Growing Ranunculus and Anemones

Growing Ranunculus & Anemones Tips and Tricks

Corm size: Doesn’t actually impact flower size, that’s a myth! Flower size is decided by nutrients in your soil, water and sun!

Soil: Ranunculus and Anemones want rich, loamy, well-draining soil. Start right with good compost and you usually won't need to fertilize later. I strongly recommend avoiding manure compost unless you're sure the animals didn't eat herbicide-treated plants.

Soak: When you get your corms, they will look tiny, dry and weird. When you’re ready to plant, place corms in cold water for 4-6 hours. They’ll double in size. Some people say you need a bubbler to aerate the water… you don't. I've never used one and never had an issue.

Presprout (optional for fall, highly recommended for spring): It gets you flowers a couple weeks sooner, lets you squeeze extra weeks out of summer crops before flipping beds, and protects corms from rot and critters while they get going. Lay corms tentacles-down (for ranunculus), close but not touching, on 1/2–1 inch of soil in a flat tray. Lightly cover, keep barely damp (not dry, not soaked!) and keep around 60°F. In 10–14 days they'll sprout and are ready to plant out.

Depth: Don’t plant too deep: they really don’t need it. I aim for 1 inch under the soil(but go closer to 2 in colder zones).

Spacing: 5 inches for 3/5 corms, 6 inches for 5/7, and 9–12 inches for Butterfly (they get big!).

When to Plant

It all comes down to temperature, because ranunculus can't handle temps consistently below 25°F. For anemones, they can handle down to 10 degrees F in a pinch, so they are MUCH more hardy. 

• Zones 1–5: spring plant.

• Zone 6: spring planting is recommended, but I know farmers who get away with fall planting with good protection.

• Zones 7+: fall or spring, your choice!

Fall planting usually gives you about 8 weeks of flowers; spring gives you 4–6. Spring is still worth it! You might just grow a smaller crop if you're selling.

Spring timing: People usually plant way too late in spring, so it’s very important to remember that ranunculus can handle temps above 25 degrees F, just fine! And anemones can handle even colder. They also need some cold to give you the best stems and flowers. So plant once temps are consistently above 20°F and the ground isn't frozen. If pre-sprouting, start about 3 weeks before that (usually late Feb/early March for zones 3–5).  A note on anemones: ALL stems will start out short with these flowers, but just keep cutting and they'll produce longer and longer stems! 

Tunnels: Optional but not necessary. You can make temporary low tunnels for them and plant even earlier if you wish. 

Succession planting (fall growers): divide your corms into thirds and plant a round every 3–4 weeks. I plant late October, late November, late December and (optionally) mid-January, which gives me flowers for 11–12 weeks, from late March to the end of June!

The Essentials

Sun and water. Give them 6–8 hours of sun, ideally morning sun with late afternoon shade. That protects them during heat waves and stretches your season (shade cloth works too). Keep soil slightly damp while they are growing. Ranunculus don’t want to sit in wet soggy soil, but they actually need much more water in the growing stage than people think! As long as your soil drain well, water is your friend with these flowers! 

3. Temperature. Biggest misconception: ranunculus and anemones need warmth. They DON'T! Warmth equals short stems. They love a long stretch between 30–60°F and go dormant around 80°F. One or two hot days is fine; it's 4+ that shuts them down. They also handle cold better than you'd think: 23–25°F for about 8 hours is fine until they have stems and buds. I cover with Agribon whenever it drops below 30°F, and use 2–3 layers if it's below 25°F for a while.

Disease Tips

Watch for these three. 

• Crown rot: the corm rots away from sitting in too much water. There's no fix, so prevent it with well-draining, damp-not-soaked soil.

• Botrytis: a gray fungal rot.

• Powdery mildew: a white coating on the leaves.

For botrytis and mildew, remove affected leaves and spray with copper fungicide (organic). For mildew, Lost Coast Therapy is an organic option that will kill the powdery mildew quite effectively. 

Questions?

Email me at hello@microflowerfarm.com and I'll be happy to help!