Planting peony seeds from China. We grow peonies from seeds. Requirements for planting material of peonies

Peonies are one of those early flowers that delight us with bright colors, when many plants are just waking up after winter holiday. Lush bushes with large flowers decorate any area, and cut buds in a vase refresh the interior of our homes for a long time. Today we will tell you how to grow peonies from seeds and how to care for them.

Why is growing from seeds rarely used?

This method of growing popular flowers is used quite rarely. Even knowing how to grow peonies from seeds, most gardeners prefer to propagate plants by dividing the bush. Why? There is a simple explanation for this.

Usually gardeners, when purchasing peonies for their plot, are guided by the beauty of the flowers. Therefore, they select hybrids bred by breeders. But the latter have one significant drawback- preserving the appearance of flowers is possible only by dividing the bush.

At the same time, it must be recognized that in amateur gardening Purity of the variety is not as important as beauty. The vast majority of seedlings obtained from seeds pleases owners with very interesting results. Knowing how to grow peonies from seeds, you can propagate wild flowers. These include evasive and thin-leaved species.

Reproduction of peonies by seeds is not always possible for objective reasons - some varieties never bear fruit, they simply do not have seeds. These include Marchal MacMahon, Madame Forel, Celestial, Montblanc. This partly applies to milky-flowered and double varieties, which have few seeds.

You should know that if you collected the seeds, the plant you grow will only vaguely resemble the parent bush. The main varietal characteristics, especially the brightness of the flower shade and the fullness of the petals, will disappear. No one is saying that the flowers will grow ugly, they will just be different. In addition, to see and evaluate the result of your work, you will have to wait at least five years.

Propagation of peonies by seeds will require special skills from the gardener. This is a labor-intensive and rather complex procedure with many features. But according to flower growers, all the difficulties, long waits for results, and inconveniences are more than compensated for when you see flowers bred yourself.

Features of seeds

Peonies blooming is always a holiday. Bright, fragrant flowers are beautiful both on the plot and in a tabletop vase. That is why not a single summer cottage is complete without these bushes. Peony seeds are characterized by low germination, which is explained by the presence of an underdeveloped embryo that poorly absorbs the microelements necessary for germination and nutrients from soil and a dense shell.

Another one characteristic feature seeds - low enzymatic activity. This means that in the first year after sowing, very few seeds will usually germinate, especially if they are planted directly in open ground. The main part of them will sprout only in the second summer. Tree peonies can germinate seeds in the third, and sometimes even in the fifth year.

Flower growers try to “deceive” nature by using stratification (stage-by-stage). The ability of seeds to develop slowly is transferred to seedlings. They grow very slowly, adding several leaves per year. Flowering begins in the fifth to seventh year after planting in the ground (depending on the selected variety).

Germination of seeds

Growing peonies at home from seeds is not too difficult, but this process has its own characteristics. The reason, again, is the slow germination of seeds. But we said that flower growers have found a way to “hurry up” nature a little. What does this require? First, you should only use your own seeds, not store-bought ones. They must be immature: in the very beginning stages of ripening. During this period, they are not hard and are colored light brown with tiny yellowish spots, and the leaflets begin to crack at the seams.

It is important that the seeds do not dry out, so they are either sown immediately or stored in the refrigerator in damp sand for 1.5 months. It is better to do this from the last days of August to mid-September. If you decide to sow them right away, you need to prepare containers in which the seeds are sown to a depth of 5 cm.

Some gardeners plant seeds directly in the beds at this time. In this case, they go through two stages of stratification - both warm (+15...+30 °C) and cold, lasting about two months (+5...+10 °C). This will allow you to get seedlings from the planted seeds next summer. But you need to be prepared for the fact that a maximum of 1/3 of the total will rise. Some shoots may appear a year later.

Stratification

This procedure will help you speed up the growing of seedlings. This is thermal stratification - exposure of seeds to different temperatures - about +30 °C in daytime and about +15 °C at night.

