How to Plant Peonies? Detailed Guide to Propagation Methods
Peonies not only carry beautiful symbolism, but the peony itself is also very beautiful and elegant, so many friends who see peonies feel the urge to plant them. So how do you plant peonies? What propagation methods are there? Below, the editors at No.1 Home Network will give a detailed introduction.
How do you plant peonies? The methods for planting peonies are as follows:
1. Seed collection: Generally in early August, peony seeds mature one after another. When the fruit turns crab-yellow, pick it and place it in a cool, damp place indoors so the seeds can after-ripen inside the shell, and turn them frequently to prevent heating. Wait until most of the fruit splits open and the seeds fall out. Never dry them in the sun, otherwise the seeds often will not germinate easily.
2. Seed treatment: After the seeds fall out, they should be sown immediately. If sowing is delayed, they will not sprout the next year, and may even wait until the spring of the third year to germinate. Before sowing, soak the seeds in 50°C warm water for a full day and night, so the seed coat degrades and softens, absorbs water and swells, making it easier for the seeds to break dormancy and germinate. If there is no time to sow, they can be treated by burying them in damp sand, with a seed-to-sand ratio of 2:8. In this way, after about 30 days of germination forcing, once the tip of the sprout is slightly exposed, sow them in the ground, and they will still germinate normally the following spring.
3. Sowing: The best sowing time is to sow as soon as the seeds are collected, and at the latest it must not exceed September of that year. Before sowing, apply enough base fertilizer, deeply turn and level the seedbed, and if necessary disinfect the bed soil to eliminate soil pests such as mole crickets and white grubs. Sowing is divided into hole sowing and drill sowing. For hole sowing, sow 7 to 8 seeds per hole, with one hole every 20 cm; for drill sowing, the row spacing is 15 cm, open a furrow 4 cm to 5 cm deep, sow the seeds in the furrow one seed every 3 cm to 5 cm, then cover with 2 cm to 3 cm of soil.
4. Management: To prevent soil moisture from evaporating, shade can be provided over the seedbed. It is best not to water too much, because too much watering will make the soil harden. After entering November, the shade can be removed. Before frost, cover the seedbed with rice straw, millet straw, or leaves to protect against cold and preserve soil moisture, and only remove the covering in February of the following year.
5. Transplanting: Spring planting of peonies does not easily survive. Well-managed seedlings can be transplanted in the autumn of that year, while poorly growing seedlings must be transplanted after two years. The transplanting site also needs enough base fertilizer. Dig pits 30 cm deep at a plant and row spacing of 40 cm x 40 cm, and plant 1 to 2 plants per hole.
Now that you understand how to plant peonies, let us look at the propagation methods for peonies.
Peony propagation methods: Cutting propagation
The method is to first cut off the branch to be used as a cutting, separate it from the mother plant, and then insert it into soil or another medium so it takes root and becomes a new plant. For peony cutting propagation, choose the current-year soil sprout branches sent out from the peony roots, or when shaping and pruning the peony, choose branches with solid stems, plump terminal buds, and no pests or diseases as cuttings, 10-18 cm long. The peony root is a fleshy root and prefers dryness, avoids moisture, and tolerates drought. Therefore, the nursery bed should be chosen in a ventilated, sunny place and built as a raised bed for raising seedlings. When cutting, water each bed thoroughly right after finishing inserting that bed, giving one thorough soaking.
Peony propagation methods: Layering propagation
The peony layering method is a propagation method that uses the principle that branches can produce adventitious roots. The branches are pressed down or buried with soil while still on the plant, without being separated from the mother plant, and the soil is kept moist. The buried part of the branch takes root, and then it is cut off and planted to become a new plant. This also belongs to the asexual propagation method of peonies. This method mainly includes: the pot-nesting and soil-mounding layering method and the double-flat method.
Peony propagation methods: Tissue culture
Plant tissue culture propagation is based on the totipotency of plant tissue cells, using peony embryos, flower buds, stem tips, tender leaves, and petioles for in vitro culture. Generally, these materials are placed in 75% alcohol and soaked for 5-10 minutes, then immediately put into sterile water for washing, then soaked in 5% Antiformin solution for 7-10 minutes for surface sterilization, then rinsed 3-4 times with sterile water, and finally placed on the culture medium for sterile culture.
How to plant peonies and what propagation methods there are: the editors at No.1 Home Network have given a detailed introduction above. If you can successfully grow peonies yourself, they will surely become a beautiful sight in your home.