This post will help you learn to pre sprout ranunculus so you can grow these beautiful flowers this spring! Growing ranunculus is a lot easier than you might think and they are a common go-to for cut flowers as they have a long vase life! (Sometimes past ten days)
What Are Ranunculus Corms?
Ranunculus are grown from corms (also called bulbs or tubers), which the flowers use to store their energy for the following years blooms. They can come packaged in ventilated bags and are currently in their dormant state.
How To Store and Plant Ranunculus?
Planting and storing ranunculus greatly depends on the USDA zone you live in. They can be overwintered in the ground if you happen to live in a USDA zone 7 or above. However, USDA zones 6 and below you will have to store the corms inside to protect them from freezing.
There are several different methods you can use for storing, essentially you want to prevent them from rotting while also protecting them from freezing temperatures. Some people choose to store the ranunculus in their basement in the packages they bought them in. Others, like myself, store ranunculus corms in a medium such as vermiculite.
Separating Ranunculus Corms
When giving your corms a once over, you may notice you have a corm with the potential to divide and separate! This means instead of getting just one plant, you have the potential now for two!
Here’s how you can separate and divide a ranunculus corm:
- Identify if you have two separate growth points. Here below you will see there are two clearly defined corms on the top of the corms. *The two brown circles.*
- After they have soaked for 3-4 hours they are easier to pull apart than if you were to try this dry.
- Gently pull from the top of the corms to see if you can separate the two. *Be careful not to pull hard as you do not want to damage the corms.
How To Pre Sprout Ranunculus?
Prior to starting the process of pre sprouting your ranunculus you want to ensure you start at the right time. Ideally you want to start two weeks before you plan on planting them.
If you plan to plant them while the danger of frost still exists, make sure you have the proper set up to protect the corms from freezing. This can be done with frost cloth and garden hoops, high tunnel or greenhouse.
Here’s what you need to do to pre sprout ranunculus:
- Closely examine your ranunculus corms after taking them out of storage for signs of rot, mold or damage.
- Place healthy corms into a bowl of room temperature water. You can keep different types separate as I did. This helps you keep track of which is which.
- Every 30-40 minutes gently stir your corms. *This step isn’t required but some people like to use this method to wake them up and provide a little oxygen and stimulation. I used my finger to stir for a few seconds.
- Allow the corms to soak for 3-4 hours. Be careful not to oversoak! Ranunculus are prone to rot.
- After the corms have finished soaking it is time to prep your trays.
- Pre-moisten potting soil and lay on top of a tray. *I used a baking tray*
- Lay the hydrated corms on top of a layer of moistened soil.
- Then cover with a final layer of moistened soil with proper labels.
- Store in a cool, dry, dark area for 14 days.
- Check on your corms every few days. Remove any with signs of rot. Using a spray bottle, moisten soil when dry to touch down to the tray.
- ***Be careful not to overwater. These corms are susceptible to rot. **
After soaking for three to four hours the corms begin to rehydrate and swell up.
After laying down pre-moistened soil on top of a tray, lay down ranunculus corms, and eventually covering with an additional layer of pre-moistened soil.
From this point you will want to store in a cool, dry and dark environment for 14 days. Continue to check on the corms every few days to check for rot and the soil moisture. You can mist the soil to keep it moist until the 14 days are up.
After 14 days, you should see sprouts! If it’s still on the colder side I recommend using a high tunnel or garden hoops with frost cloth to protect your ranunculus until it warms up.
It won’t be long before you see new growth and eventually a beautiful spring show! 🙂