How to propagate peonies for planting in spring and autumn

Almost everyone knows a flower called a peony. Large flowers on lush bushes have adorned courtyards since ancient times. This plant is perennial, it pleases with beautiful flowering every year. But gardeners sometimes have a question - how to propagate peonies. Read more about this in the article.

How peonies breed

These homemade lush flowers are easy to propagate. This can be done in several ways.

Division of the bush. This method is good in that when the bush propagates, all the characteristics of the variety are preserved. But it can only be used for adult bushes.
Stem cuttings. The method is not easy, it retains varietal characteristics, but is not used for propagation of hybrids.
Root cuttings. Varietal characteristics are preserved in hybrids, so the method is quite popular.
Pruning. The method is not complicated, varietal characteristics are preserved, but it is used only for mature plants.

Tree peonies

Seed propagation is a separate category. This perennial can be propagated by this method, but it is rarely chosen, since the characteristics of the variety are not preserved, and not all varieties can be used to collect seeds.

Propagation of peonies by cuttings

How to feed peonies in the country in autumn and spring

Cutting peonies is one of the most commonly used methods. The new most valuable varieties are propagated by cuttings with a limited amount of planting material.

Attention! The only drawback of this method is that flowers appear 4-5 years after planting.

There are two ways to propagate peonies by cuttings: root and stem.

This is how perennial peonies reproduce by cuttings

Recommended timing

Cuttings are started 1.5-2 weeks before flowering and continue until the first half of June.

Harvesting cuttings

Before you breed peonies in this way, you need to prepare cuttings:

With root propagation, the bush is dug out of the ground. They do this very carefully, trying not to damage the roots.
When propagating with a stem, you need to select cuttings that are located in the middle of the bush and cut them as close to the ground as possible.
In order for the cuttings to take root for sure, it is recommended that the cut sites be treated with growth stimulants.

Selection of containers and soil preparation

The soil should be light and allow oxygen to flow to the root system. A humus is recommended, on top of which a sand or pearlite layer is made, its thickness should be from 5 to 7 cm.

It is necessary to plant peony cuttings either in cold greenhouses or in open ground. Each branch can be planted in a separate plastic cup.

Note! If the cuttings are planted in a common container, they should be at least 25-30 cm apart from each other.

Propagation of peonies by root cuttings

Root cutting is a small part of the rhizome of a plant with one root and a sprout eye. It is recommended to cook these shoots after the buds have matured, and until the moment when small roots are formed. Approximate dates: end of July - mid-September, it all depends on the climate of the region.

Peony root stalk

Breeding stages:

Dig out the bush very carefully, clean it from the earth, old roots.
Divide the root into pieces, each should be at least 5 cm long. Each piece should have its own root and bud-eye.
Disinfect the cuttings by soaking them for 1.5-2 hours in a manganese solution (3-4 g of potassium permanganate per 20 liters of water).
It is necessary to wait until the areas are dry, and then sprinkle them with charcoal, leave overnight.
The cuttings are ready for planting. The soil should be fertile, it is necessary to plant at a distance of 20-25 cm from each other. The stalk should enter the ground by 4-5 cm.

It is important to care for the planted cuttings, remove weeds and water gently. They need to be covered for the winter.

In the spring, the first shoots usually appear, but if they are not there, do not rush and dig up the landing site. If well cared for, buds can form during the summer and germinate as early as next spring.

So the cuttings should grow for 2 years. After they are transplanted to the places where it was planned to decorate the site with lush peonies. The bushes will begin to bloom in 2-3 years.

Attention! Not all varieties of peonies are able to grow buds of growth on the adventitious roots. Root cuttings are possible only in some hybrids (Karina, Baroness Schroeder, Carol, Cowley, Helen) and in the medicinal peony.

Propagation by stem cuttings

The most valuable varieties of peonies are usually propagated in this way, if there is little planting material or there is no desire to disturb the root system of the bush.

Attention! Stem cuttings are a laborious method; you should not use it for breeding interspecific hybrids.

Such cuttings take root badly, so they are harvested in large quantities. It is recommended to carry out this work a week before the peony begins to bloom, and during the flowering period.

Stem layers are taken from mature bushes, which are about 5 years old. 15-20% of the stems are taken from one plant, so no damage is done to the bush.

Stem cutting

What should be done:

Cut off the stems from the middle of the bush, the closer to the ground, the better.
With the help of a pruner, the stems are divided into cuttings. From one stem, 2-3 pieces are obtained. Each must have 2 internodes.
From below, cut off each stalk under the leaf (the leaf itself is removed). Leave 1-2 cm above the top cut, and cut the top leaf by 1/3.
The lower cut is soaked in solution of Kornevin, Epin or other root stimulants. Solution concentration: 100-120 mg per 1 liter of water. The cuttings are dipped 5-6 cm into the solution, left for 2-3 hours.
The garden bed where the cuttings will take root should be in the shade. It is dug up and compost is added, sand is poured on top with a layer of 5-6 cm.
The cuttings are buried in the sand at a slight slope to a depth of 4-5 cm, at a distance of 10 cm from each other.
A cover made of film or glass is installed above each bed.

If it was decided to root the cuttings in the greenhouse, the plants need to be provided with good moisture. In the absence of a humidifier, spray them with water 3 times a day. It is also important to ventilate the greenhouse from the 3rd week after planting. The temperature in the greenhouse should not be higher than +25 degrees.

