Ranunculus at home. Description

This plant is distributed all over the world; there are several hundred species of these beautiful flowers, which are divided into several groups according to the type of flowering: annual, biennial, perennial.

Ranunculus is a beautiful flowering plant, reaches a height of up to 80 cm, low-growing species - up to 20 cm. Flowering begins in late spring or early summer and continues for 2 months. IN home care, when grown in pots, you can achieve early flowering or flowering in the cold season.

The flowers of this plant can be fully or half double, as well as regular. The coloring is varied. Depending on the variety, the flowers externally resemble a fluffy poppy, a miniature peony, or a rose. As for shades - all are possible, except blue and dark blue. So far, breeders have not yet developed a plant with petals of this color.

Asian buttercup - this name is more common than ranunculus and belongs to the Buttercup family. Grows well garden culture and indoor landscaper. Ranunculus flowers can have different shapes, depending on the variety. Ranunculus leaves, stems and rhizomes are the same as those of dahlia.

It should be remembered that despite the beautiful flowering of this plant, the richness of shapes and colors, ranunculus has poisonous juice.

Ranunculus. Photo:

Ranunculus at home. Reproduction

Buttercups are propagated by tubers or seeds. The tubers are fragile, more like the paw of an adult goose. When choosing bulbs, you need to carefully examine each unit of planting material: the tubers must be strong, large, with four “claws”. If the bulbs are soft, too dry and hard, then grow healthy plant, capable of flowering, will not work.

Propagation by seeds is a long and labor-intensive process. Seeds are collected from the first flowers so that the small seeds do not fall off, and the fading plants are tied with gauze. In the spring, the collected seeds are sown in prepared soil: in a pot or open ground under a mini-greenhouse.

Ranunculus. Growing at home

You can grow this beautiful flower not only on the plot, but also at home. Only in different conditions you need to care for the plant in different ways.

Growing ranunculus from seeds is not an easy task, but if you follow all the recommendations, you can try to grow homemade ranunculus in this difficult way.

Growing flowers from seeds, features:

• Before choosing a growing method, you need to understand that it is difficult to grow flowers from seeds because their germination rate is low;
• if you don’t have seeds yet, you can collect them from the plant you like. Then you will be confident that you are growing flowers of the color you like. Seeds should be collected from flowers that bloomed for the first time;
• sowing seeds at home is carried out in winter, but not earlier than the end of February;
• regarding soil requirements: it should be loose soil, light, neutral in acidity;
• the seeds will germinate slowly, to speed up this process, the room should be optimal temperature: not higher than +17 degrees;
• as soon as the first shoots appear, the pots should be placed on the windowsill or provided with high-quality lighting;
• the first shoots should be expected after 2 or even 3 weeks, and from the moment of planting until the first shoots, the seeds should be kept under film;
• In the first months after sowing the seeds, the soil should always be moist. Do not allow the soil to become waterlogged; watering should be moderate;
• picking into large flowerpots - only after 2 pairs of leaves appear on each plant;
• Expect flowering of Asian buttercups planted in this way only next year. And if you need to grow a plant faster, then we recommend buying ranunculus bulbs. From the moment of planting to the first flowering, no more than 2-3 months will pass.

Ranunculus: planting and care at home

It is easy to grow ranunculus from bulbs at home. Buy planting material You can go to a store that sells seeds, bulbs and everything for growing beautiful flowering plants. Bulbs are also sold in online stores. There you can choose rare and modern varieties of buttercups. For example, monochrome-colored varieties adapted for growing in pots, as well as mixtures of tubers. When purchasing planting material in online stores, make sure that the seller carefully packages the tubers. They are very fragile and may be damaged during transportation.

When can you start planting beautiful flowering plants? You can plant the bulbs at the end of winter, and if you missed this moment, then until the end of May. If your goal is to grow flowers to form bouquets for forcing, then you will have to prepare carefully and think about high-quality lighting.

Preparatory work for growing ranunculus:

• Before planting the tubers in a pot, you need preliminary preparation. The bulbs are soaked in water, left overnight or kept in water for 10 hours (minimum 8). This way they will germinate faster and in this way the plants receive the missing moisture, which they gradually lose during storage;
• To speed up the germination of flowers, special preparations will help. So, agronomists recommend soaking the tubers in a solution with the addition of Epin Maxi, this special mixture will help speed up the germination process;
• and to prevent plant disease, fungicides must be added to the prepared solution. For example, "Fundazol";
• tubers need to be planted very carefully, because they are quite fragile and can be damaged during planting. Therefore, the soil should be light and loose.

How to properly plant ranunculus in a pot:

1. To work you need to prepare suitable container– this can be a regular flowerpot or a special container for growing seedlings. The depth of the container is within 20 cm.
2. You need to pour a drainage mixture onto the bottom: expanded clay, gravel, vermiculite or sand (only the sand should be coarse-grained).
3. Prepare the soil; it must be moistened in advance and then poured into a flowerpot, leaving a free space of 7 cm to the edge (minimum 5 cm).
4. The rhizomes need to be placed with the tubers down, carefully inserted into the soil and sprinkled with soil so that it covers each plant by 1 cm, no more.
5. Now you need to very carefully water the plants. By the way, up to 5 tubers can be planted in one flowerpot in 10 cm increments. Therefore, you need to use large flowerpots or special trays.
6. Place the container with the tubers on a windowsill or other well-lit place so that the soil is not exposed to direct sunlight and the plants are well lit.
7. Watering is moderate, so that the soil does not dry out, but is not too moist. During the period of plant germination, this is very important; overwatering is unacceptable!
8. With proper care, the first flowering is expected after 8 weeks.

