A Detailed Guide to Peony Propagation Methods and Precautions

Livestock Farming Jan 1, 1970 0 views

Peony is also known as Jiangli, Licao, and other names. Peony is also a famous herbaceous flower of the genus Paeonia in the family Paeoniaceae, is the foremost of flowers, and is listed as one of China's six famous flowers. There are many propagation methods for peony; sowing, cuttings, and division are all suitable for peony. The editor will introduce in detail the precautions for peony propagation.

Peony

Peony is usually propagated mainly by division. The division period is preferably from late September to early October. Dig up the root clumps, shake off the attached soil, and cut them apart with a knife so that each root clump has 2-3 buds, preferably 3-5 buds, then plant the divided root clumps in the prepared nursery bed. If the divided root clumps are relatively large (with 3-5 buds), they may bloom the following year, but the flowers will be small, so it is better to remove them to allow the plant to grow well. Small roots (2-3 buds) grow poorly or do not bloom the following year, and generally need 2-5 years of cultivation. For propagation by sowing, it is best to sow the seeds immediately after they mature; the later the sowing, the lower the germination rate. Peony seeds exhibit epicotyl dormancy; after sowing, they take root in the autumn of that year, and the buds only emerge from the soil after the weather warms the following spring. Seedlings grow slowly; some buds may not bloom until 3-4 years, and some do not bloom until the 5th-6th year.

Cuttings can use root cuttings or stem cuttings. When dividing in autumn, collect broken roots, cut them into 5-10 cm sections, and bury them in soil 10-15 cm deep. For stem cuttings, about two weeks before flowering, take the middle part of the stem consisting of two nodes as the cutting, insert it into sandy soil in a hotbed to a depth of about one and a half inches, provide shade and water frequently, and after one and a half to two months it will root and form dormant buds.

Peony Paeonia lactiflora Peony Illustrated Guide: How to Grow Peony / How to Propagate Peony

Peony Profile
Peony Paeonia lactiflora
Peony Cultivation Methods and Precautions An Introduction to Peony
Peony, also known as Jiangli and Licao, is a famous herbaceous flower of the genus Paeonia in the family Paeoniaceae. Its cultivation history in China exceeds 4900 years, and it is the earliest cultivated flower in China. Peony can be divided into many varieties such as Paeonia obovata, Paeonia mairei, and Paeonia multiflora. Peony petals are obovate, the floral disk is shallowly cup-shaped, and its roots made into traditional Chinese medicine have antispasmodic and analgesic medicinal value. It ranks first among herbaceous flowers, is praised by people as the "Flower Fairy" and "Flower Minister," and is listed as one of the "Six Famous Flowers." It is also called the "May Flower God." Because it has been regarded as the flower of love since ancient times, it is now honored as the representative flower of the Qixi Festival. In addition, peony is an important flower in Dream of the Red Chamber; Shi Xiangyun sleeping drunk on a peony cushion is one of the most beautiful scenes in Dream of the Red Chamber.
The origin of the name peony (sháo yào), according to the Bencao: "Peony is like chaoyue, a beautiful appearance. This plant's flowers are graceful, hence the name." Peony has many aliases. In China's brilliant garden of flowers, the ancients elevated peony to "Flower Minister" (minister among flowers), and because peony is herbaceous, it is also called herbaceous peony (Cui Bao, Gujin Zhu). Its flowers are large and colorful, charming and graceful, so it is named "Jiaorong" and "Yurong" (Mingyi Bielu). In ancient times, when people parted, they gave peony flowers to express reluctance to part, so it is also known as "Jiangli" and "Licao" (Gujin Zhu). Tang and Song literati called peony "Lanwei Chun"; lanwei is the last cup, and peony blooms in late spring, meaning the last cup of fine wine of spring. Peony is a herbaceous flower without a hard woody stem, like a delicate girl as frail as a willow in the wind, hence the name "Meigu Hua" (Zheng Qian Hu Bencao). Because its flowers are fragrant, it has the names "Luanyi" (also called "Hei Qianyi"), "Liuyi" (Guangya Shuzheng), and "Xinyi" (Wang Yi's commentary on Chuci Jiuge). In addition, ancient names include "Jiecang," "Baizhu," "Lishi," and "Ting" (Mingyi Bielu). Abroad, peony is also highly favored and has the reputation of "Queen of Flowers." Representative meaning: Peony has been the flower of love in China since ancient times, and is now also honored as the representative flower of the Qixi Festival. The Western rose has thorns, while China's love flower, the peony, is not only beautiful but can also heal; it reflects the Chinese nation's character and virtues, like jade and like peony: diligent, practical, as light as peony fragrance, and as soft and beautiful as jade. Pink peonies are like rosy clouds on the horizon, and like shy girls in love; romance and reserve are the peony reddening spring's face. The custom of the Shangsi Festival and the love song "give her a peony" have continued from the singing of the Book of Songs through the Han, Tang, Ming, and Qing dynasties. In ancient China, peony was always the melody of love, a romantic mountain song.
It is "chuchu dongren" and "hard to part." In ancient times, when men and women interacted, they gave peonies to each other to express a pledge of love or reluctance to part; peony is also called "Jiangli Cao."

