Characteristics of the buttercup plant, how to grow in the open field, the rules for the reproduction of ranunculus, the fight against diseases and pests, curious notes and applications, types and varieties.
Buttercup (Ranunculus), often following the Latin transliteration, is called Ranunculus and belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. These representatives of the flora can grow both in water and on soil. But in any case, all buttercups have a caustic juice, and often even poisonous. The genus contains both annuals and plants characterized by a longer growing season. The genus has united about six hundred species. The native habitat falls on the territory of Asia Minor. But today ranunculus species are grown in the temperate and cold regions of the planet's northern hemisphere.
| Family name | Buttercup |
| Growing period | Annual or perennial |
| Vegetation form | Herbaceous |
| Breeding method | Seed or tubers |
| Landing period | When the soil warms up to 10 degrees and there will be no return frosts |
| Landing rules | The distance between the seedlings is about 10-15 cm |
| Priming | Any, drained, nutritious |
| Soil acidity values, pH | 6, 5-7 - neutral or 5-6 - slightly acidic |
| Lighting degree | Bright light or partial shade |
| Humidity parameters | Moderate and regular watering |
| Special care rules | Drying and flooding of soil must not be allowed |
| Height values | Up to 0.65 m |
| Inflorescences or type of flowers | Single flowers or complex inflorescences |
| Flower color | Snow white, yellow, cream, pink, red, orange and crimson |
| Flowering period | From mid-summer to August |
| Decorative time | Spring-summer |
| Application in landscape design | Group planting in flower beds, in rock gardens and rockeries, landscaping borders or mixborders, applicable for cutting |
| USDA zone | 3–6 |
People noticed that such flowers are most often found near water or in the coastal zone, growing right in shallow water, because they were compared to frogs, and "rana" is translated from Latin exactly as "frog". But you can hear how the plant is called "night blindness" because of the acrid sap, which, if it gets into the eyes, can cause pain.
Buttercup roots are short, as they do not need to go deep into the ground to find water. Plants in natural conditions grow and so in close proximity to it. The root system is characterized by fibrousness. Occasionally, a bunch is collected from a large number of thickened root shoots that have tuberous outlines. Ranunculus stems in height do not usually exceed indicators of half a meter or a little more. They grow upright and have little branching at the top. Plump shoots with a dark emerald color.
Leaf plates growing on stems in the next order can take both simple outlines and have a dissection. When the leaf is cut very strongly, then it is somewhat similar to the contours of the dahlia leaves. The surface of the leaves is pubescent. The foliage is also richly colored in green color.
Usually, in July, the stems begin to decorate complex inflorescences, or the buds on the shoots are formed separately. Often, inflorescences with their shapes resemble balls, reaching a diameter of 8-10 cm. thick double corolla. Each petal at the base has a honey pit, which is covered by a small scale, or there is none. Petals with a slight bend. There are a large number of both pistils and stamens in buttercup flowers.
Flowering, lasting about a month from mid-summer, is quite a spectacular sight, as ranunculus flowers have similar outlines with small pink buds that, when fully opened, begin to resemble oriental poppies. There are also species whose flowers can look like pompom dahlias or chrysanthemums with spherical outlines. The color of the petals in flowers is also diverse, it includes snow-white, yellow, orange and cream, red, pink and crimson colors. But there are no buttercups with a blue, blue and purple hue of flowers.
After the flowers are pollinated, the fruits will ripen, which are multi-roots. Due to its unpretentiousness, the plant is used in breeding works (the variety of Asian buttercup (Ranunculus asiaticus) is especially chosen in this matter). With its help, a significant number of garden forms were bred, which differ in color: monochrome, two-color and having petals with a bright border. If you cut the ranunculus flowers, then they will stand in a bouquet for almost a week.
Buttercup growing rules - planting and care in the open field
- Landing place should be well lit, but some varieties of ranunculus, such as the creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens), also prefer shady corners of the garden. It is noticed that in light shading, the flowering will be a little longer. But the variety of long-leaved buttercup (Ranunculus lingua) can even be used to decorate coastal areas and shallow waters, since in nature it grows in water. However, wind protection is recommended.
- Soil for buttercup choose a light one with good drainability and nutritional value. Its acidity values are preferable to be neutral with a pH of 6, 5–7, or slightly acidic - pH 5–6. The substrate must be moderately moist, loam and heavy soils are categorically unsuitable. Before planting, it is recommended to add humus to the soil.
