Propagating Ranunculus papulentus

(Ranunculus papulentus)

By Joy Twentyman-Crock

Ranunculus papulentus is one of my favorite plants and is growing very nicely in my 2.5 gallon tank.

The 2.5 gallon standard has a 26 Watt Power Compact shop light. I perform 50% water changes once per week. CO2 is supplemented using two 1 liter bottles to generate CO2 and a DIY inline CO2 reactor powered by a ViaAqua Powerhead 180. This provides CO2 levels above 60ppm. I dose 20ppm KNO3, 1ppm KH2PO4, 8ppm Flourish Potassium, and 1ml of Flourish Comprehensive three times per week.

Once you see Ranunculus papulentus, you’ll always be able to recognize its distinctive leaves. From the first time that I saw a picture of this plant, I knew that I wanted to give it a try. It is a moderate growing plant that spreads via runners. Each node will send out multiple stems of varying length, each with a single leaf. Once the new plant has a two to three stems and a good root system, it can be clipped from the mother plant and moved to another location if desired. This plant takes awhile to get established, but once it does it will spread rapidly.

Ranunculus papulentus is somewhat demanding plant that will provide an excellent conversation piece in any tank with good lighting and growing conditions. It will grow under lighting anywhere from medium high light to very high light.

Bibliography

PlantGeek.Net 2002-2006, Plant Guide [On-line] http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php, April 17, 2006

Victri.Net 2004-2005, Ranunculus Inundatus [On-line] http://www.victri.net/plants/_ranunculus.html, May 3, 2006