How to propagate peonies for planting in spring and autumn

Peonies are one of the most popular garden flowers. These are noble plants that are believed to bring good luck. To fill your garden with fragrant buds, you need to know how to propagate peonies and preserve the beauty of the varieties.

How peonies reproduce: cuttings

Propagation of peonies by cuttings is a rather troublesome process that requires an investment of time and effort. Flowers planted by cuttings will begin to bloom no earlier than 3-4 years after planting.

Peonies are bred in a variety of easy ways.

Given the peculiarities of peony cuttings, it is rational to use this method only if you need to breed rare plant varieties, or there is a need to refresh and rejuvenate it.

Propagation by cuttings of peonies is carried out by two methods - stem and root

Harvesting cuttings

Before spreading peonies by cuttings, you need to properly prepare the planting material:

• Root propagation - the flower is carefully dug out of the ground so as not to damage the root system.
• If the stem method is chosen, the stems located in the middle are cut as close to the ground as possible. 2-3 cuttings will be obtained from one stem.
• When cutting cuttings, each part should have several internodes.
• Cuttings are disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate - 3-4 g of the drug are taken in a bucket of water.

To increase the likelihood of survival of cuttings, the cut sites must be treated with growth stimulants.

Selection of containers and soil preparation

The soil for peonies should be light so that it allows oxygen to flow to the roots. Humus soil is best suited, on top of which a layer of sand or perlite is poured with a thickness of 5 to 7 cm.

Cuttings can be planted in open ground or in cold greenhouses. Separate disposable cups can be used for each branch.

Cuttings ready to plant

Propagation of peonies by root cuttings

Breeding of peonies with radicular cuttings is carried out according to the following algorithm:

1. Dig up the plant, remove damaged or weak roots.
2. Divide the rhizome into parts, each should be about 5 cm long, on each part there should be a root and a bud.
3. Disinfect the cuttings in a solution of potassium permanganate, dipping in it for 2-3 hours.
4. Allow the cuttings to dry, then sprinkle with charcoal.
5. Leave the planting material in the air overnight.
6. After the crust appears on the sections, they need to be dipped in a heteroauxin solution for 15 hours.

Planting is carried out in loose, fertile soil. This should be done by deepening by 5 cm.

The optimal time for cultivating flowers in this way is from the last days of July to September.

Propagation by stem cuttings

The method is used mainly for propagation of tree varieties of peonies. You need to act as follows:

1. The cut stems are cut into pieces with a secateurs, each must have internodes.
2. The stalk is cut under the leaf, the leaf plate itself is removed.
3. The lower cut is processed with growth stimulants, into which the cuttings must be lowered to a depth of 5 cm for 2.5 hours.
4. Rooting should be carried out in nutrient soil, in a place where there is no access to the sun's rays; cuttings should be buried to a depth of 4.5 cm.

Above each seedling, it is necessary to build a shelter from a film or cover them with a glass jar.

How to root a peony stalk in water

Rooting cuttings in water is the preferred method that gives quick results. In this case, the cut tops of the plant are suitable. One cut on the handle is made under the lower internode, the second cut above the second. With this manipulation, juice will be released, which must be removed so that it does not clog the vessels of the plant.

Before dipping the cutting into water, it must be dried so that the tissues heal a little. This will reduce the likelihood of rotting. A growth stimulant is added to the water, a stalk is lowered into it. As soon as roots appear on it, it can be transplanted into the ground.

Growing and transplanting to a permanent place

For growing peonies, it is important to provide the plants with soil insulation. This is done by covering the cuttings with plastic wrap, which creates a greenhouse effect.

Transplantation to a permanent place is carried out by the transshipment method - the plant is carefully dug up, a lump of old earth is kept on the roots, and placed in a new hole.

How to propagate a peony with vertical layers

This method of breeding peonies is carried out in early spring, after the snow has melted.

Propagating peonies with vertical layers is easy

It is necessary to bare the underground buds, and close the rhizome with a box without a bottom. Its height should be from 35 to 45 cm. A mixture of 3 parts of soil is poured into the box, and 1 part of peat and sand are taken. Layer - from 8 to 10 cm.

