This article will take a closer look at vegetative propagation peonies, a brief description is given. We will give the following recommendations:
- when can peonies be transplanted;
- how to transplant peonies;
- how to feed peonies;
- how to get rid of ants on peonies;
- why peonies do not bloom;
- how to use peonies in landscape design.
The plant is named after the physician Pean (or Peon), the legendary disciple of the god of healing Aesculapius, who healed the gods. According to legend, Pean cured Hades himself, who in gratitude after death turned him into a flower resembling a rose.
Botanical description
Peony (Paeоnia) is a herbaceous plant or deciduous shrub (tree peony). IN modern classifications this species is the only representative of the Peony family. Natural habitat - subtropics of Eurasia and North America... Within the framework of this article, we will consider only herbaceous species, leaving the tree species separately for more detailed consideration.
Peony is a plant with a powerful rhizome, thick cone-shaped roots. The leaves are trifoliate or oddly pinnate, green or gray-gray, attached to several stems up to 1 meter high. The flowers are large, fragrant, up to 25 cm in diameter, bright or pastel colors - white, yellow, cream, all shades of pink and red, sometimes with spots of a darker color at the base. The fruits are a complex multileaf, in some varieties they are very decorative, the seeds are large, shiny, black or brown. They bloom in spring or early summer.
Brief description of species
There are now about 5000 varieties herbaceous peonies, and this figure is constantly growing, since the interest of breeders in this plant has not weakened for many centuries, they are usually classified according to the shape of the flower, today there are seven groups.
- Non-double - with large flowers arranged in one or two rows, numerous stamens located inside the flower.
- Semi-double - large flowers, usually with seven rows of petals, the stamens are located either among the petals or within the flower.
Peony simple, non-double 
Anemone peony 
Terry peony 
Semi-double peony
- Terry - bomb-shaped, spherical, hemispherical - depending on the shape of the flower with full disclosure.
- Japanese ones are non-double or semi-double, forming a pompon of modified stamens in the center of the flower.
- Anemonic - transitional from Japanese to terry. Two rows of wide, round petals surround a ball of shorter, narrower central petals.
- Pink-like - they look like a very large rose.
- Crowned - consist of three tiers - the upper and lower ones of large wide petals, the middle one - of small, narrow ones. Moreover, the middle row in the early stages of flowering usually differs in color from the other two.
One of the most popular is the narrow-leaved peony - an early flowering species with thin leaves and numerous medium-sized red flowers of extraordinary beauty.
Treelike peony bushes, large carved leaves and delicate flowers which are very decorative, can become wonderful ...
Landing
Choosing the right place
The peony is very durable - in one place it can grow and bloom for decades. Before replanting peonies, you must choose the right place for planting.
The landing site should be sunny and sheltered from the wind. In partial shade and in places where the sun is only 5-6 hours a day, they will also bloom, but not as abundantly as we would like, the flowers will be smaller, and the color will be paler.
Most of all, peonies love well-drained loamy soils. Do not plant them in the lowlands. An adult plant will endure frost, drought, but even a short-term stagnation of water at the roots for it is a direct path to death.
Site preparation
The soil for peonies must be prepared at least a week or two before planting. IN clay soil add low-lying peat (high-moor peat has an acidic reaction, which is unacceptable), humus and sand, in sandy - low-lying peat, sand and clay. Deacidify acidic soil with lime (2 cups per bucket of water) or dolmitic flour.
Dig planting holes about 60x60x60 cm, place drainage from rubble, gravel or broken red brick on the bottom of the hole, fill coarse sand, on top - prepared soil mixture, water abundantly. The earth will sink, and it will be possible to plant the cuttings to the required depth.
Features of the disembarkation and transplantation process
The best time for planting and transplanting is September-October. It is not recommended to plant peonies in spring.
Good planting material - 1-2 year old plant, or a cut with 3-4 buds and a piece of rhizome. When planting, properly deepen the buds. They should be approximately 3-5 cm below soil level. If the buds are deep, the plant develops well, but there will be no flowering. Winter frosts tend to push the rhizome out of the soil, it can freeze. Therefore, planting too shallow can damage the plant.
After planting, you must gently crush the ground around, water abundantly.
Peonies are rarely transplanted. But perhaps the old plant began to bloom worse, or you needed planting material, or the design of the place where the bush stands does not provide for such large plant - then you need to seat.
Any transplant, except for sanitary (when we save an incorrectly planted or diseased young plant), necessarily involves dividing the bush. This is the simplest and reliable way reproduction. How to dig up and divide the bush is described in detail in the section "Reproduction by dividing the bush" below.
Spring planting
autumn - the most correct solution... In the spring, this plant is actively growing green mass to the detriment of root development. But when planting, the main thing is to maximize the growth of the root system. It is wrong to remove the leaves so that they do not interfere with the development of the roots - the plant will die, and very quickly. So spring is the time when it is not worth replanting peonies.
But it happens that the plant overwintered badly and may die, or it was bought at the exhibition new variety... The question arises - what to do next? In such cases, planting peonies in the spring is simply necessary. It is best to start transplanting peonies in the spring to another place, as soon as the snow has melted and the ground has thawed, before the buds germinate.
They will help us a lot with spring planting root-forming preparations, such as "Kornevin" or "Heteroauxin", which are added to the ground or diluted in water.
Reproduction
Seed reproduction
With seed propagation, varietal traits are usually not transmitted. In addition, a plant grown from seeds will bloom no earlier than in 4-5 years (even later in tree varieties).
Let's leave seed propagation to breeders.
