When to sow tree peonies? Detailed planting methods

Tree peonies have large blooms and bright, gorgeous colors; supported by their fresh green leaves, they appear elegant and noble with a charming posture, and their delicate fragrance makes them all the more striking. For this reason they have long enjoyed the reputation of “national beauty and heavenly fragrance” and are widely recognized as the king of flowers. Classified by flower color, they can be divided into 8 categories: white, yellow, pink, red, purple, green, black, and blue; by flower form, they can be divided into single, semi-double, double, and ball forms; by flowering time, there are 3 types: early-flowering, late-flowering, and mid-flowering varieties. When should tree peonies be sown? How are they planted?

I. When should tree peonies be sown?

The tree peony is a deciduous plant in winter. Tree peonies sprout in early spring, in February, and sprout relatively early. Spring is the growing season for tree peonies and is not suitable for transplanting. As the saying goes, a tree peony planted in spring will never bloom until old age; that is, bare-root planting of tree peonies in spring is absolutely out of the question. If you want to plant tree peonies in spring, you must choose container-grown seedlings or ones with a soil ball, so as to ensure the survival rate of the tree peony.

By the end of August, tree peony buds have formed, and during this period the tree peony begins dormancy, so bare-root transplanting can be carried out. The timing of bare-root transplanting from north to south is as follows:

Northeast: August——October is best

North China: September——November is best

Southwest: mid-September——November is best

Central China: mid-September——the end of November is best

South China: October——January of the following year is fine

If you want your tree peony to grow well the following year, it is still best to plant it early, as this will produce a large number of new fibrous roots, which plays a key role in the following year's growth.

II. How are tree peonies planted?

1. Site selection and soil preparation

Choose a sunny, dry, sandy loam soil with deep soil layers and good drainage; do not grow continuously on the same land within 4-5 years. Newly reclaimed land is usually deep-plowed to about 60 cm and fully weathered, with 45,000-60,000 kg of organic fertilizer applied per hectare. When preparing the soil, make beds 1.5 m wide with a turtle-back-shaped surface, and drainage ditches must be kept unobstructed. Saline-alkali land, clay land, or plots with a high groundwater table are all unsuitable for planting.

2. Propagation methods

Seed propagation and division propagation are used.

(1) Seed propagation: the propagation coefficient is large, but the time to produce seedlings is long, and the superior traits of the parent plant cannot be maintained.

Raising seedlings: Tree peony seeds can be treated with 1% gibberellin for 48 hours, or a low temperature of about 5°C can break the hypocotyl dormancy; after sowing, the seedlings emerge the following spring. For drilling, use a row spacing of 20 cm and a plant spacing of 6 cm, cover with about 3 cm of soil, and cover the bed surface with grass.

Transplanting: Lift the seedlings after a full two years of sowing, and remove diseased, damaged, and weak plants; in particular, plants carrying root-knot nematodes must be resolutely removed. Select seedlings by size in two grades; each seedling should have 3-4 branch roots, and overly long roots should be properly shortened to the depth of the hole. Plant at a spacing of 30 cm between plants and rows, with 1-2 plants per hole, and the roots must be spread out. Cover with soil to about 3 cm above the terminal bud.

Direct sowing: In production, seedling raising followed by transplanting is generally used, but in recent years some places have switched to direct sowing, with the same plant and row spacing as for seedling raising and transplanting. The advantage of direct sowing is that the rhizome is long and straight, so a relatively good yield can also be obtained.

(2) Division propagation: Select strong four- to five-year-old mother plants, dig up the whole plant at harvest time, cut off the large and medium roots for medicinal use, and cut from the places that are easy to divide into 2-4 plants. They can be transplanted from September to November, and earlier planting is better. Before planting, deep-plow the soil to 60 cm and apply 90,000 kg of base fertilizer per hectare. Open furrows and divide into beds, with a plant and row spacing of 25 cm×35 cm; plant 1 plant obliquely per hole and cover with 3-4 cm of soil.

(3) Grafting: This method can maintain the superior traits of the mother plant, but the propagation coefficient is small. In autumn, select 5-6-year-old rootstocks, 15 cm long and 2-3 cm in diameter; dig out the rootstocks and place them in a cool place for 2-3 days, then use them after they have softened. For the scion, take current-year branches that are plump, smooth, and short-jointed, with 1-2 plump, full buds. After the cambium of the rootstock and scion are tightly joined, bind them with hemp rope or the like.

3. Field management

(1) Cultivation and weeding: After the beginning of spring, cultivate several times along with weeding to prevent root damage; in winter, earth up the soil, which is beneficial to root growth.

(2) Fertilizing: At transplanting, apply sufficient stable manure or barnyard manure; autumn fertilization is even more important. Generally, apply 6,000 kg of human manure and 1,500 kg of rapeseed cake fertilizer per hectare, and take care to avoid soiling the leaves when fertilizing.

(3) Flower removal: Every spring, remove the flower buds as soon as they appear. Exceptions are made for those kept for seed, sold as cut flowers, or other special uses.

(4) Shaping and pruning: This includes setting the trunk, removing soil buds, and removing buds.