How to grow peony

Planting time

Peony likes sunlight and is cold-resistant. Its temperature requirement is low but not high. It prefers coolness and is afraid of heat. It is prone to poor growth in the high temperature season of summer, so autumn is the best season to plant peonies.

Soil requirements

Peony has fleshy roots, so when planting peonies in pots at home, you must choose loose, fertile, slightly acidic sandy soil. Try not to plant it in alkaline soil. If the soil is too alkaline, it will easily cause yellow leaves or even withering and death.

Fertilizer and water maintenance

You can usually place the peony outdoors. It’s okay to have a little rain, and it doesn’t need to be watered frequently. Peony requires the most water before and after flowering, or when the weather is drier in spring, so you can increase the watering frequency appropriately.

Top dressing should also be properly controlled. Usually, it is applied three times a year. The first time is in spring when new shoots are rapidly growing out, and the other two times are when the leaves and flower buds are expanding. Quick-acting fertilizers, also called flower-promoting fertilizers, are mainly applied.

Plastic pruning

In order to make the peony flowers more colorful and grow healthily, shaping and pruning are very important. The pruning of peony mainly includes determining the trunk, pruning, removing buds, thinning buds, and cutting off dead flowers. Pruning is mainly carried out according to the growth conditions of the peony. For strong varieties, they can be pruned into a single trunk. For varieties with fewer branches, it is generally necessary to cut off the weak and diseased branches and retain the strong branches.

Precautions

Don't transplant frequently

Peonies cannot be transplanted frequently after planting, otherwise the roots will be damaged, affecting growth and flowering. Generally, the pots should be changed every 2 to 3 years. During this period, it is only necessary to add soil and weed in time.

Cut off dead leaves promptly

For potted peonies, cut off the withered branches and leaves after the frost to avoid the breeding of diseases and pests. There is no need to move peonies indoors in winter. They can be placed in a sunny place on the balcony or under the eaves, avoiding wind and snow. Just make sure the soil in the pot is not too dry.

Flowering period maintenance

Before the peony blooms, after the side buds appear, remove the excess buds in time. This will concentrate nutrients and make the top buds grow larger and more beautiful. After the flowers fade, if you do not plan to collect the seeds, cut off the flower stalks directly to prevent the seeds from forming and wasting nutrients.