Warm phase

Seeds should be sown in a wide, shallow container in damp sand. It is placed on an electric heating pad (a heating radiator will also work). The sand should be heated to 30 °C, after which it is cooled and warmed up again, periodically moistening it.

The procedure takes about two months until the seeds burst and roots appear. Immediately after this, they are removed from the sand, the roots are pinched and placed in a container with a soil mixture or in peat pots, lightly sprinkling them. This will significantly reduce the likelihood of injury to seedlings when planting in the soil.

Cold phase

It's time to move on to cold phase. It is necessary for the active development of the shoot growth point. During this period, the embryo actively grows and the seeds germinate. This phase lasts about three months. Flower growers have found a way to reduce this time too. To do this, it is necessary to treat the hypocotyl (a piece of the stem located under the cotyledons) with a solution of a growth regulator. Prepare a 0.01% solution of a growth stimulator. The seeds are opened, gauze is moistened with the resulting mixture and placed on the hypocotyl. To maintain the necessary humidity, the seeds are covered with a translucent cloth. If the temperature is maintained from +5 to +10 °C, then a growth bud will form on the seedlings and leaves will appear. If after seven days the bud does not appear, the treatment must be repeated.

Seedling care

When a bud appears on the seedlings, they must be moved to a warm room (not lower than +16...+18 °C). The acceleration procedure will require patience and hard work from the gardener, but it will save a whole year.

The seedlings are transferred to the garden in early May; they grow in partial shade at a distance of about five centimeters from each other. The soil around them is leveled and mulched with sawdust, which retains moisture and does not allow weeds to develop.

Landing in a permanent place

Seedlings grow in containers until August. If weather conditions permit, peonies in the garden can be temporarily planted in a bed with loose and light soil, in a slightly shaded place. The plant must be buried two centimeters. At the same time, the peony is planted in open ground in a permanent place. In this case, the bushes are placed at a distance of at least half a meter.

Prepare landing hole measuring 50 x 50 x 50 cm. Place drainage (expanded clay, crushed brick) on its bottom. Add 200 g to half the soil that you dug out of the hole. dolomite flour, potassium sulfate, superphosphate and mix. Pour the resulting composition into the hole. Mix the rest of the soil in equal parts with compost (humus).

Place the young plant in the hole so that the root collar is level with its surface, and fill it with soil to the brim. To stimulate the growth of the root system, you can use “Heteroauxin” or “Sodium Humate” (one ampoule or two tablets per ten liters of water).

Peonies prefer cool morning sun, but midday heat is not suitable for them. These flowers feel comfortable in the shade of a spreading tree, preferably on the eastern side of the site.

Peony pruning

In the first two years of development, peonies need to remove the buds. This seemingly “barbaric” method stimulates accelerated plant growth and contributes to obtaining abundant flowering in future.

If you want your home to be decorated with large flowers on a long stem, then pruning peonies is done as follows: remove all the buds below the top one as soon as their size reaches the size of a pea. If you need bright lush bushes for personal plot, then all the ovaries are left on the branches.

We told you how to grow peonies from seeds. As you can see, the process is not easy, quite labor-intensive, but at the same time very interesting. When the peonies bloom in the garden, you will forget about all the difficulties of growing and enjoy their beauty.

There are several ways to sow tree peony seeds. You just need to choose the right one, wait and... admire the result.

The fruits of the tree peony ripen in September - early October, and the seeds (large, smooth, dark-colored, shiny, up to 10 mm long) collect when the seed pods begin to open. After 3-4 days drying they can be sown immediately. Sow in loose fertile soil to a depth of 3 cm. Do this before frost and preferably in a box buried in the ground. The soil must be moist. The crops are covered for the winter.

With this sowing, the seeds can sprout next spring even without special training. But in most varieties and types of peony this happens in the second or third year. Used to speed up germination scarification– use a file to file the shell so as not to damage the cotyledons. Or stratify variable temperature. In the fall, a box (bowl) with crops is left in the cold for the winter, and in March they are brought into the house and kept at room temperature (20-25ºC). Shoots appear in spring.

