How to Grow White Peony (Baishao)? Detailed Guide to White Peony Cultivation Techniques
Growing peony can serve both as an ornamental plant and as a medicinal herb. However, ornamental peonies are mostly double-flowered, and aside from morphological differences from medicinal peonies, there are also certain differences in cultivation priorities, so before growing peony you must first determine your growing goal.
White Peony Cultivation Techniques
Before planting, the peony buds and roots must be divided into two classes by size and planted separately, to facilitate future management. If the planting material is large and well managed, harvesting can be brought forward by one year. Planting time is generally around Cold Dew, and the earlier the better; it must not be later than Frost's Descent. If too late, on the one hand the stored peony buds have already developed new roots and are easily broken during planting; on the other hand, after planting the temperature gradually drops, rooting is poor, affecting sprouting and growth the following year. When planting, open holes with a row spacing of 40-45 cm, a plant spacing of about 30 cm, and a hole depth of 16-20 cm; 3500-4000 plants can be planted per mu. After opening the holes, place 1-2 buds in each hole, keep 2-3 main roots, and plant the roots diagonally with forking; the buds should face upward, cover with soil level with the ridge, and it is best for the buds to be about 5 cm underground. The covering operation should be done carefully, and the soil should be fine and crumbly; do not cover with clods of soil. Buds covered with clods cannot tightly combine with the soil, ventilation is strong, and the buds are prone to drought and frost damage, which will delay sprouting or even prevent sprouting.
White Peony Sowing Time
Collect mature, plump peony seeds in mid-to-late August, and it is best to sow them immediately after collection. If not sowing immediately, they should at once be mixed with moist yellow sand (1 part seeds, 3 parts sand) and stored in a cool, ventilated place until sowing in mid-to-late September. Sowing can use the drill method, opening furrows at a row spacing of 20-25 m, with a furrow depth of 3-5 cm; scatter the seeds evenly into the furrows, cover with 1-2 cm of soil, and press lightly. The seeding rate is 30-40 kg per mu. In early April of the following year, when the seedlings emerge, promptly remove the covering grass to facilitate seedling growth. Because seed propagation is used, the seedlings need 2-3 years before they can be planted out, and the growth cycle is long, so it is rarely applied in production.
The new harvest period for white peony is generally July and August. After harvesting white peony, cut off the medicinal rhizome, select disease-free buds with plump buds as propagation material, and cut the peony buds into several pieces along their natural growth shape, with 2-3 buds per piece and a bud flesh thickness of more than 2 cm. The buds are best planted as soon as they are cut; if they cannot be planted in time, they should be stored temporarily. Choose a cool, high, dry, ventilated place, spread moist fine sandy soil on the ground, pile the buds upward, then cover with moist sandy soil for storage. Alternatively, store in a dug pit, and pay attention to drainage when it rains to avoid mildew and rot.
White Peony Field Management
1. Intertillage and Soil Loosening for White Peony
After emergence, carry out intertillage and weeding 2-3 times each year. Intertillage should be shallow to avoid injuring roots and killing seedlings. In late October, before the ground freezes, cut off branches and leaves 7-10 cm above the ground and earth up around the root zone to facilitate overwintering. In Heze, the common method for cultivating white peony is the "split the ridge and expose the roots" method, that is, in early May of the second year after planting, gently push aside the soil around the peony plants to let the roots be slightly exposed, air them for 5-7 days, then earth up around the roots again; this can raise soil temperature and kill insects and sterilize, achieving a yield-increasing effect, but the airing time should not be too long.
2. Topdressing, Drainage and Irrigation for White Peony
From the second year on, apply topdressing 3 times each year. The first time is in late March to early April, applying dilute human and animal manure urine. The second time is in late April, applying 500 kg of human and animal manure urine per mu. The third time is between October and November, mainly using pen manure, 1500-200 kg per mu. In late March of the third year, apply 750 kg of human and animal manure urine, 50 kg of decomposed cake fertilizer, and 25 kg of superphosphate per mu. In late April, apply 1000 kg of human and animal manure urine per mu. In November, apply 1500-2000 kg of stable manure.
In the fourth year, apply topdressing 2 times before harvest. In late March, apply 1000 kg of human and animal manure urine per mu, plus 10 kg of ammonium sulfate and 25 kg of superphosphate. In late April, except for phosphate fertilizer, apply once more according to the above fertilizer amounts.
Each fertilization should preferably be applied in holes opened on both sides of the plant. Peony likes dry conditions and fears waterlogging, so irrigation is generally not needed; in severe drought, it is advisable to irrigate thoroughly once in the evening. In rainy seasons, clear the ditches and drain promptly to reduce root diseases.
Pest and Disease Control of White Peony
1. Diseases: mainly leaf spot diseases, including red spot disease and brown spot disease. The peak incidence period is generally in summer and autumn when temperature is high and humidity is high. In the early stage of disease, 40% carbendazim 800-fold solution can be sprayed on the leaf surface for control; in severe cases, use 40% carbendazim 500-fold solution once every 15 days, and 2-3 times is enough for control.
2. Insect pests: mainly white grubs and nematodes. For white grubs, during the peak occurrence period in July-August, use 30% carbofuran (5 kg/mu) or 50% phoxim granules (3 kg/mu) or isofenphos-methyl aqueous solution, mix with organic fertilizer or sandy soil to make poison bait, spread evenly, then hoe deeply. Nematodes are root-knot nematodes, highly transmissible and relatively serious in harm to peony. Symptoms include root nodules of different sizes on fibrous roots, weak plant growth, yellowing, scorching and early falling of leaf margins, and in severe cases the plant becomes stunted and even dies. For control, use 30% carbofuran granules at 25 g/sq m, evenly applied to the affected plot during the rainy summer period, then hoe deeply 5-10 cm. Because root-knot nematodes are aerobic lower animals and mainly live in the soil layer within 5-20 cm, when applying the pesticide, it must never be too deep.
White peony is a type of peony used at older ages for medicine. Good raw white peony can achieve very good results in the treatment of many diseases. Therefore, growing white peony is a relatively profitable planting project for medicinal herb farmers. For this reason, cultivation techniques and management methods are particularly important.