Iowa’s AMES — Peonies can live for up to 100 years if they are properly cared for. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach horticulturists respond to inquiries on peony maintenance, including when and how to divide the plant.
When is the best time to transplant peonies?
The ideal month for peony transplants is September. Cut the peony stems at or just above ground level to start. Next, thoroughly excavate each plant’s perimeter and its base. Keep as much of the root system as you can.
Large peony clumps can be separated now if desired. Section off the clump using a sharp knife. A strong root system and three to five buds each division are ideal.
When transplanting, make sure the hole you dig can hold the peony’s whole root system. Put the division or plant in the hole with the buds 1-2 inches below the soil’s surface. Completely saturate the earth in the hole with water.
Is it necessary to periodically divide peonies?
It’s not necessary to divide peonies on a regular basis. Peonies can be left in the garden unattended for up to 50 years. Large peonies can be divided, though, if you want more plants.
When is the best time to divide peonies?
The ideal month to divide peonies is September. Peony plants can store enough food in their roots for the following year by the month of September. In addition, before winter arrives, the newly planted divisions have a few weeks to settle in at their new locations.
What is the proper way to divide peonies?
Cut the peony stems at or just above ground level to start. Dig the plants up with care, then wash or gently shake off the soil. Section off the clump using a sharp knife. Three to five buds (eyes) and a sound root system should be present in each region. It could take two or more years for divisions with fewer than three buds to blossom.
When planting, make a hole big enough to fit the peony’s root system. Put the peony in the hole with the buds 1-2 inches below the surface of the soil. (Plants may struggle to blossom if the buds are deeper than 2 inches.) As you backfill the hole, compact the soil around the plant as you fill it with soil. then thoroughly rinse. Peonies should be spaced 3 to 4 feet apart.
What is a good site for peonies?
The optimal conditions for peonies are full light and well-drained soil. Choose a planting place where there will be at least six hours of direct sunlight each day. Avoid standing in the shade next to big trees and plants. Compost, sphagnum peat moss, or leaf mold used in significant volumes can typically improve poorly drained soils.
Should peonies be divided?
A: According to my neighbor, peonies should be divided in the fall. Could this be true? Do I need to divide any more perennials at this point? Patricia branchburg, new jersey, christian
A: September is by far the finest month for dividing or moving peonies in your area and in zones 4 to 7, as well as for many other perennials. Although September technically falls closer into the late summer than the fall season, your neighbor is on the right track. Simply don’t procrastinate: All types of newly divided perennials require at least 4 weeks of growth. Even preferable is 6 weeks before the very harsh frosts start.
Perennials are typically divided in the spring, but waiting until after Labor Day, regardless of your climate zone, has significant benefits for many species. The window of opportunity is small: there are just a few weeks between when the plants sprout and before they reach taller than 2 or 3 inches. This is especially true in the spring when there are many other garden jobs competing for our attention. You have four to six weeks to do the work in the late summer and fall when there is less demand. The fact that you’ll obtain less flowers throughout that season is the most convincing argument against spring division. (Fall-flowering plants that are exceptions to this rule, such asters and chrysanthemums, are best divided in the spring so they have time to recover before blooming.) Take daylilies as an illustration. These perennials are so resilient that you can relocate them whenever the ground is not frozen; eventually, they will recover. However, seasoned gardeners strongly advise against transplanting and dividing plants in the spring. Digging up daylilies then will invariably reduce the number of flowers that bloom over the summer, no matter how early in the spring you start the process. Waiting until the end of summer, when blooming is complete and the temperature starts to decrease a little, gives the new divisions the maximum amount of time to grow new roots, leaves, and eventually flower stalks the following season.
In this sense, peonies differ slightly from the majority of perennials. Similar to Oriental poppies or Siberian irises, they rarely need to be divided; however, late summer or early fall is the perfect time to divide a mature plant into many younger ones or transfer an existing plant. The growth of peonies divided in the spring is quite low. Therefore, trim back the foliage and dig up the plants four to six weeks before the first harsh frost, when the leaves start to look ragged. You can observe projecting dormant buds (known as “eyes”) on the fleshy crown that will grow into crimson shoots in the spring. (The longer the leaves can carry energy to the roots, the more powerful these eyes will be. This is why you should wait until the leaves start to fall off.) Cut the roots into portions with at least three distinct eyes using a sharp knife. Each division should be placed in its new location with its eyes upward and no deeper than 2 inches from the ground. (Peonies planted too deeply will still grow, but their blooms will be subpar or nonexistent.) These three-eye divisions might need two years to get big enough to bloom once more. The plants will grow bigger plants and blossoms sooner if the roots are divided into larger portions. Other perennials range between the hardiness of daylilies and the fussiness of peonies on the scale of ease of division. However, at the end of the season, when the soil is warm, wet, and the sun is less intense, almost anything can be divided because these conditions are ideal for new root growth.
