How and when is it better to transplant peonies to another place in the summer cottage
Peonies are one of the most popular garden flowers that rival roses in beauty. They belong to the Peony family, and there are only about 40 species. They can be bushy or herbaceous. Gardeners consider them unpretentious, but peonies still need periodic transplantation.
Why do I need a transplant
Peonies are considered centenarians. Sometimes it turns out that non-transplanted bushes can live and bloom for decades. But this happens on rare occasions. Most often, after 5-7 years, peonies begin to bloom worse and smaller, becoming smaller with each season. This happens because the root collar is aging, hollows form inside, goosebumps, slugs and worms happily settle in them. And this clearly does not contribute to the development of the plant.
The buds are laid deeper and deeper every year, resulting in a slower growing season. Peonies bloom less or stop blooming altogether. To avoid this, it is necessary to transplant the bushes to a new place in time.
Optimal timing
Not all gardeners know when to transplant peonies and make a common mistake.
Spring
Many gardeners consider spring to be the best time to transplant. But in reality, everything is completely different. It is undesirable to transplant peonies in spring. In the root system of the bush there are suction roots that are damaged or even break off when transplanted in the spring.
With such a transplant, the plant will adapt for a long time, the first flowering can occur only after 2 years, and the death of the bush is possible. Therefore, spring is still not the best time of the year for transplanting peonies. An exception to the rule can be only young plants that are no more than 2 years old. They are easier to repot in the spring. But this is done in case of emergency.
August
Experienced gardeners transplant their peony bushes precisely at the end of the last summer month. Everything is explained simply, by the end of summer, the suction roots of peonies die off, and the bushes can be divided and planted in a new place without harming them.
Fall
Autumn, or rather September, is also a good time to transplant peony crops. This procedure is allowed to be done throughout the month.
How to dig
The peony bushes are dug in at a distance of 30 cm from the base of the bush. Then, using a pitchfork, they loosen the soil and carefully remove the bush together with a lump to the surface of the earth.It will not be so easy to do this, because the root system of peonies is quite massive and grows about a meter deep.
Plant preparation for transplanting
The rhizome of the flower is washed under running water, making the pressure not very strong. Next, the upper part of the bush is cut off, this is done almost at the very root. Now the plant is left outside in the shade for 5-6 hours. This is necessary for the root to dry and plant a little, this will make it less fragile. After that, the old roots are cut, leaving a length of no more than 15 cm. The cut is made at an angle of 45 degrees.
How to split a bush
The next step is dividing the bush. If the bush is old, then it will be most convenient to divide it by driving a wedge into the rhizome with a hammer. Thus, it will be possible to divide it into several parts. It is not uncommon for old roots to form voids or rotten areas in the middle. They must be cut out and the cut sites are treated with a concentrated solution of manganese, and then with a fungicide.
When dividing the root, you need to take into account that on each separated part there should be a root collar, about 3 eyes and roots. Divide the root into approximately equal parts. Do not make too large pieces, they will hurt after the transplant. And there should not be too small pieces, such divisions do not always take root, often dying.
Preparing the soil in a new location
In order for the peony to grow and develop well in a new area, you need to choose the right place and prepare the soil.
Seat selection
Peonies love sunny areas. They easily tolerate partial shade places, but flowering there will not be so active.
You should not transplant peonies into places with drafts, there they will develop worse and quickly fade.
Also, gardeners do not recommend placing bushes close to a house or other buildings. Their walls will give off heat, and this will entail overheating of the root system. The distance between walls and plants must be at least 2 m.
Ground requirements
Peonies are not planted in swampy and damp areas. Flowers do not tolerate strong soil moisture, therefore, if the groundwater is at a distance of less than 1 m, the bushes are planted on elevations.
If you ignore this condition, the rhizomes of the bushes will begin to rot and die.
For the Peony family, loamy soils with an acidity of 6-6.6 pH are suitable. Peat, river sand and humus must be added to heavy clay soils. Clay and humus are added to the sandy soil. And sand, organic fertilizers and wood ash are mixed into peat soils.
