A compact growth, colorful flowers and an undemanding character - what more could you want? Ranunculus are now available in a wide variety of designs. There is something for every taste. Would you like to grow your own plants from seeds with perhaps completely new properties?
How to grow ranunculus from seeds?
To grow ranunculus from seeds, sowing should be done in seed boxes or pots with permeable substrate at 10-15°C. The seeds are light germinators and require low temperatures for 7-14 days, followed by 2 days at 15°C. Separation occurs after the formation of 4 pairs of leaves.
Sowing instructions – step by step
It is worth noting that the seeds germinate in light. They should therefore only be covered very thinly with soil or simply pressed down. Seed boxes (€13.00 on Amazon) or pots are well suited for sowing. Place the sowing container outside! The seeds need relatively low temperatures to germinate.
Then it’s time to keep it moist and wait! Around 1,400 seeds are required for 1,000 plants (germination quota). The germination temperature should be between 10 and 15 °C. If the temperatures are higher than 16 °C, germination is inhibited.
Here are some tips for quick germination:
- initially for about 7 to 14 days temperatures between 5 and 6 °C
- after 2 days temperatures around 15 °C
- Germination time on average: 10 to 12 days
Isolate the young plants and repot them
As soon as the young ranunculus have 4 pairs of leaves, they can be separated or repotted. Plant them in a well-drained substrate with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5! The pot should be about 10 cm in diameter.
The best time for sowing
It would be optimal if you sow the seeds - whether from your own harvest after the flowering period or purchased - outdoors around mid-September (August at the earliest) or place them in a sowing container on the balcony or terrace. Sowing can take place until the end of October. If necessary, the seeds can also be sown in early spring.
Sowing - recommended?
In contrast to sowing seeds, separating the breeding onions from the mother onion is much quicker and easier. The breeding bulbs are separated and planted at a distance of at least 15 cm from each other. Keep it moist and hey presto: you've got new ranunculus plants.
Tip
Don't put the frost-sensitive young plants outside in their location in autumn, but only in spring! Otherwise there is a risk that they will freeze to death.
