Detailed Explanation of Key Technical Points for Spring Management of White Peony (Paeonia lactiflora)

White peony (Paeonia lactiflora) is a perennial herbaceous vine; the root is cylindrical, grayish-black, about 8 mm in diameter; the stem is covered with two rows of hairs. Leaves are opposite, membranous, ovate-lanceolate, 7-10 cm long, 4-8 cm wide at the base, apex long-acuminate, base deeply auriculate-cordate, leaf auricles rounded, drooping, both surfaces covered with soft hairs. Umbellate cymes are axillary, bearing more than 20 flowers; the calyx is externally covered with fine hairs, with 5 glands on the inner side at the base; the corolla is white, lobes oblong, internally covered with fine hairs; the corona is cup-shaped, slightly longer than the gynostegium, with 1 small tooth in the middle of the lobes, or with wrinkles or absent; pollinia 1 per locule, drooping; the stigma apex is slightly 2-lobed. Follicles are paired or only 1 develops, short-lanceolate, about 8 cm long, 1 cm in diameter, tapering toward the apex, narrower at the base, the exocarp with straight striations; seeds are ovate, 6 mm long, 3 mm wide; the seed hairs are white and silky, 3 cm long. The flowering period is June to October, and the fruiting period is August to November. Spring management of white peony is quite important. Below is an introduction to how to manage white peony in spring.

Pruning should be carried out on the basis of winter pruning, with "supplementary pruning" of missed “soil buds” as well as overlapping branches, crossing branches, and diseased or pest-infested branches, and the branches whose terminal buds are leaf buds should be shortened -- topped, so that nutrients are concentrated in the flower buds.

For fertilization, fully decomposed cake fertilizer or human feces and urine can be applied before the end of February, with 0.5 kg of cake fertilizer or 2 kg of human urine per plant. Since white peony is a flowering plant that “likes fertilizer and tolerates fertilizer,” when fertilizer is relatively sufficient, as long as it is somewhat away from the roots, applying more is harmless. After white peony leafs out, 0.1-0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate can be used for foliar feeding, sprayed 2-3 times before flowering, which can make the flower buds fuller and the blooms larger and more vivid.

Bud thinning: white peony flowering is similar to fruit trees bearing fruit, and also has an “on-year and off-year” phenomenon. After white peony shows buds, appropriate bud thinning should be carried out according to the tree vigor and the flowering situation of the previous year. If there are many flower buds that year, it can be regarded as an “on-year,” and it is advisable to thin out part of the small and thin flower buds on weak branches (about 1/3 of the total number of flower buds on the whole plant). Bud thinning work should be done early rather than late.

Cold protection: spring climate is changeable, and white peony is prone to damage from cold waves and late frost before flowering. If there is a cold wave, water should be applied to raise the ground temperature; if late frost occurs, damp firewood and grass should be lit to produce smoke for frost protection. For valuable varieties, single plants or multiple plants can be covered with plastic film for cold protection.

Watering: in spring, if there is little rain or snow, white peony should be watered 2-3 times from sprouting to flowering, watering about once every 20 days. During the flowering period, watering should be stopped, and water must not be sprayed on the flowers, otherwise the flowering time will be shortened.

In addition, note that after flowering, the faded flowers should be cut off in time. This can not only avoid a “declining” appearance, but also avoid seed setting, thereby reducing nutrient consumption. Furthermore, topdressing after flowering is also indispensable.