It is believed that peony belongs to unpretentious garden plants. But he also needs some care.
In autumn, a peony requires more attention than in spring or summer.
Proper care during this period helps to ensure bright flowering in the next season.
It is time to prepare the peony for the winter.
What you need to know about autumn peony care
In autumn, the plant needs additional nutrition, which is the key to flowering in the future, and also helps to accumulate the necessary amount of nutrients for a good wintering. How to prepare a peony for the winter?
Peony top dressing
All fertilizers are applied in the fall before the onset of frost, somewhere in mid-September or early October. But in the northern regions you need to look at the weather. Why fertilize a peony in the fall? The root system of the plant has some features, it actively grows in the fall. Peony care during this period should be full.
As a rule, phosphorus-potassium top dressing is applied in the fall, leaving nitrogen fertilizers for spring use. The use of such a feeding scheme gives advantages:
• in the next season, larger and better kidneys appear;
• peony blooming will be full, brighter and more memorable;
• in response to the top dressing received, the bush begins to grow actively, increasing in size.
Fertilizers are applied in several ways:
• in liquid form;
• in a dry way.
If the weather is dry, it is more advisable to make liquid root dressing of the plant. For this, mineral fertilizers are dissolved in water, the bush is watered with the resulting solution. The consumption of the working mixture is 1 liter per plant, depending on its size.
Rainy autumn dictates its own rules, and fertilizing is better when dry. The fact is that the use of liquid fertilizers is unjustified. When the soil is waterlogged, the root system ceases to absorb beneficial substances from it. Dry granular top dressing will come to the rescue. They last longer, and minerals come in dosage. A handful of granules are scattered around the shrub, lightly patching into the soil.
Peony Care: Autumn Pruning
That neighbors in the country did not advise, but pruning of a peony should not be postponed until spring. It is carried out in the fall. Trimming the aerial part of the bush is better with the onset of the first frost. Sometimes, it falls in late October or early November. But in all regions it is different.
Important! Earlier pruning of peonies weakens the plant, it will not tolerate winter well, which will affect further flowering.
How to prune a peony? You need to trim the shoots at ground level, slightly digging the tool into the soil. All garbage is removed from the site and burned, this will avoid contamination of the earth with various diseases. Place slices and beds sprinkled with wood ash.
How to transplant peonies in the fall
Autumn is the best time for breeding and transplanting peonies. This procedure is carried out in late August - early September. The soil for planting delenki is prepared in advance. To do this, dig a hole about 60 cm in size. The root system of the peony grows in breadth, which should be taken into account when planting. The distance between the plants is sufficient for their development. The optimum is considered to be a gap of about 50 cm to 1 meter.
The first layer in the landing pit will be drainage. It is equipped with sand or broken brick. The thickness of the drainage layer is up to 30 cm. Next, there is a layer of nutrient soil with the addition of fertilizers. As top dressing, humus, ash, compost, potassium sulfate, superphosphate are added. The thickness of this layer does not exceed 30 cm. Then the hole is filled with soil and left for a week. During this time, the land will sag, tamp, which is important in the fall for the proper planting of peony rhizomes.
Important! Deepening the rhizomes during planting is highly not recommended, as a result of the flower bed will remain without flowers. The shrub will grow a lot of lush greenery, but will not give buds.
It should also be remembered that in the first year after planting, the peony will not bloom. But at the same time, the plant should look healthy, not sluggish. Buds will appear when the plant comes to maturity. But if in the third year of cultivation they are not there, then you need to look for mistakes.
Peony propagation in autumn
Peonies are centenarians in the flowerbed, so their transplant is extremely rare. It is done once every ten years. During this time, the shrub will grow and require division. This is the most optimal way to propagate peonies.
However, old rhizomes do not tolerate transplantation; the resulting plants are inferior to others in all respects. Experienced gardeners are advised to propagate shrubs after 4-5 years of cultivation. The resulting young peonies meet all quality standards. Their flowering is distinguished by splendor, and the bushes are attractive in appearance.
To proceed to the procedure of dividing the mother bushes is better in the fall. Peony is usually propagated in September. But no later than a month before the alleged frost.
How to prepare the plot for planting?
In the fall, the mother bush is dug up, carefully removing it from the ground. The rhizome is shaken off the ground and washed, being careful not to damage the growth buds. Old shoots are cut to the root. The prepared rhizome is allowed to dry in the open air until it becomes slightly soft. Such a root can be divided without any particular damage.
Getting to the division, the rhizome is well examined. All areas with voids are cut off, and the sections are washed with disinfectants. After dividing the old root, several seedlings are obtained, each of which has well-developed growth buds. It is important that the plots are of the same size, since too large plots are sick longer after transplantation, and small ones die.
Peony planting is carried out in the usual way, not forgetting the shelter of young plantings.
Preparing for winter: shelter of peonies
Pruning and feeding are not all the features of peony care in the fall. The plant needs high-quality shelter, especially in regions with severe winters.
The depth of the growth buds of the peony is at the level of 3-6 cm from the surface of the earth. Therefore, with the onset of cold weather, the bush needs to be spudded.
Next, the plantings are covered with mulching material:
• sawdust;
• lapnik;
• peat;
• dry foliage;
• humus.
You can not use the cut shoots of the peony for shelter. They attract pests and are a breeding ground for most bacteria.
Shelter for peony is formed with a thickness of about 15-20 cm. This allows you to save the plant from severe frosts and cold winds.
To summarize
Autumn peony care is not too complicated, it consists of a number of necessary measures:
• top dressing;
• pruning;
• transplantation as needed;
• shelter and mulching.
If all the actions were performed correctly and on time, then you don’t have to worry about the safety of peonies in winter. Spraying the soil and shrubs with copper sulfate will help prevent the appearance of fungal diseases. It is important to remember that fungal spores hibernate in foliage, which is why flower beds always maintain order. Do not forget that in harsh winters, snow will help to additionally warm the flowerbed, which will only benefit plants.
