How to Propagate Peonies? A Full Analysis of Common Propagation Methods

The peony, also known as Jiangli and Licao, is a perennial herbaceous root plant of the genus Paeonia in the family Paeoniaceae. It is distributed throughout China and is one of China's ten most famous flowers, with large and beautiful blooms. So “what are the propagation methods of the “Prime Minister Among Flowers,” the peony?”

1. Division Propagation

Division propagation is the most common method of propagating peonies, and it is mainly used for peonies grown for medicinal purposes. In autumn, dig up the mother plant with the soil attached, and select peony heads with buds for propagation.

First observe the peony heads, pick out those without buds and those with pests or diseases, then cut the healthy peony heads into pieces. Each piece of peony head must retain more than 2 strong buds. The peony heads should not be too thick or too thin; if too thick, the main roots will be weak, with poor growth capacity and fewer branches, and if too thin, the peony heads will absorb nutrients poorly.

After planting, growth will be hindered, so cut and plant as you go, but the division propagation method cannot be used continuously, because peonies are not suitable for continuous cropping; otherwise, the incidence of disease will increase, leading to poor growth and a higher mortality rate.

2. Seed Propagation

Seed propagation is also a common method of propagating peonies. Peony seeds are mainly inside the fruit; when the seeds mature, the fruit will split open, and the seeds will fall out of the fruit.

The ripening time of peony fruit varies depending on the growing region, so this is something to pay attention to. After harvesting, the seeds should not be stored for too long; it is best to sow them immediately after harvest, because the moisture content of the seeds will gradually decrease as the sowing time is extended, causing the germination rate to drop and making it difficult for them to take root and sprout.

Before sowing, pick out the poorly developed seeds, remove the shriveled seeds by soaking in water, then soak the seeds to promote germination, do a good job of soil preparation and fertilizing, control the sowing density well, and sow at the appropriate time according to weather changes.

3. Cutting Propagation

Although cutting propagation is not common, it is relatively simple. First select soil that is well ventilated, sunny, and has good drainage as the cutting bed, loosen the soil, then spread a layer of river sand on the soil as the cutting medium. Before spreading the river sand, it must first be disinfected to prevent pests and diseases from affecting growth.

From June to August, select branches with strong growth and no pests or diseases as cuttings. The cuttings should be about 12cm long. Control the depth and insert the cuttings at the appropriate time. After inserting, water thoroughly, cover with a greenhouse, and keep the greenhouse temperature at 22 degrees and the humidity at about 85%. Roots can generally form in about one month.

4. Root Cutting Propagation

The last propagation method is root cutting propagation. Root cutting propagation is premised on division propagation: when dividing in autumn, carry out root cutting on the plant, and after root cutting, disinfect the cut ends of the plant's roots to prevent wound infection from causing pests and diseases.

Then cut the severed roots into root segments of about 8cm, control the density well, and insert them into the planting trenches that have been dug. The depth of the trenches should be controlled at about 12cm. After inserting, cover with fine soil and water thoroughly.

The above is Tuliu.com's introduction to the propagation methods of peonies. The two most commonly used propagation methods for peonies are still division and sowing; cutting and root cutting require a certain level of skill, and after cutting, attention must be paid to disinfection and other work.