How to plant and care for peony flowers (how to grow peony flowers at home)

How to grow peony flowers at home

1. The cultivation temperature needs to be suitable

Peony likes coolness, hates heat and is relatively cold-resistant. The most suitable growth temperature is 18~25°C. The wintering temperature cannot be lower than -20°C, and the maximum temperature does not exceed 40°C .

Peony is extremely resistant to adversity and prefers loose, fertile, well-ventilated and drained loam. It is suitable for neutral or slightly alkaline loam, but avoids heavily sticky acidic soil.

It can tolerate drought and poor soil, and its normal flowering period is around the Grain Rain in April every year, which is the best time of the year when spring is bright and flowers are in full bloom. However, the differentiation of peony flower buds requires certain low temperature conditions.

2. Water supply needs to be appropriate

In normal dry weather, no watering is needed, but in extremely dry weather, watering should be done thoroughly.

When growing peonies in northern regions, water supply should be guaranteed before and after budding in March, before and after flowering in mid-April, and before wintering. However, during the plum rain season and rainy season, care should be taken to ensure drainage of the potting soil at all times to avoid long-term waterlogging and root rot.

3. Fertilization needs to be divided into three stages

Peonies generally need to be fertilized about three times a year , which are applied after budding in early spring in March, after the flowers fade, and before winter. These are generally called flowering fertilizer, bud fertilizer, and dormancy fertilizer.

When applying flowering fertilizers and bud fertilizers to peonies, quick-acting fertilizers should be used as the main fertilizer, such as Haokangduo and Huaduoduo No. 2 fertilizer; winter fertilizer is very important, and the amount of fertilizer applied should be sufficient, and long-acting slow-release fertilizers can be used as the main fertilizer.

Especially after flowering, because peonies need a lot of nutrients when flowering, if we can keep the soil in a moist environment.

It can absorb nutrients at any time, and the fertilizer supply must also keep up. Generally, phosphate fertilizers such as Huaduoduo No. 2 or potassium dihydrogen phosphate are selected to accelerate differentiation.

4. Crown pruning should be appropriate

Generally, a bushy tree is used, with 5 to 7 main branches per plant, and the rest of the branches are thinned out. The saplings that sprout from the base every year should be cut off as soon as possible if they are not used as main branches or replacement branches to avoid consuming too much nutrients.

In October and November, mature plants need to be pruned to remove dead, diseased and senescent branches, and the branches should be cut back by about 1/2. Pay attention to thinning out excessive, dense and weak flower buds to concentrate nutrients. It is best to keep only one flower bud on each branch, so that the flowers that bloom are larger and more colorful .