Proper feeding peonies at the beginning of the growing season allows you to get incredibly lush flowering. peony bushes for a long time grow in one place and bloom profusely every year, which leads to rapid depletion of the soil. Plants must be carefully looked after. Early spring top dressing is one of the most necessary activities to improve the quality of flowers. With the help of special fertilizers, peonies can be made to bloom much more abundantly and brighter than usual.
Early spring top dressing
Peonies planted in a well-fertilized pit begin to be fed only after three years. At this time, the plants in the garden begin to bloom. For abundant flowering, except regular watering and loosening, additional nutrition is required. You need to try to have time to feed the peonies in the spring immediately after the snow melts. During this period, plants need nitrogen first of all.
Intensive growth of bushes can be supported:
- urea;
- ammonium nitrate (sodium, calcium or potassium);
- calcium cyanamide (suitable for floating soils).
A lot of nitrogen is found in organic matter. Instead of mineral fertilizers, the earth can be sprinkled with rotted last year's manure. The thickness of the organic layer should be about 5 cm. The soil sprinkled with humus is loosened and watered abundantly.
Gardeners who do not have humus can use spring top dressing rye bread:
- 1. Half a loaf of black bread is dipped in cold water at 12 o'clock.
- 2. The resulting slurry is diluted with a bucket of water and the plants are watered. One bucket is enough for a bush.
- 3. Top dressing with bread is carried out immediately, as the first sprouts appeared from the ground.
Contributing mineral fertilizers, their dose should be calculated so that each bush has 10-15 g of nitrogen. For example, if it is written on a pack of urea that the nitrogen content is 46%, then 20 g of fertilizer is applied for each young bush about to bloom for the first time, which, in terms of pure nitrogen, will be 10 g of useful substance.
Nitrogen fertilizer No. 1
All nitrogen fertilizers are highly soluble in water. Urea or saltpeter can be diluted with warm liquid and watered the bushes. Sometimes the granules are simply scattered on the ground and buried with a rake. The second method is suitable if the soil is still wet from melted snow.
Budding period
Peonies begin to pick up buds in the summer. Already in early June, numerous flower sprouts form on the bushes. Phosphorus is required for good budding. To ensure the friendly development of leaves, flowers and roots during this period, 10 g of nitrogen, 20 g of phosphorus and 10 g of potassium are added under each bush.
The nutritional needs of plants will be fully met by:
- azophoska;
- nitroammophoska.
To achieve the ideal proportions of nutrients, experienced growers several mono-fertilizers are mixed in the right amount. For example, as mentioned above, 10 g of nitrogen are contained in 20 g of urea. The plant will receive the required amount of phosphorus from 150 g of simple superphosphate or 60 g of double, and 10 g of potassium - from just 20 grams of potassium chloride - a highly concentrated fertilizer, a little more than half of the composition of which falls on potassium that is well absorbed by plants.
Period after flowering
During flowering, plants do not feed. For the third time during the season, the bushes are fertilized 2 weeks after flowering - in July. At this time, buds are laid in peonies and plants will need a lot of phosphorus and potassium. Under each bush contribute 20-25 g of pure potassium.
You need to carefully monitor the dosage of fertilizers, since any plant is better to underfeed than overfeed. An excess amount of food disrupts the development of crops and prevents them from preparing for wintering. Incorrectly fertilized bushes often freeze in winter, and suffer from fungal diseases during the season.
For the third top dressing, you can use a mixture of wood ash and superphosphate:
- 500 g of wood ash and 300 g of superphosphate are thoroughly mixed and infused for at least a day in five liters of water.
- Bushes fertilize by diluting the working solution clean water 10 times.
End of summer and autumn
In August and September it is time to prepare for wintering. Early autumn until October root system flower thickens. It is rich in nutrients. Throughout the first half of autumn, the roots continue to grow. Additional feeding will help the plants store more food and make it easier to overwinter.
For autumn feeding use potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. Potassium increases the winter hardiness of plants, phosphorus will stimulate the next year's flowering.
Autumn top dressing is carried out in a dry form. In the first case, 20 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium chloride are poured onto the soil near each bush. Pre-flowers are well watered.
Industrial flower fertilizers
Modern chemical industry produces ready-made fertilizer mixtures that increase the brightness, splendor and duration of flowering. These drugs are easy to use. They are ideal for beginner gardeners, as there is no risk of miscalculating the dosage if they are used.
Industrial mixtures can be used both for planting peonies and for feeding already planted plants. In addition to ease of use, ready-made powders and liquids have another advantage - they are more effective than conventional mineral fertilizers, and sometimes even surpass organic matter in quality.