Transfer scheme to another place
The transplant should be planned, not done spontaneously, because it requires some preparation.
Pit preparation
Pits are prepared 7 days before the planned transplant. It is dug in the form of a square, all sides and depth should be 60 cm each.The distance between the holes is about 70-100 cm.
Important! Peonies do not tolerate too deep planting. In this case, they may not bloom at all.
Drainage is immersed on the bottom of the pits, it can be broken brick, expanded clay, crushed stone, coarse sand or even broken branches. The thickness of the drainage layer is 20-25 cm.
Top dressing
A top dressing layer is added on top of the drainage. To do this, mix compost and humus with limestone (100 g), potassium sulfate (100 g), superphosphate (200 g) and wood ash (300 g). This layer should be about 25 cm.
Top soil layer
On top of the top dressing, garden soil mixed with compost is poured into the pits. The pits are filled to the very top and left for a week. During this period, the land will sit down, forming a hole in which the plant is planted.
Landing
In the center of the prepared hole, dig a hole up to 25 cm deep. The plant is placed in the middle of the hole and sprinkled with soil. The root is deepened so that the upper bud is underground at a depth of 3-4 cm, then the soil is well compacted.Sprinkle with water on top, then spud and cover with compost or peat.
Further care at the summer cottage
Caring for peony bushes does not require special skills. It is enough just to water, loosen and protect from diseases.
Watering
Bushes need regular watering, especially during the budding period and during the flowering of inflorescences. Also, special attention is paid to irrigation in September. This is the time of secondary growth of the root system. For watering, you need 2-3 buckets per bush.
Loosening
From time to time around the bushes loosen the soil and remove weeds. This will help provide the flower's root system with the necessary amount of oxygen, which is needed for the full development of the plant.
Garter
During the rains, the stems of large-flowered peonies often lie down. To prevent this, the bushes are tied up. To do this, stakes are driven in around the plant and a wire or rope is pulled.
Diseases and pests
Like most plants, peonies are susceptible to various diseases and pest attacks. Most often, peony bushes are faced with such diseases.
Gray rot
It belongs to the most dangerous diseases, as it affects all parts of the plant. First, young shoots begin to wither, and then mold appears. The affected parts of the bushes are cut off and destroyed. For the winter, the shoots are cut to the very root, and with the arrival of spring, they are treated with Bordeaux liquid.
Powdery mildew
This disease is more common in mature bushes. A light bloom appears on the top of the foliage. Powdery mildew does not do much harm to peonies, but it still needs to be treated. To do this, the flowers are treated with a solution of soda ash, adding laundry soap to it. One and a half weeks later, another treatment is carried out.
Foliage mosaic
This is a viral disease that manifests itself as spotting on the foliage of flowers. Light green stripes alternate with dark green stripes, which resembles a mosaic. With a disease called "mosaic", necrotic specks may appear on the foliage. This disease is incurable, so diseased plants are removed from the site as quickly as possible and burned. Of the pests on peonies are found.
Ants
These insects are attracted by the sweet syrup, which is emitted by the flower buds. In the hunt for him, goosebumps eat up foliage and petals. In order to ward off insects from the bush, it and the soil around it are treated with repellents.
Bronzovka
It is a beetle with a mother-of-pearl back. He eats flower petals. Dangerous for peonies from early May to August. To get rid of beetles at the end of summer, loosen the soil under the bush. During this period, the insect pupation process takes place. In the morning, parasitic beetles are harvested by hand. During the laying of buds, the bushes are sprayed with insecticides.
Aphid
These small, light green flies tend to cluster around inflorescences, buds, and shoot tips. They suck the juices from the bushes. If there are large influxes of aphids on one flower, then the bush quickly loses its vitality, there is a possibility of death.
Almost every gardener on the site has this attractive and unpretentious flower that pleases the eye with flowers and a delicate pleasant aroma. If you do simple care manipulations, the plant will thank you with abundant and bright flowering.