Morphological Characteristics of Peony Roots
The root consists of 3 parts: root crown, tuberous root, and fibrous root. The root crown head (different from "rhizome"; the root crown is a root, while the rhizome is a stem) is the uppermost part of the root, darker in color, and bears buds; tuberous roots grow from below the root crown, are fleshy and thick, spindle-shaped or long cylindrical, 0.6-3.5 cm thick, with a pale yellowish-brown or grayish-purple exterior and white interior, rich in nutrients. Tuberous roots generally do not directly produce buds, but after breaking they can sprout smaller new buds, so in autumn collecting broken roots over 5 cm can also be used for propagation; fibrous roots mainly grow from tuberous roots, are the main organs for absorbing water and nutrients, and can gradually develop into tuberous roots. According to differences in external shape, peony roots can generally be divided into three types: thick-root type, sloping-root type, and even-root type. The thick-root type has relatively sparse, thick, straight-extending roots; the sloping-root type extends roots in all directions with uneven thickness; the even-root type has suitable root spacing and uniform thickness. The roots can be used as medicine.
Buds
Clustered on the root crown, fleshy, overwintering underground in winter. In early spring as temperatures rise, they sprout and emerge from the soil. When newly emerging they are water-red to pale purplish-red, and some are yellow; after growing out of the ground, the color deepens, generally becoming deep purplish-red, with scales protecting the outside. Peony buds are mixed buds, developing both into reproductive organs - flowers - and into vegetative organs - stems and leaves. Before sprouting, buds are 2.5-4 cm long. After the buds emerge from the ground, their color and form also vary by variety, with colors ranging from deep purplish-red to yellowish-brown. Bud shapes can be divided into 3 types: short-round type, bamboo-shoot type, and brush-tip type. The short-round type has a shorter bud body with a bluntly rounded tip; the bamboo-shoot type has a longer bud body with an acute tip, shaped like a bamboo shoot; the brush-tip type has a longer bud body with a gradually pointed tip, shaped like the tip of a writing brush. Peony sprouting is one of the most spectacular scenes because it embodies the germination and vitality of life, and therefore has high ornamental value.
Stem
Clustered from the root, about 50-110 cm tall, herbaceous. The base of the stem is cylindrical, the upper part is mostly angular, some twisted, some straight, and the sun-facing parts often show a purplish-red blush.
Leaves
The lower leaves are bipinnately trifoliolate compound leaves, that is, the end of the leaf consists of 3 leaflets forming one cluster, with one cluster on each side; each cluster on the sides usually consists of 4 leaflets. In the middle compound leaves, the terminal 3 leaflets remain unchanged, while the number of leaflets on both sides begins to decrease, gradually from the original 4 to 3, 2, or 1, or even disappearing. When they disappear, only 3 leaflets remain at the end; this is called a tripinnate compound leaf. The upper leaves are simple leaves. Leaves are 20-24 cm long; leaflets are elliptical, narrowly ovate, needle-shaped, etc., with long pointed tips, entire margins with slight waves, densely white bony fine teeth along the leaf margin. The leaf surface may be yellow-green, green, or dark green, while the underside is mostly powdery green, hairy or hairless. Peony leaves also have ornamental value; in "red lanterns sparkle, green coiled dragon," "green coiled dragon" is praise for the leaves, so it can also be used as a foliage plant.
Flower Buds
Shapes include round peach, flat round peach, flat round peach, pointed round peach, long round peach, pointed peach, crooked pointed peach, long pointed peach, flat peach, and several others. The outer whorl has 5 sepals, leaf-like lanceolate, green, decreasing from bottom to top; the inner sepals are 3 (sometimes increasing to 7), green or yellow-green, sometimes interspersed with yellow-white stripes or purplish-red stripes, obovate, broadly ovate, circular, elliptical, or irregular.
Flowers
Generally borne singly at the top of the stem or near the top in leaf axils, though some rare varieties even produce 2 or 3 flowers together. The original species has white flowers, 8-11 cm in diameter, with 5-13 petals, obovate, numerous stamens, yellow filaments, a shallow cup-shaped floral disk wrapping the base of the carpels, with a bluntly rounded tip; carpels 3-5, hairless or hairy, with a beak at the tip. Horticultural varieties have rich flower colors, including white, pink, red, purple, yellow, green, black, and bicolor, with flower diameters of 10-30 cm; petals can reach over a hundred, and some varieties even have 880 petals, with highly variable flower forms. Flowering period is May-June.
Fruit
Follicles, spindle-shaped, elliptical, bottle-shaped, etc., smooth, or with fine downy hairs, with a small pointed tip. 2-8 follicles, free, composed of a single carpel, ovary 1-loculed, containing 5-7 seeds.
Seeds
Black or blackish-brown, seeds large, round, oblong, or pointed-round.
Phenological Period
In the course of a year, the period in which various organs of peony undergo corresponding changes under the constraints of climatic conditions is called the phenological period. For example, in the Beijing area, peony buds emerge from the soil from late March to early April. The buds formed at the underground root crown in June-July of the previous year, after growth and flower bud differentiation, sprout and emerge after spring temperatures rise. The buds are mostly beautiful purplish-red, with a few varieties being delicate yellow-green, and have high ornamental value. After more than 20 days of rapid growth, the new stems can reach about 2/3 of the height of a mature plant, the lower compound leaves flatten and spread, and the young leaves are also purplish-red or yellow-green; after the lower leaves flatten and spread, growth accelerates again, and flower buds appear at the stem tips in early April; after budding, as the stems and leaves fill out and the flower buds develop, flowers begin to open in early to mid-May; the flowering period ends in early June. A single flower remains open for 5-7 days; single-petaled varieties have shorter opening times, while double-petaled varieties have longer ones. The population flowering period (from the opening of early-flowering varieties to the fading of late-flowering varieties) is about 25 days; after the flowers fade, mixed buds differentiate and develop again at the underground root crown; seeds mature in August, the aboveground parts die from late October to early November, and the mixed buds borne on the root crown overwinter in the soil, then sprout and grow again the following spring. This annual cyclical process mainly has the following rules: first, sequentiality - each phenological period can proceed only after the previous phenological period is completed, and at the same time it lays the foundation for the next phenological period; second, changes in all phenological periods occur under the combined action of certain external conditions, among which temperature is often the leading influencing factor; third, because phenological periods change with the climate through the four seasons, phenological changes have annual periodicity; fourth, phenological periods have repeatability under certain conditions, etc.
Main Factors Affecting Flowering Phenology
(1) Temperature: In the same region, the timing of peony flowering is closely related to spring temperature changes. Temperature can affect the entire flowering process. With a warm spring versus a cold spring, the flowering period can differ by 4-5 days or even 10-20 days.
(2) Moisture and rainfall: Moisture and rainfall have little effect on the flowering period. Sufficient irrigation before flowering or encountering rainfall helps peony flowering, making flowers large and colors vivid; but if there is relatively heavy rainfall, the flowers are damaged and fade early. If soil moisture content is low before flowering, flowers become smaller, colors less vivid, and the flowering period shortens.
(3) Altitude: Altitude can affect changes in temperature, light, and humidity, thereby affecting the flowering period. Generally, as altitude increases, the flowering period is delayed. For example, peony flowering in Luoyang ends on May 14, while on Baiyun Mountain in nearby Manxian, peonies are just beginning to show color. When the peony flowering period in Pengzhou City, Sichuan, ends, flowers on nearby Danjing Mountain are just beginning to open. The different altitudes of cultivation sites can be used to extend the viewing period.
(4) Light: Light often accompanies temperature and has a major impact on plant growth, development, and flowering period. Insufficient light before flowering can affect flower color, making it less vivid. Strong light during the flowering period, accompanied by rising temperatures, can shorten the flowering period or scorch the flowers. Therefore, setting up a shade canopy during the flowering period can extend the peony flowering period.
Growth and Development Characteristics
1、Life Cycle and Annual Cycle
Peony is a perennial herbaceous plant with persistent roots. From seed germination to death, throughout its life activities, it undergoes life processes such as growth, flowering, fruiting, aging, and death. This entire process is called the life cycle, also known as the grand development cycle. For seedling plants, the life cycle can be divided into 3 developmental stages. Seedling plants bloom in about 4 years; before flowering is the juvenile stage. In the first year after sowing and emergence, the plant is 3-4 cm tall, grows 1-2 leaves, and roots are 8-10 cm long, with the upper part of the root relatively thick, about 0.4-0.5 cm in diameter; in the second spring, the plant height reaches 7-8 cm, and better-growing plants can reach 15-29 cm, with a spread of about 30 cm; in the third spring, a few plants already bloom, with plant height 15-60 cm, only one main root well developed, and plant spread 30-40 cm; in the fourth year all plants can bloom. After entering adulthood, growth is vigorous and flowering abundant, at the best ornamental stage. As long as the environment is suitable, adulthood can last twenty to thirty years, then enter the aging stage until death. Divided plants directly enter adulthood and gradually age after twenty to thirty years.
The annual cycle, also called the small development cycle, refers to the phased developmental changes produced by peony plants during the year as climate rhythms change. It mainly manifests as alternating changes between the growth period and the dormant period. Among these, the vernalization stage of the dormant period and the photoperiod stage of the growth period are most critical. The vernalization stage of peony requires a low temperature of 0°C and takes about 40 days to complete; only then can the mixed buds begin to sprout and grow. Peony is a long-day plant; flower buds need long-day conditions to develop and bloom. After the mixed buds germinate, if light duration is insufficient, or under short-day conditions, they usually only grow leaves without flowering or flower abnormally.
2、Growth and Development Characteristics
(1) Flower bud structure and life cycle: Peony buds are mixed buds and belong to the underground bud type; after germination and emerging from the ground, they both produce branches and leaves and unfold buds to bloom. The mixed bud is a complex of multiple primordia, composed of the apical growing point, bud scales, axillary bud primordia within the axils of bud scales, leaf primordia, axillary bud primordia within the axils of leaf primordia, bract primordia, sepal primordia, petal primordia, stamen primordia, pistil primordia, etc. This bud is called the maternal-generation bud, and the axillary bud primordia within the axils of the bud scales and leaf primordia are the rudiments of the daughter-generation buds. The axillary bud primordia within the axils of leaf primordia and their axillary bud primordia do not produce bud scales and are naked buds; while the axillary bud primordia within the axils of scales have bud scales and form scaly buds. In spring, the scaly buds germinate, and the daughter-generation naked buds emerge from the ground as the internodes of the maternal-generation mixed bud elongate, forming flower branches or branches on the main stem; their daughter-generation scaly buds do not emerge from the ground. After the aboveground parts wither in autumn, the daughter-generation scaly bud located at the uppermost end of the peony root crown becomes the "terminal bud." In fact, peony has only one terminal bud, which is the terminal bud of the seedling after seed germination. The following year, this daughter-generation scaly bud sprouts from the soil, extends branches, unfolds leaves, and blooms. Therefore, the life cycle of naked buds is 2 years, while the life cycle of scaly buds is 3 years.
(2) Flower bud differentiation: After peony flowering, the axillary buds of its underground scaly buds appear around August, and their apical growing points gradually produce bud scale primordia from outside to inside. By May of the following year, a growing point covered by 4 bud scales has formed, and bud scale differentiation is completed in late June. Then, the apical growing point begins to produce leaf primordia. Leaf primordia have multiple finger-like projections, while bud scale primordia have only 1-3. Leaf primordium differentiation begins in early August and ends in early September.

Ecological Habits of Peony
1.Temperature
Peony is a typical temperate plant, likes warmth and tolerates cold, and has a relatively broad ecological adaptation range. It can be cultivated in the open field in northern China and has strong cold tolerance. In the Nenjiang County area of northern Heilongjiang Province, where the annual growth period is only 120 days and the extreme minimum temperature is -46.5°C, it can still grow and bloom normally and overwinter in the open field. In summer it prefers a cool climate, but it is also quite heat-tolerant. For example, in Bozhou, Anhui Province, where the extreme maximum summer temperature reaches 42.1°C, it can also safely pass the summer.
2.Light
Only with sufficient light during the growing period can peony grow luxuriantly and have vivid flower colors; however, it can also grow and develop normally under light shade. During the flowering period, light shade can appropriately lower temperature and increase humidity, protecting it from scorching by strong sunlight and thereby extending the ornamental period. But if shaded too heavily, it will cause leggy growth, weak growth, and failure to bloom or sparse flowering.
Peony is a long-day plant. It differentiates flower buds in the short-day seasons of autumn and winter, and blooms under long days in spring. Flower bud development and flowering both need to occur under long-day conditions. If the photoperiod is too short (8-9 hours), flower bud development will be delayed, leaf growth will accelerate, flowering will be poor, and it may even fail to bloom.
3.Soil
Peony is a deep-rooted plant, so it requires deep soil layers, and it also has thick fleshy roots, making loose, well-drained sandy loam suitable. It grows poorly in clay and sandy soils. High soil moisture content and poor drainage easily cause root rot. Neutral or slightly acidic soil is suitable; saline-alkali land is not suitable for planting. Fertile soil produces better growth, but note that nitrogen content must not be too high to prevent leggy branches and leaves. During the growing period, appropriately increasing phosphorus and potassium fertilizer can promote sturdy branch and leaf growth and beautiful flowering. Peony avoids continuous cropping. In traditional concentrated peony production areas, planting peony continuously in the same plot for many years is a very common phenomenon and has caused serious losses: not only severe pests and diseases, but also decreased yield and quality, and even large-scale death. Therefore, a scientific and reasonable crop rotation system must be implemented.
4.Water
Peony prefers high, open terrain and relatively dry environments, and does not need frequent irrigation. Because peony has fleshy roots, it is especially intolerant of waterlogging; water accumulation for 6-10 hours often causes root rot. Low-lying wet areas are not suitable as peony production areas in China. Every flood is almost devastating to peony; only peonies in high, open places not submerged by water remain.

