Introduction to the medicinal resource of tree peony bark, with a detailed explanation of bud removal and shaping and pruning methods

Medicinal resource of tree peony bark, how to remove buds and shape and prune

Scientific shaping and pruning can control its vegetative growth, promote reproductive growth, allow the flowers, leaves and fruit to receive sufficient sunlight, maintain its perfect plant shape and vigorous growth, and reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases. When shaping and pruning, factors such as the tree peony's growth habits, growth trend and flowering positions should be taken into account to ensure its flower and fruit quantity.

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(1) Principles of shaping and pruning

① The tree shape should be tall in the center and low at the edges, forming a naturally full round-headed or semicircular tree shape.

② Small branches inside the shrub canopy should be thinned appropriately, strong branches should be properly shortened, and drooping weak branches and ground-level suckers sprouting from the soil should be completely removed.

③ For plants that have been growing for many years, aging branches should be renewed year by year, densely growing branches inside the canopy should be thinned, and new branches should be cultivated.

④ Water sprouts growing beyond the crown should be promptly removed or shortened as early as possible to encourage the growth of secondary branches.

⑤ Spent flowers and residual fruit formed after flowering should be cut off as early as possible unless otherwise needed.

⑥ For shrub clusters planted in mass, pruning should form a cluster shape that is high in the middle and low around the edges, or low in front and high at the back.

(2) Pruning sequence: large before small, thick before thin; top before bottom, high before low; outside before inside, head before tail; opening before thinning, light before heavy; thinning before shortening, long before short; removal before tidying, messy before clear.

(3) Pruning of tree peony: Around Qingming Festival, the mixed buds begin to sprout. At this time, the remaining dead shoot tips, flower stalks and branches and leaves on the tree peony branches need to be cut off, and weeds around the rhizome should be cleared at the same time.

According to the tree peony's plant age, size, variety and growth vigor, selectively keep 7-8 or 11-12 evenly distributed, robustly growing branches, and cut off dead branches, diseased and pest-infested branches and other excess branches.

Break off the soil buds growing from the rhizome in early spring to concentrate nutrients and ensure the buds retained on the branches sprout and bloom.

Soil buds at the rhizome and adventitious buds on old branches need to be cleaned up promptly to avoid consuming the tree peony's nutrients.

When retaining buds for pruning, choose a flat cut, as this makes the wound small and quick to heal. When pruning, choose a bud on the outer side of the branch, with the cut 1-1.5 cm above the bud.

If seeds are not to be kept, the spent flowers should be cut off promptly after flowering to preserve nutrients and provide sufficient nutrients for a new round of flower bud differentiation.

Tree peonies can also be pruned according to different classifications.

① Pruning according to use: Ornamental tree peonies require large flowers with vivid colors and robust plants, so buds should be evenly thinned, while the number of branches should be controlled, retaining soil bud branches used as renewal branches or for correcting the crown shape, and cutting off the remaining soil bud branches.

Production tree peonies require bud removal to strengthen branches; soil bud branches can be retained, and it is sufficient to cut off overly dense branches, parallel branches, crossing branches and diseased and pest-infested branches. However, in spring the flower buds must be removed, because flowering consumes most of the tree peony's nutrients, and tree peonies grow branches in spring and develop roots in autumn. Removing flower buds can prompt the tree peony to grow more branches and stronger branches.

New tree peonies should be cut back level with the roots, so that they grow stronger and stronger. Tree peonies 2-5 years old need branch selection. From the second year on, select branches according to their growth vigor. When new shoots grow to about 10 cm in spring, choose 4-5 evenly distributed, robustly growing buds to retain as the main branches, and cut off all the rest. Tree peonies 5-10 years old need branch strengthening; control the number of branches through pruning to keep the tree peony robust with a rounded plant shape. In autumn, soil bud branches may be retained according to the plant shape, keeping the robust ones and removing the diseased and weak ones, and cleaning them up promptly to reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases. Old tree peonies can maintain good growth vigor as long as they are pruned properly and managed well. Sprouting branches on old trunks should be pruned off, otherwise the upper old branches will decline. Soil bud branches at the roots are generally not retained except when renewing and rejuvenating the plant.

② Pruning according to season: divided into winter pruning and spring pruning.

Winter pruning should follow the principle of "remove the front and keep the back," that is, renewal pruning. It is generally carried out in late autumn and early winter, cutting off one of the two annual branches that formed and grew in spring, reducing the number of branches and buds so that nutrients are concentrated on the retained branch and bud; it can also reduce the density of the tree peony's branches and buds, improve ventilation and light penetration conditions, enhance photosynthesis and thereby increase the yield of photosynthetic products; pruning at a perennial position will form a cut after being shortened, which can promote the sprouting of latent buds at the wound, thereby growing new branches, while also reducing tissues that cannot photosynthesize and only consume nutrients and concentrating nutrients.

Spring pruning should be carried out during the bud-lifting stage and the upright bud stage, when the advantages and disadvantages of flower buds can be clearly distinguished. Remove defective, irregular and weak small flower buds so that nutrients are concentrated on the plump flower buds, enabling them to produce large flowers with vivid colors while also extending the flowering period. Remove weak branches grown from latent buds and root suckers, which can also achieve the purpose of concentrating nutrient supply, improve ventilation and light penetration conditions, and increase the yield of photosynthetic products.

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(4) Pruning misconceptions

① Pruning before leaf fall: Pruning before leaf fall has a relatively large adverse effect on plant growth. The most suitable time for pruning is the dormant period from leaf fall to before spring sprouting, when the tree peony's physiological activities are slow and most of the nutrients in the plant have returned to the roots. Choosing to prune at this time can minimize the tree peony's nutrient loss, and the wounds left by pruning are not easily infected by microorganisms and further rotted.

② Pruning in severe cold: Tree peonies should not be pruned in severe cold, because the temperature is too low at this time, and choosing to prune then can easily cause the sap at the cut to freeze, affecting the plant's recovery and growth. Therefore, the best time for pruning should be before the temperature begins to warm in early spring and before the root system begins vigorous activity. At this time, the root system enters its growth period before the tree peony sprouts and transports nutrients upward, providing nutrients for the tree peony's sprouting and branch growth.

③ Pruning without regard to the flowering period: Tree peonies should not be pruned before the flowering period, as pruning at this time will reduce the amount of flowering. Pruning should be carried out after the flowering period to remove spent flowers and dead leaves and so on, reducing the consumption of nutrients.

To purchase medicinal tree peony seedlings, contact WeChat: 18374545223