- Planting a buttercup. An indicator for the readiness of the soil for planting root-tubers ranunculus is the heating of the soil in the spring. When the temperature of the substrate becomes at least 10 degrees Celsius, and the return frosts will not return, then planting can be carried out. After storage, such roots require moisture saturation, so they should be placed on a highly moistened tissue or moss with a growth biostimulant solution (for example, in Epin). Some growers do not recommend soaking the roots, but this option also exists. It is recommended to add a fungicide (for example, Fundazol) to the liquid, which will serve as the prevention of possible diseases. Care should be taken when planting, since the buttercup roots are very fragile. After 8-10 hours, the tubers will thicken and are ready for planting. If such parts have not changed (remained dry), then this is a sign of their deterioration. The planting hole is prepared in advance by laying a drainage layer (fine expanded clay or sand) on its bottom to protect it from waterlogging. The distance between the seedlings is maintained about 10-15 cm. If the soil is light, then the plants are buried no more than 6-8 cm, in heavy - this indicator will be only 3-4 cm. In this case, the root collar should be 3-5 cm below the soil level. If root tubers are planted, then they are lowered into the planting hole with shoots down. In the case when a significant cooling can be expected, then the bed with the ranunculus plantings is covered with agrofibre (for example, lutrasil). Already after 10 days, you can see the first shoots.
- Watering for ranunculus, it is the most important aspect of growing, as the plant's root system is very sensitive to soil moisture. Do not allow both drying out and filling of the substrate. Moisturizing should be regular but moderate. Water is used only soft (rain) or well-settled tap water. The temperature of the water should not be low, otherwise it threatens buttercup diseases, it is better for the liquid to heat up under the sun.
- Fertilizers for ranunculus, they are introduced before flowering. Such a top dressing can be a mullein solution or potassium-phosphorus agents. But it is also regularly recommended to fertilize buttercup bushes with the use of nitrogen preparations at the very beginning, to build up green mass. Some growers use full mineral complexes, like Kemira-Universal.
- General advice for caring for a buttercup. It is recommended to separate and replant the bushes every 4-5 years, since the central part of them grows. After watering or rains, the soil is loosened. Weeds are weeded regularly. When flowering takes place, all dried and discolored buds should be constantly removed. If the flowering has come to an end, then the frequency of watering and their abundance are reduced, otherwise the root system may rot. When the deciduous mass withers, watering the ranunculus is stopped altogether. If the weather has been rainy for a long time, then it is recommended to cover the bushes of plants with a plastic transparent film to protect the root system from waterlogging.
- Buttercup tuber storage. Since the plants do not tolerate frost (no more than -7 degrees), then with the arrival of a cold snap, they should be dug up. Usually in September, after the entire above-ground part has dried out, you can dig. If all the greens have withered, then they are already starting to dig up the tubers, without waiting for a colder snap. The tubers are kept dry and well ventilated so that the room temperature is in the range of 18-21 degrees. It is recommended to wrap the tubers with a cloth or place in containers with dry peat chips.
- The use of buttercup in landscape design. The plant is unpretentious and can decorate any flower bed with its flowering, but the best location will be a humid place, which may not suit many garden representatives of the flora. Site designers often plant ranunculus in mixborders and ridges, plant curbs with such plantings, or decorate places near water bodies. It is beautiful to fill the stone-free places in rock gardens or stone gardens with similar bushes. Cut flowers are not bad. The garden buttercup is often used for forcing. Hosts can be good neighbors.
See also tips for growing a stork - planting and care in the open field.
Buttercup breeding rules
Ranunculus can be propagated both by seeds and by planting root tubers:
- Buttercup propagation by root tubers. If you don't have your own bushes, you can purchase planting material, which is the dry roots of "night blindness". At the same time, it is important to examine them well: the appearance of the roots should be healthy, spots and damage should be absent, there should be no fragility, they look slightly thickened. If the planting time has not yet come, then it is recommended to keep the buttercup roots at a heat level of 17 degrees, and good ventilation should also be provided. If bushes of “night blindness” are already grown in the garden, then 5–7 children (root nodules) are formed next to them during the season of vegetation activity. When the foliage dies off in the fall, the roots are dug up and the children are separated and subsequently used for reproduction. Planting root tubers is carried out no earlier than May, so that the soil is already warmed up enough. Before settling, the roots should be soaked in a container with water, the temperature of which will be approximately 20-24 degrees. Wait for the roots to double in size.
- Buttercup propagation by seeds. This method is difficult, since ranunculus seeds cannot boast of germination - they have very low germination. Sowing of seeds is carried out at the end of winter, for this, seedling boxes are used, into which a peat-sand mixture or special soil for seedlings is poured. In the soil, you need to make grooves and carefully place the seed in them, which is then sprinkled with a layer of substrate. Such a soil layer should not exceed 2 cm. For the first two weeks, crops are placed in a room where the heat indicators are in the range of 10-15 degrees. When leaving, they try to constantly keep the soil moistened, since if it dries even slightly, the seeds will not hatch. Some flower growers are recommended to dig the planting container in a cold greenhouse or directly in the soil in a flower bed. Ranunculus shoots can be expected around April-May, depending on weather conditions. When grown indoors, the sprouts will appear 3-4 weeks after sowing and then the seedling box is transferred to conditions where the temperature is about 20 degrees and a good level of lighting. If the weather is cloudy, then buttercup seedlings are recommended to be illuminated with phytolamps. When three pairs of true leaves unfold on the seedlings (around the end of May), the plant can be transplanted to a permanent place for their further growth. The bushes are subject to division only after stepping over the age of three. The ranunculus obtained in this way will please with flowering only a year after the moment of sowing.