Vegetative propagation
Vegetative propagation occurs by dividing the bush. This is a simple, reliable way that is available even to a novice gardener. It allows you to preserve the varietal characteristics of the plant and performed correctly, in the right time, always gives excellent results.
Dig out the bush carefully. If it is old, very overgrown, first dig it in a circle, stepping back from the rhizome 20 cm, then use a pitchfork to loosen the plant, pull it out of the ground. Gently peel, rinse, trim the leaves and flower stalks, and let sit for a couple of hours in the open air to let the root wither and become less fragile.
Before planting peonies, remove any old, rotten, or diseased-looking roots and rhizomes. The roots should be trimmed so that they do not exceed 15 cm in length. Do not cut too small or large. For a good, healthy plant, leave a piece of rhizome with 3-4 well-developed eyes and a few roots. Be sure to sprinkle the cuts with ash or crushed activated carbon. Plant as described above.
Lily is a beautiful noble flower that adorns almost every garden. Refined, whimsical and aromatic ...
Care
Watering - peonies do not tolerate stagnant water at the roots. Watering them is necessary rarely, but in large quantities. For one adult plant you need 2-3 buckets of water. Between waterings, we loosen the soil (it is also called dry watering). Peony especially needs moisture in spring at the beginning of the growing season and in August, when buds are laid for next year's flowering.
Top dressing - for good development and full flowering, the plant must be fertilized regularly. Wait for the beginning of the growing season before feeding the peonies in the spring - and in the spring any nitrogen-containing fertilizer is applied to the soil. During the setting of buds and a week or two after the end of flowering, the plant must be given full mineral fertilizer for flowering plants... Autumn feeding of peonies - a single application of phosphorus-potassium fertilizer - it will allow the plant to winter better, it is better to bloom next year.
Seasonal care
Caring for peonies in the spring - top dressing, watering, regular loosening, if necessary - treatments for pests and diseases. Remove faded flowers during peonies blooming.
Continue sanitation in summer. Caring for peonies after flowering - removing peduncles, feeding. If the weather is right, you can start transplants.
In the fall, peonies are planted and transplanted, sanitization continues. After the first frost, cut the foliage down to the ground, remove it from the site. If you have planted or transplanted peonies this year, care must include mulching. It is also required for severe or little snowy winters.
Why don't peonies bloom?
- Plants transplanted in spring or last year do not bloom. Remember, there will never be a bloom in the year of planting. It will not bloom the next year, if the planted division was too small. Just wait.
- Old bushes do not bloom. It's time to plant the plant.
- There is no flowering in low light. Transplant the plant.
- Overflowing. Stop filling. If the foliage has lost its elasticity, it looks bad, dig up the plant, inspect the root. If necessary, clean it, soak it for 1-2 hours in Previkura solution. If the planting site is to blame and water constantly accumulates there, transplant or arrange drainage.
- Incorrect planting depth. You do not need to deeply deepen the peony, plant the plant correctly.
- The plant is not planted, but bought (donated). Give him one more year to adapt and build up the root system and only then sound the alarm.
Correct fit is the key to lush, long flowering (how to do this is described above).
Narrow-leaved peony 
Narrow-leaved peony
Narrow-leaved peony - planting and care in open ground no different from other herbaceous peonies.
Pests and diseases
Diseases of peonies can be caused by overflows, frequent rains, dense planting, excess nitrogen.
Most often, peonies suffer from gray rot. Here, treatment and prevention consists in treating the plant and the soil under it with copper-containing preparations. It is necessary to cut out the parts of the plant affected by rot with a sterile tool, remove them from the site.
Prevention: Copper the plant before flowering - in early spring and when the first buds appear, and twice with an interval of 2 weeks after the peonies have faded.
Less commonly affected powdery mildew and rust. Buy any medication for these diseases. If you made preventive treatments with copper-containing preparations and took into account all our recommendations on how to care for peonies, the plant should not get sick.
Ants on peonies are a big problem. They not only breed aphids, but they themselves love to feast on nectar, which releases an unopened peony bud.
Ants on peonies
Ants can work on flower buds in such a way that they won't open at all. Before turning to chemistry, try spreading peeled and crushed pieces of onion or garlic cloves on the ground around the roots. If it does not help, there is big choice means for fighting ants.
Viruses are a huge problem. How to deal with them is unknown. A heavily affected plant is simply destroyed.
The most resistant to disease is the narrow-leaved peony.
Peonies in landscape design
Peony is a favorite flower of landscape designers.
He is good in solitary (single focus) and group landings. Can be used in any flower bed, goes well with other plants. Blooming peonies in the garden are beautiful, but those that have faded, due to the fact that the leaves of the peony are very decorative, will become an excellent background for other flowering plants.
They go well with roses, delphiniums, phlox. They are especially good against the background of junipers. Narrow-leaved peony is used in rock gardens, in combination with cereals and eremurus. The neighborhood of yellow with purple counterparts looks very impressive.
Cut peonies
Peonies stand in a vase for a long time, fragrant and pleasing to the eye. Their lush beauty will not leave anyone indifferent.
For cut cultivation, varieties with large fragrant buds are chosen. beautiful shape... Peonies will give especially large flowers if only one bud is left on the stem, while the rest are pinched as soon as they become the size of a pea. It is necessary to cut flowers in the early morning half-open or buds.
In order for the plant to bloom well next year, cut off no more than half of the buds from the bush.
Peony settles in our gardens for a long time - not every flower is so durable. It's easy to grow a beautiful and healthy bush, make a minimum of effort - and it will delight you every day.
Remember - the fashion for peonies has always been and always will be. It's just that sometimes this extraordinary flower push other flowers out of the pedestal a little. But who remembers their names today?
