Have you ever heard of the Ranunculus flower? This is one of my favorite Spring flowers to grow. They come in a wide variety of colors. There are a few steps to these flowers, but the process is worth all the extra effort and time to get the best results. This has been the second year growing them in zone 6B of Maryland, and I wanted to share the steps with some pictures to help anyone interested in this zone to get the most out of your ranunculus corms.

If you are in USDA zones seven and above, you can successfully plant corms in the Autumn or late winter/early Spring with a low tunnel or frost cloth. In colder zones, USDA 6 and below can be successfully grown with heated hoop houses (greenhouse) and planted in late winter or early Spring. The method I am showing below is another alternative for those in Zones 6b or below is to pre-sprout corms 4-5 weeks before the last frost date. According to the Farmers Almanac, the frost date is April 22nd. I give some wiggle room here because, in the past, this is just an estimated guess, and we have had a frost a week after that given date.

The most important priority for anyone in any zone for growing ranunculus is not to allow the corms to freeze or be exposed to temperatures of 25°F (-4°C).

Corms will begin to sprout within three weeks.

Let’s Begin!

The Ranunculus corm resembles what looks like a tiny octopus or spider. It is hard to believe such an elegant flower would come from this funny-looking dormant thing!

Before buying any corms, you will want to have a location for them. Either a raised bed with good, healthy soil or a garden space with well-draining soil with no grass/weeds. This location needs about six hours of sunlight daily.

For each corm, plan on spacing 8-9″ apart and 2″ in depth.

Materials Needed:

• Corms (From Trusted and Reliable Sources to ensure top-quality corms with no fungus)
  Order Corms here. 
• Bucket
• Room Temperature Water
• Aquarium Air Pump(optional but recommended) 
• Tubing for Bubbler(Optional)
• Bubble Stone (optional)
• Mesh Bag
• Labeling Tag
• Garden Marker
• Potting Soil
• Seed Starting Tray
  These are great from Bootstrap Farmer 
• Frost Cloth

First Step: Fill Bucket with Room Temperature Water

Fill a bucket of water and let it sit for about an hour to reach room temperature.

Second Step: Add Aquarium Bubbler (Optional) or other Methods (Listed Below)

Place the aquarium bubbler in the bucket of water. This step is unnecessary though I highly recommend using it to oxygenate the water to keep corms from rotting while they soak. If you do not have a bubbler, you can use a gentle stream of water in your sink for 3-4 hours. Another alternative is dumping the water out every hour with fresh water. (to prepare, have 3-4 buckets of water ready beforehand so water will already be room temperature and will not have to wait and can just put them in a new bucket every hour.)

Third Step: Label Tags with  Variety of Name

Label the tags with your garden marker with the names of each corm. Make sure the marker is waterproof since the tag will go in the water with corms. This step is crucial IF you have more than one variety of corms soaking. You do not want to put your corms in the water and not remember which corms are which.

Fourth Step: Add Labeled Tags and Corms in a Mesh Bag

Once tags are labeled, place corms and tag(Labeled correctly with corm name) inside the mesh bag.

The mesh produce bags you see below are from Grove Collaborative, but any produce mesh bags will work as long as they close shut with a string and have holes.

Fifth Step: Soak Corms for 3-4 Hours

Place bags in the room temperature bucket of water make sure all corms are covered with water, and set a timer on your phone or stove for 3-4 hours. You will want to avoid oversoaking the corms. To prevent corms from rotting, only allow them to soak for 3-4 hours. Corms will go from shriveled to plumped and doubled in their size.

Sixth Step: Prepare Tray

While corms are soaking, you can prepare a seed starting tray. Make sure the tray is flat with no drainage holes. To prepare, moisten potting soil, so it is not damp but just moist. This is so important not to have wet, soggy soil. Otherwise, corms will mold and potentially rot. Fill the tray 1-2″ enough to cover the corms.

Seventh Step: Add Corms to Tray

After 3-4 hours of soaking, remove your corms from the water. Place each corm with the tubers facing down (the spiky, spider/octopus-looking legs) into the medium (soil). These corms can be placed close together since they will not be in the trays longer than three weeks or however long it takes to sprout. Cover corms lightly with moistened soil less than 1″.

Eight Step: Storing the Tray

Store your newly planted tray of corms in a cool dark area with temperatures 40-50 °F, a place away from rodents. Make sure the area does not freeze or has high humidity, which will cause corms to rot: basements, a room/closet with no heat, and no light from indoors or outdoors.

Ninth Step: Keep Soil Moist

Check daily on your corms for any signs of mold or rot. Keep soil moist, not wet or dry. If any corms mold or rot, dispose of them as soon as possible to keep from spreading to others.

10 Step: Transplant Corms

After about two weeks, you should notice little roots beginning and tiny sprouts. This is the ideal time to transplant them into your prepared location. Plant your corms in a sunny spot with well-drained, rich soil 9″ apart and 2″ deep. Cover the corms with frost cloth or a low tunnel for protection if there is still a chance of freezing weather or frost. When temperatures are above freezing, remove cloth and tunnel to expose the young ranunculus plants to the sun and wind.

Growing Nicely Under Frost Cloth

Protected by Snow

More about the Ranunculus Flower

Expect blooms to start in mid-spring if following this method. If planted in Autumn, expect blooms in early Spring, three months after planting.

Blooms will last about 4-7 weeks, depending on temperatures in your area. Allow flowers to open and close their buds a few cycles before cutting. Ranculus closes at night and opens in the morning. Choose to cut the flower when the bud feels like a marshmallow, squishy to the touch. If you squeeze it and feel like a marble inside the center, this is NOT ready to cut, and leave it for one more day. This is known as the “marshmallow” stage. Cut the flower at the very base of the flower to promote more new blooms. Please do this in the evening in a clean bucket with room-temperature water, then place them in a cool dark place. Blooms will last in a vase life of up to 10-12 days if cut at the marshmallow stage. Fully bloomed cut flowers will last a week, but the petals will be very fragile to handle, especially in transport.

Ranunculus does not like the heat. So when temperatures are above 70°F, the flower will begin to produce fewer blooms and eventually go dormant and quit producing buds. 

I left a few ranunculus corms in the ground as a test last year, and a few returned being protected with a row cover. However, to be safe and have the best results, I recommended digging up your corms and storing them in a cool, dark place until the following year. This way, you will have healthy corms and not risk rotting in the ground or, worse, being eaten by a rodent like a vole. To save your corms, wait until leaves turn yellow and dig them up. Remove leaves on the corm, allow the corms to dry out somewhere safe and secure for several days in a warm location, and then store them in a mesh bag somewhere dark and cool until next year.

There are a lot of steps here, but hands-on experience is the key! The more you do it, the more you learn and familiarize yourself. If you make a mistake, record it in your garden journal and try again. Happy ranunculus planting!

Photos are taken from last year’s garden, and prints are available at Hope and Wildflower Etsy Shop. If you found this article helpful and have grown ranunculus using this guide, please share with us and tag us on Instagram @hope.and.wildflowers or our Facebook Page at @HopeandWildflowers. Thanks!

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