How to fertilize peonies in the spring so that they bloom. How to properly feed peonies for lush flowering bushes
Doesn't require a lot of attention. But certain agricultural techniques for obtaining lush peonies still exist. It is especially important to know how to feed peonies so that they bloom magnificently in the summer and safely overwinter in the open field.
What fertilizers do peonies need when planting
Competent and timely feeding of peonies is the key to their full development and lush flowering for many years. Providing a plant with nutrition should begin with preparing the ideal soil composition for it.
Peony garden flowers need fertile soil and top dressing.
It is impossible to plant a peony in ordinary garden soil, since it needs fertile, loose soil for proper development. To plant a peony, it is necessary to prepare a hole with a diameter of 70 and a depth of 60 centimeters. Two buckets of humus or peat and 300 grams of bone meal are placed at the bottom of the pit. Instead of bone meal, you can add 200 grams of superphosphate. It is recommended to add a bucket of sand to clay soils for loosening. If the soil is sandy - a bucket of clay.
With proper filling of the soil, the plant can not be fed up to 3 years. The fertilizers applied to the pit will be enough to form a powerful peony root system.
Advice. If in the first 2 years buds have formed on the bush, they need to be cut off so that the plant puts all its strength into root growth.
Scheme of feeding adult plants during the vegetative period
For lush flowering in the garden, peonies need to be provided with all the necessary nutrients.
Before fertilizing under the root, the soil is moistened.
When fertilizing peonies, a number of features must be taken into account:
- With a lack of organic matter in the soil, the introduction of mineral mixtures instead of good will harm the flower.
- Fertilizers under the root are applied only to moist soil. It is impossible to fertilize dry soil - this can burn the roots and kill the peony.
- Fertilizers are applied taking into account the age of the bush. The older the plant, the more magnificent its flowering, which means that the need for fertilizers is greater.
The composition of fertilizers in spring and autumn is different, because the plant requires special nutrients at different periods of development.
Top dressing in early spring
The first feeding of the peony is carried out in the spring, in the first days after the snow melts. The plant is watered with a solution of potassium permanganate at the rate of 1 gram per 5 liters of water. This amount of liquid is used to water one bush.
As soon as peony sprouts begin to bloom, they are fed with ammonium nitrate. For 10 liters of water - 15 grams of fertilizer.
Peony fertilizer during budding
The flowering of peonies begins in the third year after planting. By this time, 10-15 main stems are fully formed on the bushes. During the formation of buds, a second feeding of adult bushes is carried out.
For top dressing use the following mixture:
- nitrogen - 10 grams;
- phosphorus - 20 grams;
- potassium - 15 grams.
This amount of minerals is dissolved in 10 liters of water and used to water one bush.
Summer top dressing during and after flowering
In summer, to improve the quality of flowering, peonies are recommended to be fed with one of the following compositions:
- Potassium salt - 5 gr., Superphosphate - 10 gr., Saltpeter - 7.5 gr., per 10 liters. water.
- Potassium - 10 gr., Nitrogen - 10 gr., Phosphorus - 15-20 gr., 10 l. water.
During the flowering period, peonies are watered with a mixture of superphosphate and potassium salt.
This amount of fertilizer is spent on 1 adult (from 5 years and older) or on two young bushes.
The third top dressing for the vegetative period is carried out after flowering, after 14-15 days. Experienced flower growers recommend using Kemira-combi with the addition of potassium monophosphate.
Autumn top dressing of a peony
The last feeding of peonies during the vegetative period is carried out in the fall, at the end of September or in the first decade of October. Liquid fertilizers are not recommended at this time, as they will provoke the growth of shoots.
The last feeding consists of a glass of wood ash and 100 grams of bone meal. This amount of fertilizer is evenly distributed around each peony bush and embedded in the soil by loosening.
Mineral and organic peonies
In addition to the main nutrients, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, a lush peony bush needs a number of minerals, which are called microelements.
