What are the latest cultivation methods for herbaceous peony?
Other names for herbaceous peony include Persian buttercup, celery flower, Persian crowfoot, and lotus buttercup. It is a perennial herbaceous flower of the genus Ranunculus in the family Ranunculaceae, with rich flower colors and a flower shape similar to that of the peony, but smaller. It is native to southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia, and was introduced by the English in 1596 for artificial cultivation. It is very common in gardens and cut flowers. Now let us take a look together at how to grow herbaceous peony!
Growing Environment for Herbaceous Peony
Herbaceous peony prefers a cool and semi-shaded environment and dislikes heat. The suitable growing temperature is around 20°C during the day and 7-10°C at night. It fears both moisture and drought, and should be planted in well-drained, fertile and loose neutral or slightly alkaline soil. After June, the tubers enter dormancy. It likes a mild climate, fresh and humid air, and a loosely shaded growing environment. It is not tolerant of severe cold and freezing, and is even more afraid of intense summer heat and scorching sun. In most parts of China, it enters dormancy in summer during pot cultivation. It requires a sandy culture soil rich in humus, loose and fertile, with strong permeability.
Propagation Methods for Herbaceous Peony
The propagation methods of Persian buttercup mainly include tuber division propagation, seed propagation and tissue culture propagation. Tuber division propagation has the characteristics of a short growth cycle, early flowering, larger plant type, more flowers and relatively easy cultivation, but its division propagation coefficient is low and the propagation speed is slow, far from meeting the needs of large-scale production. Seed propagation has a high multiplication rate and bright colors, but fewer flowers and a longer growth period. If sowing is not done early with cooling measures, it will not bloom until March or April, and it has higher requirements for cultivation level. Although tissue culture propagation of Persian buttercup tubers has a high propagation coefficient and fast speed, it has stricter requirements for inoculation timing and explant selection, and the propagation technology is difficult with high costs, so there is a certain degree of difficulty in actual production. Therefore, seed sowing is used to produce commercial tubers of Persian buttercup, and then the tubers are used to produce finished Persian buttercup plants to improve the economic benefits of potted Persian buttercup cultivation.
How to Grow Herbaceous Peony?
1. Light management: Herbaceous peony is not tolerant of strong light and prefers a semi-shaded environment. In winter, light should be sufficient. In spring, as temperatures rise and light intensifies, shading should be moderately increased and ventilation strengthened. Herbaceous peony is a relatively long-day plant, so long-day conditions can promote flower bud differentiation, advance the flowering period, terminate vegetative growth earlier, and begin tuber formation earlier. Under short-day conditions, the flowering period is delayed, but it can promote more lateral buds, increase crown width, increase flower quantity, and further improve potted flower quality. In production, long-day and short-day regulation should be carried out according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of advancing or delaying the flowering period.
2. Water management: Persian buttercup prefers moisture and fears waterlogging. It is relatively drought-tolerant, but should not be overly dry, especially in the late growth stage. Excessive drought will cause Persian buttercup to enter a forced dormancy state, resulting in poorer tuber quality. After planting, the first watering should be thorough, and subsequent watering should be timely and balanced, and must not be too dry or too wet. The degree of watering should be based on the soil surface being dry while the leaves do not show wilting.
3. Fertilizer management: Before planting Persian buttercup, decomposed cake fertilizer or livestock manure and other organic fertilizers should be selected as base fertilizer and spread evenly. After transplanting, start topdressing when the plants show obvious growth or grow new leaves. The fertilizer concentration should be 0.1% in the early stage and 0.15-0.2% in the later stage. Use 46% urea and 45% water-soluble compound fertilizer alternately. In the early stage, mainly use urea, and in the later stage, mainly use compound fertilizer, applying once every 7 days. In winter, try to use compound fertilizer containing nitrate nitrogen, and compound fertilizer containing chlorine should not be used. After flowering, apply 1-2 times of liquid fertilizer mainly containing potassium to promote tuber enlargement.
4. Temperature management: Persian buttercup prefers a cool environment. The optimum growing temperature is 15-20°C during the day and 7-8°C at night. The temperature should not be too high or too low, and the temperature difference between day and night should not be too large, otherwise the growth and development of Persian buttercup will be affected, leading to a decrease in flower number and quality. During production, the maximum temperature inside the plastic greenhouse should not be higher than 22°C, and the minimum should not be lower than 0°C. Generally, using one layer of greenhouse covering in winter results in better growth. After planting, normal temperature management can be carried out when the central leaves show obvious growth.
5. Flowering period management: After flowering, attention should be paid to adjusting the greenhouse temperature to 15°C to prolong the flowering period. Spent flowers and diseased plants should be promptly cleaned up and removed. Watering should be balanced, not too dry or too wet.