Tips on how to plant potted peonies (care methods and precautions for peonies)

How to plant peony

1) Planting time

In mid-August, cut off the above-ground part of the mother plant, dig out the perennial roots and remove the soil. Because the roots are brittle and easily broken, they need to be placed in a ventilated and cool place to dry for 1 to 2 days.

Use a sterilized knife to cut off the connecting part of the sprouts, taking 3 to 4 buds as a bag, and cut the main root downward from the bud, leaving a length of 15 to 20 cm. If it is too short, it will affect flowering next spring.

It can be cultivated in the open field or in pots. Deep pots should be used for potted plants. If the soil is not too dry for ground planting, water it thoroughly after 10 or 20 days to allow the cut of the rhizome to scab and recover, so as to avoid rot due to watering too early.

2) Fertilization should be appropriate

Water the potted peony when the soil is dry. For mature peony seedlings in pots, apply base fertilizer once between autumn and winter.

In the middle and late March of the next spring, topdressing begins until the flowering period, and topdressing is applied every 7 to 10 days. Fertilization is stopped during the flowering period, and topdressing is still needed after the flowers fade. Peonies with strong branches and leaves can lay a good foundation for flowering next spring.

3) Pay attention to planting

Avoid planting peony by division at the beginning of spring, as this will damage the roots of the peony, hinder its germination, and affect its growth and flowering. Therefore, it is said that "peony planted in spring cannot bloom", and flower lovers must pay attention to this.

In addition, the best time to plant peony divisions is in mid-to-late August before budding growth. Planting peony at this time can give it time to resume growth and grow new roots.

When planting peony, you need to thin out the flower buds

Peony generally begins to unfold its leaves in mid-April in spring, and when the flower buds appear, the bud thinning should be carried out in time. When thinning the buds, in addition to the main flower buds, there are 3 to 4 secondary buds.

In order to promote the main buds to bloom larger and more beautiful, the nutrients should be concentrated on the main buds. At this time, we need to thin out some of the buds of the peony. The thinning method is as follows:

1) Time to thin out flower buds

  Generally speaking, when you decide to thin out the buds, you should choose a good time. Generally speaking, the time for thinning the buds should be between 8 and 10 in the morning on a sunny day.

Because the temperature, light and wind speed are more suitable at this time, the wounds from thinning will naturally dry out, which will allow the wounds to heal as quickly as possible and avoid the invasion of pathogens.

2) Knife for trimming flower buds

Use sharp scissors that have been sterilized in advance to thin out the secondary buds. Be careful when pruning, and remember not to damage the tender leaves and leaves next to the buds, or prune off the leaves together.

Otherwise, the plant's main buds will open on time because of the reduction in leaves that synthesize nutrients.

3) Thinning should be done properly

When the diameter of the flower buds is close to 1 cm, it is most appropriate to thin out the flowers. The main flower bud and one side bud on a branch should be retained, and the rest of the flower buds should be thinned out.

If the main bud is damaged and does not grow healthily, you can wait until the side buds are a little bigger and replace the main bud with the secondary bud; if the main bud grows well, keep the main bud and cut off the secondary buds.