Cultivation Techniques for Peony
Peony cultivation includes ornamental cultivation, medicinal cultivation, soilless cultivation, forcing and retarding cultivation, cut flower cultivation, etc., described below.
1.Land Requirements
Choose a planting site with high, dry terrain and good drainage, requiring deep, loose, fertile sandy loam. When planting in sections with heavier salinity and alkalinity, soil replacement is needed; when planting in lower terrain, build raised beds, and there should be sufficient clean irrigation water. Peony avoids continuous cropping. Field cultivation generally rotates once every 3-4 years; otherwise growth weakens and pests and diseases become severe. When rotation cannot be carried out on time due to land limitations, deep plowing should be carried out 1-2 months before planting. The depth is 60-100 cm. For every 666.7 sq m, 1500-2000 kg of decomposed manure or 200-250 kg of cake fertilizer can be applied. Remember not to apply undecomposed raw fertilizer.
2.Suitable Planting Time
Whether for sowing seedlings or divided seedlings, planting in Heze is from late August (End of Heat) to late September (Autumn Equinox), and in Yangzhou from late September (Autumn Equinox) to early November (Start of Winter). It is generally combined with division.
3.Planting Spacing
For garden ornamental cultivation, a plant and row spacing of 1 m x 1 m can be used, and planting points can be arranged in a "pinwheel" pattern. This allows uniform and rational use of land and helps symmetrical plant growth, but field operations are sometimes inconvenient. For convenience in field management and observation records, a "square" arrangement with horizontal and vertical rows is often used. The specifications for planting holes are about 35 cm deep and 18 cm in upper diameter; the hole should be dug narrower at the top and wider at the bottom. For ornamental cultivation and propagation, thick roots are not removed. For medicinal cultivation, root-promoted seedlings after root removal are used (the method in Dongyang, Zhejiang), with holes about 25 cm. If directly planting peony heads after root removal, the depth can be shallower.
4.Planting Method
Apply decomposed manure or cake fertilizer at the bottom of the hole and mix it evenly with the subsoil. Before planting, treat the peony seedlings with a mixture of 700-fold thiophanate-methyl solution plus 1000-fold isofenphos-methyl solution to prevent pests and diseases. Hold the peony seedling by hand and place the roots loosely in the hole. When filling soil to half the hole, shake and lift the seedling so that the root system combines closely with the soil. The lifting height of the seedling should be based on the buds being level with the ground surface; after watering, the planting hole sinks, which is exactly the suitable planting depth. If planted too deep, buds are not easy to sprout from the soil, and even if they emerge, growth and development are not vigorous; if planted too shallow, the root crown is exposed above the ground and is easily killed by sun exposure in summer. Finally, fill the hole with soil, tamp it firm, and pile about 10 cm of soil on top to prevent cold and preserve moisture, and also as a marker and protection. Depending on soil moisture, if the soil is moist, watering after planting may be omitted; generally it should be watered immediately after planting.
5.Field Management
(1) Removing soil and leveling beds: The soil mounds piled during planting in the previous autumn must be promptly leveled before peony tender buds emerge, and the bed surface leveled, to facilitate watering and field management. If done too late, removing soil will damage tender buds; if not removed, the base of tender buds will weaken, affecting growth.
(2) Cultivation and weeding: Throughout the growing season, cultivate and weed frequently. Deep cultivation is needed before the leaf canopy completely covers the ground and around the flowering period; after flowering, shallow cultivation should be used. Under normal circumstances, cultivation and weeding should be done about 10 times per year.
(3) Fertilization: Peony likes fertilizer, and there is rarely harm from over-fertilization. Especially when flower buds show color and when buds are forming, the demand for nutrients is even more urgent. In addition to applying base fertilizer at planting, according to peony's nutrient requirements at different developmental stages, topdressing can be applied 3 times per year. In spring after seedlings emerge and unfold leaves, "flower fertilizer" can be applied, aiming to promote vigorous plant growth and supplement large amounts of nutrients for flower bud development and flowering. To supplement fertilizer in time, quick-acting fertilizers are mostly used, and note that the phosphorus and potassium fertilizer components should be appropriately increased. After flowering, the plant consumes a large amount of internal nutrients and must carry out flower bud differentiation and bud development, so "bud fertilizer" can be applied. Whether sufficient nutrients are supplied in time at this time directly relates to the quality of flowering and growth the following year; quick-acting fertilizer is still used. Before winter, combined with winter soil mounding, "winter fertilizer" can be applied, mainly long-acting fertilizer, mostly fully decomposed compost, barnyard manure, or decomposed cake fertilizer and compound fertilizer. Topdressing application methods include hole application, trench application, and broadcast application. For one- and two-year-old seedlings, because the root system is not well developed, hole application between plants or trench application between rows is often used, with holes and trenches about 15 cm deep; fertilizer is applied into them and covered with soil. For plants over three years old, broadcast application is mostly used: spread the fertilizer evenly, then combine with cultivation and weeding, deep hoeing and loosening the soil, and mix it evenly with the soil. For one- and two-year-old seedlings, for every 666.7 sq m, 150-200 kg of cake fertilizer or sesame paste residue (the paste liquid after making sesame paste) can be applied as topdressing, or 1500 kg of manure. For plants over three years old, for every 666.7 sq m, 200-250 kg of cake fertilizer or sesame paste residue can be used, or 2000-2500 kg of manure.
(4) Watering: Peony has a well-developed root system and goes deep into the soil, and can absorb water from deep soil layers; the roots are fleshy and intolerant of waterlogging, so it does not need frequent watering like open-field herbaceous flowers. However, excessive dryness is also unfavorable for growth, resulting in small and sparse flowers and less vivid colors. It can be seen that moderate moisture is an essential ecological condition for normal peony growth. Therefore, during drought it still needs timely watering, especially before and after flowering and before winter soil mounding, sufficient irrigation must be ensured. During heavy rain, special attention must be paid to timely drainage to avoid root damage.
(5) Removing side buds: In addition to the main bud borne at the top of the stem, peony has 3-4 side buds in the upper leaf axils of the stem. To concentrate nutrients and make the terminal bud flower large, remove the side buds shortly after the flower buds appear. To prevent damage to the terminal bud, first leave 1 side bud; after the terminal bud swells and normal development is no longer a concern, remove the reserved side bud. Therefore, flower growers have the saying "peony pinch the top (remove side buds), tree peony trim the feet (remove basal buds)." Cleverly using the difference in flowering time between main and side buds can appropriately extend the peony ornamental period. Among the same variety (varieties whose side buds can bloom normally), select some plants, remove the main bud, and leave 1 side bud to bloom, so the flowering period can be delayed by several days.
(6) Staking: Peony flower stalks are relatively soft. Except for a few compact, sturdy plant types and varieties with fewer petals such as single-petaled, lotus, and golden-stamen types, most varieties have flower heads drooping to the side when blooming, and even the whole plant may lean over. To maintain a good ornamental effect, after the flower buds show color, set up supports so the flower stalks extend straight, flower heads stand upright, and flower posture is graceful. Two staking forms are commonly used: first, single-stake type, mostly used for varieties with especially large flowers and relatively soft stems. When tying, insert a thin bamboo into the soil behind the flower stem, then use plastic rope or hemp rope in a "8" shape to tie the upper part of the flower stem 6-8 cm from the flower head to the support. Do not tie tightly at the top of the flower stem, to avoid making the flower head stiff and losing beauty. Second, bamboo-ring type, used for general varieties, enclosing the loose plant clump with a bamboo ring; then the enclosed flower stems support each other and stand upright. The size of the bamboo ring can be adjusted according to the size of the plant clump. Generally two layers of bamboo rings are used, smaller on the lower layer and larger on the upper layer, and each bamboo ring is fixed with 3 or 4 small bamboo poles inserted into the soil. The above two forms can be used in combination according to circumstances.
(7) Setting up shade and rain shelters: The peony flowering period coincides with the hot, rainy season. During the flowering period, shade and rain shelters can be set up to block strong light, reduce humidity, and protect from rain invasion, thereby improving the ornamental effect and extending the ornamental period. The shelter is 2.5 m high, covered with shade netting and plastic film. Setting up shelters can extend the flowering period by 8-10 days.
(8) Removing faded flowers: After flowering, except for plants kept for seed, promptly remove faded flowers to avoid wasting nutrients.
(9) Cutting off aboveground parts, watering with frozen water, and mounding soil for overwintering: After late October, the aboveground stems and leaves gradually turn yellow and dry. At this time, cut off dead leaves, sweep up dead leaves, and bury them intensively to avoid further spread of pests and diseases. Then, before the soil freezes in winter, water thoroughly, fertilize, and mound soil to preserve moisture and protect against cold for overwintering.
Medicinal Cultivation
Peony is often used for medicinal cultivation, and its roots are a traditional Chinese medicinal material. If the root bark is scraped off, it is called "Bai Shao"; for some wild plants in the peony group, such as P. vitchii and P. obovata, the root bark is generally not scraped off when used medicinally, and they are called "Chi Shao." Both are used as medicine but have different medicinal effects. Medicinal cultivation is similar to ornamental cultivation, but also has its differences. Its planting row spacing is 50 cm x 40 cm or 50 cm x 35 cm, i.e., 3000-3500 plants per 666.7 sq m. It can be planted in holes or trenches. The planting seedlings are divided seedlings or three-year-old sowing seedlings. If divided seedlings are used, the new plant should not carry too many buds; one with 1-3 buds and 2 roots can be used; if one with 1 bud and 1 root is used, 2 plants can be planted per hole.
Too many buds will cause aboveground branches and leaves to grow leggy and affect root growth. The purpose of medicinal cultivation is to grow roots well, so that roots develop quickly and grow substantial. When the plant shows buds, remove all of them so they do not develop and bloom, concentrating nutrients in root growth. Bud removal is best done on a sunny day when there is no dew. After bud removal, spray 1 application of equal-strength Bordeaux mixture to reduce infection by pathogens.
After removing peony roots from the plant, remove the fibrous roots and grade them by thickness. After boiling and stirring, take out a root and observe it; if the water traces dry completely in less than 1 minute, it is the right time (some say it is the right time when the root epidermis does not carry water droplets). Immediately take them out and soak in cold water for about half an hour or more, scrape off the root bark with a glass piece, knife, etc., wash clean, and air-dry. It is best not to expose them to the blazing sun, to avoid the outer skin turning reddish-brown. Air-dry for about half a month; thick roots require more time, thin roots less. During root drying, dry for a few days, gather them together and let them sweat for one or two days to regain moisture, then dry again, until the roots break apart and are powdery white and make a sound when tapped; then they can be graded, packaged, and sold. They are usually divided into 3 grades by root diameter: first grade, root diameter above 4 cm; second grade, 2-4 cm; third grade, below 2 cm.
All require smooth outer skin, white with a pink tint, and uniform thickness. Generally, 1 kg of fresh roots yields 0.5 kg of dried Bai Shao. After 3 years of continued cultivation, about 900 kg of fresh roots are produced per 666.7 sq m, yielding 450 kg of Bai Shao (Heze). In Dongyang, Zhejiang, making Bai Shao involves first removing the root bark and then boiling, a method with local characteristics, but the medicinal effect is the same. Soilless cultivation Soilless cultivation, also called water culture, is a technique of preparing a nutrient solution according to the nutrient elements essential for plant growth and development, and using it for plant cultivation.
For the export of potted flowers, soilless cultivation must be used in the international flower market to prevent the spread of pests and diseases. Because it saves water and fertilizer, is clean and hygienic, has few pests and diseases, produces good-quality products, and saves labor in management, it is increasingly widely used.
1. Variety selection Most peony varieties perform well in nutrient solution cultivation, better than in general soil cultivation.
Varieties suitable for soilless cultivation include: "Zidie Xianjin," "Wulong Pengsheng," "Zhusha Pan," "Yangfei Chuyu," and "Yanchi Yangbo," etc.
2. Substrate preparation Peony has fleshy roots, and the substrate requirements are good air permeability, fertilizer retention, and water retention. Vermiculite, perlite, ceramsite, and bark can be used as substrate; mixed substrates have better effects. Their mixing ratios include vermiculite, perlite, and bark at 1:1:1; vermiculite, perlite, and ceramsite at 1:1:1; or vermiculite and perlite at 1:1, etc. In southern China, some local substrates such as carbonized rice husks can be added.
3. Cultivation forms There are two forms: pot cultivation and trough cultivation. For pot cultivation, choose flower pots of corresponding diameter according to the size of the peony plant. Clay pots can be used; they have good air permeability and benefit plant growth, but are heavy and inconvenient to manage and use. Plastic pots are commonly used; they are attractive in appearance, light in weight, and convenient to use and manage, but have poor air permeability. When planting, lay a layer of ceramsite at the bottom of the pot to facilitate drainage, then plant the peony seedling, fill in the mixed substrate, and add a layer of ceramsite on the surface to prevent the substrate from splashing out during watering. For trough cultivation, cement or bricks can be used to build rectangular cultivation troughs. The long axis of the trough surface should have a certain drainage slope, width about 80-120 cm, length 200-300 cm, and depth 42 cm. Line the trough with plastic film, fill in 40 cm of cultivation substrate, and plant seedlings at a spacing of 40 cm x 40 cm, with 2-3 rows possible. Planting time is the same as field planting.
4. Nutrient solution preparation Wang Yueying and others at Beijing Forestry University, through analysis of the nutritional status of tree peony cultivation soil and determination of nutrient content in tree peony at different growth stages, prepared nutrient solution formulas suitable for 3 different growth stages: first, used from summer to before winter, with the function of promoting buds and protecting roots; second, used before flowering, with higher phosphorus, promoting beautiful and large flowers; third, used after flowering, playing a comprehensive fertilizing role. This has high reference value for preparing nutrient solutions for peony soilless cultivation. The mineral element content of the nutrient solution should be between 0.1% and 0.4%.
5.Irrigation System：
(1) Gravity irrigation facilities: commonly used in general production cultivation, relatively simple to set up, low investment, convenient management, and good use effect. The cultivation trough width is 200 cm, and 4 drip irrigation tapes can be installed. The size of the nutrient solution storage tank depends on the area of the cultivation trough; generally, the storage tank being 150-200 cm higher than the cultivation trough surface is sufficient. The nutrient solution is delivered to the plant roots through drip irrigation pipes by gravity generated by the height difference of the liquid.
(2) Power irrigation facilities: mostly used for large-area soilless cultivation. The delivery of nutrient solution in the above facilities is changed from gravity delivery to power delivery. An electric pump is added as the delivery power.
(3) Micro-tube sprinkler irrigation facilities: lay plastic pipes with many micropores on the bed surface and spray the nutrient solution onto the cultivation bed.
(4) Seepage pipe irrigation facilities: bury specially made seepage pipes in 2-10 cm of substrate so that the nutrient solution continuously seeps outward. This saves water, irrigates evenly, and is also very convenient to operate. Forcing and Retarding Cultivation The cultivation measure of using artificial measures to promote early germination of peony flower buds so that flowering occurs earlier than the natural flowering period is called forcing cultivation. Conversely, the cultivation method of using artificial measures to delay bud germination so that the flowering period is later than the natural flowering period is called retarding cultivation. The two are also often called flower period acceleration and delay. On the basis of the natural open-field flowering period, reasonably using forcing and retarding cultivation methods to regulate the flowering period can make peony bloom year-round. The initial stage of peony flower bud differentiation is later than that of tree peony; its early-flowering varieties begin flower bud differentiation at the end of August, while late-flowering varieties delay until mid-to-late September. Most varieties form petal primordia from mid-November and stop developing, overwintering in this state. After sprouting and growing in spring of the following year, the flower buds continue to develop and eventually bloom.
To achieve year-round supply of peony cut flowers and potted flowers, a combination of forcing and retarding cultivation is often used to regulate the flowering period. Selecting suitable varieties, choosing strong seedlings with fully developed flower buds and pure variety characteristics, adopting scientific treatment measures, and careful cultivation management are the guarantees for success in forcing and retarding cultivation.
1、Forcing Cultivation
(1) Variety selection: For peony cultivation, first select varieties suitable for forcing cultivation. Generally, early-flowering varieties are mostly chosen, which can shorten the time to forced flowering, such as "Qiaoling," "Mozi Lou," "Yinhe," "Fenrong Lian," "Da Fugui," "Fengyu Luo Jinchi," and "Meiju," etc.
(2) Cold storage treatment: To make peony bloom before the natural flowering period, select robust three- or four-year-old plants and carry out cold storage treatment. In the cold storage room, use the soil-burying cold storage method; the buds should be slightly exposed. During cold storage, check soil moisture once every half month. If sandy loam is used, it is suitable when it just forms a ball in the hand. Too dry is unfavorable for forcing flowers; too wet easily causes mildew and root rot. The cold storage room humidity should be maintained at 3°C. Different varieties have certain differences in treatment humidity and treatment time. For example, if plants are cold-stored in early September, then planted, under 15°C conditions they bloom in 60-70 days, i.e., they can be marketed in December; if flowering is needed in January-February of the following year, cold storage in October-November is sufficient.
(3) Nutrient soil planting: Plants that have undergone cold storage treatment need to be planted in nutrient soil, with regular spraying or irrigation of nutrient solution, supplemented by hormone management, and special attention should be paid to late-stage fertilizer spraying. Nutrient soil can be made from decomposed leaf mold, garden soil, and sandy soil at a ratio of 2:3:1, plus an appropriate amount of cake fertilizer and phosphorus-potassium fertilizer; nitrogen fertilizer is applied as topdressing after potting. After the plants are taken out of the cold storage, first place them in a cool place to adapt to room temperature. When potting, cover soil 1 cm above the buds; after watering, the buds are slightly exposed.
(4) Regulation of temperature and humidity: After forcing plants enter the greenhouse, gradually increase the temperature. The optimum growth temperature for peony is 20-25°C; above 30°C is unfavorable for growth. The following temperature control methods can be used: early stage 15-20°C for about 10 days; middle stage 15-25°C for about 15 days; late stage 20-25°C for about 20-25 days. High temperature should not exceed 28°C, low temperature should not be lower than 12°C, and drastic temperature changes should be avoided. Relative air humidity should be maintained at 70%-80%, which can be regulated by watering, misting, and ventilation.
(5) Supplementary light: Peony likes warmth and light. During forcing cultivation in winter and spring, which coincides with the short-day season, supplementary light is particularly important. The photoperiod should be increased to 13-15 hours per day so that flower buds develop fully and flowers are beautiful and large.
(6) Application of hormones: Generally gibberellin (GA3) is used. When watering after potting, 2000 mg/L GA3 can be used to further break bud dormancy. When the flower bud diameter is 0.4 cm and 0.8 cm, use 600 mg/L GA3 to smear the flower buds 2 times; when the flower bud diameter is 1.2 cm, use 1000 mg/L GA3 to smear once more.
(7) Other management: When sprouts grow to 5-10 cm, remove budless sprouts to avoid wasting nutrients. Afterward, pay attention to removing side flower buds, leaving 6-8 flowers per plant. When the flower buds are about to open, control watering, for sale or rental display. After flowering, do not water the flowers; place them indoors at 15-20°C, and the flowering period can reach 20-30 days. After the flowers fade, put them back in the greenhouse, and after the temperature is suitable, plant them back in the open field. If used as cut flowers, after routine harvesting, continue careful management to nourish roots and promote buds for future use. 2. Retarding cultivation Retarding cultivation mostly uses late-flowering varieties. The following varieties can be considered: such as "Yangfei Chuyu," "Linglong Yu," "Bingqing," "Zhaoyuan Fen," "Yanchi Yangbo," "Hongyan Feixiang," "Huahong Chonglou," and "Yinzhen Xiu Hongpao," etc.
To make peony bloom later than the natural flowering period, two measures can be used
(1) Cold storage during dormancy: In early spring, dig up plants that have not yet sprouted and store them in a 0°C cold storage for later use, keeping the plants moist. According to the time flowers are needed, depending on the season, take them out 30-45 days in advance for normal cultivation, and they will bloom at the desired time.
(2) Cold storage during the growth period: Cold storage can be carried out when flower buds are about to open; the cold storage temperature should be higher, 3-5°C. Then 2-3 days before use, take them out and cultivate conventionally. The latter method can only be cold-stored for a short time in storage and can be used to extend the normal ornamental period; long-term cold storage will cause leggy growth and reduce ornamental value. With the former method, if taken out and planted from April to August, they bloom in 30-35 days; if planted in March or September, they bloom in about 45 days. When summer temperatures are too high, shade treatment can be carried out, supplemented by misting to lower temperature, to avoid high temperature causing flower bud shrinkage and leaf scorch. Cut Flower Cultivation Currently, in the total sales of the world flower market, cut flowers account for about 60%. Peony cut flowers, because of their large and colorful flowers, long stems, tolerance to water culture, and convenience for storage and transport, have become popular goods in the world flower market. A certain batch of peony cut flowers is exported every year, and the development prospects are very promising.
For cut flower cultivation, the following measures should be taken:
1. Select varieties suitable for cut flower use
The existing varieties in China were all selected and bred for garden cultivation, and no varieties have been specially bred for cut flower production. However, from existing varieties, some suitable for cut flower use can still be selected. Varieties suitable for cut flower production should have the following conditions:
(1) High flower formation rate, floriferous type, stiff flower stalks and petioles, long branches, relatively small leaves.
(2) Regular flower shape, vivid flower color, fragrant scent, round and neat flower buds, top not easily splitting.
(3) Petals hard in texture, clearly layered, medium flower diameter, flowers opening upward, few sugary secretions on flower buds.
(4) Good water-holding quality as cut flowers, long water-holding period.
(5) Plants growing robustly, strong growth vigor, strong tillering ability, strong stress resistance, few pests and diseases. Tolerant of storage and transport. When selecting cut flower varieties, pay attention to matching flower colors and flowering periods to ensure year-round or multi-season market supply.
2、Field Management
3、Postharvest Management
(1) Timely cutting: When the flower buds show color, keep the lower 2-3 compound leaves and cut off the flower branch. The best cutting time is from early morning to 10 a.m.; if the cutting task is large, it can also be done in the evening. After cutting, immediately place the flower branches in a bucket of clean water to prevent water loss.
(2) Grading and packaging: In a low-temperature room, remove leaves and grade the flowering stems. Remove the upper 2 compound leaves and the single leaf near the flower bud, and cut off the remaining compound leaves from the base of the petiole. Wash off the sugar solution secreted on the flower buds with clean water, and grade the stems into five grades according to length: 50 cm, 55 cm, 60 cm, 65 cm and 70 cm. Wrap each flower bud first in soft paper, then slip on a corrugated paper tube. By variety and according to stem length, tie 10 stems into 1 bunch, then trim the bases evenly according to the length requirement, and dip the bases into a 4 mmol/L STS (silver thiosulfate) solution for a 10-minute pretreatment; then quickly dip them in a fungicide solution. Once dried until no water droplets remain on the leaf surfaces, pack the bunches of peony cut flowers into boxes for transport.
(3) Storage and freshness preservation: According to research on the postharvest physiology and preservation techniques of cut flowers, to extend the vase life of cut flowers, 3 main problems must be solved, namely supplying the necessary nutrients, preventing vessel blockage, and inhibiting ethylene synthesis. Peony cut flowers cut at the bud stage, treated with STS for 24 hours, then stored dry in a cold room at 0-2°C for 3 months, and after removal treated with a preservation solution, still have a vase life and ornamental value close to those of fresh cut flowers.
Key cultivation points for peony
Mix thoroughly in the proportion of 30 jin of fertilizer plus 2-3 jin of superphosphate per 100 jin of sandy loam, then spray with water and pile to compost for 1-2 months. Courtyard planting must also have holes dug in winter in advance.
"Divide peonies at the Spring Equinox, and they will never bloom" has been proven by many years of practice. The best period for planting and division propagation of peony is from late September to early October; during this period, do not do it earlier, and even more so do not delay it. Peony is a deep-rooted flower, so choose a deep pot for planting. For home flower growing, generally choose a deep pot with a diameter of 30 cm and a depth of 40 cm-50 cm, and 2-3 plants per pot is suitable. Attention must be paid to cultivation techniques: first spread 3 cm-5 cm of coal cinder as a drainage layer, then fill in 15 cm-20 cm of prepared potting soil, then place the seedlings upright and spread out in the pot, arrange the root system, then fill in potting soil, pressing lightly while filling so that the roots and soil are fully combined. The filling height should preferably exceed the top of the root buds by 4 cm-5 cm. Water thoroughly to settle the roots, and place in a ventilated, sunny place for care.
When the root buds emerge from the soil in early spring, combine with watering and lightly apply once a dilute liquid fertilizer mainly based on nitrogen fertilizer to accelerate vegetative growth. By mid-April, peony enters the bud stage, when growth shifts from being mainly vegetative to mainly reproductive. From budding to flowering takes about one month or so. During this period, apply 1-2 times a compound fertilizer (2 jin fertilizer mixed with 100 jin water), and spray 2-3 times a 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate fertilizer solution to promote large flowers and vivid colors. After the flowering period, promptly cut off faded flowers to reduce nutrient consumption within the plant. At the same time, apply once a liquid fertilizer mainly based on nitrogen fertilizer to accelerate the growth of young buds at the roots. In winter, peony enters a dormant state and its water requirement decreases; as long as the soil maintains some moisture it is fine, but appropriate amounts of rotted cake fertilizer or barnyard manure must be buried and applied in combination with intertillage and loosening of the soil, to replenish nutrients consumed in the soil and lay a foundation for strong seedlings the following spring.

