Ranunculus, trying one more time

I bought a bag of 20 bulbs for about $2 at HD today. I have never been able to grow these but they were so cheap and looked good so I couldn't resist. Then I went googling for the best way to plant them. I found a very good blog. This guy really loves ranunculus and is very generous with information. Good, useful pictures too.
http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/ranunculuses.html

While not absolutely necessary, I think I will soak my bulbs for about 5 hrs and then plant in a pot. I will treat as annuals. I will post pics later.

PS: I also found some nice Dutch Master and King Alfred daffs priced at $7/45. Those babies are planted. So if you're still looking for bulbs, HD has good deals. Lowe's was completely sold out and my little friend there told me they had their good sale b4 T/giving. ack! I missed out.

I soaked my ranunculus tubers for about 4 hrs and I was shocked as to how plump they got in those few hours. That has to be nothing BUT good.

I planted them in a big pot that has a tree rose of sharon. can't wait til Mar!

Nery: You did plant them with the points facing DOWN, right ?
Don't water them again until you see sprouts. They have plenty of water stored in the tubers.
They grow acres of those about an hour south from me. It's spectacular when they're in full bloom.

I was gonna plant them w/ the :"fingers" facing up, but I had the good sense to ck in the computer first. I planted them fingers down, lol. whew

Good !

Ok I have planted these before and they never return ? What is up with that?

marie, read the link i posted. the guy addresses possible reasons

I've never been able to save them from year to year, either...I just treat them as annuals. When I dig them up, there's nothing there...no tubers/bulbs whatever...where do they go ?

maybe the dingo ate 'em...

Ok I thought it was possible something I was doing wrong or nto the right climate I guess I will treat them as annuals too.

Vossner: Thank you for that link to the ranunculus site. The author is my kind of gardener, always experimenting and keeping records. I grew some before with mixed results, but now I want to give ranunculus another try. Seems to like the same conditions --dry summers that I give my hyacinths and tulips so maybe I can do a mixed planting--probably next year, though.

Chris

LOL....Elaine..."the dingo ate em"! They got dingos in CA?

We have "everything" in Ca !!!
There's a few dingo's living right next to me...

after reading that link more thoroughly I think I will give them another try.

Marie, i was ready to go get some more after reading that guy's blog, especially at $2 for 20, lol. Do ck your HD they might still have some in the sales bin.

I had not even seen bulbs here but I will check the first chance I get. I think they deserve one more try. ( wonder how many times really equals one more try?) :o)

for the optimist? 100 !!!

Here, you can buy them already started in 6 packs.
They're also one of the first plants to sizzle when the initial heat arrives.

I think you can purchase them that way here too.

I found some more cheap (10 cents) ranunculus. Here is a comparison pic. Left: shrivelled bulbs as they came out of the pkg, Right: plumped up after an 8 hr soaking. I used hottest water from the tap, which cooled rather quickly in this weather.

here is the ranunculus I hope to have in the spring. Background shows the container in which they were soaking for about 8 hrs

is it too late to go ahead and put them in the ground here in zone 9??

I do not think it is too late but I would definietly get them in asap. Voss I think I will pick some up and try again. I have to go ut today and I will check the $$ store and home depot.

I too will check into them!

Voss, on the Ranunculi - I planted some two years ago that I had received as bonuses from Easy to Grow - mine flowered beautifully and had leaves come up again in Dec. of this past year. My main worry now is that we're had an unusually cold winter and not sure if they made it since they're only rated to zone 8 and I am on the border of 7/8, but the ultra-cold temps may have done them in. I guess we'll see. I just have the one clump of them.

Steve

Hi Nery,
Good luck with them, I will never try them again, I have tried like 5 times, I get beautiful green growth & no flowers, Just not enough time in my nasty zone, I'm over them..:)Anita

Thanks for the link, vossner, that was a great read! I love the Bloomingdale hybrid ranunculus, even though they have a hard time coming back for me. But they are sure are beautiful, in the vase or just left on the plant.

This is a coral-colored Bloomingdale:

These are my "bonus" Ranunculi that Easy to Grow sent me last year - not a big clump but they were pretty.

Here they are trying to come up again....took this pic this past weekend. They made it through our 12 F temps earlier this month.

hiya Steve! I'll have to go ck my pots to see if any foliage action.

update: The bulbs on my first pot disappeared. They must have rotted. But the 2nd pot, ahhh, they're looking good! The stick in the middle of the pot is a dormant clerodendrum, the one with purple leaves. I am cautiously optimistic it will come back.

I am trying again this year. I have done most everything but let them sleep in my bed. :)

They look great Neary, Nope, I'm still not trying them again!

I have tried these things so many times. I can't even get them to grow as annuals. I end up usually buying some potted up ones in bloom at Home Depot nursery section in the spring.

Buying potted ones of any plant I consider difficult is always Plan B. Plan A is planting myself, Plan B is not going thru the aggravation & disappointment of failure and simply driving to my fave nursery to get a potted one. Plan C is not even bothering to plant or to buy, ex: azaleas, I have given up, lol.





This message was edited Mar 12, 2010 3:34 PM

For me, the pots of anything I buy sit on my back stoop by my kitchen door. Thats the door I contantly go in and out of all summer and right next to my back patio. For me it means I can see the potted blooms constantly. However, its still not the same effect as I could have if I got them to grow inground. Not even going to try them inground this year. I figgure why bother. I know it would be another failure.

My Ranunculus made it, looks like - I see some buds. Same clump as pictured above.

Way to go Steve!! I never got around to getting any this past fall. I will have to put it on my fall planting list.

OMG, I have a to take a pic of my total failure. I don't know if lack of water, virus or what, but mine look pretty gone. To think they germinated and grew about 4" and then, kaput!

Bad Steve. I give up on them after 3 years.