There is another way of sowing. The seeds are collected immature, without waiting for the carpels to open. Place in moist peat and store for 2.5 months at a temperature of 20-25ºС. Then, in early February, they are transferred to the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or to the basement, where the temperature is 5-8ºC, and kept there until May for 3-3.5 months. In May they are sown in open ground to a depth of 4-5 cm. Shoots appear immediately this season.

Over the summer, one very fragile and small leaf grows up to 4 cm high. Seedlings watered and once or twice at the end of May - June feed urea (40-50 g/10 l of water). Soil from above mulch peat. For the winter, seedlings need to be well covered with dry leaves or peat, spruce paws, and lutrasil.

Transplanted young animals to a permanent place in the spring after wintering. After transplantation, the plants bloom in the second year, but it is better to cut off the buds.

For landings choose a sunny place protected from the wind. Dig a hole 70x70 cm. Place it on the bottom drainage. Half the hole is filled with earth and 1 tbsp is added. superphosphate, potassium sulfate, dolomite flour, mix and compact. Sprinkle soil mixed halfway with compost (two or three buckets) on top and plant the peony so that the root collar is at ground level. Water and fill the soil to the top of the hole. Fertilizers applied during planting will provide the plant with nutrition for 2-3 years, so in the first year only 1-2 foliar feeding after the growth of the above-ground part (40-50 g of urea and 1 tablet of microelements / 10 l of water). It is useful to water the peony with a solution of Heteroauxin (2 tablets/10 l of water) or sodium humate (5 ml/10 l of water) to stimulate root formation.

Seedlings mainly produce plants with white and, most often, non-double flowers.

Every gardener can grow a tree peony from seeds, but you need to have knowledge and patience.
If the tree peony is grown from seeds, it will be easier to transport climatic features specific region and microclimate of your garden. And this hardy plant will not require any extraordinary efforts in preparing for winter.

I sowed the seeds of tree peonies collected after ripening immediately into open ground. And in the coming spring I saw with regret: one, maximum two plants sprouted (out of 30-40 seeds sown). On next year I found 2-3 more peony sprouts in this place - that’s all...

Then I decided to try to sow the tree peony in a different way, pre-treating the seeds before sowing.

Tree peony seed treatment

In early December, I soaked my tree peony seeds, collected in the fall.

Two weeks later, when the seeds had swelled, I scarified them. I rubbed each peony seed on sandpaper (medium grit) on both sides until a white heart appeared under the seed shell.

To the bottom of the transparent plastic container I laid sphagnum moss, which perfectly absorbs and retains moisture for a long time for the seeds placed in the moss. I closed the container with the seeds with a lid.

If there is no moss, I recommend using it to moisten the seeds. toilet paper, folding it in ten layers, and putting seeds in the middle.
You can place the seeds on prepared toilet paper; then you need to cover them on top with a thick lid of wet toilet paper.
For the experiment, I put several peony seeds between layers of toilet paper and placed them in a resealable jar.

I put the peony seeds in the refrigerator (on the bottom shelf) for 2.5 months.

In March, I took out from the refrigerator a jar of seeds and a container with tree peony seeds lying in moss. I placed the containers with the seeds in them in a warm corner of the windowsill.

I tried to open the peony seeds every day for a few seconds to ventilate in the jar where I used toilet paper to soak the seeds. If mold appeared, wash the seeds in potassium permanganate and place them on a fresh layer of paper.

Please note that in sphagnum moss, mold does not appear on stored seeds at all, and therefore you can not look into the container with moss for some time.

In the photo: tree peony seeds ripened and germinated in sphagnum

Sowing sprouted tree peony seeds

Finally, after April 20, some peony seeds began to show white roots. By the beginning of May, absolutely all the seeds had roots.
However, we must keep in mind that the peony seeds were our own, fresh, collected in the fall. But for purchased peony seeds (in a seed store, on Chinese websites, etc.), germination may be much worse.

In the spring, there is no need to delay sowing stratified tree peony seeds in open ground. After all, sprouted seeds cannot be stored for a long time. In addition, in May, hot weather may already set in in many regions. Then the sprouted peony seeds may disappear (they will bake under the lid or dry out in the open ground after sowing).