Propagation methods of peony
The traditional propagation methods of peony are: division, sowing, cuttings, layering and other methods, among which division is the easiest and most widely used. The sowing method is only used for breeding new varieties, producing rootstocks for grafting tree peonies, and medicinal production. Rapid propagation of ornamental varieties is an urgent issue to be solved, and hopes have long been placed on tissue culture. Much work has been done both domestically and abroad. Although progress has been made so far, there is still a considerable distance from practical application.
Division method
Division is the most commonly used propagation method for peony, and seedling production in peony-producing areas basically uses this method. It has three advantages: first, it flowers earlier than the sowing method. Seedlings from sowing flower in 4-5 years, while divided seedlings can flower the following year; second, division is simple and easy to perform, saves labor in management, and is conducive to widespread application; third, it can maintain the excellent traits of the original variety. The disadvantage is that the propagation coefficient is low. A three-year-old mother plant can only be divided into 3-5 daughter plants, which makes it difficult to adapt to and meet the needs of modern large-scale production and the continuously rapidly growing domestic and international flower market. This has always been a major problem troubling peony seedling production.
1. Division time
Theoretically, division of peony can be carried out from the time the overwintering buds are full to before the ground freezes. However, timely division and planting, while the ground temperature is still high, is beneficial to the healing of root wounds and can sprout new roots, enhancing cold and drought resistance, and laying the foundation for sprouting and growth the next year. Do not divide too early, lest autumn growth occur and affect growth and development the following year; nor should division be too late, when the ground temperature can no longer meet the needs of peony root formation, resulting in poor growth of new plants the next year. If delayed until spring for division and planting, the buds sprout and emerge from the soil. Because spring temperatures gradually rise, air humidity is low, and transpiration is high, the root system is injured after division and cannot normally absorb water and nutrients, causing the divided plants to grow very weakly or even die. Hence the Chinese farming proverb "Divide peonies at the Spring Equinox, and they will never bloom." The suitable period for peony division is generally earlier than that for tree peony. The farming proverb of Heze, "Peony in July, tree peony in August (referring to lunar calendar months)," means that in Heze, peony can be divided from the end of August until late September (End of Heat to Autumn Equinox). In Yangzhou, division is from late September to early November. Divided seedlings can be divided again after three or four years of growth. If not divided for many years, the root system becomes old and decayed, the plant grows weakly, and flowering is poor.
2. Division method
When dividing, carefully dig up the fleshy roots, minimizing root damage as much as possible. 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 can be divided into 3-5 daughter plants, each with 3-5 or 2-3 buds; when there are few mother plants and the planting task is large, each daughter plant can also have 1-2 buds, though recovery and growth will be slower. When dividing, thick roots should be retained. If the soil is moist, peony roots are brittle and easily broken, so first dry them for a day before dividing. After division, dry them slightly in the shade, dip in nutrient-containing mud, and then plant. In garden green spaces, peony has been planted for many years and its growth gradually weakens, urgently needing division and replanting, but propagation cannot be allowed to affect visitors' viewing during the flowering period. In this case, the method of division in place can be used: dig a deep hole beside the peony plant with a spade to expose part of the peony roots, then use a sharp spade to cut and divide the peony plant, minimizing disturbance to the original plant as much as possible, take out the divided portion, and carry out division and planting as above. Generally it is preferable to cut off half of the original plant. The deep hole dug out can have an appropriate amount of fertilizer added, mixed with soil, and compacted. The method of dividing and replanting by alternate rows or alternate plants can also be used. In this way, division and rejuvenation can be carried out without affecting the landscape, except that division must be continued for 2-3 years. However, because peony is not suited to continuous cropping, the alternate-row or alternate-plant replanting method cannot be applied continuously, otherwise pests and diseases will occur severely, growth will be poor, and even the mortality rate will increase greatly.
When peony is cultivated for medicinal use, peony-producing areas mostly use peony heads for division propagation. In autumn, dig out the mother plant, cut off all the thick roots for medicinal use, and use the bud-bearing peony heads as propagation material. First remove peony heads without buds and with diseased bases, and cut the peony heads into blocks, each with 2-3 strong buds. The peony head should be 2 cm thick. If too thick, the main root will not be strong and will branch too much; if too thin, nutrients will be insufficient. It is best to plant immediately after cutting. If planting cannot be done in time, do not cut them; the peony heads can be stored in sand for later use. Planting is suitable from early August to late September.
3. Management after division
The planting depth should preferably be about 2 cm of the buds entering the soil. Too deep is not conducive to sprouting and easily causes root rot, yellowing leaves, and poor growth; too shallow is not conducive to flowering and makes the plant susceptible to freezing damage, or even exposes the root crown above the ground, where summer sun exposure can lead to death. If the divided root clump is relatively large (with 3-5 buds), it may have flowers the second year, but they will be small, so it is better to remove them to allow the plant to grow well. If the root clump is small (2-3 buds), growth the second year will be poor or it will not flower, and generally 2-5 years of cultivation are required.
Sowing method
The fruit of peony is a follicle, and each follicle contains 1-7 seeds. When the seeds mature, the follicles split open and release the seeds. The fruit ripening period varies by region. For example, Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang Province has it in early September, Heze in Shandong in late August, Luoyang in Henan in early to mid-August, and Yangzhou in Jiangsu around late August. Seeds should preferably be sown immediately after collection. As sowing time is delayed, seed moisture content decreases and germination rate declines. The seeds have the characteristic of double dormancy of the epicotyl and hypocotyl. After sowing, the autumn soil temperature causes the seeds' hypocotyls to break dormancy, and the radicle develops and takes root. The better the rooting in the current year, the more vigorous the growth the following year; if sowing is too late, the ground temperature cannot break hypocotyl dormancy, rooting cannot occur, and the germination rate the following spring is greatly reduced. After sowing in autumn and rooting, the long period of low temperature in winter can break epicotyl dormancy. When the temperature rises the following spring and humidity is suitable, the embryo buds emerge from the soil.
Because the progeny produced by sowing garden varieties of peony will show trait segregation and cannot maintain the excellent traits of the original variety, the sowing method cannot be used for propagating variety seedlings.
1. Seed collection
Seeds can be collected when the follicles turn yellow. If too early, the seeds are not ripe; if too late, the seed coat turns black and hard, making emergence difficult. Fruits mature at different times, so collect in batches. Once the fruit skin cracks and releases the seeds, they can be sown. Never expose the seeds to the sun, which hardens the seed coat and affects emergence. If sowing cannot be done in time, sand storage with moisture retention can be used, but the seeds must be taken out and sown before they root.
2. Sowing time
Peony must be sown promptly in the same year the seeds are collected. For example, in the Heze area, sowing is from late August to late September. If later than late September, roots cannot form that year, and the germination rate the following spring will be greatly reduced; moreover, even if seedlings emerge, because the seedling root system is not well developed, it is difficult for them to resist spring drought and they easily die. Therefore, Heze conducted spring sowing trials several times, all of which failed.
3. Sowing method
Seed treatment: Before sowing, remove shriveled seeds and impurities from the seeds to be sown, then use water selection to remove unfilled seeds. Although the seed coat of peony is thinner than that of tree peony and more easily absorbs water and sprouts, if seed treatment is carried out before sowing, germination will be more uniform and the germination rate will be greatly increased, often reaching more than 80%. The method is to soak the seeds in 50°C warm water for 24 hours, then take them out and sow immediately.
Bed preparation and sowing: The land used for sowing and seedling raising should be given sufficient base fertilizer, then deeply plowed and leveled. If the soil is relatively moist and suitable for sowing, beds can be made directly and sowing can be done; if the soil moisture is poor, irrigate fully first, then make beds and sow. The bed width is about 50 cm, the distance between beds is 30 cm, and seeds are sown in holes at a row spacing of 6 cm and a seed spacing of 3 cm; if there are enough seeds, broadcast sowing can be used, with a seed spacing of not less than 3 cm; after sowing, cover with moist soil to a thickness of about 2 cm. About 50 kg of seed is used per 666.7 sq m, or about 100 kg for broadcast sowing. After sowing, cover with plastic film and remove it after the buds emerge in the following spring. Drill sowing can also be used, with a row spacing of 40 cm and a seed spacing of 3 cm, covering with 5-6 cm of soil; or hole sowing can be used, with a hole spacing of 20-30 cm, placing 4-5 seeds per hole, and after sowing pile soil 10-20 cm high to facilitate cold protection and moisture retention. Rake level before sprouting the following spring.
Other propagation methods
1. Cutting method: Choose a nursery site with higher terrain and good drainage for the cutting bed. After loosening the bed soil, spread 15 cm of river sand, and disinfect the river sand with 0.5% potassium permanganate. Vermiculite or perlite can also be used as the cutting medium. Build a shade shed 1.5 m high over the bed. According to experience in Changchun and other places, cuttings taken in mid-July give the best results. The cuttings are 10-15 cm long, with two nodes. Keep one compound leaf with a few leaflets; the next compound leaf should be cut off together with its petiole. After quickly dipping in a 500×10-1000×10 naphthaleneacetic acid or indoleacetic acid solution, insert the cuttings to a depth of about 5 cm, with spacing such that leaves do not overlap each other. After insertion, water thoroughly, then cover with a plastic shed. According to observations, the rooting effect is best when the medium temperature is 28-30°C and the humidity is 50%. Maintain the temperature inside the cutting shed at 20-25°C and humidity at 80%-90%, and roots can form 20-30 days after insertion, along with dormant buds. After rooting, reduce misting and watering, and gradually remove the plastic shed and shade shed. Cutting seedlings grow slowly, need to be covered with soil in the bed to overwinter, and are moved to open-field planting the following spring.
2. Root cutting method: Use the broken roots from autumn division of peony, cut them into 5-10 cm root segments, insert them into deeply plowed and leveled furrows 10-15 cm deep, cover with 5-10 cm of fine soil, and water thoroughly.
3. Layering method: In spring, pass a young shoot that has recently emerged through the drainage hole of a flower pot and lead it into a flower pot with a diameter of 15-20 cm. Gradually add soil as it grows and keep the potting soil moist. By summer it can root. Before winter, cut the stem below the pot, forming a potted peony.
4. Modern tissue culture method: Plant tissue culture, namely plant aseptic culture technology, is based on the theory that plant cells are totipotent. It uses isolated organs, tissues or cells of peony (such as roots, stems, leaves, etc.) under aseptic conditions and suitable artificial culture medium, light, temperature and other conditions to induce callus, adventitious buds and adventitious roots, and finally form complete plants with the same heredity as the mother plant. This technology is also called cloning technology. It achieves the goal of rapid propagation and has broad application value.

