How to plant and care for peony flowers
A series of life knowledge about peony flowers, including how to plant and care for peonies and the correct care methods for potted peony flowers, the knowledge content about flowers and plants. Let's learn about it together next.
Peony flowers are magnificent, elegant in posture, and beautiful in leaves, known as the "king of flowers" with the reputation of "national color and fragrance," ranking second among the top ten famous flowers in China. Peony flowers are large and fragrant, and when planted in the courtyard or on the balcony, they are particularly vibrant and attractive; placed in the living room or study, they are dignified and elegant, filling the room with brilliance, highlighting the owner's luxuriousness.
However, many families do not know how to care for their peony flowers properly. Below, I will share with flower enthusiasts the methods and requirements for raising potted peony flowers at home.
1. Temperature and lighting should be suitable. Peony flowers prefer a warm, slightly dry, and sunlit growing environment and are not tolerant of high temperatures and high humidity. The optimal growth temperature is around 15-25 degrees Celsius. Especially in summer, avoid direct sunlight and especially avoid exposure to the scorching sun. 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 a neutral sandy loam that is fertile, breathable, and-draining. Avoid alkaline, acidic, or heavy clay soils. For potted peonies at home, 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, with a depth of about 50 centimeters to ensure the peony roots grow strong and healthy.
3. Watering and fertilizing should be appropriate. Everyone knows that watering is a key factor in raising flowers, and excessive watering is the number one "killer" of flower care. Therefore, when watering peonies, it is best to water only when necessary and adjust according to seasonal and weather changes. More watering is needed during dry spring and autumn seasons, but avoid waterlogging in the pot. In summer, with high temperatures and humidity, water in the morning and evening; during the plum rain season, water less. 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 off the thick branches above the flower buds. To cultivate large flowers, remove the withered flowers and appropriately remove flower buds to reduce the number of flowers. In autumn and winter, cut off the withered flowers, dry flower stalks, and weak branches and leaves to accumulate energy for the next year's blooming.
5. Disease and pest control need to be followed up. Peony flowers are prone to red spot disease, brown spot disease, and gray mold disease. In spring and summer, spray a mixture of insecticidal and fungicidal agents on the peonies while watering. If the disease and pest situation is severe, spray a mixed fungicidal and insecticidal agent every half month to prevent the spread of the pathogen and infect the entire plant.
Peony propagation methods: One is division propagation. Every autumn, select 4-5-year-old large clumps, remove the soil from the roots, place them in a loud place to air-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. 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 a month, the embryonic roots can grow, but no buds will emerge from the soil. By the next 2-3 months, the seeds will germinate and grow into seedlings, and after 3-5 years of cultivation, they can bloom.
The detailed explanation of how to plant and care for peony flowers and the correct care methods for potted peony flowers shared above, I hope this article can bring you help in green plant management!