Important! In no case should the soil be allowed to dry out. Also, every week it is worth doing prophylaxis against fungal diseases using a weak solution of manganese.

How to root a peony stalk in water

Rooting a peony stalk in water is a method that will give a very quick result. To do this, take the cut tops of the bush. The first cut on the branch must be made under the lower internode, the second cut above the second. By performing this procedure, you can observe the release of juice. It must be removed, otherwise it can clog the vessels of the plant.

Growth stimulator Kornevin

Before lowering the cutting into water, it should be dried - this will allow the tissues to heal a little and the likelihood of rotting will decrease. A growth stimulator should be added to the water, after which the cutting is lowered. When roots grow on it, it will be possible to transplant the plant into soil.

Attention! With this manipulation, juice will be released, which must be removed so that it does not clog the vessels of the plant.

Growing and transplanting to a permanent place

When growing, it is necessary to organize soil insulation for plants. To do this, cover the cuttings with polyethylene film - this is how the greenhouse effect is obtained.

It is necessary to transplant to a permanent place using the transshipment method - the process is carefully dug out, leaving an old lump of soil on the roots, and placed in a new hole.

How to propagate a peony with vertical layers

When to replant peonies in spring, summer and autumn

In order to propagate a peony in this way, the buds that are underground are exposed, and the roots are covered with a bottomless box, its height should be 30-40 cm.It is filled with a mixture consisting of soil (3 parts), peat (1 hour) and sand (1 hour), the layer thickness should be about 8-10 cm.

Fresh soil is added once a week until the layer is level with the edge of the box. In the 20th of September, the earthen mixture should be removed, and the stems should be cut off. Shoots with formed buds are planted on the site.

Suitable varieties

Reproduction by vertical layering is used only for milky-flowered peony varieties, for example: Rasberry Ice, Falcon, Red Queen, Jubilee, Monsieur Dupont.

Lactic-flowered variety of peony Anima

Reproduction by dividing the bush

When choosing this method, you need to know when to divide peonies. The procedure is carried out in the fall. The root system is carefully removed from the ground, trying not to damage it, washed from the soil. The bushes are placed in the shade for 5-6 hours.

How to propagate gooseberries in spring, summer and fall

Before dividing the peony, you need to prepare a sharp instrument, such as a knife. With its help, the roots are cut into sections, each of which has 3-5 buds. They are examined, broken roots are cut off, disinfected with a fungicide, sprinkled with charcoal. Leave in the shade for a day. Then they are planted in the ground, having moistened it in advance.

Note! In this way, it is allowed to plant bushes that have reached 5 years of age.

Seed propagation

Propagation of peonies by seeds is used only for selection.

Peony seeds

Description and disadvantages of this method

Gardeners use this method very rarely, because it has many disadvantages, but there are practically no advantages.

Minuses:

Only 50% of the seeds germinate.
Peonies bloom only after 5-7 years.
Long-term germination - 1-5 years.
Low decorative qualities of plants.

Seed breeding of peonies is used only on wild varieties.

Harvesting of seeds

The seed box has an asterisk shape, it has a green color scheme. To obtain seed on the bush, you must leave a flower. The seed will ripen at the end of summer, after which it is harvested and stored in the refrigerator.

Stratification

Seeds take a long time to germinate due to their thick shell. To increase the chances of obtaining seedlings from seed material, a stratification method is used. It is carried out in 2 ways, in turn:

Thermal. The seeds are dipped in the moistened sand in a shallow container. She is placed on a heating pad. The sand temperature should be +30 degrees Celsius. The sand is constantly sprayed, cooled once a day, then heated again.
Cold. This method is necessary when it is important to activate growth points in the embryo. The seeds are removed from the sand and immersed in vessels (cups, shallow containers) with peat, sprinkled with a layer of soil. The seedlings are left for 90 days at a temperature of 5-10 ° C. If you open the seeds, they will sprout faster. Part of the stem under the cotyledons should be sprayed. A piece of bandage is moistened in 0.01% solution of a growth stimulator, put on a stalk. The sprouts should appear in a week - 10 days.

Care of young seedlings

When the first seedlings have appeared, and the stratification is already over, it is necessary to create good conditions for their growth. The sprouts are placed in a warm place where the temperature is 16-18 degrees Celsius. They need to be watered regularly.

Important! You can plant on the site only at the end of spring, but not earlier.

Seasonal breeding: what is the best and what methods are suitable

For each breeding method of peonies, a certain time of the year is appropriate.

If you propagate the bush correctly, after a few years you can observe a lush flowering.

Spring

Better to use the root division method.This is done in late April - early May.

In March, after the thaw, you can apply the air cuttings method.

Before propagating peonies in the spring, you should make sure that there will be no return frosts.

Summer

At the end of August, you can cultivate a plant by dividing a bush.

Fall

Any breeding method is allowed until September 15th. Landing in open ground is carried out before the onset of frost.

Any gardener, knowing how to plant peonies, can transform their garden beds into a blooming miracle of beautiful lush flowers. There are many simple breeding methods, everyone chooses how to propagate peonies. An exception is the seed method; it is used only by experienced gardeners for breeding purposes.