About the lack of any substance, peony leaves signal their color and condition:
Peony bushes respond well to fertilizing with organic fertilizers in its pure form or in combination with mineral mixtures. During budding, you can water the peony with a solution of mullein (1:10) with the addition of 40 grams of phosphorus and 20 grams of potassium.
Feeding chicken manure has a beneficial effect on peonies. Half a bucket of chicken manure is diluted in 100 liters of water and fermented for 14 days. At the end of fermentation, the resulting solution is mixed with water in a ratio of 1: 3, 100 grams of superphosphate and 200 grams of wood ash are added to it. For one top dressing, 10 liters of fertilizer are used for each bush. With this composition, peonies can be fed twice a season: in spring and summer.
Peonies can be fertilized with diluted chicken manure.
Foliar top dressing of peonies
Foliar feeding is especially important in the first three years of a plant's life. At this time, the bush builds up the root system.
For the correct development of a young plant, three sprays are necessary:
- Carbamide - 5 grams per 5 liters. Spraying is recommended. as soon as the first shoots break out of the ground.
- A mixture of carbamide and universal mineral fertilizer. 14-15 days after the first feeding.
- Trace elements, 2 tablets per bucket of water. Spraying is carried out in the middle of summer.
Advice. In order for the top dressing to better linger on the leaves during spraying, and not drain from them, it is recommended to add a small amount of laundry soap to the solution. This technique will additionally help rid the peony of insect pests.
Abundant and long flowering can only be given by healthy and well-fertilized peonies, so fertilizing should not be neglected. A prerequisite for proper fertilizing is a combination of fertilizing with abundant watering and loosening the soil.
Experienced flower growers advise not to get carried away with organic top dressing, since the peony will begin to “fatten” from an excess of nitrogen, that is, increase the green mass and slow down flowering. It is also important to observe the dosage of minerals in top dressing. For young plants, it is recommended to reduce the rate by half, and for adult bushes (over 5 years old) increase by a third.
In the video, an experienced gardener shows and tells how to properly feed peonies in his garden.
Types of dressings
Particularly strongly indicated flowers need nitrogen-containing compounds, but not in the last place for them are such useful substances as potassium and.
In addition, if the lush flowering of your “wards” is really important, then you should stock up on fertilizers based on magnesium, iron, boron, zinc and copper, which plants also need, albeit in smaller doses. All of these micronutrients can be supplied in two main ways: root and non-root.
Foliar
Foliar top dressing is carried out in relation to many plants, but in the case of peonies, it is also mandatory because thanks to this procedure, you can observe the lush flowering of the plant in the summer season. Young and adult bushes like to take foliar nutrient formulations every month, and what exactly to feed the flowers - gardeners decide on their own.
For example, a plant responds well to watering from a watering can (it is advisable to install a special strainer on the spout) with a solution of ready-made mineral fertilizer (Ideal is a good example of such compounds), and in order for it to stick to the leaves more firmly, a small part of the usual household fertilizer is added to the finished mixture. soap or laundry detergent (one large spoon per ten-liter bucket of water is enough). 
The scheme for using foliar fertilizers is as follows:
Important! Many compositions can be applied to the bush from a spray gun, however, when using soap compounds for better “stickiness”, peonies can be sprayed with a long-haired brush.
Root
Along with the use of foliar top dressing, the root method of fertilization is often used. As in the previous case, nutrient formulations should be used several times over the entire growing season: in early spring (already in early March), a good fertilizer for peonies will be mineral mixtures just scattered under the bush.
Together with melt water, they will gradually soak into the soil and very soon they will get to the roots, nourishing the entire plant from the inside. With the advent of summer, two more such fertilizers are expected, and, as in the first case, dry mixtures simply crumble under the peonies, and then watered well.
Feeding calendar
The effectiveness of any top dressing when caring for peonies depends not only on what kind of composition is used for fertilizer, but also on the time it is applied to the soil or plants. So, some preparations are more appropriate to use in the spring, while others are suitable only for autumn processing, since at different periods of its growth and development the plant needs different micronutrients.
