How to grow potted peonies? A complete guide to care methods

The peony originates from the area of the Qinling and Daba Mountains in western China, and is a perennial deciduous small shrub. It grows slowly and has a small plant form, and is a precious woody flower unique to China, with thousands of years of natural growth and more than two thousand years of artificial cultivation history. The peony is hailed as the king of flowers, and there are abundant cultural and painting works about it. The peony has long been known by the fine names "national beauty and heavenly fragrance," “flower of wealth and honor,” and "king of flowers."

Flower pots and soil

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

Light and temperature

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

Watering and fertilizing

Water thoroughly twice before planting. Water once before winter to ensure it overwinters safely. After spring begins, water according to the dryness and moisture of the soil, but do not water too much. Generally fertilize 3 times a year: the first is pre-flowering fertilizer, applying a quick-acting fertilizer to promote larger and better blooms. The second is post-flowering fertilizer, applying an organic liquid fertilizer once. The third is autumn and winter fertilizer, mainly base fertilizer, to promote growth in the following spring. In addition, pay attention to cultivating and weeding; if there are no weeds, shallow cultivation to loosen the soil is fine.

Shaping and pruning

After the flowers fade, promptly remove the flowers and prune the branches, cutting according to the natural growth of the tree shape combined with the tree shape you want, and at the same time apply a healing and antiseptic film to the pruning cuts to protect the wounds and prevent the invasion and infection of pathogens. If you want a low plant with dense flower clusters, cut back more heavily to inhibit branch expansion and the occurrence of root suckers; generally it is appropriate to keep 5-6 branches per plant.

Control of the flowering period

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