Ranunculus at home. Plant care

Growing ranunculus in a pot is not a difficult task, we have already figured out how to plant ranunculus, now we need to provide the plant with proper care and wait for the first flowering.

• Soil requirements: it should be a light substrate that absorbs moisture well and has neutral acidity. Dense and heavy soil will not work. To grow flowers, it is necessary to make drainage at the bottom that allows moisture to pass through well.
• To prevent diseases and prevent the formation of root rot, the universal drug “Fundazol” is suitable.
• The plant needs feeding special drugs– complex mineral fertilizers are suitable, which need to be added to the water when watering. Fertilizers are applied every 2 weeks, alternating: first mineral, after 2 weeks - organic (for example, Fermix).
• Watering, as already mentioned, is moderate. The water should not be cold; water taken from the tap should be left to stand for 24 hours. The water temperature for irrigation is within 20 degrees, depending on the room temperature. Over-wetting the soil is unacceptable, as is drying out the soil. Plants should be watered in a tray or directly at the root. Water should not get on leaves and flowers!
• Plants feel great on well-lit, warm window sills. But if the day turns out to be hot and sunny, ranunculi need to be protected from direct sun rays. On such days, it is advisable to move flower pots to western or eastern window sills.
• The intensity of flowering depends on the light and temperature in the room: buttercups love warmth and a lot of light. If you grow plants in partial shade, flowering will not be as abundant as you would like, but you can extend the flowering period.

Features of home care:

• when germinating tubers, the optimal room temperature should be no higher than +12 degrees;
• when the plants reach a height of up to 4 cm, the temperature should be increased to +20 degrees (maximum 22);
• during the flowering period of plants, the optimal air temperature is +18 degrees; if it is hot, the flowering period is shortened;
• on warm days, pots with plants can be taken out onto the terrace or balcony, but only avoid direct sunlight and hide from the sun at midday;
• Flowers that have bloomed must be removed immediately. In this way, the plant is stimulated to form new buds;
• It is not advisable to replant flowers; they do not tolerate transplantation well. Therefore, immediately before planting the bulbs, you need to decide on the shape and size of the pot.

What to do after ranunculus blooms at home?

After the last flower has fallen, you can try to save the plant. It needs to be moved to a shaded, cool place. Under such conditions, the ranunculus will continue to grow, but will gradually enter a dormant stage: the leaves will turn yellow and fall off, and the stems may also turn yellow. Plants need to be wrapped in paper, placed in a cool room (temperature from +15 to +18 degrees), it is advisable to transplant the flower into another pot with updated soil.

The dormant period of this plant is short, only 4 weeks, then new shoots will appear (in early April). During the growing season, each healthy bulb can produce from 5 to 7 sprouts. Bulbs with new sprouts must be carefully dug up so as not to damage the fragile young sprouts, separated and planted in containers. Or store in a cold place (basement/refrigerator) until warm, then plant in a pot.

Only this method of preserving plants does not give abundant flowering in the second year. The tubers will no longer be as strong, and the flowers will be smaller. Therefore, it is advisable to renew the tubers every year. That is, plant fresh ones.

Learn more about growing ranunculus in this video:

Ranunculus, or in other words Asian buttercup, is a plant native to Iran, Syria and Southern Europe. Nature has simply enriched this plant with gorgeous, dense inflorescences of various colors. The many buds and playful colors of this miniature flower cannot go unnoticed by many gardeners. In Holland, Japan and Argentina, I grow entire fields of buttercups for cutting. Its flowers, reaching a diameter of 7 cm, are yellow, pink, purple and white shades. The plant itself is low-growing, 25 cm high. The inflorescences bloom gradually. To achieve a contrasting and colorful look, it is recommended to plant different ranunculus flowers in the same pot with very little care. Today there are about 600 species of this amazing plant. This flower can last up to 2 weeks when cut if you place it in a vase with water.

Types of Ranunculus

All types of buttercups can be divided into two main groups:

• palm-shaped or African, the flowers of which are shaped like a peony;
• Persian, which resembles a rose in the shape of its bud.

The remaining varieties are variations of these two. Mostly millet-like buttercups with large double flowers are sold. These can be red, yellow, pink, white buttercups. Persian flowers have a simpler flower shape and are characterized by small growth.

Preparing the soil for planting ranunculus

Garden ranunculus (buttercup) also grows in bright sun, but prefers partial shade, in which the color of its inflorescences will be brighter and flowering will last longer. Consider how to protect it from drafts. And take your time with planting, make sure there are no more frosts. Ranunculus prefers neutral, light and fertile soil, for example, black soil with sand and humus or peat neutralized with chalk. Loam is absolutely not suitable for ranunculus. The main thing is that the soil does not retain moisture for a long time, but absorbs water well when watering. Be sure to provide good drainage, otherwise your flowers may rot. This can be done, for example, by pouring some sand into the bottom of the planting hole. Before planting ranunculus, dig up the soil, add compost and treat it with a foundation solution.

