Ranunculus are the roses of spring, producing beautiful blooms that are whimsical and soft and colorful and everything else that makes flowers special.
Growing them can seem intimidating, but I’ve learned that it seems scarier in print than it actually is. Not that you’re not going to make mistakes to perfect the process - that’s inevitable no matter how much of a green thumb you have - but if you can just get them to make a little sprout indoors and have a cool but frost-free environment for them to rest in over the winter, you’re set up for a spring of beautiful blooms that continually shoot up for at least a couple of months.
Here are the five steps to planting:
pre-soak the corms
pre-sprout the corms*
plant soaked or sprouted corms in container/raised bed/well draining spot of ground, 8-9 inches apart
cover with frost cloth
fertilize at the beginning of spring, keep watered, and enjoy your weekly harvests!
Now to break down those steps a little further (and please note these steps are for those living in growing zones 6 - 7):
Pre-Soaking Corms
When you receive your corms, they will appear to be shriveled up little aliens. Have no fear! Healthy corms will actually look slightly unhealthy, though please note that mold/discoloration/lot of missing “legs” would be a sign of poor corms.
To encourage the corms to start growing, you’ll want to soak them in clean water for 3-4 hours.
Some suggest that you leave a small bit of water running into the container as they soak to help keep the water oxygenated, but truthfully I don’t have the time or means to do that for my many corms and have still had success! I would just say that if you don’t keep the water running, then taking them out at the 3 hour mark is best.
Pre-Sprouting Corms
*Though soaking is a step not to be missed, pre-sprouting is optional. However, by doing so you’ll know for sure your corm has a fighting chance at growing and you’ll get blooms a few weeks earlier than it you don’t.
If you DO opt to pre-sprout:
As the corms soak, cover the bottom of a 2-3 inch tray with fluffy, moist potting soil (Southern States has seed trays for under $2 a piece or aluminum foil pans from the grocery store work great for this step, too!). Moist isn’t my favorite word but it’s truly the best one to describe how you want the soil to be: not so wet that you could make a mud pie with it but wet enough that the water within it is evident when you touch it.
After the corms have soaked, place them in the tray spaced close together (approximately 2 inches apart) with their tiny legs facing down. Then, cover with another layer of moist potting soil.
Place the tray in a cool, out-of-direct-sunlight spot (55-70 degrees) and check in a couple of days. If soil feels dried out, spritz with water but again, be careful not to add too much (can you tell rotted/drowned more than my fair share of corms and am hoping you learn from my mistakes?;)
Corms take 10-14 days to sprout, so continue to check every couple of days to maintain consistent moisture. If you do spot any moldy corms (it’s totally fine to pull one up to check!) remove that one, discard it in the trash (not compost pile) and gently loosen the dirt in the tray to make sure there’s consistency with the wetness.
Plant Sprouted Corms
You’ll know your corms are ready for planting when they have one or a few tiny nubs showing out of the top (I compare it to new baby teeth poking out!) and many white, dangly roots coming out around those tiny little legs. This is the time you could plant them, but can wait to plant them until they have an inch or two or stems/leaves shooting up if you want a boost on growing earlier in spring. I plant some at the earliest stage (lots of roots and just a nub of a stem) and others at the later one (tiny leaves have appeared) to stagger the start and end bloom times.
Plant the corms in your preferred outdoor spot, 8-9 inches apart and 2-3 inches deep, roots down/shoots up!
Whether planting in beds, pots, or ground, adding organic compost is great for ranunculus, and a new favorite of mine is Leafgro, which can be found at Lowe’s. It’s made in Maryland, has a wonderful texture, low odor, and I do believe has contributed to healthy plants for me!
If planting in the ground, just be sure you’re choosing a spot that isn’t prone to standing water and definitely amend with compost. Heavy clay isn’t always a friend to ranunculus, especially if Virginia decides to have as snowy winter.
If planting in pots, you’ll want to move them outside so they don’t continue to grow via the spring like temps in your home. The idea is for them to remain dormant yet maintain strong roots throughout the winter.
Cover with Frost Cloth
After tucked into the soil, cover the plants with a frost cloth that hovers slightly over the shoots.
Pots do well to overwinter on porches, but still cover them just to be sure they’re not kissed by frost.
Fertilize and Enjoy
After the last frost of the season, remove the frost cloth, fertilize the plants (I love Plantone or Dr. Earth Flower Girl), and begin to water every few days. Once the blooms start to show, harvest them at the marshmallow stage of flowering, i.e. blooms are slightly opened and a little squishy but not fully spread, cutting at the base of the stem. Harvesting frequently encourages more blooming so cutting frequently is encouraged.
Ranunculus have a long vase life, especially if you change the water every few days and give the stems a fresh snip!