First
For the first fertilization of pions, the foliar method is usually used, immediately after the snow melts. At this time, nitrogen-potassium fertilizers at the rate of 20-30 g of the mixture per bush will be especially important for flowers.
Important! When using the composition, try not to get it on the flowers and leaves of the plant, as chemical burns may appear on them, which will significantly reduce the decorative appearance of the peony bush.
Second
14-21 days after using the first nutritional formulation to feed the peony bushes (about one to two weeks before the plant blooms), a second top dressing can be carried out using liquid nutrients for this purpose.
To 10 liters of real cow manure, add 20-25 g of potash fertilizers and twice as much phosphate fertilizers, pouring about 2-3 liters of the finished mixture under each bush.
Third
The third time nutrient formulations are applied to the soil after the plant has flowered. The following solution is perfect for the role of a nutrient mixture: a ten-liter bucket of infused manure should have 10-15 g of potassium sulfate and about 30 g of superphosphate, and after mixing them, the finished solution is poured under a bush. The specified amount of liquid will be enough for 1 m² of plantings. 
What to feed: fertilizer options
We found out exactly when it is worth fertilizing peonies, it remains to figure out how to water the flowers for their lush and long flowering. First of all, it should be noted that everything is good in moderation, therefore, both in spring and at other times, all formulations used for feeding should be used in accordance with the recommendations given and in the correct dosages.
Otherwise, an excessive amount of, for example, nitrogen will lead to the growth of the leaf part to the detriment of flowering.
Did you know? In ancient times, according to the beliefs of the people of Greece, peonies were able to cure more than twenty different ailments, which is why these bushes could be found near any monastery. As for the modern hybrid forms of this plant, they came to Europe only in the 6th century and were used for a long time in the fight against epilepsy.
organic
For active growth and good flowering of peonies, it is necessary to take care of their fertilizer in the fall, providing the soil and rhizome with a sufficient amount of micronutrients. Organic compounds are perfect for these purposes, since they contain a wide variety of components necessary for the plant.
Usually for autumn organic top dressing use compost, manure or by simply laying them on the ground under a bush. Gradually rotting, all the nutritional components come out of them in a dosed manner, which eventually descend closer and closer to the root system of peonies. 
In addition, such organic matter also performs another important function: it does not allow the earth to freeze, since the decomposition of manure occurs with the release of heat, which is necessary for plants in especially harsh winters.
With the onset of the first stable frosts, plant shoots may freeze slightly, after which they are cut flush with the soil (so that the stumps are invisible). After completing this procedure, you can additionally mulch the ground using humus, compost and fallen leaves.
To heighten the effect, you can add wood ash (300 g), bone meal (200 g) or both substances at the same time under a layer of mulch. It is enough to scatter all this in an even layer around the bush and dig a little.
This approach to the complex application of nutrients in the fall will help prepare the peony for lush flowering next year, especially if you back up the positive effect with the right fertilizers in the spring.
If we are talking about plants that have been in the same place for quite a long time without a transplant, then you can use ready-made organic fertilizer called "Baikal EM-1", with the presence of living microorganisms in its composition.
The latter have a good effect on the structure of the soil and increase its fertility, but before spring feeding with the indicated preparation, it must be mixed with autumn compost, and then used as mulch. The thickness of such a "fertilizing" layer should not exceed 7-10 cm.
No less popular and so-called "folk recipes" for creating organic compounds. So, ordinary bread can provide lush flowering for your peonies, and all that is needed is to soak half a loaf in sweet water overnight (two tablespoons of sugar are enough for a glass of water), and in the morning strain the resulting mixture, and pour peonies that have appeared from the ground with the indicated solution.
Another simple recipe for organic fertilizer for these plants is based on the use of chicken manure (0.5 liters per 10 liters of water), however, it must be well insisted for 14 days. In the future, the finished composition is additionally diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 3, and for better efficiency, a handful of ash is added to it.
mineral
Mineral top dressings include a wide variety of compositions, which today are easy to find in specialized stores. For example, a well-known representative of this group is the drug "Kemira" used three times per season.