Planting ranunculus in open ground

Planting is carried out annually. In warm climates, you don’t have to dig up the buttercups, but simply cover them with leaves or spruce branches for the winter. You can save old rhizomes in winter, but a weaker plant will grow from them, so many gardeners prefer to buy fresh tubers every spring. Planted directly into the ground in the spring, when the danger of frost has passed. The tubers are pre-soaked in water or placed in a humid environment for 8-10 hours. A growth stimulator can be added to the water.

The flowerbed where the ranunculus will grow needs to be dug up, fertilizing the soil with compost. Planting is done to a depth of 7 cm with the “fingers” down. The distance between tubers should be at least 10-15 cm. In general, by 1 square meter No more than 20 tubers should be planted.

Planting with seeds is possible, but this process is quite troublesome, and gardeners practically do not use it. The best time to plant ranunculus is the end of April - the beginning of May, when the soil has already warmed up and there is no threat of frost. It is better to sow seeds in February. Garden buttercups can grow in any soil, as long as it is not waterlogged. Only loam is contraindicated for the plant. Ideal would be well-fertilized, fertile, neutral or slightly acidic soil mixed with peat and sand.

Planting ranunculus seeds

Growing ranunculus in open ground from seeds is a very difficult task, which is due to their low similarity. In addition, the plants will produce the first buds only after a year, and often one in 20 plants blooms. For those who want to get quick results, this method will not be advisable. Seeds for garden buttercups can be purchased in specialized stores or collected yourself.

Planting material is sown in mid-February in spacious boxes/containers with prepared soil. The seeds are carefully sprinkled on top with a layer of soil about 2 cm and covered with glass or film. Containers are stored in a well-lit room at a temperature of 15-17°C. It is important to periodically moisten the soil.

The first shoots usually appear after 2-3 weeks. At this time, you need to remove the cover from the container. After 2-3 leaves appear, ranunculi need to be pruned, that is, planted in separate pots. Planting in open ground is carried out provided there is no frost. You can cover the plants with a small amount of covering material (such as straw) to protect them from temperature fluctuations.

After 15 - 20 days, seedlings should appear. Having removed the shelter, the seedlings continue to be cared for, providing them with a temperature of 15 - 17 °C. When they have two pairs of true leaves, the young plants should be planted in separate pots so that they do not interfere with each other’s growth. Considering frost intolerance, young plants can be planted in the ground only when consistently warm weather has established.

Caring for ranunculus in the open ground

Caring for such a plant is quite simple. It is necessary to water the ranunculus moderately and systematically, but at the same time make sure that the soil does not become waterlogged, as in this case rot may form. You can tell if a flower has begun to rot by looking at the mold on it. sheet plates and by the fall of buds. The affected parts of the flower should be cut off, the soil around it should be loosened and watering should be reduced. It is necessary to remove faded flowers in a timely manner, as they will interfere with the flowering of other inflorescences. This plant needs regular loosening of the soil, and it also needs to be fed using organic fertilizers. So, 2 times a month you need to add potash fertilizer(per 1 square meter from 40 to 50 grams of the substance), and during flowering potassium sulfate, potassium salt or wood ash are suitable for this. Spider mites can settle on a buttercup bush (especially during the summer drought). Thrips and aphids can settle on leaves and shoots. When you see whitish or silvery spots on the foliage, immediately take measures to destroy the pests. To do this, the bushes must be treated with suitable insecticides. For preventive purposes, ranunculus should be treated 2 or 3 times a week with a solution of mercaptophos (0.2%).

During the flowering period, these low-growing plants, similar to miniature roses, effectively decorate the area, and bouquets of them will certainly become a wonderful gift and a bright accent to any room.

Caring for ranunculus at home

Caring for ranunculus is quite simple. This is the standard minimum for caring for your favorite indoor plants. It lies in the right conditions.

• Lighting – bright sunlight or partial shade.
• Temperature is moderate. During the flowering period, not lower than 18°C.
• Air humidity is moderate. It is useful to periodically give the plant a shower.
• Watering is moderate, regular, preferably overhead. Ranunculus loves moist soil. However, do not over-water it. The plant cannot tolerate wet soil and may die.
• Ranunculus reproduces using daughter tubers or seeds. Daughter tubers must be separated after digging and placed for the winter. They are stored until spring, then planted in the soil. Seed propagation is the most accessible and easiest way to propagate the indoor culture of Asian buttercups.
• Replant every spring if the plant is perennial. If it is a biennial, and even more so an annual, transplantation is excluded by itself.
• Ranunculus is undemanding to soil composition. However, it needs to be loosened periodically. This will prolong flowering and make it more abundant.
• Asian buttercup is extremely intolerant of stagnant water.

Fertilizing ranunculus in open ground

After planting, it is advisable to periodically feed ranunculi to ensure their full development and long flowering. During the period of active leaf growth, special nitrogen-rich fertilizers are applied to the buttercups, and when the first buds appear, phosphorus-potassium compounds are applied.

It is advisable to feed the plants every 2 weeks. The required amount of fertilizer is determined based on the planting area: 50 g are consumed per 1 sq.m. It is good to use peat or diluted compost as a top dressing.

Description and features of ranunculus

Homeland extraordinarily beautiful flower Ranunculus is Asia Minor, it is there that you can see a multi-colored “carpet” of these, which miraculously spread out under the scorching rays of the Asian sun.

