How to best care for peony flowers
The editor introduces the best way to care for peony flowers and knowledge about the green plants and flowers in terms of home potting methods for peony cultivation. Next, the editor of this site will introduce to everyone.
Peony flowers are magnificent, graceful in appearance, with beautiful branches and leaves, and are known as the "national color and fragrance," ranking second among China's top ten famous flowers, and被誉为 the king of flowers symbolizing wealth and auspiciousness. Peony flowers are large and fragrant, and when planted in the courtyard or balcony, they are particularly vibrant and eye-catching, beautiful and captivating; when potted in the living room or study, they are dignified and elegant, filling the room with brightness, showcasing the owner's grandeur.
However, many families do not know how to care for their peony flowers properly. Below, I will share with flower enthusiasts the cultivation methods and requirements for home potting of peonies.
1. Temperature and light should be suitable. Peony flowers prefer a warm, slightly dry, and sunlit growing environment and do not tolerate high temperatures and humidity. The suitable growing temperature is around 15-25 degrees Celsius. Especially in summer, it is necessary to avoid direct sunlight and especially avoid strong sun exposure. Therefore, proper shading and sun protection should be done in summer to prevent sunburn.
2. Soil selection needs careful consideration. Different plants have different soil requirements, especially in terms of breathability and fertility. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the selection of soil for peony cultivation. The soil for planting peonies should be fertile, breathable, and well-draining neutral sandy loam, and it should avoid alkaline, acidic, or heavy clayey soils. For home potting, 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 perennial large plants need pots 40-50 centimeters in diameter, and the depth of the pot should also reach about 50 centimeters to allow the peony roots to grow strong.
3. Watering and fertilizing should be done appropriately. Everyone knows that watering is the primary factor in growing flowers well, and excessive watering is the number one "killer" of flower cultivation. Therefore, when watering peony flowers, it is important to water only when necessary and adjust watering according to seasonal and weather changes. More watering is needed during the dry spring and autumn seasons, but avoid waterlogging in the pot. In the hot and humid summer, watering should be done in the morning and evening; less watering is needed during the plum rain season. Peonies should be fertilized at least three times a year, with an additional application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer before flowering and a compound fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium after flowering.
4. Pruning after flowering should be timely. During the peony's leaf-falling period, cut the thick branches above the flower buds. To cultivate large flowers, remove the wilted flowers and appropriately remove flower buds to reduce the number of flowers. In autumn and winter, remove 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. Peony flowers are prone to red spot disease, brown spot disease, and gray mold disease. In spring and summer, a mixed fungicide and insecticide should be sprayed on peonies during watering. If the disease and pest problems are severe, a mixed fungicide and insecticide spray should be applied every half month to prevent the spread of pathogens and infection of the entire plant.
Peony propagation methods: One is division propagation. Every autumn, select large clusters of 4-5-year-old plants, remove the attached soil from the roots, place them in a loud place to dry the roots for 2-3 days, cut the connecting part of the roots with a knife, plant the roots upright without twisting, fill the soil in layers, and water thoroughly once. The second is by sowing. Sow the seeds immediately after harvesting in autumn. The planting depth is about 2-5 centimeters, cover the soil flatly, and after one month, the embryonic roots can grow, but no sprouts will emerge from the soil. By the next February or March, sprouts will emerge from the soil, and after 3-5 years of cultivation, they will bloom.
This article shares the full content on how to care for peony flowers best and home potting methods for peony cultivation, hoping it will be helpful to green plant enthusiasts!