Table: mineral fertilizers for flowers:
Names | Mode of application |
"Kemira" flower | For feeding flowers in spring and summer. Sold in large volume packages (2.5 kg). Does not contain chlorine. Suitable for any flowers: annuals, perennials, bulbs. Peonies are fertilized every 2 weeks at the rate of 10-20 g per 10 liters of water. |
"mortar" | Suitable for root and foliar dressings. Dilute at a dosage of 20 g per 10 liters of water |
OMU Buyskiye fertilizers "Flower" | 100 g of fertilizer per bush. Sprinkle over the surface of the soil and loosen |
"Agricola" for flowers | Crystalline powder, completely soluble. Suitable for foliar applications. A sachet (50 g) is diluted in 20 liters of water |
"Agricola Aqua" for flowering plants | Contains trace elements in chelated form, humic substances, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Suitable for root and foliar top dressing. A 250 ml bottle is enough to prepare 50 liters of solution |
"Fertika" flower | Without chlorine. Contains macro- and microelements. For 10 liters of water take 10-20 grams of powder |
Fertilized soils allow you to get earlier and larger flowers. The bushes will become more durable, they will not need to be transplanted to a new place due to the depletion of the substrate. Properly and on time, fed plants winter well and almost do not get sick.
Peonies are loved by our gardeners and grow in almost every front garden. However, for some, these are huge bushes, completely strewn with flowers, for others, they are also solid, but there are only one or two buds on them. And the reason, as a rule, is in the care of plants.
In the first years of life, peony flowers may be smaller than intended and may not even match the varietal color. The properties of the variety are fully manifested only from the fifth year of flowering.
Alexei Volodikhin, an agronomist from Saratov, will tell you how to competently care for peonies so that they delight with abundant flowering every year. Your attention - 5 secrets lush flowering peonies.
1. Proper watering of peonies
In rainy and cool summers, peonies do not need to be watered. However, if there is a heat, it will have to be done and - according to the rules.
In the heat, peonies need to be watered every 7-10 days. Watering is especially important in late May - early July, when the bushes quickly grow and flowers form. Another important stage is mid-July - August, when renewal buds are laid.
Many pour water directly under the bush, where there are practically no roots. There, near the base of the shoots, there are thickened rhizomes that store nutrients; they cannot absorb moisture from the soil. Young roots, capable of watering the bush, are located on the periphery.
In young peonies, therefore, the suction zone is located approximately 20-25 cm from the center of the bush, and in old ones - 40 cm. This is where water should be poured. And so that it does not spread, dig a groove about 10 cm deep around the perimeter and water it directly into it - 3-4 buckets under a bush.
It is best to water peonies in the evening so that the water is completely absorbed into the soil, and does not evaporate.
2. Loosening the soil around the bushes
This work must be done after each watering or rain, if you want the roots to breathe and grow well.
It is necessary to loosen the soil around the bushes carefully - at the stems to a depth of no more than 5-7 cm, and 20-25 cm from them it is already deeper, by 10-15 cm.
3. Timely feeding of peonies
If the planting pits for peonies were previously filled with fertilizers, it is not necessary to additionally feed the peonies in the first two years. Starting from the third year, peonies need 4 top dressing per season:
- The first dressing is applied as soon as red sprouts appear from the soil. 1 tbsp ammonium nitrate is dissolved in 10 liters of water and the plants are watered at the rate of a bucket for each bush. After that, the soil is mulched with humus, which will gradually give the plant nutrients.
- The second time peonies are fed when they have buds. Dry mix 1/2 tbsp. ammonium nitrate, 1/2 tbsp. superphosphate and 1/3 tbsp. potassium salt, scatter it all under a bush and close up in the soil.
- The third top dressing in composition repeats the previous one and is applied already during the flowering of the peony.
- Peonies are fertilized for the fourth time after they have completely faded. Under the bush contribute 1/2 tbsp. superphosphate and 1/3 tbsp. potassium salt.
Fertilizers can only be applied after rain or watering. Follow the norm of top dressing - excess nitrogen stimulates the growth of shoots and leaves to the detriment of tying buds.
4. Removing buds
In order for peonies to bloom profusely, the buds must be removed. It is especially important to do this in the first and second years after planting, since mass flowering does not allow the root system to fully develop.
If you want to get large top flowers, remove the side buds when they reach the size of a pea. And, on the contrary, you don’t need to do this if it’s more important for you not single cut flowers, but their total number on the bush and its long flowering.