Disease and pest control of peony
The main peony diseases are peony gray mold, peony brown spot, and peony red spot.
1. Scarab beetles
Pest species and damage: There are many kinds of scarab beetles that harm peony, such as the black velvet chafer, the apple chafer, and the yellow-haired chafer. Their adults damage peony leaves and flowers; the larvae, white grubs, have a body nearly cylindrical, curved into a "C" shape, milky white, with a yellowish-brown head, 3 pairs of thoracic legs, and no abdominal legs. They feed on peony roots, and the wounds they create also create conditions for infection by Fusarium, leading to the occurrence of root rot.
2. Scale insects
(1) Pests and damage: Scale insects are also called scales. There are several species of scale insects that harm peony, such as the cottony cushion scale, the Japanese wax scale, the long white scale, the mulberry white scale, the peony round scale, and the arrowhead scale.
Scale insects suck the sap of peony, making the plant grow weakly and the branches and leaves turn yellow.
(2) Control methods
① Strengthen quarantine and strictly prevent the introduction of insect-infested seedlings.
② Protect and utilize natural enemies.
③ Seize the peak hatching period of eggs to spray. Newly hatched insect bodies have not yet developed a waxy covering on the surface and are easily killed. Spray 40% omethoate 1000-1500 times dilution, or 50% malathion emulsion 800-1000 times dilution, or 50% phoxim emulsion 1000-2000 times dilution. Spray evenly and cover the whole plant. Spraying after the waxy shell has formed is ineffective.
④ Pour carbofuran solution around the root zone. The plant absorbs the pesticide, and the insects are killed after sucking the plant sap.
⑤ If individual branches are found to be harmed by scale insects, they can be brushed off with a soft brush, or the infested branches can be cut off and burned.
3. Aphids
(1) Damage situation: Aphids are commonly found harming peony. After peony sprouts in spring, aphids fly in to cause damage, sucking the sap of leaves, causing damaged leaves to curl and turn yellow. After the seedlings grow larger, aphids often gather on tender shoots, pedicels, and the undersides of leaves, causing the stems and leaves of the flower seedlings to curl and shrivel, and even the whole plant to wither and die.
(2) Occurrence pattern: Under high temperature and dry conditions, aphids reproduce quickly and cause severe damage. Aphids can reproduce for several generations or even twenty to thirty generations in 1 year. Aphids secrete honeydew, which can hinder the physiological activities of the stems and leaves of damaged plants; at the same time, their honeydew is also a good culture medium for pathogens, often triggering sooty mold and other diseases; aphids can also transmit viral diseases.
(3) Control methods
① Remove overwintering weeds.
② Protect and utilize natural enemies. The main natural enemies include the multicolored Asian lady beetle, the seven-spotted lady beetle, the yellow-spotted lady beetle, the tortoise-shell lady beetle, hoverflies, and green lacewings.
③ Spray 40% dimethoate emulsion 1000-1500 times dilution, or 80% dichlorvos 1500-2000 times dilution, or 50% menazon emulsion 1000-1500 times dilution.

