipskigerald@gmail.com, reading past columns or my book Just Ask Jerry. You can also follow me on X (Twitter) @justaskjerry01.

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