What is the latest price of peony seedlings? Detailed planting methods

Peony is also known as Jiangli, Licao, Yurong, etc. It is a perennial herbaceous flower of the genus Paeonia in the family Paeoniaceae, and is praised by people as the “flower fairy” and “flower prime minister.” Its flowers are large and brightly colored with excellent ornamental value, and it can be used for specialty gardens, cut flowers, flower beds, etc. Its roots contain paeoniflorin and benzoic acid and can be used medicinally, with effects of relieving spasms, relieving pain, and promoting menstruation. Now let us take a look at the price of peony seedlings and the planting methods!

How much does a peony seedling cost per plant?

The price of peony seedlings is about 0.1-0.3 yuan each, but prices vary greatly depending on plant specifications, variety, origin, and market. Peony likes sunlight and is drought-tolerant, with rich flower colors including white, pink, red, purple, yellow, green, black, and bicolor. Its traditional propagation methods are division, sowing, cuttings, layering, etc. Among them, division is the easiest and most widely used, while sowing is only used when breeding new varieties, producing rootstocks for grafting tree peonies, and producing medicinal materials.

Peony division method

1. Division time: Peony division is generally done from late August to late September. At this time, division and planting help the root wounds heal and can stimulate new roots, enhance cold and drought tolerance, and lay the foundation for sprouting and growth the following year.

2. Division method: When dividing peonies, carefully dig up the fleshy roots and minimize root damage. After digging up, remove the old soil, cut away old hard and decayed parts, and split by hand or with a sharp knife along the natural gaps. Generally, each plant is divided into 3-5 daughter plants.

3. Planting management: After division, the planting depth should be about 2 cm with the buds entering the soil. Too deep is not conducive to sprouting and easily causes root rot, while too shallow is not conducive to flowering and makes the plant susceptible to freezing damage, and may even cause death from exposure to the scorching summer sun.

Peony cutting method

1. Cutting substrate: When taking peony cuttings, choose a nursery site with higher terrain and good drainage for the cutting bed. After loosening the bed soil, spread 15 cm of sterilized river sand, or use vermiculite or perlite. Build a 1.5 m high shade frame over the bed.

2. Cutting treatment: For peonies, cuttings taken in mid-July have the best rooting effect. The cuttings are 10-15 cm long and have two nodes. After quickly dipping in a suitable concentration of naphthalene acetic acid or indole acetic acid solution, insert them for rooting.

3. Cutting method: Insert peony cuttings about 5 cm deep, with spacing such that the leaves do not overlap each other. After inserting, water thoroughly, then cover with a plastic tunnel. Rooting is best when the substrate temperature is 28-30°C and the humidity is 50%.

4. Post-cutting management: Peony cuttings can root and form dormant buds in 20-30 days after insertion. After rooting, reduce misting and watering, and gradually remove the plastic tunnel and shade frame. However, cutting seedlings grow slowly and need to be covered with soil in the bed to overwinter, then moved to open-field planting the following spring.

Peony sowing method

1. Seed harvesting: If peony seeds are harvested too early, they are not ripe; if too late, the seed coat turns black and hard, making emergence difficult. After harvesting, never expose the seeds to the sun, as this hardens the seed coat and affects emergence. If they cannot be sown in time, they can be stored in sand with moisture retention, but they must be sown before root development.

2. Sowing time: Peonies must be sown promptly in the same year the seeds are collected. Otherwise, the germination rate will be greatly reduced the following spring, and even if seedlings emerge, the root system is underdeveloped and they are vulnerable to death from spring drought.

3. Seed treatment: Although peony seeds have a relatively thin seed coat and absorb water and sprout easily, seed treatment before sowing makes germination more uniform and greatly increases the germination rate. The method is to soak the seeds in 50°C warm water for 24 hours, then remove and sow immediately.

4. Land preparation and fertilization: For peony seedling land, apply sufficient base fertilizer and deeply plow and level the soil. If the soil is relatively moist and suitable for sowing, beds can be made directly for sowing. If the soil moisture is poor, irrigate fully, then make beds and sow. The bed width is about 50 cm, and the distance between beds is 30 cm.

5. Sowing method: Peony seeds can be sown by dibbling, broadcasting, drilling, or hole sowing. After sowing, cover with moist soil about 2 cm thick. Per mu, about 50 kg of seed is used for dibbling and about 100 kg for broadcasting. After sowing, cover with plastic film and remove it after the seedlings sprout and emerge the following spring.

Peony planting method

1. Soil selection: Peonies are suitable for loose, well-drained sandy loam. They grow poorly in clay and sandy soil. High soil water content and poor drainage easily cause root rot. Neutral or slightly acidic soil is suitable, and saline-alkali land is not suitable for planting.

2. Cultivation and weeding: After peony seedlings emerge, cultivate and weed in time, but not too deep, so as not to damage the young roots. In summer drought, cultivation should be done to preserve soil moisture. Cultivate and weed 3-4 times each year.

3. Watering management: Peonies prefer an open, relatively dry environment and do not need frequent irrigation. Because they have fleshy roots, they are especially intolerant of waterlogging. Water accumulation for 6-10 hours often leads to root rot.

4. Light management: Peonies can grow luxuriantly and produce bright flowers only with sufficient light during the growing period, but they can also grow normally under light shade. During the flowering period, temperature can be appropriately lowered and humidity increased to avoid burns from strong sunlight, thereby extending the ornamental period.

5. Temperature management: Peony is a typical temperate plant, liking warmth and tolerating cold. It can safely pass the summer even when the extreme maximum summer temperature reaches 42.1°C, and can still grow and bloom normally under conditions where the extreme minimum winter temperature is -46.5°C.

6. Timely topdressing: In the first year, peonies should be topdressed less or not at all. From the second year on, topdress 3 times each year. In late March, apply 1000 kg of human and livestock manure water per mu. In mid-April, apply 1500 kg of human and livestock manure water and 15 kg of superphosphate per mu. In mid-October, apply 2500 kg of barnyard manure per mu.

7. Bud removal and pruning: Except when seeds are to be kept, peonies generally have their flower buds removed at the budding stage to promote plant and root growth. To make peony flowers large and beautiful, side buds should be removed promptly after they appear, so that nutrients are concentrated in the main bud and the desired result is achieved.