Variety classification of peony
There are about 35 species in the genus Paeonia, distributed in the temperate regions of Europe and Asia. According to their growth habits and flower disc shapes, they are divided into two groups. The first is the tree peony group, which are deciduous shrubs or subshrubs, with a cup-shaped or disc-shaped flower disc, leathery or fleshy, completely enclosing the carpels or enclosing the base of the carpels. China has three species (excluding varieties), namely Paeonia suffruticosa, Paeonia lutea, and Paeonia delavayi. The second is the herbaceous peony group, which are perennial herbs, with an undeveloped flower disc enclosing the base of the carpels, not very obvious. There are about 30 species in the herbaceous peony group, mainly distributed in the temperate regions of Europe and Asia. Another two species are native to the Americas, and some list them separately as a group called the American peony group.
The foreign species in the herbaceous peony group are all important flower species, among which the four most important are: Paeonia tenuifolia, with blood-red flowers, native to Bulgaria and the Caucasus; Paeonia mlokosewitschii, with pale yellow flowers, or with light green to white, native to the region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea; Paeonia lutea, yellow, native to the region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea; and Paeonia peregrina, with white to deep red flowers, native to southern Europe.
China has eight species and six varieties in the herbaceous peony group. Among them, the one usually directly called peony is the main original species of the modern peony variety group. The eight peony species are: Paeonia obovata, Paeonia mairei, Paeonia lactiflora, Paeonia emodi, Paeonia veitchii, Paeonia anomala, Paeonia ** and Paeonia tenuifolia.
Classification characteristics of peony flower forms
1. Single-flower type: The flower consists of a single flower.
1.1 Thousand-layer subclass: Petals increase naturally in a centripetal manner, arranged neatly, similar in shape, gradually becoming smaller from outside to inside; stamens are borne only around the ovary and decrease correspondingly as petals increase until they disappear. Flower shape is flat.
① Single form: Petals in 2-3 whorls, broad and large, with normally developed stamens and pistils. Usually refers to the original species form.
② Lotus form: Petals in 4-5 whorls, broad and large, similar in shape and size, stamens normal or individual stamens petaloid into fragmented petals, lanceolate petals, or filamentous petals scattered among the stamen group; pistils normal.
③ Chrysanthemum form: Petals in more than 6 whorls, gradually becoming smaller from outside to inside, stamens normal and fewer in number; pistils normal, increased in number or
decreased.
④ Rose form: Petals extremely increased, gradually smaller from outside to inside, stamens all disappeared; pistils normal, degenerated and smaller, or completely disappeared.
1.2 Tower subclass: Outer petals broad and large, 2-3 whorls; stamens petaloid centrifugally, pistils normal, petaloid, or degenerated. Flower shape raised or towering (except the golden-stamen form).
① Golden-stamen form: Outer petals broad and large, 2-3 whorls, stamen anthers enlarged, filaments thickened, the stamen group appearing bright golden yellow; pistils normal.
② Anemone form: Outer petals broad and large, 2-3 whorls, stamens completely petaloid into filamentous petals, needle-like petals, or lanceolate petals, slightly larger from outside to inside, standing upright within the outer petals; pistils normal or petaloid into ligulate petals, and the color of the ligulate petals or petal tips is often the original color of the stigma.
③ Golden-ring form: Outer petals broad and large, 2-3 whorls, most stamens petaloid, the petaloid petals towering, but a ring of normal stamens remains between the petaloid stamens and the outer petals; pistils normal or petaloid.
④ Crown form: Outer petals broad, large, and flat-spreading, 2-3 whorls. Close to the inner ring of the outer petals are a small number of filamentous petals, needle-like petals, lanceolate petals, or fragmented petals. Above these are ligulate petals or lanceolate petals formed by petaloid stamens, upright, raised, clustered within the outer petals, with a small number of stamens in the center, or degenerated into a short small state; pistils normal or petaloid, degenerated.
⑤ Hydrangea form: Most stamens petaloid into ligulate petals, resembling secondary outer petals. When fully open, the whole flower is full and shaped like a hydrangea, with very few or degenerated central stamens; pistils smaller or degenerated.
2. Proliferated-flower type: Refers to the phenomenon in which, when the plant blooms, the growth point in the center of the flower (or inflorescence) or between flowers differentiates again into flower buds and blooms. A flower (upper flower) forms again in the center of the flower (lower flower), and the upper flower and lower flower overlap, thereby increasing the degree of doubleness. Some varieties even consist of 3 flowers or even 4 flowers overlapping.
2.1 Thousand-layer subclass: The basal single flower (lower flower) has the basic characteristics of the thousand-layer subclass of the single-flower type. Thousand-layer proliferated form (primary proliferated form): The pistils of the lower flower are normal or slightly petaloid; the upper flower generally has normal pistils and stamens. The whole flower is relatively flat.
2.2 Tower subclass: The lower flower has 2-3 whorls of petals, stamens petaloid, pistils petaloid or degenerated. The whole flower is towering.
① Colored-petal proliferated form: The pistils of the lower flower are petaloid, and many stamens are petaloid; the pistils and stamens of the upper flower are normal or slightly petaloid.
② Layered proliferated form: The petaloid pistils of the lower flower become no different from normal petals, and the petaloid stamens are shorter and smaller than normal petals; many stamens of the upper flower are also petaloid into short petals, and the pistils are petaloid or degenerated. The whole flower has an obvious layered structure.
③ Ball-flower proliferated form: The petaloid stamens of the lower flower elongate and widen to be no different from normal petals, and the petaloid pistils also become normal petals; many petaloid stamens of the upper flower are also difficult to distinguish from normal petals, and the pistils are petaloid or degenerated. The whole flower is ball-shaped.