Beautiful peonies bloom only in the second or third year after planting, but with proper care for many years they delight the owners with lush, bright colors... How you can fertilize flowers, and how to do it correctly, it is useful for amateur flower growers to know.
Top dressing of peonies in spring for abundant flowering and budding
In the spring, immediately after the snow has melted, root feeding of peonies is carried out. You can take ready-made fertilizer - Kemira Universal. A mixture of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers is also used so that each plant receives 10 grams of nitrogen and 15 grams of potassium. Dry granules are mixed and scattered under the bushes, then watering is carried out.
When leaves appear, foliar top dressing is carried out with urea (50 grams per bucket). The second foliar dressing is carried out during the budding period using any complex fertilizer containing potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen.
Fertilizer for peonies from bread
To make fertilizer from bread, you need to buy half a rye loaf, and soak it in cold water for 12 hours. Mix the resulting bread soup with a bucket of settled water at room temperature, and water the bushes. This fertilizer is used in spring, when the first green leaves begin to appear on the plant.
Top dressing for peonies in summer and autumn, in May, July, after flowering in August, for the winter
In May, buds form and flowering begins. Peonies need potassium and phosphorus fertilization, without them there will be no abundant and beautiful flowering.
You can use ready-made complex fertilizers (Kemiru Kombi). If you prepare top dressing yourself, you need to mix 30 grams of ammonium nitrate, 40 grams of superphosphate and 30 grams of potassium, use for one adult bush. For bushes over five years old, mullein infusion can be used as a top dressing together with mineral fertilizers.
In the summer, every two weeks, you can spray the bush with boric acid (1 gram per 1 liter of water). In July, nitrogen fertilization is stopped. From mid-August, they begin to prepare peonies for winter. Well-rotted manure or humus with superphosphate and potassium is introduced into the soil.
Feeding peonies with chicken droppings, manure, dolomite, bone, rye flour
Chicken droppings, infused in water and diluted in water 1 to 10, are fed to peonies from the fifth year of life. They try to avoid getting the solution on the rhizome.
Fermented mullein is also introduced only for adult plants from 4 or 5 years of age, diluting in water 1 to 10. Peonies are fed with rotted manure in the fall.
Top dressing dolomite flour spend in early spring. As soon as the snow melts, sprinkle around the plants 1 square meter, 300 grams of the mixture (dolomite flour 5 kg + boric acid 40 grams). Slightly loosen the soil.
Bone meal is introduced into the planting holes for peonies, pouring into each. Rye flour is not used for fertilization, only already baked rye bread soaked in water.
Feeding peonies when planting, transplanting
When planting peonies, a bucket is introduced into the hole organic fertilizers (humus, rotted compost or manure), mixing them with the soil. Mineral dressings are added to organic matter - superphosphate (150 g), potassium sulfate (50 g). Peonies prefer slightly acidic soil, therefore, with increased acidity of the soil, 200 grams of dolomite and bone meal are added to the planting hole.
Peonies do not need frequent transplantation, but if they need to be transplanted to a new place, the hole is also filled with organic and mineral fertilizer, as when planting new bushes.
Feeding peonies with potassium sulfate, potassium monophosphate, saltpeter
For the first spring feeding, it is convenient to use a nitrogen-potassium mixture of potassium sulfate and ammonium nitrate (in a ratio of 2 to 1). 60 grams of the mixture is applied to the soil under the flowers per 1 square meter.
Potassium monophosphate is used to feed peonies before flowering, when the buds have already formed. After flowering, when flower buds are laid on next year, be sure to water the peonies with Kemir Kombi fertilizer with potassium monophosphate.
Feeding peonies with urea, superphosphate, yeast, milk
Peonies are fed with urea (carbamide) in spring. It is best to do foliar feeding with a solution of urea (5 grams per 1 liter). 4 weeks after the first spraying, re-feeding is carried out - 1 tablet of micronutrient fertilizer is added to the urea solution (50 g per 10 l of water).
Superphosphate (20 grams per bush) is used to feed peonies during bud formation, after flowering, and in August, when the plant is preparing for winter. It is an excellent source of phosphorus.
Yeast is used as a fertilizer for vegetable plants, indoor and garden flowers... To prepare fertilizer take: 10 liters of water, 10 grams of dry yeast, 3 tbsp. l. Sahara. Before use, keep the solution for 3 hours in a warm place, dilute with water in a ratio of 1 to 5, and water the peonies.
It is undesirable to feed peonies with milk, it is better to drink it yourself. When milk sours, it will make the soil more acidic, and peonies like a neutral environment.