With the onset of spring (before flowering), a more suitable composition would be "Kemira-Universal", and it is also used 7 days after the end of flowering plants. This preparation is quite simple to use: having made a small depression under the bush, a small handful of the indicated composition is poured into it and sprinkled with soil on top.
For the second top dressing is also well suited and "Kemira-Combi", and this time you can not dig it in. Just pour the contents of the package on the ground under the peonies and pour generously on top. This composition dissolves quickly enough, so it will soon reach the root system of the plant. 
For foliar fertilizer, ready-made complex preparations are also well suited (for example, the aforementioned "Ideal"), most of which must first be dissolved in water in accordance with the instructions.
Another useful composition with a whole range of trace elements is a drug that can increase the strength of peony tissues and optimize the own protective forces of flowers. 
By improving the immunity of the plant, the likelihood of its disease is reduced and growth is improved, which is why the effect of the drug is often compared with the effect. To prepare a ready-made solution for treating bushes, you need to mix 2-3 ml of the drug with 1 liter of water.
In a word, there are many options for preparations for mineral and organic dressings, but much in this matter depends on the characteristics of plant growth, the climatic region and the personal preferences of the gardener.
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Garden peonies expend a lot of energy to maintain abundant flowering. The task of the grower is to provide them with nutrients in the required amount. Top dressing of peonies in the spring, during the growing season should be comprehensive and timely.
How to fertilize peonies in spring
Root top dressing of pions with minerals begins from the third year of plant development. Until this time, perennials do not bloom. They have enough foliar spraying with a solution of urea. To stimulate the growth of the root system, sodium humate is recommended. An adult bush requires regular fertilization during the growing season - from spring to autumn.
Experienced farmers willingly share tips on how to feed plants for lush flowering in the garden. They prepare for the procedure in advance, because manure (chicken or cow) should ferment for 2-3 weeks. Mineral additives, poured into the hole during planting, have already dried up, it's time to renew their supply. Spring top dressing of peonies is the most important, it provides a nutrient base for the formation of dense greenery and the formation of buds. A plant during active growth needs three main components: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. In addition to them, flowers need trace elements (magnesium, iron, copper and others).
Soil fertilization scheme
All the necessary nutrients do not fall asleep in the soil at one time. There is a scheme according to which top dressing takes place in 3 stages:
- The first feeding of peonies in the spring falls on April, early May. It is performed when flower shoots appear from the ground. In some regions, snow still lies at this time, it is not a hindrance to fertilizers. If the soil is open, it is carefully loosened. Nitrogen and potassium are used as the first nutrition. These substances in the amount of 10-15 g each are scattered around the bush. Water abundantly from above - up to 20 liters. Fertilizer granules can be immediately dissolved in water and moisten the ground.
Advice. Use urea as the first fertilizer, it contains a large amount of nitrogen.
- The second time peonies are fertilized in spring is at the time of bud formation. This procedure is more thorough. You will need a full range of minerals and organics. In specialized stores you can buy good balanced products: Kemira and Nitroammophoska. "Kemira Universal" contains nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium in the ratio of 10-20-20%, as well as all the necessary trace elements. "Nitroammophoska" is a well-known fertilizer, its components are in an easily digestible form. Enough 1 tablespoon of the composition per peony bush (10 liters of water). After watering with a solution of minerals, the flowers are fed with diluted manure.
Advice. Mineral fertilizer granules dissolve faster in hot water.
- The interval between procedures is 2-3 weeks, the third is performed half a month after the end of flowering. Mineral nutrition and fertilization of herbaceous peonies at the end of the season will ensure the introduction of superphosphate and potassium. The last component can be replaced with a glass of wood ash. During the third feeding, it is recommended to use the organic preparation "Baikal EM-1". It improves soil structure, increases fertility. The fertilizer contains beneficial bacteria and yeast. Consumed sparingly - 1 ml per 1 liter of water.
