Peony planting techniques and cultivation management detailed explanation of peony maintenance methods

Peony Planting Techniques and Cultivation ManagementArticle Abstract: This article introduces the planting techniques, cultivation management, and maintenance methods of peonies, and will take everyone to understand together.Peonies are mainly produced in Anhui, Henan, Shandong, Hebei, Hubei, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu and other places.[Morphological Characteristics] The plant height is 1-2 meters. The roots are cylindrical, fleshy and thick, with gray-brown or purplish-brown skin and aromatic. The stems are丛生, with short and thick branches. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, usually triplicate ternate leaves, broadly ovate, lateral leaflets smaller, unequal, shallowly lobed or not lobed. The flowers are single-petaled, white or slightly tinged with light red, solitary at the top of the branch. The fruit is a follicle, shaped like a five-pointed star, densely covered with brownish-yellow hair, containing 7-15 seeds inside. The seeds are black and glossy, the flowering period is April to May, and the fruiting period is June to September.[Growth Environment] Peonies prefer cool summers and warm winters. They require a sunny environment with moderate rainfall. They are afraid of heat and severe cold, drought-resistant, and afraid of waterlogging. Peonies are deep-rooted crops, requiring deep, fertile, loose, well-drained and ventilated neutral or slightly acidic sandy loam or light loam. They are sensitive to trace elements of copper in the soil. Saline-alkali soil, sticky soil, low-lying wet land, and shaded places under trees cannot be planted.[Planting Techniques]1. Land selection and preparation: It is suitable to choose dry, sunny, and well-drained sandy loam rich in humus for cultivation. Plow 20-25 centimeters deep, apply 3000-4000 kilograms of farmyard manure or compost per 667 square meters. Then, make high ridges 130 centimeters wide, dig 30 centimeters deep, open ridges 40 centimeters wide, and level the bottom of the ditches. Dig drainage ditches around the four sides.2. Propagation methods(1) Seed propagation mostly adopts seedling transplanting.① Seed collection and seed treatment. Peony seeds mature in mid-to-late August. When the fruit is crabapple yellow and the fruit abdomen begins to crack, collect the follicles. Place them in a cool and shaded place indoors for post-ripening. When the follicles are fully open and the seeds are exposed, immediately broadcast in autumn. Or mix 1 part of seeds with 3-5 parts of wet sand and stratify sand storage for future use.Seedling raising. From mid-to-late August, broadcast seeds immediately after collection. Choose seeds that are full, fresh, free of diseases and pests, and have black luster. Before sowing, soak the seeds in a 25 mg/L gibberellin solution for 2-4 hours, or soak in 50°C warm water for 24 hours to soften the seed coat, degrease, absorb water and expand before sowing, which can improve the germination rate. On the prepared seedbed, open furrows 25 centimeters apart for sowing, 6 centimeters deep and 10 centimeters wide, mix the seeds with wood ash, then evenly broadcast them in the furrows. Cover with 3 centimeters of fine soil and mulch the bed with straw to retain moisture. Water in case of drought, and seedlings will emerge in early spring, February to March of the following year. After the seedlings emerge, remove the mulch, and start weeding, intertilling, and fertilizing. After 2 years of cultivation, they can be transplanted.(2) Division propagation: Division should be carried out in August to September when collecting peony bark, combined with division propagation. The method is as follows: Select three-year-old healthy and disease-free Fengdan peonies, dig up the whole plant, cut off the large roots for medicinal use, and select medium and small roots for propagation. Then, remove the soil, cut from the root neck with a knife, leaving 2-3 buds per root, and retain as many fine roots as possible. From late August to early September, on the prepared planting site, dig holes 50-60 centimeters apart in rows and 40-50 centimeters apart in plants, and plant 1 plant per hole. After planting, fill the soil and press, then cover with fine soil to fill the hole.3. Transplanting: Transplant in the fall, from mid-September to early October. On the prepared planting site, dig holes 50 centimeters x 40 centimeters apart, 25 centimeters deep, apply 10 centimeters of farmyard manure to each hole, cover with 10 centimeters of fine soil. Then, plant 1 strong rhizome or 2 thin rhizomes of two-year-old plants in each hole. When planting, place the bud close to the upper part of the hole wall, straighten the rhizome, support and stabilize it, compact the soil, and spread the roots. After planting, water once with 1000 kilograms of livestock manure water, slightly higher than the ridge surface to prevent waterlogging. Finally, cover the ridge surface with a layer of decomposed livestock manure or withered grass to prevent drought and cold over winter.[Cultivation Management]1. Field Management(1) Inter-row cultivation and weeding: After transplanting, remove the mulch in the spring of the second year when the seedlings emerge, and start inter-row cultivation and weeding. Do this 3-4 times a year. The first time is in March to April after the roots are exposed; the second time is in June to July; the third time is in September to October, after inter-row cultivation and weeding, combine with earthing up.(2) Root exposure: After planting in the second year, in the spring after the seedlings emerge, remove the mulch, dig away the soil around the rootstock, expose the rootstock to sunlight, and after 2-3 days, combine with inter-row cultivation and weeding, and cover with fertile soil.