Translated from Latin, so beautiful means “frog”. Of course, it is completely different from a frog, it’s just that Ranunculus, like a frog, loves moist soil.

In the 16th century, Ranunculus arrived in Europe. With its beauty it eclipsed even roses, and for flower lovers it became a real discovery. It’s even hard to think that such an exotic plant has a second name - the common buttercup. Currently, it occupies a leading position among sales, and florists give it unprecedented preference.

Ranunculus plant considered the bride. Because of their extraordinary delicacy, bouquets made from these are very popular when creating wedding bouquets.

Externally ranunculus very similar to small roses that have many shades. It will look great in a collected bouquet. Ranunculus flower actively used for room design. It perfectly complements the Provence and shabby chic style.

Ranunculus in the photo looks very elegant. It is considered a primordially female flower. Asian buttercup (ranunculus) looks beautiful in a flower bed and looks gorgeous in a vase or in an earthen pot.

It combines extraordinary sophistication and stylish tenderness. Any floral arrangement made using ranunculus will always be in trend.

Ranunculus species

Ranunculus is divided into many varieties. They are divided into 4 groups.Asian group - blooms at the end of May and blooms until mid-July. The bud is beautiful and feminine. It will look great near a garden gazebo or on a window. It reaches a height of 80 cm.

Persian group - Can please the eyes, already at the end of spring. Its inflorescences look like roses. It is otherwise called “terry ranunculus”.

French group– Starts to bloom in early summer. These flowers belong to French breeders and are distinguished, as always, by French chic.

African group - This group is most similar to real roses. They are very beautiful and big double buds can always please the eye.

Growing Ranunculus

Ranunculus plant unpretentious and can be handled by a novice plant grower. There are two options for planting Ranunculus.

1.Option – Planting with seeds

The secret lies in the fact that the seeds produce buds only after a year and not all seeds may sprout. In order to sow seeds, they must be collected from faded buds using gauze. This must be done very carefully so as not to drop the seeds on the ground.

You should start sowing the seeds in mid-February. For this you will need: a prepared pallet, good loose soil and film. The seeds need to be sown and sprinkled with a little soil. Cover with film and place in a bright room so that the temperature is 15 degrees. When the seeds produce young leaves, they can be transplanted into separate pots.

2. Option – Planting with bulbs

In open ground Ranunculus Bulbs should be planted after the last frost, as they do not like the cold. Growing Ranunculus using a bulb is not difficult.

They should be planted in the soil around May, when there is no threat of frost. It is recommended to soak the bulbs in potassium permanganate before planting. Holes for planting are formed at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other.

Plant with the nose down and lightly sprinkle with soil. The holes are not deep, just a little deeper than one phalanx of the finger. If there is a sudden frost, the seedlings will need to be covered with something. Ranunculus plant loves water, but if there is too much moisture, the bulbs can rot.

The roots of Ranunculus are very delicate, which is why they cannot be replanted before flowering or on time, but before the onset of cold weather, you must carefully remove the bulbs and provide them with a warm winter. IN warm winters(without frost) the bulbs do not need to be dug up. It is enough to cover them with fir branches. This wintering applies to the southern regions.

Ranunculus at home

Asian buttercup (Ranunculus) is an excellent perennial houseplant. Ranunculus domestica will perfectly decorate a window in any home. Despite this, he still does not tolerate winter and cold well and requires additional rest and care at this time of year.

Yellow and dry leaves need to be trimmed and bulbs dug out. They should lie in the foundation solution for 30 minutes. And then it takes a couple of days for it to dry. They need to be very carefully wrapped in paper and placed in a dark place with a temperature of +6 degrees Celsius.

Ranunculus can live perfectly in a flower pot. It is recommended to plant not one at a time, but preferably in a bouquet. You need to buy a large pot, the soil should be the same as outside.

A day before planting, they need to lie in water. To the bottom flower pot put crushed stone, then pour in soil, and plant tubers. Add enough soil so that the tips of the bulbs are on the surface. Water thoroughly and keep at a temperature of +12 degrees, making sure that the soil is constantly moist.

When Ranunculus grows a little, it will need to be moved to a warmer place (temperature should be +20 degrees). When flowering, it is better suited to a room where the temperature is +18 degrees.

The most important thing in care is to get the maximum amount of light. In the warm season, it can be moved to an open veranda and there it will delight everyone with its wonderful beauty.

During the period of active growth and flowering of the plant, it is best to add complex fertilizer to the water for watering it. To moisturize the flower, it is useful to spray the leaves.

In the photo there are tubers of a ranunculus flower

It must be taken into account that ranunculus tubers Every year they will produce inflorescences that are smaller in shape and smaller in number. Therefore, many gardeners buy new tubers every year.

Caring for Ranunculus

Ranunculus– beautiful, it is considered not particularly whimsical, but there are special requirements that must be observed. It is then that you can achieve the chic flowering of this Asian fairy tale.

Be sure to choose the right soil for planting. It should be loose and fertile.

It should be noted that ranunculus loves sunlight very much, but a heavily shaded place will not suit it.

It is advisable to fertilize ranunculus; ash is good for this.

It is necessary to trim dry leaves and buds in a timely manner, thereby allowing the beginning inflorescences to grow to their full potential.