Medicinal or dietary therapeutic value of peony
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Ultimate flower-protecting task: Love yourself, start from reality, and strictly follow medical advice. For illness, do not be careless, do not delay, do not give up hope, face it bravely, use love to warm the silent world, and use your heart to care for the flower field within.
Medicinal value
Peony is not only a famous flower, but its root can also be used medicinally. The root is fresh, crisp, and juicy. When used as medicine, red peony and white peony are different processing methods. According to analysis, peony root contains paeoniflorin and benzoic acid, and the uses vary by species. White peony in traditional Chinese medicine mainly refers to the root of peony. It is an antispasmodic, analgesic, and emmenagogue medicine. It is effective for women's abdominal pain, gastric spasm, dizziness, gout, diuresis and other conditions. Generally, the roots of cultivated peony varieties are used for white peony because their roots are thick, plump, and straight, and the processed finished product is of good quality. Wild peony, because its roots are thin and small, is only sold as red peony. Red peony in traditional Chinese medicine is the root of Paeonia obovata. It has the effects of dissipating blood stasis, invigorating blood, relieving pain, and purging liver fire. It mainly treats irregular menstruation, abdominal pain due to phlegm stagnation, joint swelling and pain, chest pain, hypochondriac pain and other conditions.
In ancient formulas, there are hundreds in which white peony is the main medicinal. For example, "Guizhi Tang" uses peony to harmonize the nutritive and defensive qi of the flesh and exterior; "Huangqin Tang" uses peony to harmonize the nutritive qi in the abdomen; "Zhigancao Tang" uses peony to supplement the yin fluids of the blood vessels. In obstetrics and gynecology clinical practice, peony is even more widely used.
[Nature and flavor] Bitter in taste, neutral in nature, non-toxic.

Uses and functions of peony: ornamental value
Peony flowers are large and gorgeous, with rich varieties. In gardens they are often planted in masses. When in bloom they are very spectacular, and they are a major flower in modern parks or flower beds. Or
planted in bands along small paths and roadsides, or cultivated at the edges of woodlands, and combined with low-growing and creeping flowers. Sometimes single plants or two or three plants are planted to appreciate their special form and flower color. There are even specialized gardens composed entirely of peonies, called peony gardens. Peony is also an important cut flower, either for vasing or for flower baskets. If cut when the buds are about to open and placed in a cold cellar, they can be stored for several months. Those used as cut flowers are mainly double-flowered varieties; single-flowered ones placed in a vase shed their flowers after just a few days. The ancients judged flowers: peony first, tree peony second, saying that tree peony calls itself the king of flowers, and peony is the minister of flowers. Because it blooms relatively late, it is also called "the last of spring."
Other values
The seeds of peony can be pressed for oil for making soap and for mixing with paint as a coating. The roots and leaves are rich in tannins and can be extracted to make tannin extract. They can also be used as a crude pesticide, able to kill soybean aphids and control wheat stem rust and other diseases.

Cultural background of peony: flower stories
The main flower story is Four Prime Ministers Wearing Flowers.
Scenic viewing destinations
The main peony viewing destinations in China are: Zhongjiang, Sichuan (China's Hometown of Peony, China Peony Valley 4A Scenic Area), Bozhou (the country's largest traditional Chinese medicinal materials trading market), and Yangzhou. In addition: Heze (Caozhou Hundred Flower Garden), Luoyang (National Tree Peony Garden), and Beijing (Jingshan Park).
Literary classics
Peony is an important flower in Dream of the Red Chamber. In the sixty-second chapter, Shi Xiangyun drunkenly sleeping in the peony garden should be one of the most beautiful scenes in Dream of the Red Chamber.
Poetry works
1. "Feeling the Peony Flowers and Sending to Monk Zhengyi"
Bai Juyi (Tang)
Today before the steps are red peonies; how many flowers are about to age, how many are new.
When they bloom, one does not understand comparing forms and appearances; only after they fall does one know they are like an illusory body.
How far is it from here to the gate of emptiness? I want to ask the monk about the fallen flowers.
"Peonies Bloom Before the Hall of the Late Right Assistant Director Wang Wei, and I Feel Sorrowful Reminiscence" by Qian Qi (Tang)
Peonies bloom beyond the old railing; in spring clothes, hiding tears, I come to look again.
The master is gone but the flowers remain, more enduring than the green pine guarding the cold of the year.
2. "Song of Peony"
Han Yu (Tang)
In the old man's courtyard bloom fine flowers, and no common tree contends with their spring splendor. Green stems and red stamens are endowed by the power of heaven,
This grace does not belong to the Huangzhong family. Warm, fragrant, ripe, and beautiful, fresh fragrance rises; as if smiling without words, practiced by the noble man.
The frost knife cuts you, the heavenly maiden toils; why lower your head and learn from peach and plum? The spoiled and silly maidservant has no spiritual nature,
Yet they vie to pull up their spring garments and come here together. Wanting to brighten both cheeks with a glance of red, they polish the bronze mirror all over by the green window.
A cup of spring wine is sweet as syrup; the old man's joy here is known to no one. Who is the singer who falls drunk before the flowers?
The wild mad youth of Chu, Han Tuizhi.
3. "Playfully Inscribed on the Peonies Before the Steps"
Liu Zongyuan (Tang)
Common flowers wither with the season, but your beauty flourishes on this morning. Leaning red, drunk with thick dew, graceful and reserved, you keep the remaining spring.
Enjoyed alone until the white day darkens; the warm wind shakes you frequently. At the night window, fragrant air gathers; lying in seclusion, I know you are close.
I wish to send a gift like those by the Zhen and Wei rivers, to the distant people of the south.
4. "After Finishing Drafting the Edict, Encountering Peonies Newly Blooming"
Chinese painting of peony
Chinese painting of peony (14 pieces) Bai Juyi (Tang)
Having finished drafting the purple mud edict, I rise and chant a poem on red peony. After the word head is sealed and sent, it is the time when the flower mouth splits open.
Sitting facing the hooked curtain for a long time, watching the slow pace of footsteps. Two or three clusters in full bloom, twelve leaves uneven.
Facing away from the sun the flowers slightly close, toward the steps the blossoms lean askew. Hairpin-like stems send out green stalks, powdery stamens brushed with yellow threads.
Swaying with boundless feeling, drooping and slanting, strength unable to support. Looking round and round, not yet satisfied, hard to put into words by comparison.
In the cinnabar of Goulou, the flame banner of the dwarf people. Rosy clouds leave root and stem, crimson headbands lack their tassels.
Moreover there is the clear breeze passing, still bearing overnight dew hanging. One might suspect fragrance perfumes the painted screen, like tears upon rouge.
With intent it lingers for me, without words resenting whom? It must grieve that tomorrow it will fall, as if lamenting a parting of a year.
Lotuses mud-connected at the calyx, roses with thorns winding round the branches. Weighed equally, neither is victor; only the eye and the heart know.
5. "Peony" (Shaoyao)
Zhang Bi (Tang)
Fragrance clear, powder pale, resenting the late spring, butterfly wings and bee whiskers linger on the stamens' dust. Idly leaning in the evening breeze, a wistful longing arises,
Quietly lingering in the slow sun, learning to drift along. Do not make the climbing fig a green lattice, better to be a close neighbor to the rose.
If scattered and left to follow the evening rain, it would again grieve to death the one who parts.
6. "Qingping Yue: Zhang Xiushi's Peony Ci"
Liu Minzhong (Yuan)
Peony flowers fall. In dreams the east wind is cruel.
I hear it said your family's red peonies. Let all spring sorrow be forgotten.
A hundred paces beyond the wall the fragrance comes. Several clusters fully open for me.
Willing to go into the colored cloud pile, and when drunk lie together on the green moss.
7. "Harmonizing the Rhyme of Xu Zida's Poem on Peonies and Herbaceous Peonies at Prime Minister Li's Residence"
Hong Yan (Song)
The mountain lily's fair nature crowns the years, still with lingering grace it closes the ranks of a hundred flowers.
See how the three spring months pass like a shifting shadow, plucking one with a smile is this life.
Silk and gauze do not envy a beauty that topples a city, bees and butterflies can hardly peer into the prime minister's house.
Ten years in the capital with dimmed ailing eyes, pitiful that wind and rain scatter the morning clouds.
8. "Red Peony" (Hong Shaoyao)
Wang Zhe (Yuan)
This Wang Zhe knows clearly, seeing the chrysanthemum's firm integrity. So he took Chongyangzi as his name.
Just right to lean upon. Often he wants to, compose it into poetry, and with pen never stopping it comes naturally.
Heart-incense arises, seals out the immortal scriptures, and then penetrates and overturns. And then penetrates and overturns.
Early attaining the good cause, swiftly pushing and pushing the deep mysteries. The mystic and wondrous, let one exhaustively examine.
And further eat the magic mushrooms. White vapor causes, above and below brimming, the golden elixir congeals, refined into a treasure.
Relying on the season, forever dwelling in longevity, residing in the Ten Continents and Three Isles.
9. "Red Peony" (Hong Shaoyao)
Yuan Zhen (Tang)
Peonies burst forth red silk, the Ba fence woven into green lattice. Dense threads pucker golden stamens, high flames face the stove fire.
Cut and carved rosy cloud pieces, spread open wrapped in red clouds. Smoke lightly veils the glassy leaves, wind bends the coral blossoms.
Receiving dew, their color droops low, toward people charming and graceful. Flushed faces weep after drunkenness, little girls sit fully adorned.
So brilliant brocade cannot compare, so tender even peach cannot match. The clear clouds fear they will scatter, the evening sun grieves it will fall.
For whom were they planted and grown, the joy of appreciation expected in me. To pluck them surely brings much thought, how can a secret gift come to fruit.
10. Five Poems of a Spring Day
Qin Guan (Song)
In one night a light thunder drops ten thousand threads, the clearing light floats on the tiles, green uneven.
The Charm of the Peony
The Charm of the Peony (8 images)
The feeling peony holds spring tears, the powerless rose lies on the morning branch.
11. "Ode to the Peony Flower"
Peonies in abundance breed buds, the warm wind urgently plays matchmaker.
The flower fairy wishes to leave her chamber, yet does not know whom she will marry.
-- Zhang Zhizhen
12. Yangzhou Man: The Famous City on the Left of the Huai
[Southern Song] Jiang Kui
On the winter solstice of the bing-shen year of Chunxi, I passed through Weiyang. The night snow had just cleared, and shepherd's purse and wheat filled the view. Entering the city, all around was desolate, the cold water blue of itself, dusk gradually rising, the garrison horn moaning sadly. My heart was sorrowful, moved by the present and the past, and so I composed this tune myself. The Old Man of a Thousand Cliffs considered it to have the sorrow of "Shu Li."
The famous city on the left of the Huai, the fine spot at Zhuxi, I loosened my saddle and briefly halted at the first stage of the journey. Passing the ten li of spring breeze, all shepherd's purse and wheat so green. Since the barbarian horses peered at the river and went, the ruined ponds and tall trees still loathe to speak of war. Gradually dusk falls, the clear horn blows cold, all in the empty city.
Young Du's fine appreciation, if he came again today he would surely be startled. Even with cardamom lyrics skilled, and green-bower dreams fair, hard to express deep feeling. The Twenty-Four Bridges still remain, the wave-heart ripples, the cold moon silent. Thinking of the red peonies by the bridge, year after year for whom do they bloom?
Red Peony
In a life of a hundred years, seventy is rare. Subtract ten years of childhood, and another ten of dotage. Altogether fifty years, half divided by the sleep demon. Within those twenty-five years, can there be no petty worries?
Thinking carefully, best to pursue joy early. When meeting wine and flowers, one may laugh and be proud. Let the jade mountain topple. Facing the scene, just get deeply drunk, life is like dew on fragrant grass. Fortunately of late, there is wine like the River Mian, to bind a thousand autumns of song and laughter.
The Peony's Allusion
It is said that neither the tree peony nor the herbaceous peony is an ordinary flower; in a certain year when plague struck the human world, the Jade Maiden or the Flower God stole the Queen Mother's immortal elixir and scattered it over the earth. As a result some became the woody tree peony, and others became the herbaceous peony, and to this day the peony still carries the word "medicine." Amusingly, the flowers, leaves, roots and stems of both tree peony and herbaceous peony can indeed be used as medicine; moutan bark is especially famous, and Hangzhou white peony root is even a top-grade tonic for nourishing yin and enriching the blood. Therefore the peony is also called "the flower of the women's discipline."
In ancient Western tradition there was a similar legend, saying that the famous Greek physician Asclepius had a clever student Paeon who surpassed his master, and even healed the wound of Hades, god of the underworld. Asclepius, in jealousy, killed young Paeon. Fortunately the King of the Underworld, mindful of the favor, turned young Paeon into a healing flower, namely the peony. Westerners have also always believed that the peony possesses a certain magic; wherever peonies grow, demons vanish without a trace, and it can even contend with the mandrake, that most poisonous of flowers.
The Difference Between the Herbaceous Peony and the Tree Peony
1. The most fundamental difference: the tree peony is a woody plant that can grow to 2 m tall, while the herbaceous peony is a short (tuberous-rooted perennial) herbaceous plant no taller than 1 m.
2. The tree peony blooms earlier than the herbaceous peony. The tree peony generally blooms in mid-to-late April, while the herbaceous peony blooms in early-to-mid May. The difference in their flowering periods is about 15 days.
3. Tree peony leaves are broad, green on the upper side with a slight yellow tinge, while herbaceous peony leaves are narrow, dark green on both sides;
4. Tree peony flowers are borne at the tips of flowering branches, mostly solitary, with a flower diameter generally around 20 cm; while herbaceous peony flowers are mostly clustered at the branch tips, with a flower diameter of around 15 cm.
5. The tree peony is called the King of Flowers. The herbaceous peony is called the Minister of Flowers.
6. Tree peony leaves tend to be grayish green, while herbaceous peony leaves are more glossy.
7. The tree peony has a richer variety of flower colors than the herbaceous peony.
Peony Images

