How to Plant Peonies? Detailed Guide to Planting Methods and Precautions

Planting peonies has always been something Chinese scholars and traditional herb growers have been very happy to do. On one hand, it allows one to fully appreciate the exquisite beauty of the peony; at the same time, it can fully harness the efficacy and effects of the peony, delivering the necessary benefits for people. So the experience in growing peonies is very rich.

How to Plant Peonies

1. Land preparation: deep plow the autumn field and ridge it up.

Before plowing, mix 500 ml of 48% chlorpyrifos + 500 ml of 40% phoxim per mu with soil or 10 kg of fried millet and spread evenly.

Apply 50 kg of balanced compound fertilizer, 40-80 kg of phosphate fertilizer and 100-150 kg of organic fertilizer per mu.

For medicinal herb fields with continuous cropping, a fungicide must be spread to sterilize the soil; generally mix 500 g of 80% carbendazim + 500 g of 50% thiram with 10 kg of soil and spread evenly.

2. Seed selection: choose healthy, disease-free stem heads; large stem heads should be divided into small pieces, each piece keeping three to four buds. Plant about 2,500 peony stem heads per mu. Before planting, sterilize the stem heads with a chemical treatment; it is recommended to use 10 g of 30% hymexazol or metalaxyl-hymexazol + 30 ml of rooting liquid fertilizer diluted in 30 jin of water and spray the stem heads evenly, stirring the stem heads while spraying to ensure the solution is evenly distributed. Let them dry and they are ready to plant.

The planting time is the first and middle ten days of October on the Gregorian calendar. Plant the stem heads in holes on the ridges and cover with 1-2 cm of soil.

3. Field management after planting: ridge up again after planting, then spray the ground evenly with 100 ml of pendimethalin or a mixture with oxyfluorfen diluted in 30 jin of water. In the spring of the following year, before the peonies sprout, spray again with the above chemicals, which can greatly reduce most weed problems in winter and the coming year. Note: herbicides should be used under the guidance of professionals to avoid herbicide damage.

4. In the spring of the second year, when the white peony shoots reach a height of about 20 cm, spray each mu with pyrethroid insecticides + rooting agent liquid fertilizer + metalaxyl-hymexazol or thiram-hymexazol to control cutworms at the seedling stage and root rot, and to promote rooting at the seedling stage.

Peony Flower Planting Methods and Precautions

1. Planting time

Peonies like sunlight and are cold-tolerant. Their temperature requirement is that they can handle low temperatures but not high ones; they prefer cool conditions and fear heat. They tend to grow poorly during the high-temperature summer season, so autumn is the best season to plant peonies.

2. Soil requirements

Peonies have fleshy roots, so when growing peonies in containers at home, be sure to choose a loose, fertile, slightly acidic sandy soil. Try not to plant them in existing soil; if the soil is too alkaline, it can easily cause yellow leaves and even withering and death.

3. Fertilizer and water care

Usually you can place the peony outdoors; a little rain is no problem, and it does not need frequent watering. The peony's water demand is greatest before and after flowering, or when the spring weather is relatively dry, when the frequency of watering can be appropriately increased.

Topdressing should also be appropriately controlled. Usually topdress three times a year: the first time in spring, when new shoots are rapidly emerging, and the other two times when the leaves and flower buds are just extending. Quick-acting fertilizers are mainly used; this is also called flower-promoting fertilizer.

4. Shaping and pruning

To make peony flowers more numerous and colorful and the plants grow robustly, shaping and pruning are very important. Peony pruning mainly includes establishing the trunk, trimming branches, removing buds, thinning buds and cutting off spent flowers. Prune mainly according to the growth of the peony. Varieties that grow robustly can be pruned into a single trunk; for varieties with fewer branches, generally cut off weak, diseased branches and keep strong ones.

5. Do not transplant frequently

After peonies are established, they cannot be transplanted frequently, otherwise the roots will be damaged, affecting growth and flowering. Generally, repot once every 2-3 years; in the meantime, just loosen the soil and weed in time.

6. Cut off dead leaves in time

For potted peonies, cut off withered branches and leaves after Frost's Descent to prevent pests and diseases. In winter, there is also no need to move the peony indoors; it can be placed on a balcony or under the eaves in a sunny spot, avoiding wind and snow, and the potting soil should just not be too dry.

7. Care during the flowering period

Before the peony blooms, after the side buds appear, promptly remove excess flower buds. This concentrates nutrients and encourages the terminal bud to produce large, beautiful flowers. After the flowers fade, if you do not plan to collect seeds, cut off the flower stalk directly to avoid nutrient consumption from seed production.

The Meaning of the Peony

The peony's floral meaning is “beautiful and moving”, “reluctant to part, hard to separate”. In ancient times, when men and women interacted, they gave peonies to each other to express a pledge of love or the sorrow of parting, so it was also called “the grass of parting”. Now, the peony has become the representative flower of Qixi Festival and is China's flower of love.

The rose of the West has thorns, while China's love flower, the peony, is not only beautiful but can also treat illness. It reflects the virtue and character of the Chinese nation, like jade and like the peony: hardworking, practical, as light as peony fragrance and as soft and beautiful as jade.

Pink peonies are like rosy clouds on the horizon, and also like a shy maiden in love. The romantic, reserved peony reddens the face of spring. The customs of the Shangsi Festival and the love song “give her a peony” were passed down from the singing of the Book of Songs all the way to the Han, Tang, Ming and Qing dynasties. In ancient China, the peony was always the melody of love, a romantic mountain song.

When Do Peonies Bloom

The peony's flowering period is in spring, basically concentrated from April to June, with the peak bloom in May.

Peony flowers are very beautiful, with many horticultural varieties and rich flower colors.

But people today no longer have the persistence of their ancestors, so when planting peonies now we still have to start from the basics and then continuously accumulate experience to reach the level of growing peonies well. Therefore, some of the basic knowledge in this article is very helpful to the vast majority of friends.