Garden pests can also cause harm. If this happens, you can spray with a solution of mercaptophos (for prevention, spray the flowers once a week).

Ranunculus has a weak root system and does not like frequent transplants, so it is not recommended to touch it without reason.

You can plant ranunculus of various colors in a pot. This will create a bouquet full of beauty and charm.

Ranunculus price

Buy Ranunculus is not difficult. You can find something so unique and fashionable in an online store. Ranunculus price will be 45 rubles for 1 package. You can order a luxurious bouquet of Ranunculus from 25 colors. The price will be 4,000 rubles.

Garden buttercups, or Asian buttercups, are one of the most beautiful and touching flowers. Charming and inimitable, so colorful, ranunculi are equally famous for their beauty and capriciousness. But the difficulties of growing, digging, ensuring proper wintering and summer period peace still does not stop flower growers and gardeners all over the world. Being one of the most beautiful plants For cutting, buttercups really require a special approach, including propagation. And although the most popular and simple method All that remains is the purchase and separation of tubers, however, you can also get your own buttercups from seeds. Moreover, this is how the best ones are most often sold modern varieties and variety mixtures.

Asian Buttercup, or Garden Buttercup, Ranunculus (Ranunculus asiaticus). © Eila Kaarina

Complex and exciting, you will enjoy the process of growing buttercups from seeds experienced gardeners and those who like more challenging tasks. And although buttercups rarely bloom that same year, next summer they will amaze you with their colorful “heads.”

Content:

An enviable variety of immodest ranunculus

Buttercup, or Buttercup asiatica (Ranunculus asiaticus), also known as Ranunculus- a herbaceous perennial with a tuberous rhizome, the shape of which is most reminiscent of spiders and carrots. The roots reach only 2.5 cm in length. The stems are weakly branched or unbranched, up to 50 cm in height. The leaves and shoots are heavily pubescent. The greenery is not numerous, tripartite, bright in color, a bit like dahlia leaves.

Ranunculus flowers, up to 6 cm in diameter, are semi-double or double, very rarely simple. Most often they are single, consisting of so many densely spaced petals that they seem almost artificial. The shape resembles either balls, roses, peonies or turbans. The garden buttercup blooms in June; flowering continues for a not so long period, but is incomparable in its beauty.

Among garden buttercups there are both tall and lower varieties, which can be grown both in open soil and in pots. Representatives of the four main decorative groups of buttercups do not lose their popularity today:

• cut varieties of the Persian buttercup group, the flower shape of which really resembles the legendary headdresses;
• the touching French buttercups, the most graceful species with two rows of petals creating strikingly symmetrical patterns;
• long-blooming peony buttercups with their incredible variety of varieties;
• turban-shaped, Turkish or African buttercups, the flowers of which are striking not only with their spherical shape, but also with an incredible number of petals.

But today, new varieties and mixtures of buttercups have won much greater love among flower growers - 'Bloomingdale Mix', 'Bloomingdale Strain', 'Rose Bicolor', 'Color Carnival', 'Double Pink Mix', 'Tecolote Strain', 'Tecolote Giants', ' Rebecca Mix', 'Early Dwarf Strain', etc.

The strategy for growing garden buttercups from seeds is no different for other types of buttercups, including perennials.

Self-collection of buttercup seeds and their selection for sowing

You can get seeds from garden buttercups yourself even in middle lane. But to do this, you need to leave the very first flower on the plant. The seeds will ripen only by the beginning of autumn. Since buttercups scatter seeds very easily, it is better to tie the seed capsule with gauze in advance. One box contains up to 500 seeds.

They must be dried, sorted into small batches and stored in separate containers or paper bags. The storage conditions for buttercup seeds are similar to the ideal conditions for tubers: from 10 to 15 degrees Celsius, in a dry room and with frequent ventilation.

For buttercups, it is very important to use fresh seeds collected from the previous season. They quickly lose their viability and the less they last, the better. When purchasing, carefully check the collection date. Seeds marked F1 - hybrids with increased endurance - have a higher percentage of germination. The seeds on the market have a wide range in price, and the best buttercups are not always the most expensive.

You should always focus on the completeness of the information: even those not marked as hybrid varieties plant seeds, if you buy them from a trusted manufacturer who provides complete information about sowing dates, preferred agricultural technology and cultivation characteristics, are better than seeds from a company unknown to you.

When purchasing or collecting seeds yourself, you should take into account that about a fifth of the seeds, and sometimes more, give an unexpected color when growing and flowering. Variety of buttercups and the opportunity to get unique ones color variations is considered one of the main advantages of the seed propagation method of this plant.

Soil and containers for sowing buttercups

Garden buttercups can be sown in the soil, but only in greenhouses or greenhouses (and even then, anyway, for seedlings). Therefore, this plant is much easier to sow directly into containers. In both cases, the soil should be light, loose, loose, and nutritious. You can use universal soil for seedlings, but you need to make sure that it has a neutral pH.

Before you start sowing, the soil must be disinfected. For buttercups, a solution of foundationazole is often recommended, but treating the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and regular scalding are also suitable.

Buttercup seeds can be sown both in special seedling boxes and in ordinary containers. The containers should be deep enough, but buttercups do not have strict requirements for the height of the soil layer. Sowing in large boxes that can be dug into the soil and taken out into the garden in the first year is also productive, avoiding diving and planting in the soil, thereby providing a more stable environment for the plants.

