How to care for peonies to make them bloom: planting methods and care for peony flowers.

How to care for peonies to make them bloomThis article focuses on the experience of caring for peonies to make them bloom and the cultivation methods of peony flowers, including the following comprehensive introduction.Before planting peony flowers, choose a high and dry area with good drainage, and require deep, loose, and fertile sandy loam soil. If planting in areas with heavy salinity and alkalinity, it is necessary to replace the soil; if planting in low-lying areas, it is necessary to build a high platform with sufficient clean water sources. Peonies dislike continuous cropping. Field cultivation generally rotates every 3-4 years, otherwise the growth will weaken and pests and diseases will become severe. When unable to rotate on schedule due to limited land, it is necessary to deeply turn the soil 1-2 months before planting. The depth should be 60-100 cm, and 1500-2000 kg of decomposed manure or 200-250 kg of cake fertilizer can be applied per 666.7 square meters. Remember not to use uncomposted raw fertilizer.1. Planting time: Whether it is seedlings or divisional seedlings, the planting time in Heze is from the end of August (Chu Shu) to the end of September (Qiu Fen), and in Yangzhou, it is from the end of September (Qiu Fen) to the beginning of November (Li Dong). Generally, it is combined with division.2. Planting specifications: For ornamental cultivation in gardens, the spacing between plants can be 1 meter by 1 meter, with planting points arranged in a "triangle" shape. This allows for the uniform and reasonable use of land, which is beneficial for the symmetrical growth of the plants. However, this method may sometimes be inconvenient for field operations. For ease of field management and observation, the "square" arrangement method is commonly used. The specifications of the planting hole should be about 35 cm deep and 18 cm in diameter at the top, with the hole dug wider at the bottom. For ornamental cultivation, the coarse roots are not removed, while for medicinal cultivation, the root-promoting seedlings after removing the roots are used, with the hole裸 about 25 centimeters. If the芍 head is planted directly after removing the roots, the depth can be shallower.3. Planting method: Apply decomposed manure or cake fertilizer at the bottom of the hole and mix it with the subsoil. Before planting, treat the peony seedlings with a mixture of 700 times the concentration of methyl thiophanate and 1000 times the concentration of methyl isothiocyanate to prevent pest and disease damage. Hold the peony seedling with your hand, place the roots loosely in the hole, and when filling the soil to half the hole, shake and lift the seedling to make the roots tightly combined with the soil. The height of the lifted seedling should be such that the buds are level with the ground, and after watering, the soil pit will sink, which is the appropriate planting depth. Planting too deep makes it difficult for the buds to sprout from the ground, and even if they do, their growth and development will not be vigorous. Planting too shallow will expose the rootstock to sunlight in summer, which can easily lead to death. Finally, fill the soil to the full, tamp it down, and make a soil pile about 10 centimeters high to prevent cold and moisture loss, which also serves as a sign and protective measure. Depending on the soil moisture, if the soil is moist, there is no need to water after planting; otherwise, water immediately after planting.The cultivation of peony flowers mainly uses traditional propagation methods, including division, seeding, cutting, and layering, among which the division method is the easiest and most widely used. The seeding method is only used for breeding new varieties, producing rootstocks for grafted peonies, and for medicinal production. The rapid propagation of ornamental varieties is an urgent issue that has long been hoped to be solved through tissue culture. Both domestically and internationally, much work has been done, and although there has been progress, it is still far from practical application.The cultivation methods of peony flowers1. Cutting methodChoose a high and well-drained area as the cutting bed, turn the soil loose, and then cover it with a 15 cm thick layer of river sand, which should be disinfected with 0.5% potassium permanganate. The cutting substrate can also be vermiculite or perlite. Set up a 1.5-meter-high sunshade shed on the bed. According to the experience of Changchun and other places, cutting and inserting cuttings in mid-July is the best. The cuttings are 10-15 cm long, with two nodes, one compound leaf with a few leaves left, and the next compound leaf cut off with the petiole. After dipping in a solution of 500×10 to 1000×10 naphthyl acetic acid or indole acetic acid, insert the cuttings about 5 cm deep, with spacing such that the leaves do not overlap. After watering thoroughly, cover with