Ranunculus planting and outdoor care: growing through seeds and tubers
Ranunculus (buttercup) has recently become popular in home gardens. These flowers look very much like roses, peonies or even chrysanthemums. The flowers are so beautiful that they are often used for wedding bouquets.
There are two ways to grow ranunculus: plant with seeds or tubers, while you can plant the tubers directly in open ground. Next, let's talk in more detail about the features of each of the methods, as well as about further caring for the flower in the garden or in the flower garden.
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Planting ranunculus tubers for seedlings - with germination at home
You can grow ranunculus tubers either by first planting on seedlings, or by immediately planting "octopuses" in open ground. But this must necessarily be preceded by the choice of the optimal timing, soil and correct pre-planting preparation.
When to plant tubers: timing
The optimal time for planting ranunculus tubers for seedlings at home is second half of March - early April.
Important! Many people recommend planting ranunculus tubers from February. But this is wrong, because it is not always possible to organize sufficient daylight hours for the plants, and on an ordinary window sill, under natural conditions, they will inevitably stretch out. In addition, if we can go out the same tomatoes or peppers, and they quickly gain a green mass and subsequently bear fruit normally even elongated specimens, then the delicate flowers of buttercups cannot do this. If the seedlings stretch out, then the bloom will be frankly bad.
According to the lunar calendar in 2021
Choosing the optimal date for planting tubers can help you Moon calendar.
Important! Planting ranunculus tubers both in a pot (for germination at home) and in open ground is recommended in accordance with the lunar calendar.
So favorable days for planting ranunculus tubers in 2021 according to the lunar calendar are:
- in March - 8-12, 26-31;
- in April - 7, 9-15, 17-22, 27-30;
- in May - 2-6, 9-12, 20, 21, 29-31;
- in June - 7-9, 11-14.
Unfavorable days according to the lunar calendar for 2021 for planting ranunculus tubers, the following dates are (days of the Full Moon and New Moon, as well as the period when the Moon is in Aquarius, since this is a barren and dry sign -italicized):
- in March -9-10, 13, 28;
- in April -5-6, 12, 27;
- in May -2-4, 11, 26, 30-31;
- in June -10, 24, 26-27.
Container and soil mixture
It is advisable to plant buttercups tubers in separate small pots or individual cups.
Land for growing buttercups seedlings needs light and breathable enough. If you take clay (from lowland peat), in other words, dense, then it will be very difficult for the plant to take nutrients and germinate successfully.
It is advisable to prepare the soil for planting ranunculus from black soil and humus, adding a little sand. Do not forget to make a working drain in the containers.
Preparing tubers for planting: soaking
Place a tissue or rag in the container (you can use a sponge). Further, slightly wet it with a solution of some fungicide ("Maxim Dachnik" or "Fitosporin") or a growth stimulant ("Zircon", "Epin" or "Energen"). Then put ranunculus nodules on it and cover with a dry napkin or rag. It is recommended to cover the container itself with a transparent film. As soon as the tubers swell, you can pull them out. This usually takes 1 to 3 hours.
By the way! Another very interesting way. Pour some earth on the bottom of the container (for example, for roses). The soil is needed here as a substrate that holds moisture and has a slight stimulating effect. Moisturize well and put the nodules (on the legs) on this ground. Spray again and also cover with plastic wrap.
Important! In no case should the buttercup tubers be completely soaked in water: they should not float in it. Moreover, if they swim, and not sink, this means that the tubers are too dry and will hardly sprout.
As soon as the first shoots of the roots appear, then the tubers of ranunculus can begin to be planted.
Video: how to grow ranunculus
Planting tubers
Some gardeners, on the other hand, recommend not soaking ranunculus tubers before planting. they tend to rot very quickly and be affected by fungal diseases, and immediately plant them in planting containers.
The tubers are planted to the depth of their height, that is, only the top of the ranunculus should remain at the top (tentacles down!), And then they are covered with earth by 2-3 centimeters and sprayed, preferably with water, with the addition Fitosporin (this is to combat fungal diseases, and to stimulate growth).
Video: planting ranunculus tubers
Seedling care after planting
The main condition for the successful cultivation of ranunculus seedlings is a low temperature (somewhere around + 16-18 C). From dry air and temperatures of +25 C degrees, the plants will wither.
Naturally, if you light up the seedlings to the optimal 12-14 hours, this will be a big plus.
Be sure to feed ranunculus seedlings at least once every 2 weeks.
Water the seedlings as the soil dries, but remember that she does not like overflow.
Video: planting and caring for ranunculus
Planting seedlings in the garden
It is possible to plant buttercup seedlings in open ground only when the ground warms up to +10 C degrees.
The place for ranunculus in the garden should be chosen the most illuminated and sunny. It is also required that a lot of moisture does not accumulate in this place, because the plant does not like this very much and can rot.
Planting is very simple: take out the seedling along with a lump of earth and lower it into a prepared planting pit, and then slightly add earth to it.
The distance between buttercups seedlings should be within 10-15 centimeters.
After planting, the plants should be watered and mulched abundantly. If the earth settles, then be sure to add the missing part to the planting.
Video: planting ranunculus in open ground
Planting tubersranunculusdirectly into open ground
The optimal time for planting ranunculus tubers directly into open ground, as in the case of growing seedlings, is the second half of May, when the soil warms up to +10 C degrees.
Before planting with bulbs, it is imperative to carry out a soaking procedure.
