Peonies have gained well-deserved love due to the brightness of flowers, unpretentiousness in care, resistance to cold, exquisite aroma, longevity. It is difficult to imagine a garden without these fragrant, lushly flowering bushes. However, not all beginner gardeners know how to plant peonies so that they bloom actively and please the eye for many years.
- When creating favorable conditions during planting and growing, a peony bush can grow and delight in abundant flowering in one place from 25 to 50 years, which does not require extra costs;
- From one adult bush five years old, when dividing, you can get 5-6 bushes of young animals;
- Peonies are unpretentious plants that do not require much effort in the cultivation and care.
Material Content:
Peonies: The Basics of Growing
The successful cultivation of peonies depends on the quality of the planting material.
It is necessary that the rhizomes chosen for planting meet the following requirements:
- the diameter of the dividend is not less than 8 cm;
- roots without signs of damage and putrefactive spots;
- 3-5 eyes are required.
Outdoor landing
Inspect, remove dried parts and disinfect with a 1% potassium permanganate solution before planting. Sprinkle the cut with crushed coal. To protect the roots from drying out before planting, they need to be wrapped with a moist burlap.
Site and soil preparation
When choosing a site for planting, it should be borne in mind that peonies love sunlight and can not stand drafts. They do not bloom in the shade, so it is not recommended to plant bushes next to trees. It is also not worth planting plants next to a fence or buildings, since during the hot period they will go hot.
Peonies do not tolerate stagnation of moisture in the soil, so they will not be able to grow in wetlands, as well as in areas with a close occurrence of groundwater.
The plant successfully grows on loamy soils with low acidity.If the soil on the site is peaty, or with a high acidity content, it is necessary to add ash and slaked lime to normalize the acidity level.
How and when to plant?
The best period for planting is considered autumn - from August to September, or spring - from April to May. During these months, suction roots actively grow in the plant.
Landing pits are made at a distance of 1 meter from each other. The topsoil is removed and tilted to the side. A pit is dug with a depth of 60 cm, the diameter should be the same. A 15 cm thick drainage layer is laid at the bottom of the pit. Fine pebbles or crushed bricks are used as drainage.
Then the pit is filled with the following ingredients, mixed in equal proportions:
- humus;
- river sand;
- peat;
- garden land;
These components are added:
- vitriol - 1 tablespoon;
- potassium carbonate — 1 teaspoon;
- ash — 1 liter;
- bone meal — 500 grams.
The remaining space is filled with garden soil, pouring it with a slide. Ten cm should remain to the edge of the pit. The root of the plant is placed in the center of the hill and covered with soil, while the buds should be deepened by 6-7 cm. After planting, the plant needs abundant watering.
Outdoor Care
Correctly performed planting is the key to good growth of peonies. However, do not forget that proper care of the plant also plays an important role in the growing process. The health and flowering of the plant depends on how skillfully organized the care is.
Watering schedule
Watering is carried out weekly, spending 35 liters of water for each bush. Regular watering during the period of active plant growth and bud formation is especially important. If in the hot season the soil around the bush dries, then additional watering is required.
After each watering, it is necessary to carry out loosening of the soil so that moisture does not stagnate and a crust does not form on the surface of the earth, preventing the access of oxygen to the roots of the plant. Loosening must be performed very carefully so as not to injure the root system. Do not go deeper than 10 cm.
Fertilizers and fertilizing
They begin to feed the plant in the third year after planting.
During the year, top dressing is made three times:
The first feeding - potassium-nitrogen is carried out in early spring, after the snow melts.
To do this, you will need:
- potassium — 15 grams;
- nitrogen — 15 grams.
Fertilizers are scattered around the bush without affecting the plant.
The second top dressing is introduced during the period of bud formation, using for this:
- potassium — 12 grams;
- phosphorus — 15 grams;
- nitrogen — 10 grams.
Fertilize only the soil around the plant.
The third top dressing is carried out 14 days after the end of flowering.
To do this, use:
- potassium - 12 grams;
- phosphorus — 20 grams.
Bushes garter
Adult overgrown bushes need a mandatory garter. Heavy flowers tilt the stems to the ground, as a result of which the central part of the bush opens. In rainy weather or heat, it becomes waterlogged or dries, as a result of which the bush may die. To prevent this, it is necessary to drive pegs around the bush and tie stems to them with a rope.
Pruning
On bushes, whose age is one to two years, all forming buds are removed. This contributes to the active growth of the bush and more magnificent flowering in subsequent years. In the future, if you need to get large flowers on a long stalk, then only those buds that are formed at the top are left. All buds forming below the top are removed. If you need to get a bright, lushly flowering bush, buds should not be removed.
After the petals wither, it is necessary to remove the head with part of the stem. A slice is made near the first well-developed leaf. Shoots without buds do not need to be cut. Before wintering, the stems of the bush must be cut off at ground level. Pruning is carried out in late October - early November, when the stems die from frost. If, as a result of pruning, the young buds turn out to be bare, the bush will need to be earthed by 7-10 cm.
After wintering, pruning of damaged and weak shoots is performed.It is also necessary to remove all old shoots. Cut them off at ground level.
Winter preparations
In early autumn, watering should be reduced. Watering is done every 14 days, I spend 15-20 liters of water. The amount of moisture is gradually reduced.
In early October, it is necessary to fertilize the plant, since after a flowering period, the roots continue to grow inland.
For replenishment using a solution of potassium phosphorus fertilizer prepared as follows:
- water — 10 liters;
- potassium — 15 grams;
- phosphorus — 15 grams.
After the onset of the first frosts, the aerial part of the bush is cut and burned. Leaves around the bushes are also cleaned. Wells are mulched with humus. Such a shelter not only protects against frost, retaining heat, but also nourishes the soil with useful substances.
The use of materials such as fallen leaves, sawdust, pine conifer, manure, straw can trigger the development of fungal diseases.
