Where and when to plant tree peonies in open ground
Planting a tree peony in the photo
Material for planting tree peonies is sold in several varieties:
- adult bushes (age 8-10 years);
- plants in a container (in a pot);
- plants in sealed packaging (in a plastic bag).
As a rule, this is grafted material (cuttings of tree-like peonies, grafted onto herbaceous roots), very rarely - delenki (divided small plants).
Before planting a tree peony, keep in mind that when buying a plant in polyethylene or in a pot, it is difficult to assess the condition of the root system.
If you bought a flowering specimen, it is grafted material. Such plants are most susceptible to various diseases. A much more reliable material is one that is obtained as a result of dividing a bush.
Do not plant tree peonies near the house, large trees and shrubs - in the shade, the plants stretch out strongly and lose their varietal characteristics. However, peonies should be protected from direct sunlight. The ideal option where it is recommended to plant a tree-like peony is a semi-shady area: here the flowers last longer and their color does not change. Plant peonies out of the wind. In open, heavily blown places, plants, as a rule, die. In Japan and China, the flowers of tree peonies are often covered from the sun, wind and rain with special canopies.
It is very important to know when to plant tree peonies outdoors. Do not forget that the timing of planting significantly affects the survival rate of peonies. Planting too late has a negative effect on root development, and, accordingly, on the further flowering of plants.
In peonies, the timing of all physiological processes is clearly defined: in April-May they bloom, in July-August they bear fruit, and by the end of September they go into hibernation. The best time to plant tree peonies in the middle zone of the European part of Russia and in particular in the Moscow region is from mid-August to the end of September. With a late transplant, the root wound sites do not heal for a long time, and the bush is sick.
The following describes how to properly plant a tree peony in open ground.
Proper soil preparation for planting a tree peony
According to the rules for planting tree peonies, you need to prepare good garden soil, preferably alkaline (pH 6-6.5). These plants feel great on calcareous soil. The soil should be deeply loosened, very nutritious, well-drained, not too wet, but not dry either. You can prepare the soil for planting yourself by mixing equal parts of black peat, well-rotted humus from leaf litter, ordinary garden soil and sand. You can add 200-400 g of bone meal and 100-200 g of superphosphate.
On sandy loam soils, the bushes age faster and lose their decorative effect. Sandy loam soils can be improved by adding clay and organic fertilizers. The optimum pH value is 6-6.5. Peonies grow worst of all on peaty soils, as they cannot stand high acidity. Therefore, it is necessary to add ash, bone meal, sand, and organic fertilizers (rotted manure) to peaty soils. Damp, wetlands are completely unsuitable. Peonies begin to suffer from gray rot, the roots rot, and the plant dies.Therefore, in low areas, plants should be planted in raised ridges with good drainage.
How to plant a tree peony correctly
Not only the decorativeness of the bush, but also the duration of its life depends on the correct planting and transplanting of tree peonies. If all the necessary conditions are met, a tree peony can grow in one place for more than 100 years. Century peonies can be seen, for example, in the vicinity of Philadelphia and New York - despite their age and almost complete lack of maintenance, they bloom profusely every year.
For planting each plant in the suburbs, where the climate is much more severe, it is necessary to take at least 2-3 hours: a peony planted "in haste", as a rule, does not grow well.
Transplanting a plant in a container or plastic wrap must be approached very carefully. If you purchased grafted plants in a closed package in the spring, plant them as soon as possible in a garden bed with lush, like a feather bed, soil. Pre-unpack and carefully examine the condition of the root system. If the roots are dry, immerse them for 10-15 minutes in water to which a growth agent (epin or zircon) has been added, and then plant them in the ground.
You can plant the material purchased in the winter in pots and put it in a cool room, and plant it in the garden in the spring. Transplant the hardened plant in two to three years to a permanent place.
Here you can see a photo of planting a tree peony:
Germinating seeds
It is not too difficult to grow peonies at home from seeds, but this process has its own characteristics. The reason, again, is the slow germination of seeds. But we said that flower growers have found a way to "rush" nature a little. What is required for this? First, you should only use your own seeds, not store-bought seeds. They must be immature: in the very early stages of ripening. During this period, they are not hard and are colored light brown with tiny yellowish specks, and the leaflets begin to crack at the seams.
It is important that the seeds do not dry out, so they are either sown immediately or stored in the refrigerator in damp sand for 1.5 months. It is best to do this from the last days of August to mid-September. If you decide to sow them right away, you need to prepare containers in which the seeds are sown to a depth of 5 cm.
Some growers plant seeds at this time directly in the beds. In this case, they go through two stages of stratification - warm (+ 15 ... + 30 ° C) and cold, lasting about two months (+ 5 ... + 10 ° C). This will allow you to germinate your planted seeds for the next summer. But you need to be prepared for the fact that a maximum of 1/3 of the total will rise. Some seedlings may appear a year later.
How to plant a tree peony correctly: transplanting an adult bush
For transplanting an adult bush of a tree-like peony (8-15 year old), prepare the holes in 2-4 weeks so that the earth settles. If you are making a hole just before planting, compact the soil. The distance between the pits is at least 1.5 m.
If the groundwater is below 2 m, then to transplant an adult bush (8 years or more), dig a hole in the form of a cone, with a depth and upper diameter of about 70 cm.Pour 15-20 cm of drainage (gravel, broken brick) on the bottom of the hole, on top - rotted manure; on acidic soils, add 200 g of lime.
When transplanting, dig the bush together with a clod of earth. Stick the shovel at a distance of 30-35 cm from the stems so as not to damage the small suction roots. So that the earthy ball does not crumble, wrap it with gauze and plant the bush right with it. If you bought a large plant in the nursery, then during transportation, put it together with an earthen ball wrapped in gauze in a box so as not to injure the roots.
