Growing Ranunculus: Planting, Feeding And Watering

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Read the previous part: Ranunculus - classification and varieties

Ranunculus look great in both group and single plantings. In spring, blue or snow-white flowers of the White Splendour variety, pink or even purple Violet Star varieties will decorate the garden with expensive carpets. Small "squares" of bright multi-colored ranunculus will look original and picturesque in any corner of the garden, if you plant various varieties of them with mosaics.

A unique sight is the composition of ranunculus and poppies. The bright yellow heads of ranunculus combined with burning, scarlet poppy petals are wonderful!

The real jewels of your garden will be: Blackcurrant, which has huge corollas of flowers, painted in a rich purple-pink color, or Clementine, which is a bright orange. They will look great both in a vase and when planted alone in the garden.

Gardener's guide

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Ranunculus grow well and bloom profusely in pots. If you pick up high varieties with bright, shiny flowers and plant irises or dwarf roses to them, then such "vases" will decorate both the terrace and the garden. Only when choosing a place for such a "bouquet" should it be borne in mind that he loves sunlight in the morning or in the evening, and hot midday rays are undesirable for him.

Ranunculus aquatilis can be used to decorate the pond. Planted at the bottom of the reservoir, it will become its decoration for many years, as it perfectly tolerates the winter cold.

Ranunculus lingua is another ranunculus variety that can be used in a pond. Its stems are able to rise more than a meter in height, they will decorate the water surface with bright yellow flowers from June to late summer. This variety can also grow and bloom in huge vases in full sun, only the earthy extract must be very wet or the vase is half filled with water.

Ranunculus, which live in water, grow very large, so their bushes must be separated at least once every two years so that they do not drown out nearby growing plants.

Ranunculus care

Growing ranunculus is not very difficult, but still they require attention, care and patience, which then pay off generously with the unique, long flowering of the plant.

They grow well at temperatures from 0 ° C to + 20 ° C. They are afraid of frost, so when the temperature drops, I cover my flowers with a cloth. I dig them out for the winter, as they absolutely cannot stand severe frosts. I do this only after the leaves have completely died off and very carefully so as not to damage the rhizomes.

Then I clean the roots from the ground and leave them in the sun for a day or two so that they dry out a little, put them in a paper bag (for bread) and take them to the basement (only it should be dry and cool) before the onset of truly warm spring days. Ranunculus are absolutely not demanding on soils, they grow on any, but well-drained and breathable.

Planting ranunculus

In the southern regions, buttercups winter well enough in the ground with shelter.

In the middle zone in late February - early March, the tubers are planted in very well-drained soil with an admixture of sand, which must be constantly kept moist. The container with the planted tubers must be placed in a sunny place protected from the wind.

If in spring the plant needs sun, then with the arrival of hot days it is better to protect it from the sultry midday rays and move it to partial shade.

Top dressing and watering

Water and fertilizers are the main keys to successfully growing and caring for ranunculus buttercups. The earthy clod of flowers should be constantly moist, but the water in the trays should not stagnate if the plant is grown in a pot.

Even after the plant has faded, it must be watered periodically so that the earth does not dry out.

Ranunculus are mostly short plants, but they form very lush, branched bushes. Therefore, they need fertilizers and respond to them with gratitude. During vegetative growth and flowering, I apply liquid fertilizer for flowering plants every ten days. If fertilized in autumn, then in spring flowers will delight you with lush greenery and bright shiny "crowns" of flowers.

Ranunculus diseases

Ranunculus are practically unaffected by parasites, but in hot and humid climates they often suffer from mold (mal bianco), especially if there is no good ventilation. White mold penetrates the buds, covers the leaves, which often leads to the death of the plant.

The most common pathology in these buttercups is root decay. It can hit the flower even before it starts to grow. It is often associated with wet and rainy weather.