I sow sprouted tree peony seeds in a shaded place in the garden, deepening them to about 3 cm. In order not to dry out their delicate roots, after sowing, for the first time, I cover the planting site with cut plastic bottles with an open neck.

Transplanting tree peony seedlings

When the tree peony seedlings grow up, you can start replanting them. It is best to transplant them to a permanent place after two years.

It is necessary to carefully consider favorable places in the garden for growing tree peony. Choose quiet places in partial shade, protected from the winds. Fill the planting hole with fertilizers in advance, since tree peonies are long-lived, and repeated replanting is undesirable for them.

Flowering tree peony seedlings

For a tree peony seedling grown from seeds, the first bud will open only five years after germination. In subsequent years, more and more flowers will form on the peony bush.

Tree peonies grow relatively slowly, but they live for fifty years or more. AND special care these plants do not require, giving us magnificent flowers every year in May!

Herbaceous peonies are found in all gardens, but tree-like peonies are still a rarity for Russian gardeners. Because our stores are filled with imported seedlings of tree peonies, which rarely survive in difficult weather conditions. At the same time, most lovers of tree peonies do not even suspect that those grown from seeds and our local tree peonies grow well and overwinter without requiring much trouble.

I advise you to sow prepared seeds of tree peonies in the garden and wait five years until the seedlings begin to bloom. This is better than year after year buying imported seedlings of tree peonies that do not want to grow from us, from which even in the best case you will have to wait 3-4 years to bloom.

Natalya Popova (Volgograd)
http://mysad34.ru

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Tree peony propagation is carried out different ways: by dividing the bush, by air layering, by cuttings, and sometimes by grafting. The seed version is used mainly by breeders, but we will also tell you about it.

This method is used when the plant is already 5 or 6 years old. The tree peony is carefully dug up, the roots are washed, and they are separated so that each fragment contains at least 3 shoots. It is advisable to rinse the separation areas with a solution of potassium permanganate and sprinkle with crushed wood or activated carbon. Before being buried in the soil, each separated part is dipped in a solution of water and clay for about half an hour. This process Best done in the fall. The division method is rightfully considered one of the most convenient and effective ways reproduction of this type of peonies.

This process is best carried out in July - mid-summer. A healthy and strong bush is selected, semi-lignified shoots with a bud (heel) and leaves are separated from it. The leaves are cut in half, and the shoots themselves are placed in a sand-peat substrate to about 2-3 cm (by the way, vermiculite can be used for these purposes). To make the process more productive, it is better to cover the cuttings with transparent plastic glasses or cut-off plastic bottles - to create a kind of “greenhouse”. The stock of cuttings needs to be frequently ventilated and watered. After 2-3 months, the seedlings are planted in separate pots and “preserved” in such greenhouse conditions until spring arrives. Since active growth Its cuttings can be transplanted to a permanent place of residence, to a plot.

This method was briefly described just above: a shoot located at the bottom of the bush is selected, cut, pressed to the ground (for example, with a wire pin), and sprinkled with soil. It is better to do this procedure in May, and with the onset of autumn, this shoot is finally separated from the bush and planted separately. Sometimes you can find recommendations for wrapping the shoot with film or sprinkling it with moss instead of filling it with earth. If this goes well for you and you like the method itself, try it, look for an option that’s convenient for you.

The best time for this procedure is the second half of August. Caring for a tree peony with this approach is quite tedious, but, from some point of view, it can be called creative. A previously separated and processed part of the root is taken, an incision is made in the shape of the letter “V”, and a scion is inserted into this incision. The joints are tightly tied with a special garden or grafting tape (as it is called) and additionally covered generously with garden varnish. 20 days before planting in the soil, this “structure” can be placed in a container with sawdust, under the film, creating a kind of greenhouse for it. These containers should be placed in a room where there will always be partial shade. In the case of a lateral type grafting, everything happens in a similar way, only the shape of the incision differs - or rather, a diagonal cut is made at the rootstock and scion.