Competent feeding of peonies. Competent feeding of peonies is a guarantee of full development and lush bloom for many years. Despite the fact that these ornamental plants are considered unpretentious, the introduction of additional nutrition significantly improves their appearance and accelerates growth. Peonies require different nutrients at different stages of their life. Since flowering usually begins only in the third year, the feeding of newly planted plants is different from that which they will need at a more mature age. Top dressing of young peonies. Until the age of three, properly planted peony bushes do well without additional fertilizers - you don't have to worry about root feeding at this time. But in the first years of life, there is an active build-up of not only green mass, but also underground organs. Therefore, it will be useful for peonies foliar feeding, which is usually divided into three stages: 1. spraying with urea at a concentration of 5 grams per liter of water; carried out in the spring after germination; 2.After about two weeks, a small amount of trace elements is added to the urea - one tablet is enough for a bucket of water; 3. the third time they are sprayed with microelements alone - two tablets per bucket of water. If during planting the peonies were not laid required amount fertilizers, they will have to be fed in the first year of life. Do this at least three times per season: 1. in the spring, when shoots are just beginning to grow; 2. at the very beginning of bud formation; 3. at the end of flowering, when new buds are laid. For the first feeding, you will need 100 g of nitrophoska for each square meter landings. The second feeding will be the same. For the third, mainly phosphorus and potassium are used. For example, 25 g of superphosphate, 10 g of potassium sulfate or 15 g of potassium magnesium. A mullein solution with the addition of a small amount will have a beneficial effect on young peonies that have not yet begun to bloom mineral fertilizers ... To prepare such a nutritious cocktail you will need: - fresh cow dung - 1 bucket; - water - 6 buckets; - wood ash - 0.5 kg; - simple superphosphate - 200 g. The manure is diluted with water and placed in the sun for fermentation. After about two weeks, when the mixture ferments well, ash and superphosphate are poured there. Mix everything thoroughly. Immediately before use, the dressing should be diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 2. But, using this recipe, it should be remembered that it is not suitable for the second half of summer - the tissues of peonies can become too loose, and their susceptibility to gray rot may also increase. Top dressing of adult peonies. In the third year of their life, peonies begin to bloom - the need for nutrition changes, and the supply of fertilizers laid down during planting is depleted by that time. Therefore, peonies must be given at least three dressings per season. The very first top dressing is done in early spring, it can still be done in the snow. This is the only top dressing that is performed without embedding. Together with the snow water, mineral fertilizers are quickly absorbed into the soil and sink to a considerable depth, since evaporation from the upper soil layers at this time is minimal. All subsequent applications of nutrients should be made deeply accessible to most of the roots. In order for the fertilizers to be delivered to the peonies, and not to the surrounding weeds, experts recommend putting them into the holes, which are made with a shovel half bayonet, retreating 50 cm from the bush. In this case, the plants should be watered abundantly - before and immediately after fertilizing. The composition and amount of applied fertilizers largely depend on the condition of the soil, and on the age of plants, even on weather conditions. For example, on sandy soil poorly filled with organic matter, the introduction of large doses of chemical fertilizers can cause oppression of peonies. In such cases, it is recommended that all fertilizing, except for the very first one, be introduced fractionally, dividing each into two terms. The gap between them should be about two weeks, and the amount of fertilizer should be half the calculated rate. In dry and hot weather, all top dressing should be applied in liquid form, in rainy weather, granules can be used. On sandy soils, boron-magnesium fertilizers are very useful for peonies, applied in small doses - no more than 5 g per square meter. They are especially needed if the soil has not been filled with enough organic matter. For the first feeding, nitrogen-potassium, it is convenient to use potassium and ammonium nitrate in a ratio of 2: 1 or a mixture of potassium sulfate with ammonium nitrate. Enough 60 g of such feeding for every square meter. Another option is 15 g of potassium and 10 g nitrogen fertilization under each bush. The second top dressing, nitrogen-potassium-phosphorus, can be done with nitrophosphate - 80 g per square meter, or mullein at a dilution of 1:10 with the addition of potassium sulfate and superphosphate. Used per square meter: - mullein - 1 bucket of solution; - superphosphate - 40 g; - potassium sulfate - 20 g Good results at this time are given by the complex fertilizers "Kemira-kombi" and "Kemira-universal", which must be used in accordance with the instructions on the packaging. The next top dressing, phosphorus-potassium, is done after flowering is complete. A mixture of Kemira-Kombi and potassium monophosphate is well suited. In late September or early October, it is useful to add one handful under the peonies wood ash or 100 g of bone meal per square meter, sprinkling them randomly and covering with mulch.
Varieties and types of peonies
In our time, many varieties of peonies have been bred, which delight the eye with their decorative properties.
By the type of flower, peonies can be divided into 7 types:
- Non-double flowers have large flowers with large quantity stamens.
- Semi-double, such peonies have very large flowers, which consist mainly of 7 stripes of petals.
- Japanese stamens in the middle of the flowers are like a pompom, and the petals are located either in one line or in several.
- Anemonic something between Japanese and terry peonies. The upper petals are shorter and the lower ones are larger and rounder.
- Terry flower of this type is similar to a ball.
- The pink flowers resemble the structure of a rose.
- Crown petals on flowers are arranged in three levels. The upper level is narrower than the rest. Usually the outer rows are the same color, while the middle row has a difference in color.
As already mentioned, according to the variety, the color of the flowers will differ.
For example, the type of peony is thin-leaved and the varieties Carol and Red charm are red in color.
- Peony Evasive and Neon - lilac.
- Peony Kansas bright scarlet color.
- Festival Maxim's variety is white.
- Solange is white with a pink tint.
- Peony Sarah Bernhardt pale pink color.
- Beautiful coral colors of flowers of peonies Coral Sunset and Coral Charm.
- Bartzella is a yellow peony.
- Sorbet variety is distinguished by a two-color pink-yellow color.
In addition to those mentioned, there are many other varieties of high decorativeness.
Peonies planting and care in the open field
Planting and caring for peonies in the open field is not a very troublesome task. The most important step is choosing a place for flowers, since they can grow ten and more years... Already a five-year-old peony has a root about 80 cm deep, so it is very difficult to transplant it.
The area for these plants should be well lit, not in a draft. You also need to plant flowers on a hill, because the deep roots of the peony can rot.
The soil for peonies needs to be prepared slightly acidic. In the case of a very clay soil you need to add sand, humus and peat to it. If sandy - humus, peat and clay.
Planting peonies in autumn
Planting, as well as transplanting peonies, is carried out in the fall, and not in the spring or summer, as they sometimes tend to think. Seven days before planting, holes are dug for plants about 50x50x50 cm in size, or a little deeper. The distance between the pits is about a meter. The bottom is covered with a 20 cm layer of drainage and fertilizer is added (humus, 100 grams of lime, 200 grams of superphosphate, 100 grams of potassium sulfate, 300 grams of wood ash), the layer of which will be about 25 cm.