Everything has already been said about the place and soil. But again, this should be a sufficiently lit, sheltered and fertile area of your garden.
It is good to plant tubers after rain, just the soil will be sufficiently moist.
You need to plant the bulb at three heights, that is, about 5-6 centimeters, with the sharp end down. The distance between tubers should be about 10-15 centimeters. It is this distance that will ensure the normal development of their root system.
If you plant the bulbs early enough, and there is a possibility of recurrent frost, then it is recommended to cover the planting with straw or some other covering material that would allow oxygen to pass through well (therefore, plastic wrap will not work).
Advice! After disembarking (if you do not cover), be sure to mark the place, otherwise you may simply lose it.
Growing ranunculus from seed
It is possible to grow ranunculus through planting seeds, but this is much more difficult.
You can get seed both from faded flowers in late summer and early autumn, and you can buy it in the garden center.
Seed sowing dates
It is necessary to plant buttercup seeds for seedlings earlier than usual. As a rule, this is done already in January or February. Some gardeners recommend postponing planting until March, especially if you do not have the opportunity to light up the crops.
Capacity and soil
You can use the most common pots or containers as a container.
The soil mixture for growing ranunculus seedlings should be loose with the addition of perlite or vermiculite. In other words, you can use ordinary peat soil for flower seedlings as a base.
A mixture of leafy earth, peat and sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 0.5 is also suitable.
At the end of the soil preparation procedure, do not forget to pass it through a sieve. And then disinfect in one of the ways.
Sowing seeds
Step-by-step instructions for planting ranunculus seeds for seedlings:
- Fill containers with potting soil, level and compact a little.
- We moisten the soil from a spray bottle with water with the addition of Epin (4-6 drops per 1 liter of water).
- We spread the seeds over the soil surface.
- Sprinkle with a very light layer of earth.
- Gently spray the plantings with warm and settled water with vermicompost for seedlings.
- It remains to close the planting container with a lid, cover it with a bag (shoe cover) and put it in a cool enough place, where the temperature is no more than + 10-15 C degrees, for 5 days. And then move the container to a warmer place, where the temperature reaches + 25 C degrees or even within + 20-30 C.
Video: planting ranunculus seeds
Care after planting seeds
Unfortunately, the germination of buttercups planting material, frankly, is low. If you fail to control the temperature regime or you overflow the soil, then the seedlings may not appear at all.
As soon as the very first sprouts appear, hurry to place containers with buttercups under artificial lighting. This will greatly increase the chances of successfully growing ranunculus seedlings through seed.
Now you should maintain a lower temperature, somewhere on the order of + 15-17 C degrees.
As for caring for young buttercup seedlings, the most important thing is regular, but moderate watering.
The timing and procedure for planting buttercup seedlings in open ground completely coincides with planting seedlings grown from tubers.
Video: growing ranunculus from seeds
Outdoor ranunculus care
Regular and balanced watering is mostly all you need to properly care for your ranunculus.
The flower does not like both excess moisture and excessive dryness of the soil, therefore it is necessary to regularly check the moisture content of the earth. The frequency of watering is approximately 1 time in 2-3 days. In late summer and early autumn, watering should be gradually reduced to 4-5 days.
Do not forget about loosening and feeding.
It is necessary to loosen the soil in order after each watering and heavy rain. This requirement is due to the fact that it is very difficult for the plant to grow on heavy and clayey soils.
It is periodically recommended to feed the ranunculus with fertilizers that include potassium, for example, potassium sulfate, and you can also use wood ash.
This plant responds very well to feeding with organic matter, for example, humus or vermicompost.
Important! Remember not to use fresh manure, as it is a very powerful remedy that can simply burn the root system of a plant. In addition, it is a serious threat to the occurrence of fungal diseases.
As a universal remedy for feeding ranunculus, you can use drugs such as Kemira Lux and Universal. Fertilize the plant, preferably once every 2-4 weeks.
Ranunculus blooms literally from the beginning of summer until autumn, depending on the method of planting and growing, forming an unusually beautiful ball of very delicate buttercups.
To stimulate the growth of new flowers, it is necessary to cut off the faded inflorescences. And at the end of summer, it is recommended to completely cut the stems down to the base.
Video: caring for ranunculus in the garden
By the way! In the fall, before the onset of cold weather, you can dig up the ranunculus and transplant it into a pot or planter. This way you can grow it as a houseplant.
When to dig up and how to store tubers
As a rule, in the Middle Lane (Moscow region), when all the leaves of the ranunculus wilt and dry, that is, in the fall, buttercup tubers are dug out of the ground in order to preserve for the winter.
Note! Be very careful when digging up the tubers. They are very delicate, so they can be accidentally touched and injured.
After you dig up the tubers, they will need to be cleared of the soil. Then cut off all the stems, rinse again in water and soak in the Maxim Sad solution or "Fitosporin" for half an hour to disinfect and protect against fungal diseases. Now they will only have to be dried and put away in a paper bag for storage in a fairly cool room, where the temperature is kept at an average of +5 C degrees. This can be a basement or cellar, as well as a refrigerator.
Video: when to dig up and how to store ranunculus
Thus, there are several ways to grow ranunculus. Which one you choose is up to you.We can only advise you to plant buttercup tubers for seedlings first, since the probability of a successful cultivation will be the greatest. Further care for ranunculus in the open ground cannot be called difficult, even a novice florist can handle it. The main thing is to approach planting and caring for young seedlings with the greatest responsibility.
Video: care and planting of ranunculus - features of growing at home