This is the work of breeders; this method requires strict adherence and consistency of actions. Alternating treatment with cold and heat is only a small part of all manipulations. Plus, the seeds must be the freshest, because even if not very long-term storage they still quickly lose their ability to germinate. If everything works out and this method brings positive result, then such peonies will be able to germinate in 2 or 3 years of life, and will bloom only after 5-7 years.

From the above it follows that tree peony, reproduction of this flower, gives the best result when dividing roots. Cuttings also require skills; layering is a method quite accessible to beginners, just like division. Vaccination should also be carried out, if not by the breeder, then sufficiently experienced gardener. It will take about a couple of years for layering to produce results, one and a half to two years for grafting, heel propagation will give results much faster. Well, then the choice is yours - whoever is more comfortable, more interesting.

If you are passionate about the idea of turning this difficult idea into reality, then why not! The process will be long, but if all the nuances are followed correctly, the matter will be crowned with success. However, you need to be prepared for the fact that growing a tree peony from seeds will take a very long time.

Pod with seeds, photo:

How to grow tree peony from seeds at home:

Seeds should only be taken fresh. The best ones are those that are collected immediately after the “ripe” pods open. With the onset of autumn, in place of flowers, some varieties of peonies appear with pods containing seeds. A sign of seed maturity is the dark brown color of the pod. Once the pods reach this stage, they should be carefully opened and the black grains removed. The seeds themselves are quite large, about the size of coffee beans or black peppercorns.
The collected seed should be carefully examined; damaged or suspicious specimens are rejected immediately.
After this, we take convenient containers, fill them with vermiculite (or calcined river sand), moisten them (but not too much) and immerse the seeds in them not very deeply for 30-35 days. These containers should be located in a dry and dark room, where it is always warm. You can place them on a radiator, for example (or on electric heating pad with the ability to regulate temperature). At all times, the air temperature near the containers should be approximately +30°C during the day, and at nightfall it should be reduced to +15°C. Vermiculite or sand must be constantly moistened, which can be easily maintained with a spray bottle.
When the seeds have small roots, then they should then undergo the so-called cold stratification. To do this, take other containers, fill them with an earth mixture containing peat and/or humus, and carefully transplant the hatched seeds into them along with the roots. During this period, the air temperature in the room with containers should be approximately +7..+10°C.
Now you will have to be patient and wait for the first leaves to appear, after which the air temperature should be raised to +18..+20°C. You should not forget about periodic irrigation; you can also sometimes add growth stimulants to the water. The young shoots are transferred to their permanent place of residence at the end of August.

If you purchased the seeds at a flower shop, then most likely they may be pretty dried out. The shell of such seeds hardens, pecking occurs with difficulty, and the germination rate of crops is greatly reduced. If you received just such seed, be sure to first place it in water room temperature for two days.

Young peony in a pot, photo:

There is another way to grow tree peony from seeds at home - sowing them in the soil immediately after harvesting. Winter cold will provide natural stratification seed material. Seeds planted in this way can germinate in the same autumn (at the very end), or maybe in the spring. There is nothing complicated in the sowing process itself: the seeds are buried in the soil by about 4-5 cm, the distance between the seed and the seed should be at least 3 cm. Water this area regularly, but not too much, to avoid rotting of the roots.

With the onset of the first cold weather, cover the beds with fallen leaves (mulch). When September comes to an end, watering should be stopped; you can additionally lay a layer of foliage on top. If everything was done correctly, you will see the first shoots in the spring, but remember about time - some seeds can germinate even a year later, next spring. Water young plants moderately in summer and feed them with small doses of appropriate fertilizers. With the onset of autumn, young tree-like peonies can be planted at larger distances from each other. Full foliage of such seedlings appears approximately in the 3rd year of life; at this time the plants should receive enough sunlight to be able to develop further normally. We have already mentioned choosing a place to plant a tree peony a little higher.

