How to propagate peonies? Introduction to common propagation methods

Peonies have a wide range of uses, the most important being as hardy herbaceous perennials for open-ground planting. Because they combine color, fragrance and grace, traditional Chinese garden layouts often plant peonies in massed beds beside rockeries and trees to accent the scenery. Besides open-ground planting, peonies can also be grown in pots and used as cut flowers. On the day they bloom, pick several stems and place them in a vase of water to bring glory to the whole home.

Peonies can be planted at any time except during the period from bud formation after flowering until the buds are full; planting is generally done at the same time as division propagation. Although planting is possible in spring, the arrangement of planting points should make viewing easy and give a rich sense of layering. The traditional propagation methods for peonies include division, sowing, cuttings, layering and root cuttings. Below, the editor introduces these propagation methods, hoping to help our readers.

1. Division propagation

Division is most effective from late September to early October. First dig up the roots of the mother plant, let them dry for one day, then cut and divide the roots according to the natural shape of the peony root, with each clump of roots carrying 4~5 buds. Coat the cut surfaces of the roots with a little sulfur powder to prevent pathogen invasion, let them dry for another 1~2 days, and then plant them separately.

Division is the most commonly used propagation method for peonies, and nursery production in peony-growing areas basically uses this method. It has three advantages: first, it flowers earlier than the sowing method - seedlings from seed flower in 4~5 years, while divided plants can flower the following year. Second, division is simple and easy to carry out, saves labor in management, and is conducive to widespread use. Third, it can maintain the excellent traits of the original variety. The disadvantage is a low propagation rate: a three-year-old mother plant can only be divided into 3~5 daughter plants.

2. Sowing propagation

Sow in autumn, and roots can form in the same year. Before sowing, first collect ripe seeds and sow them promptly. After sowing, cover the seeds with a layer of fine sandy soil and keep them constantly moist. Seedlings grow very slowly; even plants that root in the same year need 3~4 years to flower.

Peony seeds are best sown immediately after collection; as sowing is delayed, the seed moisture content decreases and the germination rate drops. The seeds have a double dormancy characteristic involving both the epicotyl and hypocotyl. After sowing, the autumn soil temperature releases the hypocotyl from dormancy, and the radicle develops and roots. The better the rooting in the same year, the more vigorous the growth the following year. If sowing is too late, the soil temperature cannot break hypocotyl dormancy and rooting will not occur, greatly reducing the germination rate the following spring.

3. Cutting propagation

For peonies, taking cuttings in mid-July gives the best results; roots form 20~30 days after cutting, along with dormant buds. After rooting, reduce the amount of misting and watering, and gradually remove the plastic frame and shade frame. Cutting seedlings grow relatively slowly and need to be covered with soil in the bed to overwinter; move them to open-ground planting the following spring.

4. Layering propagation

In spring, pass a young shoot that has just emerged through the drainage hole of a flower pot and lead it into a pot with a diameter of 15~20 cm. As it grows, gradually fill in soil and keep the pot soil moist. By summer it will have rooted; before winter, cut the stem below the pot, and a potted peony is formed.

5. Root cutting propagation

Use the broken roots from autumn division of peonies, cut them into root segments 5~10 cm long, and insert them into a deeply dug and leveled trench 10~15 cm deep. Cover with 5~10 cm of fine soil and water thoroughly.

Among these, division propagation is widely used in production because it is simple to carry out and easy to manage. In addition, plants raised by division flower earlier than those raised from seed, and it also helps maintain the excellent traits of the variety.

In the past two years, as living standards have risen, more and more people have begun to pay attention to health and wellness, and with the support of the national policy of returning farmland to forest, people's understanding of peonies is no longer limited to the simple categories of ornamental and medicinal use!