Precautions for Growing Tree Peonies in the South, Plus Water and Fertilizer Management and Pruning Tips

  What precautions are needed for growing tree peonies in the south? Tree peony flowers are brilliantly colored, with a jade-like charm and pearl-like fragrance. Among their flower colors, yellow, green, flesh red, deep red and silver red are considered the finest, and they have long enjoyed the reputation of "king of flowers." Because tree peonies have fleshy roots, prefer dry conditions and dislike dampness, and favor high, open, sunny sites, planting must be carried out scientifically and reasonably according to these growth characteristics. When growing tree peonies in the south, the following issues should be noted.

  1. Site selection

  When planting tree peonies, adapt to local conditions. The planting site should preferably be a high, dry, sunny spot; of course, growing in a spot with partial shade is best. The soil should be a loose, fertile, deep, well-drained sandy loam or soil, and the soil pH should preferably be neutral.

  2. Planting

  When planting ornamental tree peonies, pay attention to the combination of varieties, flower colors and blooming periods. Before planting, prune the roots appropriately, then soak the roots in a 0.1% copper sulfate solution or 5% limewater for 30 minutes to disinfect. After that, remove them, rinse with clean water, and then plant. The best planting time is September to October; in northern regions planting can be done somewhat earlier, while in southern regions it can be done somewhat later. The planting depth should be such that the junction of root and stem is level with the soil surface.

  3. Management

  Watering: After planting, give the tree peony one thorough watering. Because tree peonies dislike waterlogged conditions, water as appropriate during the growing season. In arid regions, it is generally necessary to water before flowering, after flowering, and before the soil freezes. If tree peonies are grown in pots, for easier management you can cut off the spent flowers after blooming and bury the whole pot in the ground.

  Fertilizing: One year after planting, tree peonies need fertilizing in autumn, mainly with decomposed organic fertilizer. When fertilizing, you can combine it with loosening the soil, broadcast application, or hole application. In spring and summer, chemical fertilizers are mostly used, and combined with watering, apply a pre-flowering fertilizer and a post-flowering fertilizer. If tree peonies are grown in pots, you can apply liquid fertilizer along with watering.

  Pruning: In the year of planting, tree peonies are usually cut back to the ground. After they sprout in spring, leave about 5 branches and remove all the rest, so that nutrients are concentrated, which helps produce large, brilliantly colored flowers the following year. In autumn and winter, when cleaning up the garden, cut off dry flower stalks and thin, weak, non-flowering branches. For potted plants, prune the tree peony into whatever shape you like according to your preference.

  Cultivation: During the growing season, cultivate the soil promptly and pull up weeds, while also watching for pests and diseases. In autumn and winter, carry out plowing on plots with tree peonies more than two years old.

  Repotting: When potted tree peonies have grown for 3-4 years, they need to be repotted in autumn into a larger pot with added fresh fertile soil, or divided and planted separately.

  Spraying: Before tree peonies sprout in early spring, spray with lime sulfur mixture; in summer, depending on the disease situation, use a mixed solution of insecticides and fungicides, generally twice a week. At the same time, combine with fertilizing, adding chemical fertilizers and growth regulators, etc.

Tree Peony Planting Methods and Cultivation Management Techniques in Renqiu City, Hebei Province

 How are tree peonies cultivated? Generally speaking, tree peonies are not suitable for growing in saline-alkali areas, so many people in northern saline-alkali areas find it hard to enjoy the elegant and majestic tree peony. However, many saline-alkali areas have now introduced and cultivated tree peonies. Let's learn together about the cultivation techniques for tree peonies in the saline-alkali area of Renqiu, Hebei, and see how the results turn out.

 I. Preparations before planting

 Because tree peonies have the characteristic of "liking high, dry sites and disliking low, damp ones," the selected planting site is relatively high, 0.3-0.5 m above ground level, sheltered from wind and facing the sun; such a site can effectively prevent the soil from becoming saline again. The original soil at the planting site was loam, with a pH of 8.9 and a salt content of 0.25%. To create the best growing environment for the tree peonies, the soil replacement technique was used: the topsoil of the original soil was kept, while the subsoil from the lower half was dug up and hauled away, and plain sandy soil with a pH of 8.7 and a salt content of 0.05% was brought in. The original soil and new soil were mixed evenly, and then decomposed fermented horse manure was applied at 700 kg/mu, along with appropriate amounts of carbofuran granules and sulfur powder, at rates of 8 kg/mu and 30 kg/mu respectively. The old soil, new soil, fertilizer and pesticides were fully mixed, spread flat, and then immediately given one thorough watering and left to dry. After that, it was deep-plowed once every half month; generally, before planting it should be deep-plowed 3-4 times. During the drying process, be careful not to let weeds grow, and check for underground pests such as cutworms.

 The tree peonies planted were introduced from Luoyang City, Henan Province and Heze City, Shandong Province. After verifying the varieties, tie variety name tags to the plants to avoid confusion. Water the plants 4 days before digging them up, so that more native soil can be retained when digging. Before digging, use disinfected scissors to cut off all the leaves. During digging, dig as deeply as possible to reduce root damage. If roots are broken, use scissors to cut off the broken roots. After all plants are dug up, classify them by variety for loading. Before loading, spread soil about 5 cm thick on the truck bed, then lay the plants flat in layers; spray each layer with 75% chlorothalonil 1000x solution. After all are loaded, thinly scatter a layer of soil on the surface, then cover with a tarpaulin. Because temperatures are still high in mid-to-late September, check the tarpaulin coverage frequently during transport to prevent it from being blown up by wind, which would cause the tree peony roots to lose water and affect survival. When resting on the road, appropriately uncover the tarpaulin for ventilation, but do so in a shaded place.