- Forcing buttercups. This simple name refers to a number of measures designed to accelerate the growth of a cultivated crop. According to flower growers, it is the species of Ranunculus asiaticus (Ranunculus asiaticus) or, as it is also called, the Garden Ranunculus is most suitable for this procedure. Planting for forcing plants is carried out from late summer to November, but this time directly depends on when it is planned to get the flowering of ranunculus. It was also noticed that the best choice would be varieties bred specifically or differing in stunted growth, for example, the Bloomingdale F1 cultivar group. But when forcing in apartment conditions, the problem is the increased temperature in the winter months, since the seedlings begin to stretch their stems too much from the heat and their decorativeness decreases. For the success of forcing, the column of the thermometer should be near the 10-degree mark, and then no more than 20 units.
See also recommendations for the reproduction of the helipterum.
Diseases and pests when growing a buttercup in the garden
Even in spite of the fact that the plant is resistant to diseases and pests, if the rules of cultivation are violated, troubles occur. If the soil is constantly in a waterlogged state, this will inevitably lead to rotting of the root system, in which mold may appear on the surface of foliage and flowers, ranunculus will begin to sprinkle with buds. Then the affected parts of the buttercup must be removed, and the bush itself must be treated with a fungicidal preparation (for example, Bordeaux liquid or Fundazol). Watering is stopped and the soil is loosened to check the roots.
Powdery mildew is also a problem with waterlogging, in which leaves and stems can become covered with a whitish bloom resembling lime. Here, the steps should be the same as described earlier.
A nematode is isolated from pests, which can often appear on the roots of a bush. When the leaf plates begin to curl, development stops, this is a sign of the presence of these worms. In order to fight the pest, the buttercup bush is dug up, the root system is washed in water, the temperature of which is 50 degrees, and potassium permanganate is dissolved in it. The color of the solution should be slightly pink. You can use drugs such as Levamisole or Nemobact to kill nematodes.
If the leaves of ranunculus have acquired a yellow tint or spots of a yellowish (silvery) hue appear on their surface, a thin cobweb is visible, then this indicates a spider mite lesion. Against him, you need to spray with an insecticidal agent, for example, Aktara or Fitoverm.
Curious notes about ranunculus, flower application
Although the plant is not included in the pharmacopoeial lists, and official medicine does not recognize its medicinal properties, folk healers have known about buttercup for a long time. Used ranunculus for anesthesia and tonicity of the body. If problems arose on the skin (non-healing wounds, tumors or boils), then buttercup-based tinctures or decoctions were also used. Such funds as therapeutic patches contributed to the ripening of boils and the resorption of neoplasms. Could provide a distracting effect for pain caused by rheumatism or overexertion, muscle injury.
Important
One should not forget about the toxicity of the buttercup, the juice, if it gets on the skin or mucous membranes, can lead to poisoning. Taking drugs based on ranunculus should be strictly under the supervision of a doctor, with caution. Contraindications are the period of pregnancy and lactation, as well as the child's age of the patient.
Such a species as caustic buttercup (Ranunculus acris), was in a medical herbarium, compiled in the 1st century BC by Dioscorides (40–90 AD), an outstanding pharmacologist and military doctor.
If we talk about more recent times, then in the Middle Ages, leprosy and other diseases were treated with the help of buttercup. Thus, descriptions of the treatment of diseases with the help of varieties of ranunculus with a yellow color of flowers, which were made by the doctor Mattiolus P. A., in 1563, served as a physician at the court of Emperor Ferdinand I. This doctor believed that the plant was suitable as a laxative or for breeding warts on the skin.
In ancient Russia, it was customary to praise the buttercup, since it was believed that it was a symbol of the god Perun, who patronized thunder and lightning, as well as the army. Since the plant had a poisonous sap, a variety of poisons were made on its basis. According to one version, Shakespeare's Juliet fell victim to a potion made from ranunculus, which gave her a dream so reminiscent of death.
Since buttercup flowers are still quite attractive, young men in love collected bouquets from them and presented them to their chosen ones. The flower was praised not only in the song and poetic genre, but was also used for displaying on the canvases of artists and in decorating buildings.
Important
Since buttercups do not have a scent, bouquets composed of them can be presented even to allergy sufferers without fear of a negative reaction on their part.