Advice. When using mullein, the organic composition is diluted 1:10. It is better to pour it into a groove dug around the perimeter of the plant.
Fertilization Rules
- Cloudy weather is recommended to feed the flowers, a little rain will not be a hindrance. If the weather is clear, it is worth waiting for the evening.
- When scattering the granules, contact with the leaves should be avoided, otherwise there will be a burn.
- Fertilization is accompanied by abundant watering - 20-30 liters per bush.
Advice. When fertilizing, do not exceed the recommended dose. This will not benefit the plants. Excess nitrogen inhibits flowering and provokes the development of diseases.
Feeding peonies with bread and yeast
Some gardeners have replaced the traditional application of mineral fertilizers with original recipes. The necessary active substances for plants are supplied by spring feeding of peonies with yeast. The product, widely used in cooking, contains potassium, magnesium, folic acid, phosphorus. In addition, yeast improves soil structure, stimulates the development of beneficial bacteria, and strengthens plant immunity.
To prepare the solution, dry or fresh yeast is taken, 10 g and 100 g, respectively. The product is dissolved in 10 liters of warm water, 2-3 tablespoons of sugar are added. The composition is insisted in a warm place for 10-12 hours. A bucket of solution is intended for one bush. Close in effectiveness is feeding peonies with bread. It is prepared from 500 g of rye bread, rich in trace elements. The product is cut into pieces and dried in the oven. Dissolve 50 g of sugar in a bucket of warm water and soak the crackers. Insist fertilizer 12 hours. Before watering, the bread is taken out and squeezed.
Advice. Feed from a watering can, this will evenly distribute the liquid around the bush.
Ash is a replacement for potassium
Wood ash consists of trace elements necessary for the development of plants. By feeding peonies with ash in spring, you will strengthen their immunity. The ash is applied directly to the soil by making small grooves. The second option is to add it to one of the nutrient solutions (based on bread, yeast, chicken manure). Ash is a complete replacement for potassium, it is applied in combination with phosphorus and nitrogen during the second feeding.
foliar top dressing
In the spring, foliar top dressing will not be superfluous. Urea (50 g) or other mineral fertilizer is diluted according to the instructions. Bushes are abundantly sprayed with the resulting composition. To make the nutrients linger on the stems better, add a little laundry soap. The procedure is performed once a month. To extend the flowering period and eliminate potassium deficiency will allow top dressing with the drug "Buton" - 1 ml is dissolved in 1 liter of water.
For the lush flowering of peonies, it is necessary to introduce organic matter and minerals into the soil. Spring chores with top dressing will pay off with the abundant appearance of buds, large size and bright color of flowers.
During the growing season (spring) it is important to pay attention to your peonies and they will delight you with unusually lush flowers. This article will tell you about how to feed peonies and in what time frame.
In one place, peonies can grow excellently and bloom magnificently for a long time. To do this, you need to carefully care for the bushes of peonies. In the third year of plant development, when peonies are about to bloom, in addition to regular watering and loosening, they must be additionally fed.
Three times a season, we carry out foliar feeding of peonies, which will allow the peony to delight you with friendly and long flowering throughout the season. Spraying is carried out with any complex mineral fertilizer (for example, Ideal) on the leaves.
For efficiency, add a little laundry soap or washing powder to the fertilizer solution (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of solution), so it is better to linger on the surface of the leaves,
Foliar top dressing is desirable to perform in the evening or in cloudy weather.
- Bread feed. Experienced summer residents consider this top dressing the most effective. It is prepared like this: In a bucket of warm water, soak rye bread (about half a loaf), add a glass of sugar, leave to swell for three hours. Pour the peony bushes with this solution.
- Yeast feed. 100 gr. Dissolve yeast in a bucket of warm water. We leave for 20 minutes. Water the peony with this solution.
- Chicken manure. Take 1 part chicken manure and 25 parts water. Leave in a warm place to infuse for two weeks. We dilute the resulting solution with more water in a ratio of 1: 3, add a handful of wood ash.
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. To your attention - 5 secrets of lush flowering of 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.