 II. Planting methods

 1. Planting time

 Since ancient times, China has had the saying "plant tree peonies in the seventh month, herbaceous peonies in the eighth month (lunar calendar)," so planting was chosen for late in the ninth lunar month.

 When digging planting holes, the plant spacing was 80 cm x 100 cm, and the planting hole size was 50 cm x 50 cm x 40 cm (length x width x depth). Decomposed fermented sesame paste residue (0.5 kg per hole) was applied at the bottom of each hole and thoroughly mixed with the subsoil.

 2. Planting

 According to the design requirements, place all tree peonies into their designated planting holes and plant them. When planting, pay attention to the "three presses and one lift": the soil in the hole should be pressed firm in three stages; after the second pressing, lift the seedling gently once to help the roots spread out, and finally press the surface soil firm and compact. After planting, form ridge divisions and beds, and immediately give one thorough watering. After the surface soil dries slightly, mound a small hill of soil around the roots to help the plant overwinter safely.

 III. Post-planting management

 1. Water and fertilizer management

 When watering tree peonies, master the two aspects of "fixed watering" and "non-fixed watering." "Fixed watering" refers to early spring water, post-flowering water and overwintering water; these three waterings are essential every year and occur at relatively fixed times. Early spring water is given in early March, post-flowering water about 15 days after the flowers fade, and overwintering water in mid-to-late November. These three waterings can be combined with fertilizing, and must be given abundantly and thoroughly. "Non-fixed watering" refers to watering done during routine care depending on soil moisture and weather conditions; it has no fixed time, and with this kind of watering one should follow the principle of "supply according to need" and not follow a rigid schedule. On rainy and cloudy days in summer, water less or not at all, and after heavy rain drain promptly to prevent root rot from excess water. It should also be mentioned that during the flowering period, tree peonies should not be misted on the leaves, because when misting, water droplets easily splash onto the flowers and make them fade prematurely.

 In addition to applying a base fertilizer at planting time, tree peonies can be fertilized once each in early spring, half a month after flowering, and before the soil freezes. Organic fertilizer should be the main type used. According to the author's experience, a fertilizer mixed from sesame paste residue, decomposed chicken manure, decomposed horse manure and ferrous sulfate powder works best; it not only balances the plant's nutrition but also effectively prevents soil alkalinization and compaction. If the plants are clearly not growing vigorously, some nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer can also be applied, but the amount should not be too large and the frequency should not be too high. Fertilizer can be applied either in a ring or in holes. In addition, to promote flower bud differentiation, spraying the leaves with a 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution can also produce good results.

 2. Pest and disease control

 In cultivating tree peonies, in addition to disinfecting and disinfesting the soil and plants at transplanting time, from leaf expansion in spring to leaf fall in autumn, spray lime sulfur mixture or fungicides such as chlorothalonil, carbendazim and thiophanate-methyl once about every 20 days to prevent gray mold, leaf spot and southern blight. During the rainy season, spraying should be done in the early morning or evening; if rain falls shortly after spraying, respray promptly. During the growing period, tree peonies are prone to pests such as aphids, scale insects, red spider mites and cutworms. If they occur, they can be killed by spraying insecticides such as omethoate; cutworms can be controlled by burying carbofuran. After leaf fall in autumn, gather dead branches and fallen leaves and burn them together to prevent pests and diseases.

 3. Pruning methods

 In the first year after planting, first cut off all soil sprouts; branches to be used in the future for renewal or for correcting the crown shape can be retained. This is the so-called "foot trimming of tree peonies." New side buds and side buds on flower branches should also be thinned as appropriate, with only one flower bud retained per branch. If the terminal bud flower is less robust than the side bud flower, the terminal bud flower should be thinned out and the side bud flower retained. After flowering, cut off spent flowers promptly to prevent seed formation and nutrient consumption. Because tree peonies have the growth habit of "growing one chi and retreating eight cun," in autumn shorten the non-lignified parts of the branches, retaining only the nodes with buds. Other useless branches that disrupt the tree shape should also be cut off promptly.

 4. Cultivation and weeding

 Cultivation should be done after each watering or natural rainfall. The depth of loosening the soil can follow the principle of "hoe deep when dry, hoe shallow when wet." For weeding, the tree peony planting area must be kept entirely free of weeds.

 5. Overwintering management

 Tree peonies are relatively cold-tolerant. Before winter begins, irrigate thoroughly with overwintering water. After the soil surface dries slightly, mound soil into a small hill about 30 cm high. In places with frequent human activity, set up fencing to prevent damage by people.

 The above is all the content related to tree peony cultivation. Friends in the north can learn more about it, and flower growers with more experience are of course also welcome to come and share their techniques!

Growing Methods and Precautions for Brazilian Glory Bush

1. Basic information

Scientific name: Tibouchina semidecandra
Alternative names: Purple-flowered Melastoma, Brilliant Purple Melastoma
Family and genus: Melastomataceae, Tibouchina
Native to Brazil. It has been introduced and cultivated in Guangdong and other places in China.

2. Growth habits

3. Care and management