Description of types and varieties of buttercup for the garden
Acid buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
is a typical representative of the family. Popularly named Banewort, Creeping buttercup … Herbaceous perennial, the stems of which vary in height in the range of 20-50 cm. The stem grows upright. The leaves have long petioles at the bottom of the shoots. The length of such leaf plates is 5–10 cm, outlines in the form of a pentagon, with a finger-like division. The foliage at the top is sessile, divided into three lobes, in which the shape is linear and the edge is jagged. The color of the stems and leaves is deep green. Both the foliage and the stem are characterized by pubescence of hairs pressed to the surface.
During flowering, single buds open or semi-umbellate inflorescences are collected from them. Canary yellow petals. When fully opened, the diameter of the flower reaches 2 cm. There are five sepals and petals in a flower. The buds begin to bloom from the beginning of summer. The fruit is a multi-nut.
Buttercup creeping (Ranunculus repens)
also poisonous. Its specific name is due to the fact that the ascending stems of the plant extend over the soil surface and can often root at the nodes. At the same time, the type of reproduction in him is combined, since it combines both vegetative and seed. This also causes a small number of flowers, which are then transformed into fruits, since it requires few seeds. The flowers themselves are large, their diameter at full disclosure is 1, 5–2, 5 cm. The flower is bisexual, the color of the petals in it is honey-yellow. Each of the stems becomes a carrier of a single bud. The flowering process can take the period from May to the end of summer days.
The length of the stems is usually 0.1–0.5 m. The foliage is two-fold, green. It prefers, in contrast to its “brothers”, shady areas, in nature it is found on the shores of swamps and lakes in forests.
Buttercup golden (Ranunculus auricomus)
perennial, herbaceous growth. Also poisonous. Erect stems can reach up to 0.4 m in height. Their surface is practically bare. Foliage in the root zone with long petioles, their outlines are rounded-reniform, characterized by division into 3-5 leaf lobes. The outlines of the leaflets are wedge-shaped. The leaf plates on the stems are sessile, with a finger dissection. The foliage is painted in a rich emerald color.
Small flowers with brightly colored obovate petals. The calyx has a pubescent surface. Flowering is observed from mid-spring to early summer. At the same time, the fruit looks like a one-seeded leaflet, with pubescence.
Natural habitats are forests and meadows, which are characterized by dampness. Distribution - the European part of Russia.
Asiatic buttercup (Ranunculus asiaticus)
the most common type and applicable in breeding work. It is also called Buttercup garden or Buttercup hybrid … The specific name is due to the territory of natural distribution - southwest Asia, the eastern Mediterranean and southeastern Europe. It happens that it is found in northeast Africa. The height of the stems is 0.5 m, they grow straight, have a slight branching at the top. The foliage has a pubescence of small hairs. The diameter of flowers is 3-5 cm, the color is very varied: white, shades of yellow, red, pink and orange. Summer bloom.
In the course of breeding work, a large number of different forms were bred, among which the most popular are:
- Rose Bicolor (Ranunculus Blomingdale Rose Bicolor) characterized by snow-white flowers with a lush corolla, in which the tops of the petals are painted in pink color. In the open state, the flower resembles a rose in structure. The stems grow up to 20-25 cm, the bush is dense. Suitable for winter distillation.
- Pearl picotti (Ranunculus Purple Picotee) also has snow-white flowers, but with purple tops of the petals. The flower is terry, the bush is dense.
- Double Pink Buttercup (Ranunculus Double Pink Buttercup) when flowering, lush double flowers open, in which the petals are very tightly attached to each other. Each of the stems is crowned with several inflorescences. The height of such a dense bush does not exceed 0.4 m. It prefers an open and brightly lit place.
- Bloomingdale F1 Mix (Ranunculus Bloomingdale F1 mix) can bloom in a wide variety of colors, including shades of white, pink, red, yellow, orange and crimson. The corolla of a flower with a large number of petals is densely double. The height of the bush reaches 20-25 cm. The foliage is small.
- Bloomingdale F1 Mix Bicolor (Ranunculus Bloomingdale F1 mix Bicolor) the owner of mixed colors, which includes pink, red, snow-white, yellow and orange, as well as purple. The size of the double flowers is large, the tops of the petals are coated with a more saturated tone than the entire background. The stems reach a height of 20-24 cm. The leaves are also small.
- Ranunculus Rebecca mix) is also characterized by mixed colors. Resistant, but short stems are crowned with large flowers. The color of the foliage is bright green, the outlines of the bush are compact.
- Masha F1 Bicolor Mix (Ranunculus Mache F1 bicolor Mix) pleases the eye with the most diverse shades of blossoming buds. The height of a dense bush is in the range of 30–40 cm. The outlines of the flowers are lush, the number of petals is large, and there is dusting at their ends.
Video about garden cultivation of buttercup:
