Peonies: We Care For Plants According To The Calendar

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Wonderful bright perennials delight their owners every year with exuberant flowering and are one of the main decorations of spring flower beds. In addition, the flowers exude a light and pleasant aroma, which gives them a special charm. But the peony, like all other plants, needs constant care. In this article, I want to share with you information on what you need to do every month so that these perennials will delight you with abundant flowering

Please note that in the southern regions, peonies begin to bloom in early to mid-May, in the middle lane it occurs towards the end of the month, and in the northern part of the country, flowering begins in summer, in June. Therefore, if necessary, shift the dates of a particular operation in accordance with the weather conditions in your region.

March

Let's start with the spring months, as spring is the time of nature awakening. If spring is early, then the first work with peonies will take place in this first spring month. What happens to the plant during this period? It wakes up and begins to grow. And it is at this time that it is best to carry out the first feeding with nitrogen fertilizers. For example, ammonium nitrate. It will take about 35-40 grams per bush. By the way, top dressing can be carried out directly on the ice crust, nutrients are very well absorbed into the soil along with melt water.

April

In April, you can prune old stems if, for some reason, you did not have time to do this in the fall. We also remove the shelter, but we do it very carefully, since the young sprouts are very fragile and it is quite easy to break them. If necessary, we transplant the peonies to a new place. We also make sure to carry out preventive treatment with Bordeaux liquid. Please note that you need to spray the plants twice a month: approximately in the middle of the month, and then 10-14 days after the first treatment.

May

In May, we carry out loosening, weed removal and carefully monitor that the soil does not dry out. If necessary, we water the plants; each bush requires 25-30 liters of water. It is enough to water once a week. In the period when the buds appear, we carry out the second feeding this year. This time - complex, so that the plants get potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Choose any fertilizer that you like, most importantly, observe the dosage. For each bush you need: about 20 grams of phosphorus, about 10 grams of nitrogen, and 15 grams of potassium.

June

At this time, peonies are blooming with might and main, delighting those around them with bright colors and a pleasant aroma. If you want the flowers to be large, then at the beginning of flowering, remove the side buds, leaving one flower per shoot. For weak bushes with large flowers, be sure to put up supports to prevent the plant from breaking. Monitor soil moisture and water as needed. After watering, be sure to loosen the ground under the peonies, do not allow the formation of a crust. As the flowering proceeds, we cut off the fading peduncles.

July August

In July, the flowering ends, so we remove wilted flowers as needed. Also, at the first signs of disease, we remove the infected leaves. If necessary, we water it.

In August, care is very simple: timely watering, removal of yellowing leaves. Loosen. We remove weeds. If you live in the northern regions of the country, then at the end of August you can plant new bushes of peonies in a flowerbed or transplant existing ones (if necessary, of course).

September and October

If you don't have peonies and want to have them, now is the time to do it. In addition, during these months peonies are transplanted, large bushes are divided.

If planting or transplanting is not planned, then we observe the existing bushes and, as they wither, we cut off the leaves for the winter. And do not forget to feed the plants with ash or bone meal.

November

We cut off all the stems and leaves on the peonies and cover them with a thick layer of peat or mulch for the winter so that the plants do not freeze.

December January February

During this period, peonies "sleep". If the winter is snowy, then make sure that the thickness of the snow above the flower bed with peonies is at least 35 centimeters. If you live in a region where there is often no snow in winter, but in winter there is a severe frost for some time, then cover the plants for the winter, at least with mulch.