How to overcome the fear of failure in the garden was my struggle this week. Those ranunculus are giving me a run for my money. After all the research I did and starting them off just right….they are failing!!
Why are my ranunculus wilting and turning yellow?
Ranunculus is a cool weather crop. They do not like temperatures higher than 70 degrees. When these plants were put out, the nights were in the high 30’s and the days in the 50s. Initially looked really good, until…..the weather turned warm. I am talking 70 degrees plus for a week and a half. The ranunculus did not have any shade cover on them and they wilted and started turning yellow. You could say that I panicked a bit.
What I learned about planting ranunculus.
These beautiful flowers like just the right environment. The sustainable flowers podcast has a great podcast on http://sustainableflowerspodcast.libsyn.com/ranunculus-what-to-do-and-not-to-do Listen to this before you plant your ranunculus. It will save you so much headache.
How do you grow ranunculus in Minnesota?
- Pre sprout your corms
- Plant your ranunculus out as soon as the soil can be worked. 4 weeks before your last frost date. Cover with a row cover at night until temps are above 32 degrees
- Use a shade cloth.
- Do not over water! Corms will rot
- Fertilize with an organic fertilizer 1-2 times per month
How to overcome fear of failure in the garden
How to overcome fear of failure in the garden takes some time. With time comes experience and with that we realize that just because something dies or does not grow does not mean we are not ment to do this.
Keep trying. If you plant something and it does not do great there. Move it. Sometimes all it takes is a different spot. I moved those scraggly ranunculus to a different spot and they look so much better.
Start small. Starting small is the smartest thing you can do. Basic things is a good way to go. https://midwestcutflowers.com/archives/1564 This is a basic tutorial on how to plant flowers in a pot. Easy, basic. Starting small will give you the confidence you need to plant other things.
Plants do not have feelings. They are living things, but they do not have feelings. If something dies. Throw it away, start again.
Plants need some care. There is not very many plants that do not need some kind of care. Take a few minutes each day. See if they need water. That is all it is.
Read the planting instructions. Follow what it says.
Ammobium winged everlasting was planted this week. They are looking really good.
Can you see the baby eucalyptus? They smell so good even at this stage.
Lunaria or money plant is something I am excited about.
And lastly, I wanted to share my Mothers Day Flowers. Arn’t they lovely!
😊 yes!!
Ranunculus do beautiful in cool wet Washington weather. They lasted a long time this spring which was a bonus. SD growing and WA are so opposite. They both have big challenges. All the rain isn’t always great. It rots your seed and grows mildew on roses and invites giant beasty slugs that love to eat your hostas. I move it either way. It’s a challenge good for my mental and covid quarantine brain. 🙂
😊😊 you can do it!!
I am glad your plants(I’m not going to try to spell it!)are doing better in a new spot! They are so beautiful, hopefully you don’t lose them! It’s hard to throw out dead plants when you’ve babied them so long. Love to see your pictures!! You are inspiring me to try in this almost-desert!🤞😁