TikTok's Tips For Growing Ranunculus Flowers From Corms To Produce Big Blooms
Beautifying your home from the outside involves growing healthy, gorgeous blooms that would take anyone's breath away at first glance. When you think about the best flowers for your garden, you may picture roses, peonies, and marigolds, but the severely-underrated blossoms that never cross anyone's mind are ranunculus flowers. Called by their genus name, these plants produce some of the most elegant petals you will ever see. Although the flowers give off an intimidating aura, they're actually not that difficult to grow. TikTok garden creator The_Farm_Bar provides easy-to-follow tips on growing ranunculus flowers from corm to bloom to make sure your garden glows with stunning flowers come spring. They provide pointers like soaking the corms before planting and spacing them out correctly, which will ensure you grow the biggest flowers possible.
Ranunculus flowers are made up of over 1,700 species, including 400 species of buttercups. These blooms come in a variety of colors that range from pink to orange to purple and more. While you can grow ranunculus flowers from seed, growing from corm is more advisable because those grown from seeds take longer to bloom into flowers before the cooler weather is over. Since ranunculus thrive in cooler climates as opposed to heat, you would end up not getting the endless array of large flowers that you wanted. If your goal is to be the most talked about yard on the block, then you need to know all these helpful tricks before planting ranunculus corms.
Soak the corms, then plant correctly
Ranunculus corms are similar to heads of tubers that sprout green shoots. They aren't seeds, but they can be planted and will produce an identical plant. The first tip from TikTok garden page The_Farm_Bar on growing ranunculus flowers is to soak the dried corms for three to four hours before you plant them. This will initiate and progress the germination stage.
Once fully saturated, drop the corms into 2 to 3-inch deep burrows at a spacing of 9 inches apart with the fingers down. This will give the plants enough room to grow large and accommodate each other. If you prefer to have your flowers bunched together rather than spaced out, you can get away with planting the corms a couple of inches closer. Overall, ensure you don't crowd them too much and that you prepare the soil with compost and a balanced fertilizer so that the plants' nutritional needs are taken care of.
The next heads-up provided by the gardener is that the corms typically take 90 days before they start to flower if planted in the early spring. However, some gardeners also plant them during the fall to allow them to overwinter before blooming. The TikTok creator lives in hardiness zone 8b, and ranunculus plants thrive in USDA zones 8 to 10 as long as the temperatures don't go below 25 degrees Fahrenheit. If you live outside these zones, ranunculus flowers should only be planted in early spring as annuals.
Ranunculus corms can be grown in pots and transferred outside
If you live in an apartment building and don't have a yard or if you want to start growing the ranunculus corms indoors before transferring outside, then you're in luck. These plants grow well in pots, so you don't have to miss out just because you don't own rolling green hills. Just make sure that the soil is well-draining and that the roots stay about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. You don't ever want your ranunculus to be too dry, but you should make sure you never overwater your plants either. This would create the ideal breeding ground for fungal diseases such as black root rot, which manifests in decaying roots, yellowing leaves, and a withering plant.
Once your plants have sprouted, transfer and care for them correctly to produce the biggest blooms. Ensure you move them to a spot that gets at least six hours of sunlight. When handling, it's best to wear gloves to avoid skin irritation. Also keep them away from pets and children, since they're mildly-toxic. Once they've bloomed, the flowers will last for about four to six weeks. If they're strictly for adorning your yard, just keep maintaining them until that time elapses. To use them inside your home, snip the stems with sharp shears once the brilliant colors appear. You can purchase ranunculus corms from your local plant nursery or floral shop. Further, know that the bigger the corms, the larger the blooms will be.