Peonies are herbaceous perennials of the Peony family. Ornamental shrubs adorn gardens, flower beds. Flowers have a pleasant aroma, they are grown for bouquets. Bushes can grow 10-15 years without transplanting.
Features of peony care in the fall
The cultivation of peonies in spring and autumn is different. After flowering, preparation for the winter of bushes is required, activities include:
- pruning with the beginning of the first frost;
- plant nutrition;
- separation and replanting of overgrown flowers;
- medical procedures for the detection of diseases or pests;
- abundant watering of each bush during dry summers;
- shelter with dry leaves, peat, lodged sawdust, spruce branches.
Autumn care by region
Outdoor care varies by season and climate zone. The timing of preparing plants for winter is different due to the fact that frosts in the regions come at different times.
If there is little snow and it does not cover the bushes of the plant, you should do it yourself.
Region | The timing | Care Features |
Moscow Region / Midland | From October 10th. | Mulching, additional measures are possible (use of spruce) |
| Ural / Siberia | From mid-September to early October. | In dry weather, mulching and shelter from wind and frost with non-woven material, burlap. |
| Volga region | In November. | Hilling, mulching 10-15 cm. |
Top dressing
From mid-September to mid-October - the time of feeding peonies. This is 1-1.5 before frost and pruning, plants accumulate minerals for active growth in the spring and the formation of large inflorescences. Thus, in the spring, flowering will be magnificent.
Apply autumn phosphorus-potassium mixtures from the third year of planting. Liquid top dressing is required if the summer and autumn were arid. One tablet of phosphorus and potassium is dissolved in water and each bush is watered one liter.
When it rains, they sprinkle around the granules (15 grams of potassium and 20 grams of phosphorus per bush), avoiding contact with the basal neck. They also use bird droppings, cow dung.
Autumn pruning
The main stage of preparation for winter is pruning bushes. Unshaped shoots are a home for the wintering of pests, their larvae and pathogens. It is very important to do it on time. In rainy and cold weather, the risk of decay of wilted leaves and roots increases, so you do not need to tighten with pruning. Frozen shoots become soft and it is impossible to make the cut neat. Previously removed aboveground parts are also not recommended.
The first time after flowering, wilted flowers are pruned. Leaves are not advised to touch, there the process of photosynthesis continues, which contributes to the nutrition of the roots.
After the first frost, when all the foliage turns red and lays on the ground, the bushes are shortened:
- A sharp tool is prepared and disinfected (secateurs, clippers, knife), for example, with alcohol.
- Shoots are removed, leaving 2-3 cm and all leaves.
- Loosen the soil around the bush, sprinkle fertilizer.
If it is not possible to cut in time and you have to remove the shoots earlier, then it is recommended to leave 3-4 stems in the center with leaves.
In tree species, formative pruning is carried out to give decorativeness. Stems are shortened by 70-90 cm and dry, damaged ones are removed. Once every ten years, anti-aging pruning is required, old shoots are cut off.
All parts are removed from the site and burned, places of cuts, the soil is treated with ash.
Peony transplant
The site is selected with sufficient sun exposure, without drafts and frequent winds. They dig holes for a month and a half, the sizes depend on the root system. Typically, their depth is 60-70 cm and a diameter of 50-70 cm. Between the bushes they stand 80-100 cm. Fertilize the holes with humus, peat, compost taken equally. It is also advised to add bone meal and superphosphate. If the clay soil, you need to make 150 gr. slaked lime. In the area with stagnation of water, do drainage - make fine gravel, sand with a layer of 15-20 cm, mixed with soil.
Take into account - in the first year you should not wait for flowering.
The thin-leaved peony prefers a slightly shaded spot with diffused light. Plant it at a depth of 5-10 cm. Consider that the plant does not bloom for long.
The timing
A transplant is recommended to be done in early autumn or late summer, but less than 1.5 months before the onset of frost. It takes time to strengthen the bushes and the formation of new roots.
Step by step
After the holes are ready and the set time has passed, choose a day for transplanting bushes, preferably sunny:
- Cut off the aerial part, leaving 10-15 cm.
- Using a pitchfork (not a shovel), they dig a bush, extract the root along with the ground, clean and wash.
- After inspection, damaged, rotten parts are removed with a sharp and disinfected tool.
- The bush is treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, lowering for 15 minutes.
- After the plant has dried, put in the hole.
- A bucket of water is poured (to straighten the roots).
- Fall asleep with earth and compost when moisture is absorbed.
- The root neck is placed at the level of the soil.
- Watered, making 5 liters per bush.
A layer of mulch from sawdust, peat, grass is laid on top.
Mistakes
Novice gardeners sometimes make mistakes when leaving:
- Cut off too early, before the onset of the first frost. Because of this, the formation of new kidneys is disrupted.
- Do not clean old, yellowed leaves and cut shoots. The plant becomes infected with fungal diseases in spring.
- Bushes are left without fertilizers and in the spring few buds are formed.
- Excess nitrogen in the fall leads to the growth of aboveground parts, during the frosts they will die.
- Wrong division of the bush - each part should have 3-5 kidneys.
- Frequent transplant - the plant does not bloom.
- A little moisture.
- Nutrient deficiency in the soil.
- Planting too deep or in the shade of trees near their roots.
- Landing where groundwater near the bushes.
For the winter, it is important to properly cover the bushes, to mulch.
Peony care in spring
In spring, when the temperature rises above -5 ° C and the snow melts, they carefully remove the shelter, preferably in cloudy weather. In March, they are fed with nitrogen (20-30 grams of ammonium nitrate per bush).
When the soil dries up, it is cleared of weeds, loosened by 3-5 cm, disinfected with a solution of manganese, covered with straw, humus.
When the first sprouts appear, they are treated with Bordeaux liquid. Sprayed with colloidal sulfur during the period of leaf regrowth to prevent rust. From insect pests treated with insecticides. In May, during the budding period, nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus are added. Pinch the side buds to get large flowers to cut.
