Florists say that in the open ground, peonies grow for more than twenty years, of course, provided that planting and care are carried out according to all requirements. Bushes adorn any land with their lush buds.
Disembarkation
Peonies take root only with the right fit. Therefore, it is important to know the timing, location and other nuances.
The timing
Outdoor planting in autumn is most preferred. In September, the root system grows, the flower has time to recover after the growing season, is gaining strength. Landing should be carried out one to one and a half months before the onset of frost. This gives a guarantee that the bush will take root before wintering.
Timing depends on the area and its weather conditions:
- In Siberia, landing takes place in August and in the first two autumn months. In the northern part, you need to finish it six to eight weeks earlier than in the southern.
- In the Urals, landing is carried out from the 2nd decade of August to mid-September.
- Five to seven days later, peonies are planted in the middle lane and in the Northwest (the same applies to the Moscow Region).
- In the southern regions, peonies should be planted from September to mid-October.
With the onset of early frosts in the area, landing is done in the spring. Seedlings with an open root system are difficult to tolerate and cannot recover for a long time. To improve the situation, planting is recommended in early March, when the snow melts, in moist soil.
This does not apply to plants with a closed root system (cultivation is carried out in boxes, pots). Such peonies can be planted from the beginning of spring to autumn (even in the hot summer months: June, July).
Seed material: selection and preparatory work
Planting material is selected medium-sized. An ordinary delenka has a rhizome length of about twenty centimeters, three to five kidney substitutions. For example, the variety Holland is five to eight centimeters long; there are one to three buds. Peonies with these parameters take root much better than large specimens.
It is not recommended to plant large undivided bushes. They give buds already in the first year, but old rhizomes quickly die. This inhibits the formation of new processes, the peony becomes weak, blooms poorly and may even die.
Old, poorly formed plants are dug up and cleared of soil. Fresh areas with kidney replacement and young roots are cut with a sharpened knife. They can be used as planting material.
Small specimens are pre-landed on a distribution bed. Landing is carried out according to a special scheme (15-20 centimeters in a row, 50-60 centimeters in between). Seedlings need thorough care. Well growing specimens can be planted in a permanent place after a year, the rest - as they develop.
Location conditions, soil
Peonies love warmth and light. They tolerate a slight shadow up to three hours a day. It is necessary that she protect the plant from direct sunlight in the afternoon. Flowers are afraid of the north wind and drafts. It is necessary to select a place for one year, but for several years at once.
For three to five years, the root system grows to 70-80 centimeters. Therefore, the place must be chosen with a deep arrangement of groundwater. It is also important that the area does not flood melted snow. Excessive moisture will lead to rotting of the rhizome and death of the flower.
Planting soil should be medium or low acid. Peonies take root well in the loose, enriched with useful elements earth, passing air currents.
When planting is carried out in sandy soil, it is diluted with humus, peat, ash, dolomite flour, garden soil. If peonies are planted in dense clay soil, it is mixed with sand, peat (this makes the substrate airy, loose). Sand is also added to nutritious, but quickly caking chernozem.
Soil preparation
This stage is important for the correct growth, development, flowering and longevity of the plant. Pits are dug four to six weeks before disembarkation. During this time, the earth will have time to settle to the required level. Wells are located at a distance of 80-100 centimeters from each other (if you dig them together, the bushes will grow poorly). The depth of the pits is 60-70 centimeters. Circumference - 55-70 centimeters.
A mixture of:
- compost earth;
- peat;
- manure
- potassium sulfate 150 grams;
- bone meal 350 grams;
- superphosphate 170-200 grams;
- ground slaked lime 140-170 grams (when the soil is clay).
The mass is mixed with the topsoil, slightly compacted. The nutrient mixture should fill the hole halfway.
Planting rules
When landing, the following rules are observed:
- Tree-like plant species are planted to a depth of 80 centimeters, grassy varieties - 60 centimeters. The diameter of the pit is 60 and 50 centimeters, respectively.
- The bottom of the hole is lined with a drainage layer to avoid moisture stagnation.
- The pit is filled with a nutrient substrate.
- After placing the straightened roots in the ground, they are additionally covered with earth for 15-20 centimeters so that the kidneys do not remain on the surface of the substrate. If this is not done, the growth point (the most delicate part of the peony) will remain unprotected from external aggressive factors: the scorching sun, cold wind, frost and the rest. However, planting a plant too deep is also not worth it. Although it will give lush foliage, it will bloom badly or will not form buds at all.
- The soil is compacted and watered (8-10 liters of water per instance).
- When planting in summer or autumn, peonies are mulched with peat (a layer of 10 centimeters). The nutrient substrate for filling the pit before planting can be made by yourself, purchased in specialized stores for gardeners. When all planting requirements are met, peonies will decorate the garden with their lush buds for many years, without requiring frequent transplanting or updating.
Errors and their prevention
Gardeners often buy shoots of peonies in late winter, early spring. At the same time, beginners make a huge mistake that can destroy plants: they are stored until planting in unsuitable conditions.
Peony is a perennial plant that needs a “cold start" (applies to hybrids). This means that seedlings will begin to grow rhizomes only at low soil temperatures (from 0 to +10 degrees). If you keep it on a heated windowsill or near a battery, it will give a lot of kidneys. This may seem like a good sign initially. However, such shoots die quickly. This happens because at high temperature all nutrients from the soil go to the aboveground part (foliage). The roots quickly exhaust the remaining reserves and die.
In order not to harm the flowers, they are wrapped in plastic wrap, placed in the vegetable section of the refrigerator or in a cool cellar at low plus temperature. You can also bury cuttings in a snowdrift on the north side of the structure. It is recommended that they remain under the snow before it melts. It’s not worth worrying about the shoots, such a natural way of storage does not harm the plants.
When the soil warms up a bit, the peonies are planted on a distribution bed. Top they are mulched with peat. By the autumn, the shoots will take root well, will perfectly transfer the transplant to a permanent place.
Amateur gardeners make mistakes due to which peonies do not give buds at all or do not dissolve them. The most common of them:
- the growth point is placed too deep in the ground (deeper than 5 centimeters) or, on the contrary, is located high above the ground (at a distance of 2-3 centimeters);
- the bushes are planted in a too shady or humid place;
- delenki have very small sizes;
- seedlings are too large, nutrients in the soil are not enough for flowering;
- the plant is too old, it needs a transplant with division;
- soil with high acidity, it must be reduced by adding lime or wood ash;
- introduced a large number of nitrogen fertilizers;
- buds were frozen in the spring (the plant must be mulched for the winter);
- in the previous year, the leaves were cut early;
- the plant struck rot because preventive measures were not taken;
- last season, the flower was poorly watered and fertilized.
In order for a perennial plant to begin to bloom, it is necessary to eliminate the factors that impede this process. Usually, a transfer to a more suitable place is required, performed in accordance with all the rules and requirements. If the bushes do not bloom because of the disease, they need to be treated with special purchased drugs (fungicides). With gray or bacterial rot, Bayleton 0.1%, Topsin M 2%, Fundazole 0.2%, Azophos help.
