How to plant peonies in the summer?

Planting peonies in the summer is necessary so that the plants get stronger and can bloom next year. Usually this process is carried out by the end of the season, in the last days of August.

In addition to planting, during this period, the transplantation and division of the bushes is performed. This method is most often considered by gardeners as a method of propagating this culture. This allows you to thin out the overgrown perennial bush, while the separated parts can be planted again, and a new flower will grow from them.

Botanical description of the peony

Peonies are called 32 species of plants, which are included in the genus of the same name. Among them there are both perennial herbaceous and shrubs, the height of which can reach a meter. The powerful roots of the plant are thickened and have a cone-like appearance, due to this, the rhizome itself, in general, turns out to be large and reliably holds the peonies in the soil.

Flowers grow singly, each of them consists of:

• 5 leathery sepals, which can be either green or red;
• fleshy disc-shaped base;
• 5 or more petals, which are many times larger than the sepals, the outer edges are often chipped;
• many stamens;
• pistils, their number can vary from 1 to 8.

After flowering, fruits appear on the plant in the form of a star-shaped multileaf. Inside them are hidden shiny round-shaped seeds. Their color can range from black to dark brown.

Flower propagation

Reproduction of peonies in summer can be done in several ways.

1. Division of the bush.
2. With the help of layering (pressing the shoots to the ground).
3. By means of cuttings, while they can be both root and stem.
4. Pieces of rhizome with 2-3 buds on them.

The last 3 types of breeding should be started in the middle of spring, as they are quite long. A new plant may not give flowers until half of the season, or even more, since before this process it needs to strengthen and take root in a new place without a parent.

For the summer period, the first breeding option is best suited. So, in this case, the perennial plant will not bloom during the transplanting season, and this process takes place closer to the beginning of autumn. Due to this, the peony will gain strength and calmly survive the winter. And next summer, new peonies will be able to start flowering without hindrance.

There is such a landing in 2 stages:

1. Division of the bush.
2. Planting a detached plant.

It is quite simple to do this operation if you study a small instruction before that.

Division of a peony

It is possible to divide peonies in August. To do this, you need to dig up the entire bush, and then divide it with a shovel, however, this must be done correctly.

Advice

Before digging in the bush, cut off the outer stems, so it will be more convenient to pry it with a shovel and lift it off the ground.

After the flower is dug up, its rhizome must be shaken off, getting rid of large pieces of soil. Smaller lumps must be washed off with water. This is necessary in order to determine the exact size of the rhizome. If it is large, then a stake is driven into its center for the convenience of dividing the plant into smaller parts. When dividing, it is important to take into account that each seedling has roots no more than 20 cm and they have 3 or 5 buds.

Rotten parts of the root system must be removed immediately, since weakened fragments separated from a plant with such a problem may become diseased or even die.

After the division is completely completed, you can start planting.

Planting peonies, preparing the soil

Like division, planting peonies can take place in the summer, towards the end of this season. Before starting to transplant the separated parts of the plant, it is necessary to choose the right place where the peonies will feel comfortable.

First of all, it is worth remembering that flowers do not like the overheating that they can get, even standing next to the heated walls of the house. Therefore, the peonies should be at least 2 m away from the buildings. In addition, the place where the plant will need to be planted should not be in a windy area and at the same time, most of the daylight hours should be in the sun.

Once the location is selected, you can start planting the plant. When transplanting into the ground, no additional fertilizers are added. These flowers are unpretentious, therefore they can take root in ordinary garden soil. An exception is areas with clay soil, then before replanting it must be diluted with peat or sand.

However, it is still worth remembering that the roots of the flower do not tolerate the presence of a large amount of moisture in the soil. Therefore, in the presence of groundwater, the level of which is higher than 90 cm from the ground level, it will be more correct to plant plants on raised beds in order to protect them from decay.

In addition to preparing the soil, it is also important to properly dig a hole in order to plant a peony in it.

Pit parameters

First of all, it is worth pointing out the depth of the hole, which should not be less than 70 cm. This is necessary in order for the plant to form a larger and more powerful root system. For the same reason, the distance between the grooves should not be less than 90 cm.

The length and width of the pit should correspond to its depth.

Advice

In order for the flower to settle down faster, the soil dug out of the hole should be thoroughly mixed with compost, humus or manure before backfilling.

Place a drainage layer at the bottom of the pit. Old broken bricks or expanded clay can be used as it. After that, the drainage should be covered with earth. A flower is planted on top of the resulting pillow. At the end of the process, he is covered with the rest of the excavated earth.

The final stage is compaction of the soil, you can do this with your own foot. After the planting is over, the peonies are watered, you should not be zealous in this, since the flower does not like a large amount of moisture and begins to rot.

Preparation for wintering plants

Since peonies are transplanted towards the end of summer and they are perennials, they must be properly prepared for winter, so that the plant can easily survive the cold season.

You can start preparing from the landing itself. So, when caring for peonies in the summer, they should be given fertilizers with a high potassium content. This will allow the flower to strengthen in a short time, even before the onset of the first November frosts. The solution must be prepared at the rate of two tablespoons of fertilizer per 5 liters of water. It will be enough for several watering of the plant.

For the winter period, as soon as the first frosts appear, the flower must be furnished with cardboard boxes. Such an impromptu "fence" will protect the plant from strong winds and at the same time keep its own warmth.

In the spring, as soon as severe frosts pass and the wind gets warmer, the plant is opened. And in order to help him recover after wintering, the flower can be fed with solutions of nitrogen-containing fertilizers. The proportions of these solutions are identical to those that must be given in the autumn period: 2 tablespoons of the substance per 5 liters of water.

Outcome

Planting peonies at the end of the summer period is necessary so that the plant can get used to wintering. In addition, a flower planted in late August begins to bloom much earlier than those that were planted in spring.

The summer plant transplant itself is quite simple in nature. After all, you can plant a plant in almost any soil.The main thing is to know the correct procedure and a few small nuances. As a result, for the next few years, a beautiful flower can appear on the garden plot, which does not require special attention.