The rest of the space is filled with soil mixed with compost. After seven days, you can plant the roots of the peonies. Do not bury the rhizome unnecessarily, because this threatens the lack of flowering in the peony.
It is worth noting that a year after this procedure, flowering will not occur, and the bushes themselves will look sluggish.
If you received the planting material in the spring and cannot wait until autumn, then the peonies can be planted in a 3-liter container. It should be placed in a damp, dark place, and sometimes ice is placed on the ground, which, when melted, will moisten the substrate.
At the end of spring, the plants, along with the pot, are buried in the open ground until autumn, when it will be possible to transfer the peony to a special pit by transshipment.
As mentioned, autumn time it is time to replant the peonies. This procedure is not carried out annually, and if this is a year when transplanting is not required, then you only need to prune the dead stems and burn them. The stems themselves are sprinkled with ash. This ends the care in the fall.
Watering peonies
Beginning in spring, it is sometimes necessary to water the soil. For each adult plant, you need to pour a couple of buckets of water, because you need it to reach the deepest roots.
In early spring, when the peonies are growing, they especially need watering. You also need to moisturize the substrate well during the periods of bud and bud formation. Still wet soil must be loosened and weeded weeds. Water carefully, not letting water fall on the leaves.
How to fertilize peonies
Fertilization of peonies should be started in spring. Immediately after the snow melts, the soil must be fertilized with manganese potassium - a couple of grams per 10 liters of water (this dose is enough for two flower bushes).
During the period of rapid development of green mass, peonies require fertilization with ammonium nitrate - 15 grams per 10 liters of water.
Mineral dressings are poured onto the leaves from mid-May.
How to feed peonies during flowering
When peonies bloom, you need to feed them with a mixture of superphosphate (10 g), ammonium nitrate (7.5 g), potassium salt (5 g) in water (10 l).
After a couple of weeks after flowering, the peonies are fed with the same solution as for flowering plants, but without saltpeter.
In summer, when the flowering is over, you need to take care of the plant by watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil and removing weeds.
It is necessary to completely cut peonies only when the first frosts come.
After flowering, it is advisable to cut the peduncles, but not too low, leaving a little stem with leaves.
Peony transplant when it is better
Transplanting, as well as dividing the peony bush, is carried out every four to five years, since older plants have too large roots and this causes problems during transplantation, but this process can be carried out once every 10 years.
To transplant a peony, you need to dig in the plant in autumn at least 20 cm from the rhizome, and then carefully pull it out of the soil with a pitchfork. Next, soil is removed from the roots and washed slightly.
The stems are cut almost at the root, and after the rhizome dries a little and sticks, too long roots are cut to 15 cm and division begins. Old roots can be divided with a wedge. If there is rot and voids inside the root, then they are cut out and disinfected with potassium permanganate, and then with a fungicide.
The parts should be roughly the same - neither large nor small. How the roots are planted has already been described above.
For the winter, a plot with peonies is mulched with peat. In the spring, with the appearance of sprouts, the mulching is removed. Old bushes need not be covered at all for the winter.
The first year you need to remove all the buds from the bush. Next, save one, and when it blooms, cut it off and make sure it is varietal. If the similarity with the color is not observed or it is minimal, then the buds will need to be removed for another year.
There is even a chance that flowers that match your variety will not begin to appear until the fifth year.
If you have a tree-like peony, then in the spring, before the buds awaken, you will need to prune it, this is done in order to form the crown. You also need to remove dead, frozen, old branches. In this matter, caution is important, since this peony is bad for pruning, and therefore you need to observe the measure. Sluggish inflorescences must also be removed.
For the winter, tree-like peonies need to make a shelter, since in the event of a snowless winter or large frosts, the bush may suffer, despite its cold resistance.
A tree-like peony tolerates a transplant even more painfully than a herbaceous one, and you need to behave even more carefully during this process.
Reproduction of peonies by seeds
The transplant method described above can be called bush reproduction by dividing.
Peonies can also be propagated by seeds, but it is advisable to do this for a species, not varietal peony, because varietal traits usually disappear with this method of reproduction, and the flowering of peonies grown from seeds occurs only by the fifth year.
If you all exactly decided to use seeds, then just sow them in loose soil at the end of summer. They should sprout next year in the canopy.
Propagation of peonies by root and stem cuttings
Cutting, unlike seed reproduction, retains the varietal characteristics of peonies. A part of the rhizome with a bud is cut off in July and planted, and by the beginning of autumn it should take root. The disadvantage of this method is the slow development of plants. Flowering will come only after four to five years.
Besides the root one, you can use stem cutting... The top of the stem is pruned so that it has 2 internodes. You can treat the cutting with products for accelerated root formation.
These cuttings are planted in homemade greenhouses. Disembarkation is carried out under a peg, not deeper than 4 centimeters. For a couple of weeks, peonies will need to be sprayed three times a day. The temperature of the cuttings should not be higher than 25 degrees. Direct sunlight on seedlings is also not desirable.
Three weeks after planting, it is sometimes necessary to ventilate the seedlings, but so that they do not pass through. After about two months, roots will appear and a vegetative bud will form. In autumn, plants are planted in the ground. Further, all the operations described above are carried out on them.
Tree peonies also reproduce by dividing the bush and cuttings, but you can still use layering and grafting methods.
