Expert: Long Island Gardener - 3/30/2008

Question
how  r u ? i have bought the rnanculus bulbs from a seed store .planted them ,they grown well .during the pest socuting i see some small green insects on the plants .cling with the stems of the plant ,then i supray the plant with the garlic water .next day again do  the same .inseccts die or removed but the plants as going to die . iwas very sad at that time .but no way .what should we do for the rnanculus growing .please give some precious lines about the growing of rnanculus .
i live in pakistan.in punjab .

Answer
Those Ranunculus bulbs do burst open into some stunning blooms in vivid colors.  One Ranunculus hobbyist named Wayne shares his experience with these flowers -- 'the longest, richest profusion of flowers' -- on a page devoted just to them:

http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/ranunculuses.html

Sounds to me like you have battled Aphids.  I suspect you have limited access to my favorite cure for this problem, Ladybugs, correct?  No problem.  Mix a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid, a teaspoon of mineral oil, and a half cup of warm water, and spray the leaves every other day.  Alternately, you can dip them (if they are potted) and get the entire leaf.  This is a lot more work than Ladybugs unfortunately.  Praying mantids are another option -- here again I suspect they don't sell those at the corner bodega.  If you have a Home Depot in Karachi, you might be able to obtain some Horticultural Oil (organic) in a spray bottle.  Any of these will get rid of the Aphids quickly -- and that is a good thing because they will devour the plant if left to their own devices.

For the record, Ranunculus also is susceptible to Spider mites, Botrytis, Powdery Mildew and other problems, so be vigilant during active growth.

Basic care is easy.  These are not HOT weather Bulbs -- they grow better with Gardenias and Miltonia Orchids, with temps in the mid-50s or low 60s (that's around 13 to 16 degrees C according to my calculator).  They need rich Soil but tend to rot or react negatively when you push Nitrogen on them -- especially Urea or other Ammonia-based Nitrogen source; go easy on that element, and use a Nitrate fertilizer when necessary.

If you want these to flower, remember they respond to short-day lighting -- less than 10 hours a day, with bright lighting.

Mr Waynesthisandthat covers culture quite effectively, and he posts pictures too -- something I cannot alas do here.  Let me know if you need more culture information and I'll elaborate.  Good luck with these -- please keep me posted.

L.I.G.