How to Propagate Peonies? Detailed Explanation of Propagation Methods and Techniques

Peonies are mainly propagated by division, and can also be grown from seed.

1. Division method: This method preserves the excellent characteristics of the variety, and the flowering period is earlier than that of seed-grown plants. Peony division must be carried out in autumn, generally from late September to early October. At this time, after division, the root system has a period to recover and grow before winter arrives, producing new roots, which benefits growth the following year. Chinese flower growers have the proverb "divide peonies at the Spring Equinox, and they will never bloom till old age" - this is the reason. The division method is to first dig up the root clump, shake off the attached soil, and then separate along the natural points of separation; otherwise use a knife to split them, so that each clump has 3-5 buds. When grown for medicinal purposes, the thick roots are usually cut off 5-6 cm below the root crown for processing into medicine, and then the root clumps are planted. (This article is selected from "Agricultural Encyclopedia")

The interval for dividing peonies varies according to the purpose of cultivation. When planted in flower beds or grown for cut flowers, division is carried out after 6-7 years; when grown for medicinal purposes with root harvest as the goal, it is mostly divided once every 3-5 years.

2. Seed sowing method: Seed propagation is generally only used for breeding new varieties, or for growing peony rootstock. After peony seeds mature, they should be sown immediately; the later the sowing, the lower the germination rate. After sowing, roots form in autumn of that year, and new shoots emerge after the weather warms the following spring. Peony seedlings grow slowly, producing only 1-2 leaves in the first year, and growth gradually accelerates in the second year; well-developed plants can bloom in 4-5 years.

[Cultivation] Peonies have a relatively deep root system, so deep plowing should be carried out for planting, with sufficient application of base fertilizer, such as decomposed compost, barnyard manure, oil cake and bone meal. The planting depth should not be too deep or too shallow; generally, covering the buds with about 3-4 cm of soil is appropriate, and the soil should be moderately firmed at the same time.

Peonies prefer fertile soil. In addition to applying sufficient organic fertilizer at planting time, apply topdressing once each before and after flowering in spring, paying attention to the balance of the three major nutrients in the fertilizer applied; every year at the turn of autumn and winter, depending on the soil fertility, some slow-release fertilizer can be applied again.

Peonies prefer moist soil. When planted in flower beds, if the soil is not too dry, irrigation may be omitted, but before flowering the soil must be kept moist so that the flowers can bloom beautifully and large.

Before a peony blooms, in addition to the terminal bud, there are 0-4 lateral buds below it. These are usually removed after the lateral buds appear, so that nutrients are concentrated in the terminal bud, producing a larger flower. When blooming, stakes should be set up for varieties prone to lodging.

Peonies have many diseases; the main diseases are the same as those of tree peonies, so please refer to Tree Peony Disease Prevention and Control.

Peony Propagation Methods and Precautions for Peony Propagation

Peonies are very popular among people, and many flower lovers grow a few peony plants at home. Today we will share with you the propagation methods of peonies and the precautions for peony propagation.

Peony propagation methods:

Peonies are generally propagated by division. As the saying goes: "Divide peonies at the Spring Equinox, and they will never bloom till old age." Therefore, peonies should not be transplanted in spring; division is usually carried out in October after the above-ground parts have withered. But in fact, there are generally two propagation methods for peonies: one is the division propagation method, and the other is the seed sowing propagation method.

The best time for division is from late September to early October. At this time, the above-ground parts of the peony have stopped growing, the rhizome nutrients are most abundant, and after division and planting, the root system still has a period to recover and grow, which benefits the growth of the whole plant the following year. First dig out the roots of the mother plant, shake off the attached soil, and let them dry for one day, then separate the roots along the natural separation points of the peony, cutting with a sharp knife, so that each root clump has four to five buds. The cut surfaces of the roots are best coated with sulfur powder to prevent bacterial invasion, then let them dry for one to two days before planting separately. For peonies planted in the open ground, the plant spacing is 50 cm and the row spacing is 70 cm; for potted peonies, a pot with a diameter and depth of 40 cm each is more suitable. Peonies grown mainly for flower viewing should be divided once every 5-6 years; peonies grown mainly for medicinal harvest should be divided once every 3-5 years.

Precautions for peony propagation:

After peonies are established, they should not be frequently transplanted, otherwise the roots will be damaged, affecting growth and flowering. To ensure good growth of peonies, reasonable fertilization is needed every year. The first application is in March when buds emerge; the second in April when flower buds appear; the third in late May after the flowers fade; the fourth in late August after End of Heat, when the plant is forming flower buds for the next year; the fifth in November, when trenches are opened around the plant to apply winter fertilizer. After each fertilization, water thoroughly and immediately loosen the soil to reduce water evaporation. In the rainy season, frequent hoeing and weeding should be carried out.

