Ranunculus Growing 101

Who can resist the delicate and colourful beauty of ranunculus? With a wide variety of colours, these early-spring bloomers can last right through to early summer. With some care and attention, you'll have more of these gorgeous flowers each year as their corms multiply.

Hummingbird Farm Ranunculus Growing Instructions 

These little ‘spiders’ will surprise you! Very easy to care for if you follow these instructions (read them all to the end before starting).  

A few general notes  

• Different varieties are naturally different sizes.
• Don’t let the dormant corms freeze. Until you plant them, store the dormant corms in a  DRY, dark, cool but not cold place, like a spare bedroom closet.
• Sprouted, planted corms are hardy to temperatures up to -10C overnight (in my  experience, without covering).
• Ranunculus flowers in general prefer afternoon shade and cool conditions.  
• Do not overwater, they should not need much while it is cool, but keep them from drying out. Feed with a bloom fertilizer once they start to form flower heads.
• Fall-planted corms will flower in early spring. Later winter-planted blooms will flower  May - late June.
• Once they look dead (July-ish), lift your corms, dry and store in a paper bag in a cool  room (that same unheated bedroom closet) until next winter!

Know when to start!  

The best time for planting is based on your growing zone.

Zone 7 and above, you can start the same time as garlic (October/November) and follow the instructions below.

Zone 6 and below, you can start late February to late March, and follow the instructions below (unless you have a protected green house and feel like pushing it!).

Waking your corms up before planting  

Soak the corms in cool RUNNING water (for the oxygen) for 4 hours. 

Either plant directly out into containers or in the garden, or pre-sprout (we highly recommend pre-sprouting!) This way you will get a better plant, with more and earlier flowers.  

Pre-sprouting is done by planting them in a good all-purpose potting soil mix (the  kind you would use to plant flower pots on your porch) in a container. A low Rubbermaid-type bin with a lid would be perfect! 

Add about 6” of soil in your container, and place corms with the pointy ends down and the rounded part up. Space 3” apart, and cover with about 2” of  soil. Water in well, to have moist but not soaking soil. 

Place in a coolish spot, 10-20 C is the perfect temperature, so this could be an unheated bedroom, for example. No need for light at this stage.  

Keep checking! AS SOON as you see them sprouting up leaves, move them to a protected spot OUTSIDE. They want to be cool.

Your pre-sprouted corms are ready to plant outside now. Don't wait, plant in their  final location in the garden or pots on your porch and wait for your blooms! If really cold weather (less than -10C) threatens, cover the plants.