Reproduction of peonies by layering and grafting
The process of reproduction by layering lasts two years. In late spring, before the peonies bloom, the most developed shoots are cut, treated with a rooting stimulant, and then tilted in the soil and tied to a peg. The layer of soil with which the layering is covered must be at least 8 cm. The soil with the branches is moistened during watering.
At the beginning of autumn, roots should already appear and the branch can be transplanted to another place.
You can try the way air layouts... To do this, you just need to make an incision and cover it with damp moss and film. Roots may appear by autumn. But this method often fails.
Most often, a tree peony is propagated by grafting. The root cutting of the tree peony is inserted into the root of the herbaceous peony. The junction of the roots is wrapped with foil. Peonies are kept in a dark place in a container with raw sawdust.
A month later, the material is planted in another container so that the lower peephole sinks into the ground by 6 cm. They contain cuttings in a greenhouse. The process of growing a grafted plant lasts up to two years.
More detailed information for care and cultivation tree peony You can find.
Diseases and pests of peonies
- The most common peony disease is this. It mainly affects the stem, but can also appear on the leaves. It is determined by the appearance of mold on the plant, if the buds and leaves of a peony turn black, then most likely this gray rot... The diseased parts are cut off and burned away from the flowers, and the peonies themselves are sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate or garlic water.
- Brown spots on the leaves indicate septoria. They struggle with it, as well as with gray rot.
- Powdery mildew is also possible. In this case, on the plants you can see white bloom... In this disease, peonies are washed with a solution of soap mixed with copper sulfate (200 grams of soap, 20 grams of vitriol per 10 liters of water).
- If the leaves of a peony turn yellow and curl, then perhaps the root has been gnawed by mice or bears. There is also an attack of sucking insects. Examine the bush carefully. If the matter is in the defeat of the root, then the plant must be transplanted to another place.
- The lack of flowers in a peony is due to planting too deep or too much fertilizer.
Peony tincture instructions for use and contraindications
Peony tincture is a sedative that is made from the herb and roots of the peony duck. It is used mainly as a sedative and hypnotic drug, but in general its range of uses is wider.
Peony tincture helps with vegetative-vascular dystonia, neurosis, convulsions, stress, anxiety, menopause, with diseases associated with low acidity of the stomach, with pain in the kidneys and bladder, also has a tonic effect.
It is undesirable for pregnant women, breastfeeding women, children, people with high acidity of the stomach, people with allergies to the ingredients.
For the instruction, it is recommended to take 30-40 drops before meals. Duration of admission is 1 month. Before taking you need to consult a doctor. An unauthorized increase in the amount of the drug taken is prohibited. If not noticed within two weeks positive effect, the course of treatment should be discontinued.
In the care recommendations different colors important point is top dressing, peonies are no exception, because this is a perennial plant that over time depletes the soil around it. There is a whole system of how to do this, and you will get acquainted with it in this article.
How to feed peonies?
To begin with, it is necessary to indicate that adult peony bushes need feeding (after 3 years). For a year, in order for the flower to be healthy and bloom well, it is recommended to carry them out three times:
The first top dressing is in early spring, after the snow begins to melt, while it still lies around the peonies. Spread nitrogen (15 grams) and potassium (20 grams) around each stem. Dissolved in melt water, they penetrate deep into the soil and feed the plant.
The second feeding is carried out during the budding period, it is necessary to increase the quantity and improve the quality of flowers. This time, under each bush, they bring in: phosphorus (20 grams), potassium (15 grams) and nitrogen (10 grams).
The third feeding - two weeks after the flowering of the peonies. It is needed to start the kidneys for the next year. Potassium (15 grams) and phosphorus (20 grams) are added.
It is best to combine fertilization with watering, then the substances will get to the roots faster. But in addition to mineral preparations, you can also use improvised means.
Feeding peonies with bread
Take a loaf of rye bread and cut it in half. Soak one half in cold water for 12 hours. We dilute the resulting mass in a bucket of water. This is what we water the bushes immediately after the sprouts have crawled out of the ground after wintering. After such feeding this year, peonies will delight you with abundant flowering.
In addition to the listed dressings, in the spring for peonies, you can still carry out foliar. For this, the leaves of the plant are sprayed with a dissolved complex mineral fertilizer. To achieve the best effect, this should be done only in the evening, when the stomata open.
Blooming peonies are eye-catching, it is impossible to stop looking at them. Bright buds of these flowers from dark burgundy to snow-white shades, with a pleasant delicate aroma, win the hearts of flower growers. In order for flowering to be longer, fertilizing is used throughout the spring and summer.
Fertilizers for peonies when planting
Before planting a young peony, it is necessary to prepare the soil in the planting pit. The prepared mixture of fertilizers (you can use a solution of infused mullein) is introduced into the upper part of the soil and mixed well. Such feeding is simply necessary, since nutrients are contained in small quantities in the root system of young peonies.
And for good growth and the development of micronutrients should be enough. Top dressing is repeated a couple of weeks after germination. The infused mullein solution is also suitable as fertilizer for planted peonies. Stop fertilizing at the end of June.
With the arrival of warm days, as soon as the snow melts, the flowers open and free the trunk from fallen leaves. Flowering can be bright for this, the plant needs watering and feeding. As soon as the sprouts reach 10-15 cm from the ground, you will need spring feeding peonies. To do this, you can use rotted horse or cow manure with the addition of flower fertilizers. Fertilizer is scattered around the plant and the soil is dug up to a depth of no more than 10 cm. Humus is also laid out on the surface so that gradually, with the help of precipitation or irrigation, the necessary substances pass into the soil layer.