It is very important to remove the flowers immediately with the onset of wilting, without waiting for the petals to fall off. Otherwise, once on the leaves, they can provoke a disease with gray rot, especially in rainy weather.
5. Rejuvenation of peony bushes
Peonies may well grow in one place for 50 or even 100 years! However, the older the bush, the weaker it blooms. Therefore, once every 8-10 years, peonies need to be dug up and divided so that there are 3-4 buds on each division. And you can do it only in August!
As you can see, it is not very difficult to make peonies bloom especially luxuriantly and please the eye in your garden. We have revealed to you the secrets of the abundant flowering of these spectacular perennials.
Many gardeners make a fatal mistake by caring for a peony only in the spring. In this case, it is not worth waiting for abundant flowering, since the budding takes place as early as July - August.
It should be noted that the degree of budding of a peony depends on its age. Young bushes bloom poorly. In the first years of development, flowers can be small size, and in some cases do not even match the declared color. For a peony, this is the norm. Be patient: its properties are fully revealed only in the fifth year of development.
Peony is photophilous, it endures penumbra, but with strong shading it will never bloom magnificently.
How to water peonies for abundant blooms
Not all gardeners are in a hurry to water peonies, believing that their powerful root system is capable of extracting life-giving moisture from the soil itself. This is yet another misconception. Peonies require watering - rare, but quite abundant. In the cold and rainy summer they may not be irrigated. But in the heat, be sure to water once a week. Pour at least 3-4 buckets under an adult bush.
Especially peonies require watering from the end of May to the beginning of July. At this time, they quickly increase the green mass and form flowers. The stage of laying the kidneys of renewal, which falls on August, is also important. At this time, also water the peonies, despite the fact that they have long faded. Then in next year they will delight you with flowering even more.
The method of watering is also important. Many people irrigate directly under the bush, believing that it is there that the peony roots are located. In fact, there are practically none. What many consider to be roots are thickened rhizomes. Their function is to store nutrients. They cannot absorb moisture from the soil.
Water along the periphery of the bush, 20-25 cm from the center. It is there that the young roots are located, which supply the peony with moisture. The older the bush, the longer they are located from its center. To prevent water from spreading, make small indentations around the perimeter, where you water.
How to feed peonies for lush flowering
The abundance of flowering of this perennial largely depends on top dressing. Peonies require regular fertilization. From the third year of development, they should be fertilized at least four times per season.
The first top dressing of the season is carried out on melted snow or immediately after its disappearance. Perfect fit ammonium nitrate. Dissolve 1 tbsp. l. fertilizer in a bucket of water and pour liberally over the bush. If you missed the moment of snow melting, carry out top dressing at the stage of appearance of red sprouts.
Fertilize a second time during bud formation. mix by 1/2 st. l. superphosphate and ammonium nitrate, 1/3 tbsp. l. potassium salt and close the resulting composition in the soil under the bush. Next time, feed the peonies with a similar mixture, but already during the flowering period.
Spend the last dressing of the season after the peonies have completely faded. Wait two weeks and apply a mixture of 1/3 st. l. potassium salt and 1/2 tbsp. l. superphosphate.
Peonies respond well to feeding solution of bird droppings or mullein.
Do not forget that it is necessary to apply any fertilizer only after preliminary heavy watering or rain. Otherwise, you risk burning the young peony roots, which are responsible for absorbing water.
Peony rejuvenation
This perennial can "happily" grow without a transplant for as long as you like. But the older the bush, the poorer it blooms. The way out is simple - spend a rejuvenating division on a peony every 8-10 years. To do this, in August, dig a bush and divide it into parts so that each has at least 3-4 buds.
Luxurious flowering plant The peony is considered the king of flowers. By the beauty of huge single flowers and abundant flowering bush, he stands on the same bar with beautiful roses. Since ancient times, wonderful legends have been composed about him, paintings have been painted, miraculous properties have been attributed to him.
Flowers can reach a diameter of 15 to 25 cm. Their shape is spherical, double, pink.
The peony is cold-resistant, grows in one place for a long time. And to admire the lush flowering, you need a competent feeding peonies in spring.
Peony fertilizer and care
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I invite you to the group on Subscribe.ru for summer residents, gardeners: "Country hobbies" Everything about country life: cottage, garden, vegetable garden, flowers, recreation, fishing, hunting, tourism, natureHello. Our names are Oleg and Oksana, and about 20 years ago we bought a private house near Krasnodar. From that moment on, we just got sick of our personal plot, especially with flowers, of which we have a lot here and they bloom simply luxuriously: in summer and spring, our site looks like paradise.