When does tree peony bloom? With normal care and compliance with all planting requirements, such seedlings can produce their first flowers already in the 4th year of life. Be prepared for the fact that it may take 5 or even 6 years before a tree peony grown from seeds will delight you with its first flowers. When choosing planting material, be sure to consult with more experienced gardeners or, for example, study information on the Internet. Some varieties of tree peonies (“Madame Forell”, “Mont Blanc”, “Marshal Mohon”) do not form seeds at all. But even those peonies that produce seeds can only partially retain their “maternal” qualities when growing new stock. This process is fascinating and truly creative in some way, because you always wonder what will happen next, what kind of flower will come out of a small seed grown with your own hands.

Didn’t I really scare you with the difficulties of tree peony propagation? Of course they are. This includes the waiting time for your pet to bloom after planting a cutting or after rooting a cutting, and the unpredictability of the result when planting seeds. But a gardener always believes in luck when he really wants to have plenty of flowering bush- tree peony. Reproduction using one of the methods described above (and you choose the one that interests you most) will not seem like an impossible task.

Good luck!

- a chic fragrant flower that is a decoration for any flower garden and looks great in floral arrangements and holiday bouquets. The most popular way to propagate this plant is by dividing the bush. The method of propagation by seeds is most often used by breeders when developing new varieties. One significant drawback of this method is that the first flowering of peonies grown from seeds occurs no earlier than the fifth year of the plant’s life. Knowing and taking into account all the subtleties of seed propagation of this flowering crop, you can get the desired result without special experience in floriculture.

The process of germinating peony seeds takes a long time and requires a lot of patience, since their embryo has a special structure. The first seedlings may appear only a year after sowing the seeds, because the seeds require two-stage stratification. To speed up this process, experienced flower growers recommend using only seeds collected on your site for planting. Optimal time collection of planting material - from August 15 to September 15. At this time, the seeds are not yet fully ripe, which is very important for their further use.

The collected seed material must be immediately planted on flower beds, deepening it 5 cm into the soil. This planting ensures that the seeds go through two stages of stratification. The first warm stage is being in the soil with a temperature of 15 to 30 degrees Celsius. The second cold stage is being in the soil with a temperature of 5 to 10 degrees Celsius for 1.5-2 months (before the onset of winter cold). Having undergone this “treatment”, most of the seeds will germinate the next season, and the rest – in another year.

In order to speed up the process of emergence of seedlings from seeds, you need to know a few secrets about the stratification procedure from experienced breeders and professional flower growers.

The thermal stage of stratification will be of better quality if the peony seeds are exposed to variable temperatures throughout the day. In the daytime it is 25-30 degrees, at night it is about 15.

At the cold stage of stratification, it is necessary to perform several additional labor-intensive manipulations that will speed up seed germination for the whole year.

It is very important that the peony seeds develop roots during the heat stage. Only after they appear can you move on to the cold stage. The procedure will require a growth regulator (gibberellic acid solution), which is recommended to treat the hypocotyl by applying a bandage soaked in the prepared solution. To do this, you will need to open the seeds, apply a “bandage” to a certain area of the stem and cover them with a glass or plastic cap for about 7 days. During this time (at a temperature of 5 to 10 degrees Celsius and constant humidity), the seedlings will develop a bud, after which they can be transferred to a room with a temperature of 15 to 20 degrees Celsius for further development.

The procedure can be repeated if after a week the growth bud on the seeds has not formed.

Before sowing, purchased seeds should be filled with warm water and left to soak for two days, which will facilitate their quickest hatching. For winter sowing of seeds, you will need an electric heating pad with a temperature regulator and a flat bowl with wet sand. The dishes with the sown seeds are placed on a heating pad and warmed up in stages: in the daytime - up to 30 degrees, and at night - up to 15. heat treatment continues for a month. Watering is carried out regularly by spraying sand from a fine sprayer.

You can proceed to the second stage (cold) after the roots appear on the seeds. First, the seed material is transplanted into fertile soil (in another container), and then the temperature is maintained at 5 to 10 degrees Celsius until the first leaves appear. The final stage of growing peony seedlings is to maintain room temperature in the growing room and timely moisten the soil before transferring the seedlings to a permanent place (to open beds) approximately from 15 to 30 August.