(3) Topdressing: Peonies like fertilizer. In addition to sufficient base fertilizer, topdress once in spring, autumn, and winter every year. Spring fertilizer uses livestock manure water; autumn applies livestock manure water with an appropriate amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers; winter uses decomposed farmyard manure with cake fertilizer. In general, follow the principle of "less in spring and autumn, more in winter and腊." The amount of fertilizer is determined according to the size of the plant.(4) Drainage and irrigation: Water in case of drought during the growing period. In the rainy season, drain the ditches in time to prevent waterlogging and root rot.(5) Bud removal: Except for seed retention, remove all flower buds in the third and fourth years of spring to concentrate nutrients on root growth and increase yield. It is best to do this on sunny days to facilitate wound healing and prevent disease.(6) Pruning: Before November 1st each year, cut off the withered branches, remove the yellow leaves, and take them out of the field to compost. Pruning can promote healthy plant growth and reduce the occurrence of diseases and pests.2. Pest and Disease Control(1) Diseases① Leaf spot: It affects the leaves. It occurs in mid-April and is severe in August to September. Initially, black-brown spots and moldy substances appear on the leaf surface. In severe cases, all leaves fall off.Control methods: ① Implement a 3-year rotation; ② Apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to increase disease resistance; ③ Spray 50% carbendazim 800-1000 times or 50% thiophanate-methyl 1000-1500 times or 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture, once every 10 days, for 2-3 times consecutively.② Grey mold: It affects leaves, stems, and flowers. It occurs in April and is severe in May to June. The leaf spots are nearly circular, purple-brown or brown, with faint concentric rings. Under humid conditions, gray moldy substances grow on the affected area. The stem spots are mostly angular, purple-brown, and the stem becomes soft and collapses in the later stage.Control methods: The same as above for leaf spot.③ Rust: It starts to occur during the flowering period. Initially, light yellow-brown spots appear on the leaf surface, which soon swell into orange-yellow large spots and release yellow powder when broken.Control methods: ① Choose fields with high and dry land and good drainage to reduce the incidence; ② Spray 0.3-0.4 degree波美石硫合剂 or 97%敌锈钠 200 times, once every 7 days, for 2-3 times consecutively.④ White thread disease: Soil and fertilizer are the sources of infection for this disease. It is especially severe when preceded by root crops, legumes, or solanaceous crops. Initially, there are no obvious symptoms on the aboveground stems and leaves. With the increase of temperature and humidity, the mycelium穿透 from the rootstock and densely covers the root neck with a layer of white silky material, and brownish菌核 the size of rapeseed. Due to damage to the roots and stems, the plant's conducting tissue is damaged, and it gradually withers and dies.Control methods: ① Do not rotate with root and stem medicines and crops such as tubers, legumes, and solanaceous crops; ② Apply 1.5 kilograms of 30% fenwick per 667 square meters during plowing for soil disinfection; ③ Use Trichoderma to control. Trichoderma is a type of fungus that can release volatile gases in the soil, dissolving the white thread fungus mycelium, losing its infectivity, and can also parasitize on the white thread fungus, causing the mycelium or sclerotium to die.(2) Pests: Grubs can be controlled with 90% diazinon 1000 times; termites can be controlled by pouring 80% dichlorvos 5000 times into the roots.[Harvesting and Processing]1. Harvesting: Generally, 3-4 years after transplanting, harvest twice from early August to early October. The丹皮 harvested in August is called "new goods," which has more moisture, is easy to process, and has white quality after processing, but the yield is low. The丹皮 harvested in October is called "old goods," which is hard in texture, difficult to process, but has higher quality and yield. Harvest on sunny days, first dig around the soil, then dig up the roots completely, shake off the soil, and combine with division, cut off the large and medium-sized roots near the base for medicinal use, and use the fine roots as propagation material. Do not dig in the rain, otherwise, the丹皮 will turn red and deteriorate when it meets water.2. Processing: Stack the fresh roots for 1-2 days to slightly lose water and soften, then remove the fibrous roots, dry in the sun to make "丹须"; then hold the fresh roots tightly with one hand, twist the top hard to make one side of the root skin break, slightly separate the skin core, then hold the unbroken side with one hand, and hold the wood core with the other hand, pull the wood core downward along the broken side, separating and peeling off the wood core. Then straighten the root strip and dry in the sun to make "丹皮". For root strips with poor skin color, scrape off the outer bark with a glass or bowl slice, remove the wood core, and dry in the sun to make "scraped skin". Dry the fine roots that are not suitable for scraping and core pulling directly in the sun to make "powder丹皮". During drying, prevent rain, dew, and contact with water, otherwise, it will turn red and deteriorate.Generally, each 667 square meters can produce 250-350 kilograms of dried goods, and up to 500 kilograms at high yield. The drying rate is 35%-40%. The丹皮 with long and thick strips, fine skin, white cross-section, round and uniform, full of powder, fragrant, and many bright stars is considered the best.The above introduction to peony planting techniques, cultivation management, and peony maintenance methods hope to bring some knowledge of flowers to green plant enthusiasts.