How to Plant the Peony Flower, the Planting Method for the Peony

The peony flower is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant, native to northern China, with wild species still distributed today in areas such as the Qinling and Dabie Mountains; now there are over a thousand varieties worldwide, and about 180 in China. The peony has strong adaptability and is cold-hardy, able to overwinter in the open ground in northern China. In recent years quite a few people in the north have been planting peonies, so how does one plant the peony flower, and what are the planting methods for the peony? An introduction is given below.

How to Plant the Peony Flower

1. Soil preparation: deep-plow the autumn soil and ridge it up.

Before plowing, use 48% chlorpyrifos 500 ml + 40% phoxim 500 ml per mu mixed with soil or ten kilograms of fried millet and spread evenly.

Apply per mu fifty kilograms of balanced compound fertilizer, 40-80 kilograms of phosphate fertilizer, and 100-150 kilograms of organic fertilizer.

For medicinal-material continuous-cropping fields, a fungicide should be spread to sterilize; generally use 80% carbendazim 500 g + 50% thiram 500 g mixed with ten kilograms of soil and spread evenly.

2. Seed selection: choose disease-free healthy stem heads; large stem heads should be divided into small pieces, each stem head keeping three to four buds. Plant about 2500 peony stem heads per mu; before planting, treat the stem heads with a chemical for sterilization. It is recommended to use 30% hymexazol or metalaxyl-hymexazol 10 g + root-promoting liquid fertilizer 30 ml mixed with thirty jin of water and spray evenly on the stem heads, stirring the stem heads while spraying to ensure the liquid is evenly distributed; let them dry and they can be planted in the ground.

The planting time is early-to-mid October of the solar calendar; plant the stem heads in holes on the ridge, with 1-2 cm of covering soil being suitable.

3. Field management after planting: after planting, ridge up again, and use pendimethalin or a mixture with acetochlor 100 ml mixed with thirty jin of water to spray evenly on the ground. In the spring of the second year, before the peony sprouts, spray again with the above chemicals, which can greatly reduce the occurrence of most weed damage in winter and the coming year. Note: the use of herbicides should be carried out under the guidance of professionals to avoid herbicide damage.

4. In the spring of the second year, when the white peony sprouts to a height of about 20 cm, each mu should be sprayed with pyrethroid insecticide + rooting-agent liquid fertilizer + metalaxyl-hymexazol or thiram-hymexazol to control seedling-stage cutworms, root rot, and to promote rooting at the seedling stage.

In spring, topdress once, applying 50-75 kilograms of potassium sulfate balanced compound fertilizer per mu alongside the ridge.

Peony diseases are mainly root rot, stem base rot, southern blight and Fusarium wilt; apply chemicals once each before and after the winter wheat harvest, then after an interval of 15-20 days carry out the third application. Practice has proven that this management can extend the peony's growth period by about 40 days.

Recommended chemical formula: azoxystrobin-difenoconazole 10 ml + hymexazol 5 g + nutritional liquid fertilizer mixed with 30 jin of water and sprayed evenly; for plants already affected by disease, root drenching should be carried out.

If there are weeds in the field during the peony's growth period, spray quizalofop-p-ethyl emulsifiable concentrate over the whole field to control grassy weeds, or wear a protective shield and spray glyphosate or paraquat about 5 cm from the soil surface on malignant broadleaf weeds and grassy weeds; when spraying, try to avoid the liquid splashing onto the plants.

5. For 3-4 year peony management, refer to the above. In the peony bud stage, if there is no plan for commercialization, the buds should be picked to avoid excessive consumption of nutrients.

If underground pests occur severely, use 48% chlorpyrifos 50 ml mixed with 30 jin of water for root drenching, with 500 ml of chlorpyrifos per mu being suitable. You can also spread 5% phoxim-chlorpyrifos granules or 5% chlorpyrifos granules 3 kg/mu before rain comes.

The peony is an edible medicinal herb; for pests, diseases and weeds it is recommended to use high-efficiency, low-toxicity pesticides for control, and to strictly control the number of applications, so as to avoid excessive and wasteful use of chemicals.

Three Points to Note When Planting the Peony Flower

1. Soil: drainage must be good. The peony likes a cool climate; temperate to subtropical regions of China are all suitable for cultivation. It has the characteristic of sprouting in spring and rooting in autumn. In summer, during the hot and scorching season, the plant enters a semi-dormant state. It likes fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam, and dislikes saline-alkaline soil. Because the peony has fleshy roots, it is drought-tolerant but fears waterlogging; if the soil is compacted and waterlogged, the peony's fleshy roots can easily rot, so low-lying land and saline-alkaline land are both unsuitable for cultivation. Therefore, for ground planting one should choose a cool, sunny spot, and for pot planting avoid overwatering. Throughout the dormancy period from the start of winter to early spring, the soil should be kept moist, not too dry, but drainage must be unobstructed; waterlogging is taboo, otherwise the underground tuberous roots easily rot and die.

2. Division: the peony generally uses division for propagation. As the saying goes, "divide the peony at the Spring Equinox, and it will never bloom till old age," so the peony is usually divided in October after its above-ground parts have withered; spring is not suitable for transplanting. When dividing, dig out the root clump, cut it open along the cracks in the roots with a sharp knife, so that each clump carries 3 to 5 plump, full buds and the root mass below them; by all means avoid damaging the bud eyes, then plant in sandy soil that has been given base fertilizer, cover with 3 to 4 cm of soil, and keep the soil moist but not sodden; generally after division and planting it can bloom the next year. Potted peonies can be repotted once every one or two years together with division, and when repotting, more of the original soil should be retained. If the clump is not large, do not divide it.

3. Flowering period: during the plant's growth period, especially the bud stage and flowering stage, the peony must not lack water. At the same time, buds should be thinned in time; after side buds appear they should be removed, so that nutrients are concentrated and the terminal bud's flower is made larger. After the flowers fade, the flower stalks should be cut off in time, to avoid seed-setting and the consumption of nutrients. Half a month after the peony flowers fade, that is, in late June, fertilization should be carried out, to promptly replenish the nutrients consumed during the peony's flowering period, and lay a good foundation for the peony to enter its second vigorous growth period.

A Detailed Guide to Peony Propagation Methods and Precautions

Peony Paeonia lactiflora Peony Illustrated Guide: How to Grow Peony / How to Propagate Peony

How to Plant the Peony Flower, the Planting Method for the Peony

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