Sowing buttercup seeds

Garden buttercup requires early sowing for seedlings, otherwise the plants will not have time to go through the entire development cycle before the arrival of frost and their tubers will not ripen before digging. Sowing of seeds is carried out in February or in the first ten days of March.

The container or box is filled with substrate and carefully leveled. Ranunculus seeds are scattered over the surface of the soil, trying to place them as sparingly as possible. The best option- individually laid out with a distance of about 1.5 cm between the seeds. After sowing, they are carefully covered with sifted soil on top. The soil layer, and therefore the depth level, should not exceed 3 mm. Moistening of crops is carried out only after covering with soil (the soil is not watered before sowing). After spraying, the boxes and containers are covered with film or glass.

Conditions for germination of buttercup seeds

Buttercups do not really like heat, and for seeds to germinate, it is necessary to create not only consistently moist conditions, but also a temperature environment of 15 to 20 degrees. In the first two weeks after sowing, it is better to control the temperature more strictly, keeping it at about 12 degrees, but this is not necessary. If you sowed buttercups in boxes, then they can be transferred to a cold greenhouse or soil, dug in, covered with film and left until warmer. Shoots will appear later, only by May, but the plants will undergo hardening and grow faster.

What buttercups definitely need for germination is the brightest possible lighting: boxes with buttercups should be placed on sunny windowsills. For these plants, you need to ventilate daily and thoroughly wipe the glass or film to prevent condensation from accumulating.

Moistening at the pre-germination stage is carried out only by spraying with fine sprays, maintaining stable light soil moisture. The substrate should not be allowed to completely dry out or become damp.

On average, the wait for the first shoots of garden buttercups to appear takes from 15 to 20 days, but depending on the conditions, this period can extend.

Growing plants

Remove the film or glass from the containers as soon as the first sprouts of buttercups appear. From this moment, the temperature for the plant is increased, but to restrained room values: about 18 degrees (it should not fall below, but values ​​above 22 degrees are not welcome).

Important condition normal development garden buttercup seedlings - supplementary lighting. The daylight hours for this plant should be increased to 10 hours. Under conditions of warm spring and favorable weather, buttercups feel good in a south-facing window, but with additional lighting they develop better and do not stretch out as much.

Picking seedlings and caring for young buttercups

Young buttercups in individual peat pots, are transferred to a greenhouse bed (a greenhouse will do), to large boxes or to permanent containers with a large distance between plants only when they produce the third pair of true leaves. When planting in greenhouses or large containers, leave a distance of about 10-15 cm between plants. If buttercups are grown in boxes dug into the soil, then after the fifth and sixth leaves are produced, they are simply transplanted to permanent place, without diving.

Hardening of seedlings

Hardening off buttercups is necessary only if the plants are grown in individual pots and as classic indoor seedlings. It is carried out from April, during the day placing plants on fresh air. Buttercups in greenhouses, greenhouses or in boxes buried in the garden simply need more frequent ventilation.

Planting buttercups

You should not expect flowering from garden buttercups obtained from seeds in the first year. But the plants are still planted in the ground in the first year of cultivation and the agricultural practices typical for adult buttercups are followed - with planting in late spring and digging up for the winter.

Young buttercups obtained from seeds can be planted only when they have passed spring frosts, not earlier than May. The question of where to plant buttercups is much more difficult to resolve - in garden soil or containers that will then be placed in the garden. Ideally for buttercups active development and flowering requires a low temperature, about 15-20 degrees, they are sensitive to the vagaries of the weather, require stable humidity, which is easy to control by watering. And that is why in the first year it is easier to grow them in separate containers rather than in the ground.

When grown on an industrial scale, buttercups are sown and grown in boxes, simply taking them out into the garden for the summer. This approach is very effective, it allows you not only to control the conditions, but also to avoid losing plants as a result of unexpected cold snaps or extreme heat, moving them from place to place. But caring for buttercups in container culture will require complex, constant attention; the plants will depend on you for everything.

When planting in soil, caring for plants is much easier. So the choice is really not so clear-cut. Of course, some plants can be left as indoor plants, and those growing in greenhouses can continue to be grown there.

It will not be so easy to find the ideal place for buttercups. Buttercups are surprisingly moisture-loving plants; they love moderately moist soil, but not waterlogging. And the place for planting them should be chosen very carefully. Garden buttercups, provided they have drainage, prefer places with high groundwater levels (about half a meter deep is ideal); they thrive near ponds or wet flower beds, where they do not suffer from droughts. But at the same time, dampness leads to rotting of plants and we are talking specifically about the need for fresh, moist soil.

You can plant buttercups in ordinary flower beds, borders, or in summer flower beds, but then you will have to water them regularly. The quality of the soil is no less important. The soil should have a light, porous texture and high nutritional value. The soil reaction should be neutral. And one more nuance: buttercups should be grown in protected, comfortable areas, without drafts and cold winds.

Buttercups are planted in spacious, deep holes with drainage laid at the bottom. Buttercups are transferred together with peat pots or big lump soil, trying not to disturb the soil ball around the rhizome. After installing the plant, maintaining the same depth level, add soil, lightly compact it and immediately carry out deep watering, after which soil is added again if necessary.

