To all who responded, thanks for the suggestions. I will try a surfactant and / or ammonia next year. Question - would sudsy ammonia have the benefit of both ammonia and a surfactant all in one? I have - for other plants - mixed up wheat based wallpaper paste using a solution of Roundup as the liquid in place of water. When brushed onto leaves it sticks around much longer than merely spraying liquid Roundup. Didn't think of it this time, probably because of the zillions of Ranunculus ficaria leaves. Rodger, I have been digging out plants complete with tubers. My problem is what do I then do with them? Cannot throw in compost heap, not allowed to send to landfill, hesitant to feed to neighbor's sheep (issues of possible poisonous effect and also what if the sheep don't eat all the tubers.) The ranunculus are not dieing quickly enough, in fact not at all, inside the heavy duty black garbage bin liner. Would a clear plastic bag heat any better> Ah, the plants we love to hate. Judy in drizzle-y New Jersey, where the Darwin / Triumph hybrid tulips are in full bloom and passing by