In early May, about two weeks before the opening of the buds, peonies are fed again. Complex fertilizer is suitable for this. You can take the ready-made mixture and, following the instructions of the instructions, prepare a solution or make a liquid dressing yourself. For which you need 10 liters of diluted mullein infusion, 25 g of phosphorus and 50 g of potash fertilizers. A well-mixed solution in the amount of three liters is applied directly under the root of the plant. Ash can be used as a nutrient mixture. It has the basic elements that plants need. These are potassium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, zinc and sulfur. Moreover, some of the listed substances are contained in an easily accessible form. To fertilize peonies, ash can be simply mixed with the ground. For freshly planted peonies, this fertilization method also provides a disinfecting effect.
Fertilizing the peonies after flowering is the final top dressing.
Peony bread feed
Abundant flowering of peonies is possible only with good care... Feeding peonies, as well as for vegetable crops, is required. But there is no need to buy a store-bought fertilizer, it can be easily prepared from a familiar product such as bread.
For this you need a loaf of black bread and water. The bread must be cut into small slices, dry a little, you can take ready-made crackers, then fill a 10 liter bucket with dried bread by 2/3 of the volume and fill it with water so that it covers the contents. After that, crackers in a bucket are pressed down with a plate or lid, and something heavy is placed on top of it. So the bread will not float to the surface and sour. Now the bucket with the mixture is placed in warm place for 6-7 days. The prepared starter culture is diluted with water in proportions of 1: 1. Feeding peonies in spring and summer with this fertilizer will give excellent results in the form of flowering and healthy plants.
When proper preparation soil in the first two years, young plants do not need root fertilization with mineral fertilizers. Caring for them comes down to weeding, watering and loosening. Loosen the soil aroundbushes should be careful. Near the bush, the depth of loosening should be 5-7 cm, at a distance of 20-25 cm from it - 10-15 cm. Loosening eliminates the need frequent watering in hot dry weather, facilitates weed control. The soil is also loosened after rains and abundant irrigation to avoid crusting on its surface. In the first year after planting young plants, it is recommended to carry out three foliar dressings:
The first feeding with a nutrient mixture (40-50 g of carbamide (urea) per 1 liter of water) is carried out immediately after the growth of the aboveground part of the plants begins;
The second feeding (40-50 g of carbamide and a tablet of microelements per 1 liter of water) is carried out in 10-15 days;
The third feeding (tablets of trace elements per 1 liter of water) is carried out after another 15 days. A garden sprayer is used for foliar dressing.
It is better to spray the plants in the evening. During the second and third feeding, young plants can be watered with a solution of sodium humate (5 g per 1 liter of water) or heteroauxin (g tablets per liter of water) - this will promote the development of their root system. Full development of the root system the plants are facilitated by the removal of buds that form on the bushes in the first two years after planting.
Bushes begin to bloom profusely in the third year after planting.By this time, the plants already have 10-15 stems. To provide plants with a sufficient amount of nutrients, during the entire growing season - with early spring until late autumn - it is necessary to carry out regular root dressing with mineral fertilizers.
Top dressing should be at least three. At the same time, it is important to observe the dosage of nutrients and the timing of feeding - overfeeding the bushes with nutrients is undesirable.
So that the peony bushes develop well and gave high-quality flowers, it is necessary to perform early-spring nitrogen-potassium fertilizing (10-15 g of nitrogen and 10-20 g of potassium per one bush). Fertilizers are applied during melting snow or immediately after it has melted, they are poured around the bush or embedded in a groove. When applying fertilizer, you should avoid getting it on the rhizome of the bush. To get flowershigh quality, during the budding of plants, a second feeding is carried out (8-10 g of nitrogen, 15-20 g of phosphorus and 10-15 g of potassium per bush).
Two weeks after flowering, perform the third feeding(15-20 g of phosphorus and 10-15 g of potassium per bush).
Fertilizers are best applied in the form of a solution (in total, no more than 60-70 g of fertilizers per 10 liters of water).
For feeding older peonies (8-10 years) the amount of necessary mineral fertilizers increases by about one and a half times. During this period, it is recommended to carry out top dressing with slurry. For this, a fresh mullein is bred (based on one bucket of mullein per bucket of water) or bird droppings (one bucket of droppings for 20 buckets of water). 400-500 g of superphosphate is added to the mixture and left to ferment for 10-12 days. Before use, the mixture is diluted with water (1/2 bucket of water for 1/2 bucket of the mixture). I feed the plants with slurryt once, during budding. Fertilizer is poured into grooves 1015 cm deep, dug around the bush at a distance of 20-25 cm, based on one bucket of slurry per bush. Do not allow liquid top dressing to get on the rhizome.
From the age of threefor the flowering period, plants often require support, which is fixed at a height of 50-70 cm from the ground. Especially in need tall plants densely double varieties with large, heavy flowers.
The support is made in such a way that it does not obstruct the access of air to the bushes and does not interfere with the cutting of flowers.To get large flowers for cutting, side buds that have reached the size of a pea are pinned. If you want to get ornamental bushes and increase their flowering period, then the side buds must be left. Individual flowers will be smaller. Faded flowers be sure to remove, since crumbling petals contribute to the spread of gray rot. In autumn (in middle lane September 10-15), plant stems are cut, leaving hemp 1-2 cm high above the buds.For winter, the bushes are covered with a layer of peat or unripe compost, snow. Covering with straw or leaves is undesirable - it can cause fungal diseases in plants.
I have long dreamed of breeding peonies, but here the neighbor shared the bushes and promised to give one variety in September. Tell me if you need to fertilize peonies when planting in spring or autumn? What are the best drugs to use?
They are plants that do not tolerate transplants, they can live in one place for up to 50 years. Therefore, it is extremely important, even before planting, to determine the location of the bush and create the necessary supply of nutrients for the peonies for further development.
