Ranunculus

Used for bedding and cut flowers, ranunculus are pompom-like flowers that range in color from white to shades of pink, yellow and red.

How to Care


Planting

Select a site for your ranunculus where the plants can receive five or six hours of sunlight each day in a well-drained location. Use a raised bed if good drainage cannot be assured to prevent rotting of ranunculus tubers.

Spread a fertiliser blend designed specifically for bulbs, using half the strength recommended by the manufacturer. Apply a 1- to 2-inch deep layer of organic matter, such as compost, over the planting bed.

Cultivate the soil to a depth of 9-to-12 inches, working fertilizer and organic matter into the planting bed. Water the bulb bed the day before planting the ranunculus tubers.

When planting, set ranunculus tubers 2 inches deep and 6-to-8 inches apart with prongs down. Spread the ranunculus bed with 2-to-3 inches of mulch.

Feeding and Watering


Water ranunculus after leaves emerge when necessary to maintain a moist planting area but do not saturate soil. Ranunculs tubers rot very easily in wet soil. Use a soaker hose or other form of ground irrigation to avoid wetting flowers once ranunculus begins to bud. Remove spent flowers to encourage additional bloom.

Stop watering and allow foliage to yellow and die down naturally after the bloom period. Leave ranunculus tubers in the ground when planted within the hardiness range where soil is not subject to excessive moisture.

Apply fertiliser to the planting bed after foliage dies down. A fertiliser that is designed specifically for flower bulbs can be used, following product instructions. Water immediately after applying fertiliser.
 

Ranunculus