For the first time after planting, buttercups can be covered with non-woven materials to protect them from possible night frosts. This way the plants adapt better and bloom earlier.

During the entire stage of active vegetation and flowering, buttercups require enhanced care:

1. For buttercups, you cannot do without regular fertilizing with a frequency of once every 2 weeks and without quite specific, only phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. Some procedures can be replaced by mulching the soil with organic matter and adding wood ash.
2. Watering is carried out during periods of drought, restoring comfortable soil moisture and compensating for any vagaries of the weather. The soil for buttercups is not allowed to dry out completely.
3. Faded shoots are removed in a timely manner, along with the entire peduncle.
4. Weeding is carried out as often as possible, supplementing the procedures with loosening the soil.

Alternative methods for propagating buttercups:

• daughter tubers;
• dividing bushes.

Many gardeners prefer to grow proven and unpretentious flowers, but sometimes the soul craves the exotic. If this is your case, plant ranunculus - the plant, although it will require time and care, will generously reward you with unforgettable flowering. When you first see the bright double buds, reminiscent of unblown peonies or small roses, it is difficult to imagine that this is a garden variety of buttercup.

Exquisite and delicate heads of garden buttercups

A modest buttercup with an exotic appearance

The Buttercup family includes more than 600 species, its representatives are found on all continents except Antarctica. For lovers of rock gardens and rockeries, the high-mountain alpine buttercup is of interest, but the garden or Asian ranunculus buttercup has the greatest decorative value. Based on its natural habitat in Asia Minor and southeastern Europe, it is also called Syrian.

This is perennial herbaceous plant, growing in one stem up to half a meter high. Unlike other species, ornamental ranunculus reproduces by tuberous roots that look like small crabs or spiders. The leaves are emerald green, tripartite, pubescent, succulent, which gives the plant fragility. Each tuber produces up to 4 peduncles, forming from 1 to 10 flowers with a diameter of 4–7 cm, collected in beautiful lush bouquets. The palette amazes with the variety and richness of shades - red, yellow, white, crimson, orange, purple.

Ranunculus is perennial, like most tuberous crops, ephemeroid. Its life cycle can be divided into several periods:

• vegetation, including flowering (spring-summer);
• death of the above-ground part - ripening of the tuber (beginning of autumn);
• rest period - bookmark flower buds next year;
• resumption of vegetation.

Garden forms of decorative culture were known back in the 16th century. Modern selection aimed at obtaining large flowers, expanding color range, increasing the duration of flowering, breeding border varieties.

Old and modern varieties

The selection of ranunculus goes back several centuries; hundreds of varieties have been bred with various colors, petal shapes, and degrees of terry. In Europe, it is very popular as a container crop and decorates windows, balconies, open verandas, and gazebos everywhere. This plant is rare in our gardens, as can be seen even from the names of the varieties sold. Basically there is a name (garden buttercup or ranunculus) and a color designation (yellow, pink).

Let's try to understand the assortment in more detail. All garden forms Flowers are usually grouped into 4 groups.

• The Persian variety is the oldest and includes tall varieties intended for cutting. The flowers are large, double or semi-double, bloom in spring.
• Turkish or turban-shaped buttercups are distinguished by petals twisted inside the flower; they are also called peony-shaped.
• French ranunculus is less double than other forms, the color ranges from white to purple, and blooms in summer.
• The Asian group is the most extensive and, through the efforts of breeders, continues to grow. The peculiarity of varieties and hybrids of the Asian species is that they are low-growing bushy plants that are quite resistant to heat and bloom throughout the summer.

Let us give examples of the most popular varieties and hybrids of crops that grow quite productively in our climatic conditions.

• Bloomingdale's, our tubers are sold as Blooming Valley - a large group of hybrid ranunculi that come in one color (white, red, yellow, pink, orange) or as a mix of colors.
• Color Carnival is a beautiful variety with tall stems up to 70 cm, perfect for cutting. Flowers of warm colors create a bright sunny island in the garden, over which butterflies and insects constantly circle.
• Superbissima is a tall variety, predominantly with white and red semi-double flower heads.

Varieties for a bouquet

Advice! It has been noticed that ranunculus, when propagated by tubers, loses its decorative qualities after a few years. This applies to modern hybrids, which are better to buy annually, but you can breed old proven varieties yourself.

Ranunculus in garden design and more

Ranunculus flowers, densely packed with petals, can become the highlight of the garden. Landscape designers offer a wide variety of options for using this amazing plant.

• Garden buttercup as part of a mixborder goes well with anemones and scabiosa; its bright beauty will be complemented by arabis and alyssum. Tall varieties planted in the center or in the background, decorating the edge of the flower bed with miniature violets, daisies, and aubrieta.
• Ranunculus of different colors, planted in groups or in masses, during the flowering period form a sea of ​​extraordinary beauty.
• They are also good at container plantings. For growing in floor flowerpots, flowerpots, tubs, balcony boxes use a mix of low-growing varieties.

With the help of mobile flowerpots you can not only decorate the yard, but also regulate the temperature

Florists love the exquisite flowers of garden buttercup. Bouquets resembling roses are sold all winter - from November to April; in summer, cut flowers can be obtained from your own flowerbed. Buds of delicate pastel shades are ideal for a wedding bouquet.

