How to cultivate peonies to keep them thriving
The editor will share with everyone some knowledge about how to cultivate peonies to keep them thriving and precautions for planting peonies. The following is an introduction in detail.
Peonies are majestic and elegant in flower shape, with beautiful branches and leaves, and are known as the "national color and fragrance", ranking second among the top ten famous flowers in China, and are被誉为 the king of flowers of wealth and auspiciousness. Peonies are large and fragrant, and when planted in the courtyard or balcony, they are particularly vibrant and eye-catching, with beautiful and appealing appearances; potted plants placed in the living room or study are dignified and generous, illuminating the entire room and showcasing the owner's magnificent prosperity.
However, many families now have peonies that they do not know how to care for properly. Below, let's share together with flower enthusiasts the cultivation methods and requirements for potted peonies at home.
1. Temperature and lighting should be suitable. Peonies prefer a warm, slightly dry, and sunlit growing environment and are not tolerant of high temperatures and humidity. The suitable temperature for growth is around 15-25 degrees Celsius. Especially in the summer, avoid direct sunlight and especially avoid exposure to the scorching sun. Therefore, proper shading and sun protection should be done in the summer to prevent sunburn.
2. Soil selection requires careful consideration. Different plants have different soil requirements, especially in terms of breathability and fertility, so extra attention should be paid to the selection of soil for planting peonies. The soil for planting peonies should be a neutral sandy loam that is fertile and well-drained. Avoid alkaline, acidic, and heavy clay soils. For home potted plants, a mixture of fertile humus soil, garden soil, and coarse river sand can be used. Flower pots can be 15-20 centimeters in diameter, while multi-year large plants should use pots 40-50 centimeters in diameter, and the depth of the pot should also reach about 50 centimeters for the peony roots to grow well and strong.
3. Watering and fertilizing should be appropriate. It is common knowledge that watering is the first factor in keeping flowers healthy, and excessive watering is the primary "killer" of flower cultivation. Therefore, when watering peonies, it is best to water only when necessary and according to seasonal and weather changes. Water more during the dry spring and autumn seasons, but avoid waterlogging in the pot. In the hot and humid summer, water in the morning and evening; water less during the plum rain season. Peonies should be fertilized at least three times a year, with a phosphorus and potassium fertilizer added before flowering and a compound fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium after flowering.
4. Pruning after flowering should be timely. During the peony defoliation period, cut off the thick branches from above the flower buds. To cultivate large flowers, remove the faded flowers, and appropriately remove flower buds to suppress the number of flowers. In the autumn and winter seasons, cut off the withered flowers, dry flower stems, and weak branches and leaves to accumulate energy for the next year's bloom.
5. Disease and pest control need to be kept up. Peonies are prone to red spot disease, brown spot disease, and gray mold disease. In spring and summer, apply a mixture of insecticidal and fungicidal agents to peonies while watering. If diseases and pests are severe, spray a mixture of fungicidal and insecticidal agents every half month to prevent the spread of pathogens and infection of the entire plant.
Methods of peony propagation: One is division propagation. Every autumn, select large clusters of 4-5-year-old plants, remove the soil from the roots, place them in a loud place to air-dry the roots for 2-3 days, cut the connecting parts of the roots with a knife, plant the roots upright without twisting, fill the soil in layers, and water thoroughly once. The second is seeding. Sow seeds immediately after harvesting in autumn. The planting depth is about 2-5 centimeters, cover the soil flat, and after one month, the embryonic roots can grow, but no buds will emerge from the soil. By the next February or March, the seeds will germinate and grow, and it will take 3-5 years to bloom.
The above sharing on how to cultivate peonies to keep them thriving and the specific introduction of precautions for planting peonies are for netizens' reference.