How to Grow Peonies? Detailed Guide to Cultivation Methods and Precautions

The peony is not only a common traditional Chinese medicinal herb, but also an ornamental flowering plant. Its flowers are very beautiful and enchantingly fragrant, and it is praised by people as the “Flower Fairy” and the “Flower Minister.” So, what are the cultivation methods and precautions for peonies?

1. Cultivation Methods for Peonies

1. Sowing time

Peonies must be sown promptly with seeds collected in the same year. For example, in the Heze area, sowing is done from late August to late September. If delayed past late September, they cannot take root that year, and the germination rate the following spring will be greatly reduced; moreover, even if seedlings emerge, because the root system of the seedlings is not well developed, they find it hard to resist spring drought and are prone to dying.

2. Seed soaking to promote germination

Before sowing, remove shriveled seeds and impurities from the seeds. Although the seed coat of peony seeds is thinner than that of tree peonies and absorbs water and sprouts relatively easily, if the seeds are treated before sowing, germination will be more uniform and the germination rate can reach more than 80%. The method is to soak the seeds in 50°C warm water for 24 hours, then take them out and sow immediately.

3. Preparing the bed and sowing

The land used for sowing and raising seedlings should be given sufficient base fertilizer, then deep-plowed and leveled. If the soil is relatively moist and suitable for sowing, beds can be made directly for sowing. About 50 kg of seed is used per mu, or about 100 kg for broadcast sowing. After sowing, cover with plastic film, and remove it after the seedlings sprout and emerge in the following spring.

4. Field management

(1) Cultivating and weeding

After the seedlings emerge, cultivate and weed 4-6 times each year. Cultivation should be shallow to avoid damaging the roots and killing the seedlings. In late October, before the ground freezes, cut off the branches and leaves 7-10 cm above the ground and mound about 15 cm of soil around the root zone to help them overwinter. In Bozhou, Anhui, the “splitting the ridge and exposing the roots” method is commonly used, that is, in early May of the second year after planting, gently push aside the soil around the peony plants to let the roots be slightly exposed, air them for 5-7 days, and then mound soil around the roots again. This can raise the ground temperature and kill insects and sterilize, achieving a yield-increasing effect, but the airing time should not be too long.

(2) Topdressing

From the second year on, apply topdressing 3 times each year. The first time: late March to early April, apply dilute human feces and urine. The second time: late April, apply 500 kg of human feces and urine per mu. The third time: between October and November, mainly use barnyard manure, 1500-200 kg per mu.

5. Harvesting

White peony root is harvested 3-4 years after planting. As for the harvest season, in Zhejiang it is from late June to early July, in Anhui, Sichuan and other places it is in August, and in Shandong it is in September. If harvested too late, the starch in the roots transforms, and after drying the texture is not firm and becomes light and spongy. Choose a sunny day, cut off the stems and leaves, and dig out the entire root. Aside from keeping the bud heads for propagation, cut off the peony roots and process them for medicinal use. Generally, the yield of fresh roots is 700-800 kg per mu.

2. Precautions for Growing Peonies

1. Pay attention to drainage and irrigation

Peonies like dry conditions and fear waterlogging, so generally no irrigation is needed. If there is severe drought, just water thoroughly once in the evening. In rainy seasons, clear the ditches and drain promptly to reduce root diseases.

2. Remove flower buds at the right time

In order to concentrate nutrients for root growth, promptly remove the flower buds each spring when they appear.

3. Suitable climate

Peonies are suitable for warm and humid climatic conditions and have the characteristics of liking light, warmth, and fertilizer, as well as a certain degree of cold tolerance. They grow well under conditions with an average annual temperature of 14.5°C, an average July temperature of 27.8°C, and an extreme maximum temperature of 42.1°C.

The above is the complete introduction to the cultivation methods and precautions for peonies. In horticultural applications, peonies can form specialized gardens, can be used to arrange flower platforms and flower ponds, and can also be combined with other flowering shrubs to create beautiful scenery. They are also valuable flowering trees and shrubs for courtyard embellishment, can be used for potted plants and cut flowers, and can be planted alone or in clumps.