Every week you need to add new soil until its layer reaches the height of the box. In the last days of September, the poured soil is harvested, the stems are cut off. Those shoots on which buds have appeared should be immediately planted in the ground.

Vertical layering is a good breeding method for peonies, but the disadvantage is that it is not suitable for all cultivars. Before propagating peonies in this way, it must be borne in mind that it is suitable only for milky-flowered plant varieties.

Reproduction of a peony by dividing a bush

To propagate the bush correctly, you need to know when to divide the peonies. The procedure is carried out in the fall:

1. Before dividing the peony, the plant is carefully dug out so as not to damage the root system.
2. The rhizome is washed from the soil.
3. Excavated peonies are folded in the shade for 5-6 hours.
4. With a sharp knife, the root system is divided into separate divisions. Each part should have 3 to 5 buds.
5. Each section is examined, it is necessary to remove damaged roots from it.
6. The plots are treated with a fungicide, the sections are sprinkled with charcoal. They should lie in the shade for 24 hours.
7. You need to plant prepared cuttings in nutritious, moist soil.

Is it possible to propagate peonies by seeds

Seed propagation is used exclusively for breeding peonies.

Peony seed box

Description and disadvantages of this method

Before you breed peonies with the seed method, you need to know about all the pros and cons of the technique.

Disadvantages:

• low percentage of germination - about half of the seed does not germinate;
• the flowering of plants planted by this method occurs no earlier than after 5-7 years;
• germination duration - from 1 to 5 years;
• low decorative characteristics of flowers - a decrease in color brightness and doubleness of flowers in germinated peonies.

The seed method can only be used on wild-growing varieties.

Seed preparation

The seed capsule of the peony is star-shaped and painted in a pale green color. To get seeds, you need to leave a flower on the plant. Seed material will be formed around August. The seeds are collected and stored in the refrigerator.

Stratification

The slow germination of seeds is due to their thick shell. To increase the chances of obtaining sapling seedlings, a stratification technique is used, which can be carried out in two ways, alternately:

1. Thermal. The seeds are dipped into wet sand in a shallow container that is placed on an electric heating pad. The sand temperature should be +30 ° C. The sowing is regularly moistened, once a day the sand is cooled, then it is heated again. This phase lasts from 2 to 2.5 months.
2. Cold. This method is used if it is necessary to activate the growth points on the embryo. The seeds must be removed from the sand and placed in separate containers with peat. Peat is sprinkled on top with a thin layer of soil. The temperature of the seedlings is from +5 ° C to +10 ° C. The phase lasts 3 months.

The seeds can be opened to speed up the germination process. For this, the part of the stem that is located under the cotyledons is moistened. A piece of gauze is impregnated with a 0.01% solution of any growth stimulant, and placed on the stem, fixed on top with a piece of cloth. The first shoots will break through in about 7-10 days.

Peony seedlings

Care of young seedlings

After the first seedlings appear, when stratification is completed, they need to be placed in a warm place, with a temperature of +16 ° C to +18 ° C. Provides regular hydration.

Features of seasonal breeding: what is the best and what methods are suitable

To successfully propagate beautiful peonies, you need to know that each method has its own suitable season.

In the spring

In the spring, it is recommended to resort to the method of dividing the rhizome. Before dividing the peony, you need to remember that this procedure is carried out between the last days of April and the first week of May. At this time, active root growth begins.

Only in spring, early, as soon as the snow melts, do peonies propagate by the method of air cuttings. Before propagating peonies in spring, you need to make sure that there are no risks of frost return.

In summer

In the summer, in the last days of August, peonies can be propagated by dividing the mother plant.

In autumn

In the autumn, at the beginning of September, any breeding method can be used. Landing in open ground should be carried out before the onset of frost. As soon as frost has begun, the seed should be kept in a warm room.

Knowing how perennial peonies reproduce, every gardener can create bright flower beds of beautiful flowers on his site. There are many ways to breed perennial peonies, they are quite simple to perform, and young seedlings are not capricious in their care. Every flower lover can choose a suitable way to plant peonies. The exception is the sowing method, which is used only by experienced gardeners for breeding purposes.