What a peony wants: I share the secrets of lush bloom

Fiery fireworks, fellow flower growers!

Would you like to admire the lush bloom of peonies in early summer? Catch their delicate scent? It will certainly come. You just need to give the "King of the Garden" a little of your attention. After reading the article to the end, you will learn the important points of care and the schedule of effective feeding.

From the author: "By inheritance" from the previous owner of the site got a pair of magnificent peonies of venerable age. Since then, I have bit by bit collected information about the intricacies of growing a beautiful flower, applied advice in practice and... watched.

"What top dressing will peonies respond to better?", "How to properly care for them in spring?", "What to do with the plant after the silky petals have crumbled?"... The stream of questions is endless. But now I can say with confidence that I have learned how to properly care for them. Both the oldies of my garden and varietal newcomers bloom regularly!

The nuances of care

Before I tell you about peony feeding, let me insert five cents about the basics of care. These are the bricks that make up the scent of the garden:

• Peony is a real water bread. A powerful plant will not die from drought. A strong root system will save him. But peonies left in the heat without water demonstrate... very thin bloom. Still, because the plant throws strength to survive, and not to inflate the buds.

Be sure to water the peony when there has been no heavy rain for 10 days. The noble plant will say "Thank you" to you in its flower tongue. I am not lazy and pour 3 buckets of warm water (30 l) under each adult plant.

• Shading is the main enemy of the peony. At the beginning of my modest career as a pion breeder, I planted a delenka under a spreading apple tree. And I was surprised how "liquid" the bush turned out to be. Despite the feeding, the plant produced 2-3 flowers every year... Lesson learned! Now the peonies have a better place in the sun.
• Mulch - gardener's assistant. I have already emphasized that due to a lack of moisture, the owner of the peony does not have enough buds. And good mulching prevents rapid evaporation and becomes a real salvation. Especially hot in summer.

Adequate water, abundant lighting, and the love of the owner are nearly all a healthy peony needs to bloom. But the nutrient reserves of the soil are not rubbery. I was convinced that after additional fertilization, the peony transforms. Compared to previous seasons.

I am writing my own peony feeding schedule

Caring for a peony begins in early spring, when sprouts appear on the flower bed. The active growth of the green part of the bush will begin soon. Who is the best to help? That's right, nitrogen!

I believe that mankind has not come up with anything better than calcium nitrate for spring feeding of peony. First, calcium is also important for the healthy development of the bush. Secondly, the product is ideal for acidic soils, because it produces an additional effect in the form of light liming. The composition is also suitable for urea, ammonium nitrate or nitroammophoska.

Further - more interesting. As soon as I notice that the first bud has appeared, I apply phosphorus fertilizer (10 g) and potassium fertilizer (5 g). For example, I always have superphosphate and potassium salt in my closet.

Now on sale there are a lot of ready-made complex options for fertilizers in granules. At this stage, choose from them those that have more phosphorus, slightly less potassium and a little nitrogen. Where potassium and phosphorus are about the same, it is also suitable.

For example:

"Gloria" for roses from "Fasco": nitrogen - 5, phosphorus - 9, potassium - 5.

Agricola for flowering: nitrogen -15, phosphorus - 21, potassium - 25.

If anything, this is not an advertisement, but just an example of how to choose a fertilizer.

But the most important top dressing, oddly enough, after flowering:

Peony blooms are great. But, alas, shortly. When the last bud has withered, be sure to fertilize with any potassium fertilizer. Perhaps potassium is the most fertile mineral substance for a peony. Potassium salt, "Autumn" fertilizer and in general everything where there is a lot of potassium will be used.

Advice: If you do not have the time and desire to bother with fertilizing all season, at least a couple of times a year pamper the peony with a full complex mineral fertilizer with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in equal parts. This is "Nitroammofoska" or "Azofoska". The pion will be grateful!

We use all the fertilizers that I have listed according to the instructions. The easiest option is to scatter the granules into the peony's trunk circle for watering. But, if you make a fertilizer solution and water it at the root, the result will come faster!

Do you like peonies and was this article helpful? Please put "Thumbs up" in response! Thank you, my darlings. I also recommend reading: Tulips don't bloom? I'll tell you how to make