Pour soil into the hole with a slide, place the plant on it along with an earthen clod and immediately fill it with plenty of water so that all the roots are straightened out. After about twenty minutes, when the moisture is absorbed, fill the hole with prepared soil. Do not trample the earth around the bush.
If the groundwater is close to the surface, plant the plant on a mound.
In early October, mulch the near-stem steep with peat or a mixture of peat and humus. The first year after transplanting, the plant, as a rule, is sick and grows back in growth, sometimes almost all the shoots may seem completely dry. But do not rush to write it off as a waste - by the end of the growing season, new shoots will appear from the adventitious buds located at the base of the stems and a natural rejuvenation of the bush will occur.
Watch the video of planting a tree peony to better imagine how this agrotechnical event is performed:
Propagation of a tree peony by seeds, cuttings, dividing and layering
In the Moscow region, the reproduction of a tree-like peony can be carried out by seeds, as well as by vegetative methods: dividing the bush, layering and cuttings.
Seed reproduction. For reproduction of a tree peony, freshly harvested seeds are sown in the ground in September-October. Seeds of tree peonies germinate only in the second or third year. However, germination can be accelerated. Carry out warm stratification for 6-7 hours at +18 ° С, then at +30 ° С until the root appears. Then - cold stratification at temperatures from +2 to +6 ° C until the first leaf appears.
By the end of the first year, 1-2 leaves are formed in the tree-like item, the shoot dies off by winter. By the end of the second year, a lignified shoot 20-30 cm tall is formed. In the third year, another 2-3 shoots develop. The plant blooms in the fourth or fifth year.
Vegetative propagation by dividing the bush. In September, dig a 5-6-year-old bush, wash off the soil from the roots and divide the bush (split - 2-3 shoots). Treat the wounds with potassium permanganate or sprinkle with crushed charcoal.
Vegetative propagation by layering. Before propagating tree peonies by layering, in May, before the flowers bloom, make a shallow incision on the shoot from below, and treat with growth substance. Pin the shoot to the ground, cover with soil with a layer of 12-15 cm. Moisten the soil constantly. In September, cut the rooted shoot from the mother bush and plant it in a permanent place.
Vegetative propagation by cuttings. For propagation of a tree-like peony by cuttings in mid-June, cut the semi-lignified shoots with air buds obliquely under the bud, treat the cut with growth substance. Trim the blade off the cutting by two thirds. Pour a mixture of peat with river sand into the boxes, on top - clean river sand with a layer of at least 2 cm. Plant the cuttings at an angle of 45 °, deepening the bud. Cover the boxes with glass or foil. Moisten the soil constantly.
By dividing the bush
The most common way of reproduction of a tree peony, like most perennials, is the division of the bush, however, in order to obtain high-quality planting material, only mature plants can be divided. Usually, this is a 3-5 year old, well-flowering specimen, with 7 or more independent stems, the distance between which is at least 3.5 cm.The division time, of course, depends on the region and the characteristics of climatic conditions, however, the generally accepted, favorable interval time is considered the period from mid-August to the third decade of September. A tree-like peony bush suitable for dividing is dug out, shaken off the ground or washed in water, the stems are cut off at a height of 10-15 cm., And then dried in the shade for 2-3 hours, until the roots become less fragile.On the rhizome prepared in this way, delenki with 2-3 buds are marked and cut off with a sharp knife so that a part of the root, at least 10 cm long, remains at the delenka.
You can try to disassemble the dried rhizome, from the root collar, by pulling it in different directions with your hands, but this method is suitable only for relatively young plants and can damage the cuttings. The roots, in places of cuts and damage, are sprinkled with charcoal, treated with a manganese solution or etched in a fungicide.
How to propagate a tree peony by grafting
The best time for grafting a tree peony is the end of August. The rootstock is cut from the root of herbaceous or treelike peonies 10-15 cm long; the thickness of the root should correspond to the thickness of the cutting. The roots are dug up in 2-3 weeks and kept in a cool place. Graft - only shoots of the current year, preferably with two eyes. Wedge-cut grafting. Make a wedge cut on the rootstock. Cut the lower part of the scion in the shape of a wedge. The surfaces of the scion and rootstock must be perfectly smooth for the cambial layers to match. Insert the scion into the stock, tie it tightly with insulating tape (sticky side out) and coat with garden varnish.
The grafted plants can be planted in the ground immediately after grafting. But it is better to plant the grafted material first for 3-4 weeks in a greenhouse protected from direct sunlight, leaving the scion above the soil level, and water it regularly. Another option is to keep the grafted material for 3-4 weeks in the basement - in a horizontal position, in 2-3 layers, shifting with wet sawdust.
Side grafting. Cut the graft diagonally at a slight angle. Cut the root at the same angle. Tie the combined scion and rootstock tightly and coat with garden varnish.
Layers
Tree peonies are propagated by layering without waiting for flowering, usually in May. To do this, choose the most developed shoot, bend it to the ground and make a small incision on it, in the place where the stem touches the ground. For better rooting, the incision can be powdered with rooting stimulants and a small spacer inserted into it, after which the shoot must be pinned to the soil surface and covered with 8-15 cm. a layer of soil. It is very important to ensure that the ground does not dry out during the rooting process.
In the case of reproduction of a tree peony by layering, you can wrap the incised shoot without bending it to the ground, wrap it with wet moss, wrap it with polyethylene and tie it or cover it with garden pitch, but this option is less effective than the first one. But, in both cases, the roots, with a favorable outcome, should appear in late August - early September.