These flowers will be most grateful to nitrogen-potassium fertilizers. It is best to start fertilizing in the third year of the life of peonies, when their active flowering begins. You need to feed them three times for the whole season:
- The first feeding is done when the snow melts or immediately after it has melted. For one bush, we need from 10 to 20 g of potassium and from 10 to 15 g of nitrogen. They are introduced after active watering or rain, but not in dry soil;
- Next time we feed during budding. The dosages of nitrogen and potassium per bush do not change, but we add 15-20 grams of phosphorus;
- We carry out the third top dressing in half a month after they have faded and buds have begun to be laid. Now we need only phosphorus and potassium in the same dosages as before.
It is very important to ensure that peonies do not overfeed, because with an excess of, for example, nitrogen, bud formation may decrease and green mass may grow. Also, with an excess of fertilizers, the resistance of peonies to various diseases decreases.
And before planting, you can feed the roots of flowers with a clay mash that will help them take root. It is made from 10 liters of water, 5 kg of clay, heteroauxin (two tablets), and blue vitriol(60 g). You can also add wood ash(half a kilogram). It is enough to dip the roots into this mixture and dry them. Then you can plant.
But you can add compost, rotted manure and peat to the planting pit plus upper layer soil.
Ash or bone meal (300 grams) or superphosphate (up to 200g) is also added to the mixture. You can reduce the acidity of the soil with the help of slaked lime (up to 400 g). Don't forget to crush the lime.
Do-it-yourself fertilizers for peonies
These luxurious flowers will be very grateful organic feeding which you can do on your own.
To prepare such a remedy, you need either mullein or bird droppings.
Fresh cow manure for a large barrel of water needs about a bucket, which we breed in five buckets of water. Bird droppings should be diluted into 25 buckets. We put it in the sun and let it wander for up to half a month (minimum 10 days).
After a couple of weeks, when everything has fermented, we add superphosphate (from 200 g to 300) and half a kilogram of wood ash.
Before feeding, we dilute the manure solution with two parts of water, with bird droppings - three parts.
Shop fertilizers
There are many fertilizers and dressings for flowers, but not every one is suitable for peonies. It is worth stopping at two store options.
Kemira
This fertilizer is mineral and all its elements are contained here in the cheilate form. This means that peonies assimilate Kemira without additional processing by soil microorganisms.
The tool is used three times for the whole season. In March and after the peonies have faded (after about seven days), a remedy such as Kemira-universal will be appropriate.
After watering the flowers, pour a handful of funds under each bush. Don't forget to add fertilizer to the soil. The next top dressing is carried out with the help of Kemira-combi.
And the second top dressing is carried out with Kemira-Combi fertilizer. It dissolves quite quickly and goes directly to the root system of flowers. Just sprinkle a handful of the product under each bush and water generously.
Baikal EM-1
This fertilizer is organic and microbiological. It is prepared on the basis of EM technologies. Live microorganisms present in the product increase the fertility of the earth for peonies and improve its structures.
Baikal M can be added to compost, or you can mulch the ground with it in autumn. Mulch should have a thickness of 7 cm to 10.
If the peony does not bloom
Here exist as folk ways stimulation of flowering, and quite scientific. So, our neighbors bury rotten fish under the bushes. In fact, the secret is that it is ordinary. Instead of fish, you can just add saltpeter.
You can also try to treat your flowers with potassium permanganate in the spring (the solution can be strong), when budding with manure, and in the fall just cover with compost. Sometimes potassium sulphate is also used to stimulate flowering.
There is another option to stimulate flowering. In autumn (closer to October) we pour potassium chloride and add wood ash (do not forget to dry). We put a tablespoon of such ash under each peony bush in October.
In the spring we water the peony with slurry, by May we switch to potash fertilizers. They need to be alternated, using either potassium nitrate, or potassium sulfate, or potassium permanganate. You can also spray with superphosphate.
Foliar top dressing
It is done throughout the summer (and spring) season and consists in the fact that you spray the leaves of flowers. You can also water, but the watering can should have a fine sieve. For this, for example, a tool such as Ideal is suitable.
Dissolve according to the instructions and add to the solution washing powder small amount (possibly laundry soap): for 10 liters of solution they need about a tablespoon. The soap will help hold the product on the leaves and flowers.
Also foliar top dressing it can be carried out in three stages: at the first, when the ground parts of the bushes only germinate, we pour it with a solution of urea: it needs 50 g per 10 liters of water. At the second top dressing (after 30 days), we add a microfertilizer tablet to the same solution.
The third time, when it fades, we water only with a solution with two tablets of micronutrient fertilizers. It is better to carry out such a procedure in the evening or on a cloudy day.