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How are peony divided in the UK?
- Plants should be placed around 1 m (31/4 ft) apart, depending on their final height and spread.
- Create a planting hole that is twice as wide and the same depth as the root ball or division.
- With the use of a spade, gently firm the dirt around the plant while supporting it with the heel of your boot.
- Make sure the vibrant red buds are only covered by 2.5 cm (1 in) of soil, as deep planting inhibits blossoming.
- During the first summer, irrigate the soil to help it settle and keep it moist by watering frequently, especially in dry conditions.
- Mulch to retain moisture with well-rotted organic material.
Watering
During the first year, water often during dry spells to assist establishment, especially if planted in spring or summer. Since established peonies have deep roots, they shouldn’t require frequent watering beyond the first year.
Feeding
Apply a general-purpose fertilizer, such as Growmore, at a rate of 70gm per square meter each spring to encourage growth and blossoms (2oz per sq yd). Then, to retain moisture and control weeds, cover the plant’s center with a layer of garden compost or well-rotted manure; however, do not cover the buds.
Deadheading
Since the majority of tree peony are hybrids and frequently fail to produce viable seed, dead blooms can be removed with secateurs after flowering. Any seed set would in any case not reproduce accurately, and the offspring would have various bloom colors.
Caring for older plants
Peonies consistently form enormous clumps and have a very long lifespan. Lifting and dividing plants in late autumn will revive them if flowering starts to diminish.
Because they are herbaceous, peonies lose their leaves in the fall. To lessen the chance of contracting the peony wilt disease, it is then better to clip the foliage at ground level.
Peonies are most frequently produced as hybrids, which do not produce true offspring from seed. They are typically multiplied by division as a result.
It is preferable to avoid touching a clump until flowering begins to slow down. At this point, division in late autumn might create new plants.
- In the fall, divide your peonies.
- With a spade, remove the foliage and lift the clump with as many roots still attached as you can.
- Wash or gently remove the soil to reveal the roots and growing buds.
- Remove parts of the crown with at least three dormant growth buds and some roots attached, using a sharp knife.
- Replant the flowers 2.5 cm (1 in) below the soil’s surface.
Two years after dividing, plants that were developed from cuttings should blossom and be similar to the parent plant.
Both hybrid plants and plants from wild species can be reproduced from seed, however the latter will not breed true (the flower colour and foliage can be different).
- Once the seed pods start to separate in the late summer and early fall, gather the ripe seed. The seed is black and fertile. Red seed should be rejected because it hasn’t been fertilized and won’t sprout.
- As soon as the seed is collected, plant it 2.5 cm (1 in) deep in containers with John Innes seed compost. Place the compost in a cold frame or other protected area outside, such as at the foot of a house wall, and lightly cover with grit.
- Make sure the compost is not allowed to dry out over the summer and keep rats out.
- Two cold periods are required for peony seeds, followed by a warm phase. The seeds are doubly dormant, which means that after the first winter of cooling, the root emerges the following spring, but the stem and leaves do not sprout until the second winter.
- Up to five years may pass before the seedlings reach flowering size.
Peonies often have no problems when the right circumstances are present. However, the following are some things you might encounter:
- A dark location and deep planting could prevent flowers from blooming. Move the plant to a better location in the fall and/or replant it shallower (no more than 2.5 cm (1 in) of soil should be over the top of the buds). If transferred, it can take a year or two before it blooms once more.
- Established plants can withstand drought, but prolonged drought in the spring can lead to poor flower bud growth or even the failure of the buds to open. When there are extended dry spells, cover the plant’s base with mulch and provide water.
- The only significant illness affecting peonies is peony wilt (grey mould), which causes drooping and dieback of the leaves as well as buds and blooms.
- Although it causes grey-brown discoloration with red bordering on the foliage, peony blotch (Septoria paeoniae) is not a major issue.
- On flower buds, ants can be seen, but they don’t harm the flowers.
While we hope this information may be useful to you, we always advise reading the labels on your plants that provide care instructions.
When is the ideal time of year to transplant peonies?
The optimum time to transplant peonies is in September, when they have finished growing for the summer and are beginning to hibernate. However, you may also dig out the entire root ball in the spring and plant it before the plants begin to sprout new growth for the year. Peonies will probably be too stressed out to survive if disturbed at any other time of the year.