a plastic shed. It has been observed that the best rooting effect is achieved when the substrate temperature is 28-30°C and the humidity is 50%. Maintaining a temperature of 20-25°C and humidity of 80-90% in the cutting shed allows for rooting and formation of dormant buds within 20-30 days. After rooting, reduce the amount of喷水和 watering, and gradually remove the plastic shed and sunshade shed. The cutting seedlings grow slowly and need to be covered with soil in winter, and then transplanted to the open ground the following spring.2. Root cutting methodUse the broken roots during the autumn division of peonies, cut them into 5-10 cm root segments, insert them into deep and levelled trenches, cover with a 5-10 cm thick layer of fine soil, and water thoroughly.3. Layering methodIn spring, insert the young shoots that have just emerged through the pot holes of the flower pot into a pot with a diameter of 15-20 cm, gradually fill the pot with soil while maintaining soil moisture, and by summer, they will root. Cut off the stem below the pot before winter to form a potted peony.4. Modern tissue culture methodPlant tissue culture, also known as aseptic culture technology, is based on the theory of the totipotency of plant cells. Using isolated organs, tissues, or cells of peonies (such as roots, stems, leaves, etc.), it induces callus, adventitious buds, adventitious roots under sterile and suitable artificial culture media, light, and temperature conditions, eventually forming complete plants identical to the parent plant in genetics. This technique is also known as cloning technology, which achieves rapid propagation and has broad application value.The cultivation methods of peony flowers mainly focus on the following four steps, hoping to help enthusiasts with the daily care of peony flowers.1. TemperaturePeonies are typical temperate plants that are warm-loving and cold-tolerant, with a wide ecological adaptation range. They can be cultivated outdoors in the northern regions of China and are relatively cold-tolerant. In the Nenjiang County area of Heilongjiang Province, with an annual growth period of only 120 days and an extreme minimum temperature of -46.5°C, they can still grow and bloom normally and overwinter outdoors. They prefer a cool climate in the summer but can also tolerate heat, as in Bozhou, Anhui Province, where the extreme maximum temperature in summer can reach 42.1°C, and they can still safely oversummer.2. LightPeonies require sufficient light during the growing season to grow luxuriantly and have colorful flowers; however, they can also grow and develop normally under light shade. During the flowering period, it is appropriate to slightly reduce the temperature and increase humidity to avoid damage from strong sunlight, thereby extending the viewing period. However, excessive shade can cause luxurious growth, weak growth, failure to bloom, or sparse flowering.Peonies are long-day plants that differentiate flower buds during the short-day season of autumn and winter and bloom in the spring under long-day conditions. The development of flower buds and blooming require long-day conditions. If the day length is too short (8-9 hours), it can lead to slow development of flower buds, accelerated leaf growth, poor flowering, or even no flowering.3. SoilPeonies are deep-rooted plants, so they require deep soil layers and are robust fleshy roots, suitable for loose and well-drained sandy loam soil. They grow poorly in clay and sandy soil, and excessive soil moisture and poor drainage can easily cause root rot. Neutral or slightly acidic soil is preferred, and saline-alkaline soil is not suitable for planting. They grow better in fertile soil, but attention should be paid to not having too high nitrogen content to prevent luxurious growth of branches and leaves. Phosphorus and potassium fertilizers can be appropriately applied during the growing season to promote robust growth of branches and leaves and beautiful flowering. Peonies dislike continuous cropping. In traditional peony concentrated areas, it is a common practice to continuously plant peonies in the same plot of land for many years, which has caused severe losses, not only in terms of serious pests and diseases, reduced yield and quality, but also leading to large-scale death. Therefore, a scientific and reasonable crop rotation system must be implemented.4. WaterPeonies prefer high and dry terrain and do not require frequent irrigation. Because they have fleshy roots, they are particularly intolerant to waterlogging, and积水 for 6-10 hours can often lead to root rot. Low-lying areas are not suitable for China's peony production areas, as floods are almost always devastating to peonies, with only those on high ground and not flooded surviving.The above is a comprehensive explanation of how to care for peonies to make them bloom and the cultivation methods and maintenance of peony flowers, hoping to provide a starting point to solve your green plant problems.