How to Propagate Peonies, Peony Propagation Methods

Peonies are mainly cultivated using traditional propagation methods, and can be planted by division, sowing, cuttings, layering and other methods, among which the division method is the easiest and most widely adopted. Let us learn about the details together:

Peony propagation methods

I. Division method

The division method is the most commonly used propagation method for peonies. In peony-producing areas, seedling production basically uses this method for propagation. It has three advantages: first, it flowers earlier than the sowing method - seed-grown plants bloom in 4-5 years, while divided plants can bloom the following year; second, division is simple and easy to perform, saves labor in management, and is conducive to wide 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 is difficult to adapt to and meet the needs of modern large-scale production and the continuously rapidly growing domestic and international flower market.

1. Division time

In theory, peony division can be carried out from the time the overwintering buds are full until the ground freezes. However, timely division and planting while the soil temperature is still high is beneficial for the healing of root wounds, and can sprout new roots, enhancing cold and drought resistance, laying the foundation for sprouting and growth the following year.

Do not divide too early, to avoid autumn growth that affects the growth and development of the following year; nor should division be too late, when the soil temperature can no longer meet the needs of peony root formation, causing poor growth of new plants the following year; if it is delayed until spring for division and planting, the buds sprout and emerge from the soil, and 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. Therefore, the Chinese farming proverb says "divide peonies at the Spring Equinox, and they will never bloom till old age."

The suitable time for peony division is generally earlier than that for tree peonies. The farming proverb of Heze, "July for peonies, August for tree peonies (referring to lunar calendar months)," means that in Heze, peonies can be divided from the end of August until late September (from End of Heat to Autumn Equinox). In Yangzhou, division is carried out from late September to early November. Divided plants can be divided again after three to 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. 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 a large planting task, each daughter plant can also have 1-2 buds, though recovery growth will be slower. When dividing, the thick roots should be retained. If the soil is moist, peony roots are brittle and easily broken, so they can be dried for one day before dividing; after dividing, dry them slightly in the shade and dip them in nutrient-containing mud slurry before planting.

In garden green spaces, peonies that have been planted for many years and are gradually weakening and urgently need division, but where propagation cannot affect the flowering period and visitors' viewing, the in-situ division method 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, take out the cut-off portion, and divide and plant it as described above; generally it is appropriate to cut off half of the original plant. The deep hole dug out can be filled with an appropriate amount of fertilizer mixed with soil and compacted.

You can also use the method of dividing and planting in alternate rows or alternate plants, so that, without affecting the landscape, the plants can be divided and rejuvenated, only requiring continuous division for 2-3 years. However, because peonies are not suitable for continuous cropping, the method of dividing and planting in alternate rows or alternate plants cannot be applied continuously, otherwise diseases and pests will occur severely, growth will be poor, and even the mortality rate will greatly increase.

When peonies are cultivated for medicinal purposes, peony-producing areas mostly use peony crowns 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 crowns as propagation material. First remove peony crowns without buds and with diseased sections, cut the peony crowns into blocks, each block with 2-3 strong buds, and the peony crown 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, and the peony crowns 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 be such that the buds are about 2 cm into 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 is prone to frost damage, and even the root crown may be exposed above the ground, and under the scorching sun in summer, this leads to death. If the divided root clump is relatively large (with 3-5 buds), it may bloom the following year, but the flowers will be small; it is better to remove them so the plant grows well. If the root clump is small (2-3 buds), growth will be poor the following year or it will not bloom, and generally 2-5 years of cultivation are needed.

II. Cutting method

Choose a nursery site with higher terrain and good drainage as the cutting bed. After loosening the bed soil, spread a 15 cm thick layer of river sand, and disinfect the river sand with 0.5% potassium permanganate. The cutting substrate can also be vermiculite or perlite. Build a shade shed 1.5 m high over the bed. According to the experience of Changchun and other places, cutting cuttings in mid-July gives the best results. The cuttings are 10-15 cm long.

With two nodes, the upper one with a compound leaf, keeping a few leaflets; the lower compound leaf is cut off together with the petiole. After quickly dipping in a 500×10-1000×10 naphthalene acetic acid or indole acetic acid solution, insert for cutting at a depth of about 5 cm, with spacing such that the leaves do not overlap each other. After insertion, water thoroughly, then cover with a plastic shed. According to observation, the best rooting results occur when the substrate temperature is 28-30°C and the humidity is 50%. Keep the temperature inside the cutting shed at 20-25°C and the humidity at 80%-90%, and roots will form 20-30 days after insertion, along with dormant buds. After rooting, reduce the amount of misting and watering, and gradually remove the plastic shed and shade shed. Cutting seedlings grow relatively slowly, and need to be covered with soil in the bed to overwinter, then moved to the open ground for planting the following spring.

III. Root cutting method

Use the broken roots from peony division in autumn, cut them into 5-10 cm root segments, insert them into deeply plowed and leveled furrows, with a furrow depth of 10-15 cm, cover with 5-10 cm of fine soil, and water thoroughly.