When should I plant them in the pots? What type of soil would they prefer? thanks

You can plant them in pots now as long as you have a place to keep the pots that does not freeze. The potting soil should drain well. When growth starts they will need lots of light to prevent them growing leggy with weak stems. If you have an area outside with frost protection they will grow slower than if inside, but will be stronger plants. Here I have both some started inside and most started outdoors. Those started indoors require hardening off before moving into the full sun outdoors. Our winter night time temperatures seldom drop below 25 degrees. Al

I have a greenhouse, so would it be a good idea to put the pots in the greenhouse at night to keep frost away, and outside during the day? Right now in our zone it is very warm, about 70. But that is just this week, the weather is unusually warm, and i have a greenhouse available for cold weather.

As long as you don't mind moving them(and don't forget one night!)that would work fine. Al

Okay, thank you. I will see how this works.
I love ranunculus and just decided to give them a try.

I don't mean to steal this thread, but I'm also trying them in pots for the first time in zone 5. Can I start them in the house...and then look to bring them outside in May? I have a front window that gets good morning sun and was thinking perhaps I could start them there.
wig

Just one small addition. Ranunculus asiaticus isn't a tropical plant. It comes from the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa and the Near East. Places with mild springs, hot dry summers and relatively mild winters, although it can cope down to - 10c when dormant.

It seems like it would work to raise them in the house, I did read on Park Seed Co. website that they can be houseplants. I think that it would work.

There is no reason why you could not start them in the house. When foliage grows they will need additional light to grow strong plants. These are sun plants and will do very poorly in low light conditions. They will also rot in cold, poorly drained soil. A plant in the ground from last year will tolerate a lot more cold wet soil than a newly planted tuber. Al

I just purchased ranunculus bulbs and I was hoping for some advice before planting them. I live in zone 7, and I am not quite sure how to handle them. Ideally I would like these to be planted in the ground, have them bloom in the summer and I can take the bulbs out in the winter to overwinter them & replant again next year. Does anyone know what zone these bulbs are hardy to? Thanks for the help :)

Sept 7 - zone 6 - should I plant my ranunculus in a pot to overwinter in house now?

They need planting now, growing in a frost free environment, making roots for a couple of months, then having a resting period of drying out the pots in November...only to be forced into growth by introducing water in mid January. Ranunculous are sensitive to daylight...and will start into flowering growth as soon as the daylength begins to lengthen. This is why they need to be forced into early vegetative growth (by watering and possibly adding bottom heat, so that they have built up enough vegetative reserves to flower.

Timing is the most crucial aspect of growing ranunculous.

Boy - that is great planting advice and I will follow. Planting my one corm(?) tomorrow - lightly water until Nov - stop watering until Jan mid. They will be in either an east window - morning sun or a south window sun most of day - which do you recommend.? Thanks very much.

I don't think it will matter at this stage...but when you start it into growth in January, I would be inclined to go for a south facing exposure. The main plan is to get some early top growth before the spring equinox when the increased daylight hours trigger flowering. Many plants are affected by day length - sweet peas for example. Recent breeding has given rise to lathyrus which will start to flower with as little as 10 hours of daylight (a full 2 hours more than the usual 12 hour limit. Many difficullties arise with ranunculous because they are often sold far too late to sow, fail to have a decent dormant period of dryness, then take too long to start into growth, often not making top growth until March when the small amount of leafy growth just cannot afford to spend energy on flower production. I first read about this way of raising them as part of commercial flower production in Japan.

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. Will follow advice.

I planted my one corm sept 7 and now have noticed green growth sprouting. I have kept them lightly watered and outside until now. i have moved inside to a sunny south window - shall I continue to lightly water as you indicated, stopping in Nov until Jan? Seems since there is foliage growing maybe I should continue to lightly water. Any help will be appreciated. Thank you.

As the daylength decreases, the leaves should start to turn yellow and look a bit ratty...at which time you can dry them out. If the foliage keeps looking healthy and green, this withdrawal of water always seems a little brutal but remember, at this stage it is about root growth - the leaves will detract from that and may want to go into dormancy after Xmas...which leaves you with too little time to get the plants up and putting out enough vegetative growth to support blooming. Manipulating growth cycles in bulbs and tubers is more forgiving than it seems - a little like the amaryllids and hippeastrums which are popular at this time of year for Xmas forcing. My DiL grows these and has been surprised to find bloom cycles at different times of year - certainly not following textbooks, with no apparent damage to the plants...but nonetheless, the decision to cut off water while in full flush of leaf is always a bit counter-intuitive. I think the plant only needs a month of dormancy so you can water till mid November, drying out the soil until mid January. Forcing the plant back into growth might require more warmth than is available outdoors or under glass so maybe a handy windowsill...and once the leaves re-appear, move them into the cooler flowering positions.

The exact same conditions are required for the ranunculus relatives, anemone coronaria and a.pavonia. Some years (in the UK), they will bloom effortlessly while others result in puny late growth and a corolla which is feeble and hopeless. By way of consolation, the tubers are cheap and readily available...unlike some rare tecophilea or fritillaria...so we can generally afford to shrug off fails or cave in and actually (shudder) buy one.

Terrific input. I shall follow your good advice and hope for those roots and eventually my beautiful red ranunculus. This is really an experiment for me as I love them but don't always see them in the nurseries so thought I would try it. You have explained it in such great detail, I expect to succeed. Thanks very much.