Delicate wedding bouquet of ranunculus

Garden buttercup in indoor culture

Ranunculus tubers have a very short dormant period (1 month), so the plant is widely used for winter forcing and growing in pots.

Young nodules dug up in August are ready to germinate in October. With the right indoor farming techniques, 2.5–3 months pass from germination to flowering - so calculate when to plant them in order to get flowers, for example, by March 8th.

Asian buttercup is a light-loving, long-day crop. To prevent the seedlings from stretching out excessively and blooming, the pot with forcing is kept on the south window and additional lighting is provided, based on the fact that the total light period should be at least 15 hours a day.

Place drainage at the bottom of the flower pot and fill the container with a light peat-based substrate enriched with humus. Before planting, the tubers are treated with the drug Maxim - wrapped in a cloth moistened with a fungicide solution for several hours. It treats planting material from fungal infections, stimulates germination, and enriches it with microelements.

Ranunculus have another growing secret. From planting to the appearance of sprouts, the optimal temperature should be 10–12⁰ C, during forcing – 15–20⁰ C. You need to make sure that the soil does not dry out, but tuberous plants do not like excess moisture.

Advice! To balance the humidity, add sphagnum moss or hydrogel balls, previously soaked in water, to the planting soil. These are granules made of a special polymer; first they swell and then gradually release moisture to the roots.

Features of growing in open ground

Along with indoor culture, ranunculi, like anemones or tuberous begonias, are suitable for planting in open ground. You can do this in different ways- plant the nodules directly in the garden bed, grow them in the room, sow flowers with seeds.

Whatever option you choose, you should remember that the plant is quite capricious and loves moderation in everything. In spring he is afraid of cold winds, night frosts, excessive dampness, in summer - excessive heat. The place for the flower needs to be sunny, in hot regions - shaded at midday, humid, but with good drainage, protected from drafts by a house wall or trees.

Planting with nodules

The easiest way to grow ranunculus is to plant the tubers directly in a permanent place - in a flower garden or outdoor container. The best time for this is mid-May. You can plant earlier, but then you will have to provide for the option of sheltering the seedlings from return frosts.

Before planting, the soil is loosened, humus and long-acting complex mineral fertilizers for flowers (Agricola, Royal Mix) are added. If the soil structure is not light and crumbly enough, it is recommended to add peat or vermiculite.

Tubers are soaked to swell ordinary water or a solution of drugs. Potassium permanganate, Fitosporin, Maxim are used for disinfection, and Epin, Zircon are used to stimulate growth. There is no need to fill the roots, just moisten a napkin and wrap it in it. The second method is swelling in a moist substrate. The crabs are placed with their horns on wet peat, sawdust, or garden soil and wait until they are saturated and spread out.

Plant the prepared planting material to a depth of 2–5 cm, with the horns down, maintaining a distance of 10–12 cm between them.

To get early flowering of ranunculus, gardeners practice first planting indoors, and then transferring and caring for the seedlings in the open ground.

In this case, the planting time shifts to February - March. Requirements for soil, light and temperature conditions the same as in indoor culture. Seedlings do not tolerate transplantation well, so experts recommend using peat pots as temporary containers.

Important! The number of flowers on a peduncle directly depends on the amount of light at the stage of growing seedlings. If the plant is not illuminated, it will stretch out and instead of a bouquet of 7-10 heads, you will get 1-3 measly flowers.

Planting by seeds

Ranunculus can be grown from seeds. With this method, it is worth remembering that the plant is a perennial; in the first year it does not bloom, but grows a tubercle. In the fall, the roots need to be dug up, stored until spring, and then flowering specimens can be obtained from them.

Seeds are sown in a container with light soil, almost on the surface. Sprinkle a couple of millimeters of substrate on top, moisten it with a spray bottle, cover it with film or glass, and place it on a windowsill or under a lamp. Before germination (10–14 days), maintain a temperature of 10–15⁰ C, ventilate, monitor humidity. After the sprouts appear, they are grown as ordinary seedlings. They are planted in separate pots at the stage of 4–5 leaves and planted in the ground after the onset of stable heat.

What do you need to know about care?

Most of the trouble with ranunculus occurs at the germination and planting stage; it is unpretentious in care.

The plant needs abundant watering, but without stagnant moisture. Loosen the soil regularly, providing air access to the roots, and promptly remove weeds that provoke the formation of mold and mildew.

During flowering, fertilizing with organic or mineral fertilizers will not interfere, wood ash. Remember that you need to fertilize in damp soil so as not to burn the roots.

Aphids love the succulent leaves of ranunculus, spider mite, therefore, when planting, do not forget to treat the tubers with fungicides (Maxim), use insecticides in their care - at home it can be Karbofos, Akarin, Provado.

After flowering, as soon as aboveground part dies, the tubers are dug up. Each mother root grows up to 7 daughter nodules per season. They are carefully separated, dried, and cleared of soil. Store in paper bags in the basement or other cool place (up to +10⁰).

Advice! If you want to collect your seeds, know that only the flowers that bloomed first when the daytime temperature did not exceed 20⁰ are suitable for this. In hot weather, pollination does not occur, and the seeds on late flowers do not have time to ripen.

No matter how troublesome you may find growing garden buttercups, they are worth it. Grateful plants cause genuine delight in everyone who sees them; they fill the garden with bright colors and amazing tenderness.

Ranunculus - cultivation, care: