How to Grow Potted Peony Flowers? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Care Methods

The peony originates from the Qinling and Daba Mountain region in western China and is a perennial deciduous small shrub. It grows slowly and has a small plant form; it is a precious woody flowering plant unique to our country, with thousands of years of natural growth and more than two thousand years of artificial cultivation history. The peony flower is hailed as the king of flowers, and there is a rich body of related cultural and painting works. The peony has long enjoyed such fine names as "national beauty and heavenly fragrance", “flower of wealth and honor”, and "king of flowers".

Flower Pots and Soil

The peony is a deep-rooted deciduous shrub flower. It likes sunlight, is cold-hardy, loves a cool environment and avoids high temperatures and muggy heat, and is suitable for growing in loose, fertile, well-drained sandy soil that is semi-dry and semi-moist. Therefore, the potting soil for generally cultivating peony flowers should preferably be a mixed soil of sandy soil and cake fertilizer, or a culture soil thoroughly mixed with fully rotted barnyard manure, garden soil, and coarse sand in a 1:1:1 ratio. If there is too much water in the cultivation soil, its fleshy roots are prone to rot. Therefore, in continuous rainy weather, drainage should be carried out promptly, and water must never be allowed to accumulate at the roots. The peony is not tolerant of high temperatures, so cooling measures should be taken promptly when the weather is hot in summer. It is best to set up a shade shed to provide shade for it. Cover it with straw curtains or reeds before noon and remove them in the evening. If this measure is done promptly, leaf drop can be prevented; if it is left to suffer heat and lose its leaves, later flowering will be seriously affected. Because the peony has relatively long roots and a relatively large plant, it is suitable for ground planting. If it is to be potted, a large clay pot with good water permeability should be chosen, and the pot depth should be more than 30 cm. It is best to use a clay jar with a depth of 60-70 cm.

Light and Temperature

Sufficient sunlight is relatively beneficial to its growth, but it is not tolerant of the scorching sun in summer, and temperatures above 25°C will cause the plant to enter a dormant state. The suitable temperature for flowering is 17-20°C, but before flowering it must undergo low-temperature treatment at 1-10°C for 2-3 months. It can withstand low temperatures down to -30°C, but in cold northern regions appropriate cold-protection measures are needed in winter to avoid frost damage. The hot and humid weather in the south is extremely unfavorable for peony growth. Therefore, cultivating peonies in the south requires giving them specific environmental conditions before the wonderfully beautiful peony flowers can be enjoyed.

Watering and Fertilizing

Water thoroughly twice before planting. Irrigate once before winter to ensure it overwinters safely. After spring begins, supply water according to the dry or moist condition of the soil, but do not water excessively. Generally, fertilize 3 times a year. The 1st time is pre-flowering fertilizer, applying a quick-acting fertilizer to promote larger and better blooms. The 2nd time is post-flowering fertilizer, applying 1 round of organic liquid fertilizer. The 3rd time is autumn-winter fertilizer, mainly base fertilizer, to promote growth in the following spring. In addition, pay attention to intertillage and weeding; when there are no weeds, shallow tillage to loosen the soil can be done.

Shaping and Pruning

After the flowers fade, remove the flowers and prune the branches promptly. Cut according to the tree shape's natural growth trend combined with the tree shape you desire, and at the same time apply a callus and anti-corrosion membrane to the pruning cuts to protect the wounds and prevent fungal invasion and infection. If you want the plant to be low and the flower clusters dense, then prune back more heavily to inhibit branch expansion and root suckering. Generally, it is appropriate to retain 5-6 branches per plant.

Control of the Flowering Period

Potted peonies can bloom at Spring Festival through winter forcing treatment. The method is to select 60 days before Spring Festival vigorous peony varieties with plump scale buds (such as Zhaofen, Luoyang Hong, Shengdanlu, Gejinzi, Zhushalei, Dazihuhong, Mokui, Wulong Pengsheng, etc.), lift them with soil, injuring the roots as little as possible, air-dry them in a cool place for 12-13 days, then pot them, and carry out shaping and pruning, leaving 10 branches with plump terminal buds per plant, keeping the terminal buds and removing the rest. When potting, the pot size should match the plant to achieve a satisfactory plant shape. After watering thoroughly, manage normally. Move them 50-60 days before Spring Festival into a greenhouse at about 10°C and spray water 2-3 times a day, keeping the potting soil moist. When the scale buds swell, gradually raise the temperature to 25-30°C, with the nighttime temperature not lower than 15°C; in this way, flowers can be seen at Spring Festival.