Flowering shrubs are not very demanding on the composition of the soil, but grow best on loams with neutral acidity. It is recommended to enrich poor soil by introducing organic and mineral substances at the planting stage.
Plants can be planted both in early spring (before the seedlings begin to develop buds) and in early autumn, but most gardeners practice the August planting.
Spring planting of peonies can be carried out no earlier than the air temperature reaches 10 degrees Celsius.
Fertilizing the planting pit
It is better to prepare a place for planting flowers in advance, at least 2 weeks before planting (in this case, the earth will have time to settle). To do this, dig a fairly large depression, at least 50 cm in diameter. This will allow the powerful root system to develop freely and provide the opportunity to apply the necessary fertilizers.
Each pit must be filled with:
When growing peonies on soils with high acidity, lime must also be added (up to 200 g).
Top dressing of peonies after planting
Young bushes, planted in the soil with the introduction of nutrients, are provided with all the necessary microelements for development for the whole season. Further feeding must be done starting from the second year of planting peonies.
In total, peonies for the entire vegetative period will need 4 feeding:
- After the emergence of young shoots and they reach 10 cm in height... In early May, spray the shoots with a urea solution.
- Before the buds are laid.Water the plants with a solution of mineral components: add 2 tsp to a bucket of water. urea and 4 tsp. preparation "Ideal". Watering consumption - at least 6 liters per bush. After a week, root feeding with sodium humate.
- During the budding period... Water the bushes with a solution consisting of nitrophoska and Agricola for flowering plants (4 tsp each for a bucket of water). After a 5-day break, spray the peonies over the leaf with "Bud" (10 g for the same amount of water).
- After flowering is complete... Carry out root dressing with complex fertilizers, for example, "Kemira-Autumn".
Timely application of fertilizers when growing peonies is the key to lush flowering, so you should not neglect it.
Peonies are loved by our gardeners and grow in almost every front garden. However, for some, these are huge bushes, completely covered with flowers, for others, they are also solid, and there are just one or two buds on them. And the reason, as a rule, is in the care of the plants.
In the first years of life, peony flowers may be smaller than intended and may not even correspond to varietal color. The properties of the variety are fully manifested only from the fifth year of flowering.
Alexey Volodikhin, an agronomist from Saratov, will tell you how to properly care for peonies so that they annually please with abundant flowering. Your attention - 5 secrets of lush flowering of peonies.
1. Competent watering of peonies
In a rainy and cool summer, you do not need to water the peonies. However, if it's hot, you will have to do it and - according to the rules.
In the heat, peonies need to be watered every 7-10 days. Watering is especially important in late May - early July, when the bushes grow rapidly and flowers form. Another one important stage - mid-July - August, when the buds of renewal are laid.
Many people pour water directly under the bush, where there are practically no roots. There, near the base of the shoots, there are thickened rhizomes that store nutrients, they cannot absorb moisture from the soil. Young roots, capable of watering the bush, are located on the periphery.
In young peonies, the suction zone is therefore approximately 20-25 cm from the center of the bush, and in old ones - 40 cm. This is where water should be poured. And so that it does not spread, dig a groove about 10 cm deep around the perimeter and water directly into it - 3-4 buckets under the bush.
It is best to water the peonies in the evening so that the water is completely absorbed into the soil and does not evaporate.
2. Loosening the soil around the bushes
This work should be done after each watering or rain if you want the roots to breathe and grow well.
It is necessary to loosen the soil around the bushes carefully - at the stems to a depth of no more than 5-7 cm, and 20-25 cm from them it is already deeper, 10-15 cm.
3. Timely feeding of peonies
If the planting pits for the peonies were pre-filled with fertilizers, there is no need to additionally feed the peonies in the first two years. Starting from the third year, peonies need 4 feeding per season:
- The first top dressing is applied as soon as red shoots appear from the soil. 1 tbsp ammonium nitrate is dissolved in 10 liters of water and the plants are watered at the rate - a bucket for each bush. After that, the soil is mulched with humus, which will gradually give the plant nutrients.
- The second time the peonies are fed when they have buds. Mix dry 1/2 tbsp. ammonium nitrate, 1/2 tablespoon superphosphate and 1/3 tbsp. potassium salt, scatter it all under the bush and embedded in the soil.
- The third top dressing in composition repeats the previous one and is introduced already during the flowering of the peony.
- The fourth time, peonies are fertilized after they have completely bloomed. Apply 1/2 tablespoon under the bush. superphosphate and 1/3 tbsp. potassium salt.
Fertilizers can only be applied after rain or watering. Follow the rate of feeding - excess nitrogen stimulates the growth of shoots and leaves to the detriment of bud setting.
4. Removing buds
For peonies to bloom profusely, the buds must be removed. It is especially important to do this in the first and second years after planting, since mass flowering does not allow the root system to fully develop.
If you want large top flowers, remove the side buds when they are about the size of a pea. And, on the contrary, you do not need to do this if it is not single cut flowers that are more important to you, but their total number on the bush and its long flowering.
It is very important to remove flowers as soon as the wilting begins, without waiting for the petals to fall off. Otherwise, hitting the leaves, they can provoke gray rot disease, especially in rainy weather.
5. Rejuvenation of peony bushes
Peonies may well grow in one place for 50 or even 100 years! However, the older the bush gets, the weaker it blooms. Therefore, once every 8-10 years, peonies need to be dug up and divided so that there are 3-4 buds on each cut. Moreover, this can be done only in August!
As you can see, it is not very difficult to make peonies bloom especially magnificently in your garden and are pleasing to the eye. We revealed secrets to you abundant flowering these spectacular perennials.