Cultivation Methods and Technical Key Points for Tree Peony Bark

Tree peony bark, also called danpi, is a medicinal material used to clear heat and cool the blood, invigorate the blood and resolve blood stasis, and reduce deficiency heat. It is mainly obtained from the dried root bark of the tree peony, a plant in the Ranunculaceae family. At present, tree peony bark is cultivated in Anhui, Sichuan, Henan, and Shandong, China. It has a certain curative effect on symptoms such as warm toxin macules, hematemesis, night fever subsiding by morning, amenorrhea, and dysmenorrhea. So how do you grow tree peony bark? Today, let's learn about it together with the editor.

1. Field Selection and Preparation

Tree peony bark prefers warmth and moisture, is drought-tolerant, relatively cold-tolerant, not waterlogging-tolerant, afraid of standing water, fearful of high temperatures, and averse to strong light. The planting site is generally chosen as sandy loam that is dry, easy to drain, easy to irrigate, with deep soil layers, loose soil texture, and fertile soil. The planting site is best with a certain slope and a relatively low groundwater level; note that it must not be planted in saline-alkali land or heavy clay. Before planting, plow the soil deeply and apply sufficient base fertilizer, mainly barnyard manure and cake fertilizer. Level and finely rake the soil, then open furrows and make beds; the bed width is about 40 to 50 cm, and the furrow depth is about 30 cm.

2. Propagation Methods

There are four propagation methods for tree peony bark: seed propagation, division propagation, grafting propagation, and cutting propagation. Seed propagation is mainly used in Fengdan, Anhui, and requires raising seedlings first before transplanting; the sowing time is from late July to early October. At the same time, before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water, and finally sow in drills. Heze, Shandong, mainly uses division and grafting propagation methods. Division is generally carried out after the Autumn Equinox; dig up healthy plants free of pests and diseases, prune them, and plant them, with row spacing and plant spacing of 35 cm and 25 cm. Grafting can be planted between White Dew and the Autumn Equinox, with plant spacing and row spacing of 15 cm and 50 cm. Finally, the cutting method is used most in Hunan and Hubei; the planting time is the same as that for grafting propagation, with plant spacing and row spacing of 20 cm and 50 cm.

3. Field Management

After planting, no management is needed throughout the entire winter. Wait until the Awakening of Insects in the second year for the first weeding and loosening of the soil, carrying out shallow plowing. After the Spring Equinox, earth up the soil to protect the growth of the seedlings, while the second weeding and loosening of the soil is around Qingming Festival, carrying out shallow plowing between the rows. Over the course of a year, weeding and loosening the soil need to be done nine or ten times. After rainfall or watering, the soil should also be loosened to prevent the soil from becoming compacted. After planting, topdressing is only needed in the second year, and then topdressing twice each year is sufficient, divided into spring fertilizer and autumn fertilizer. Spring fertilizer is mainly farmyard manure or night soil, applied together with cake fertilizer. Autumn fertilizer is the same as spring fertilizer, but the amount used is twice that of spring fertilizer. Under normal circumstances, watering is not needed, but if the weather is relatively dry, an appropriate amount of watering is still needed; however, be sure to remember to drain promptly.

4. Pruning and Flower Removal

In the second year after planting, we need to organize and prune some unevenly growing branches, and then, according to the plant's growth vigor, reasonably remove newly sprouted tender buds and ensure that the branches are uniform. Another thing to note is that, in order to increase the yield of tree peony bark, apart from plants kept for seed or for ornamental purposes, all the rest need to have their flower buds removed so that nutrients are concentrated in the roots and root growth is promoted.

5. Disease and Pest Prevention

The main diseases and pests of tree peony bark include damping-off disease, leaf spot disease, root rot, tree peony rust, and stem borers. We can use carbendazim, Bordeaux mixture, chlorothalonil, sodium ferrous ethylenediaminetetraacetate, and trichlorfon respectively for control. Of course, the effect of preventing diseases can also be achieved by strengthening field management.

The above is what the editor wants to tell everyone today about the cultivation techniques for tree peony bark. If you encounter other problems during the planting process, you can also leave a message for the editor to consult and discuss.