How to grow peony from seeds (video)

How to propagate peony by seeds

Peony seeds require two-stage stratification. The first stage is warm, at temperatures from 15-30°C, for 2 months. This is necessary to activate intrafamily embryo growth and seed germination.

Growing peonies from seeds from China

The temperature at this stage should not be maintained at a constant level, it may fluctuate day and night.

Peony is an extremely resilient plant that easily tolerates unfavorable environmental conditions. With proper care, the peony grows continuously in one place for more than 20 years. In this article we will tell you about growing peonies and give advice on care and propagation.

Optimal conditions for annual flowering

If the planting site is chosen correctly, caring for peonies does not require much effort from gardeners. Peonies prefer:

sunny, open, but not windy areas;
drained loamy soil with low groundwater and an acidity level of at least 6 pH;
timely watering (in spring and early summer);
organic fertilizers (autumn);
loosening the soil and removing weeds (all season).

Carefully consider the composition scheme before planting the selected varieties

Features of planting and care in the first three years

Peonies are planted in the second half of August. Before the cold weather, they have time to take root and settle down. Plants planted in September require an additional year to adapt. The place is prepared in advance, 3–4 weeks in advance. Pits measuring 60x60x60 cm are located no closer than 80 cm from each other.

Drainage made of crushed stone, pebbles, and brick fragments is laid at the bottom.
The holes are filled 2/3 with humus, sand and garden soil in equal proportions. Add 100 g of superphosphate and 300 g of ash.
The planting material is placed on the soil that has settled by the time of planting, covered with garden soil and watered abundantly. For the winter, lightly sprinkle with ash.

During the year after planting, the peony does not need fertilizing, but requires watering and loosening. The emerging flower stalks are pinched. Agrotechnical measures in the second year they are limited to loosening, watering and moderate feeding. "

Tip #1. If flower stalks appear, only the central one is left, the side ones are pinched.

In the third year, the peony is fertilized. Per one bush per season, 60-70 g of nitrogen fertilizers are applied (in spring), 50 g of superphosphate, a bucket of humus (at the end of summer), 30-40 g of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers (in autumn during deep digging). Subsequently, peonies are cared for in the same way: they are loosened, watered, early buds are removed, fed, treated with fungicides, and the stems are cut for the winter.

Peony propagation methods

There are 2 main ways of propagating peonies: seed and vegetative. The first is used by breeders to create new varieties. It is not advisable for amateur gardeners to propagate peonies by seeds, since this is a long process during which varietal characteristics are lost. But if you want to experiment, then at the end of summer you need to collect the ripened seeds and sow them in loosened soil. They should germinate in the spring. It takes 5–6 years from planting to flowering.

Freshly harvested seeds are used for sowing

The vegetative method involves 2 options: divisions and cuttings. A division is a part of the rhizome, consisting of 2-3 roots with 3-4 buds. The plant is divided upon reaching 4–5 years of age. Step by step order actions:

Trim the bush, leaving 1/3 of the stems.
Dig up the rhizome along with a lump of earth.
Carefully clear the roots from the soil with a wooden peg, rinse with medium-pressure water and dry.
Separate the woven roots into several parts, loosening them with your hands, and use a chisel if necessary.
Remove weak, rotten roots.
Trim healthy roots to 15–20 cm.
Etch the cuttings in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate or weak solution vitriol (10 g per 1 liter of water) for 20 minutes.
Dust the sections with ash, crushed coal or colloidal sulfur.
Leave the cuttings for a day in the shade to form a protective layer on the cuts.
Place the divisions in the prepared holes, deepening the top bud no more than 5 cm. Cover with earth without compacting, water and sprinkle with humus.

When propagating by cuttings, root sections up to 10 cm are used. The plant is not completely dug up. The ground around the bush is cleared and part of the rhizome with a bud is cut off. The sections are disinfected as described above, after which the cuttings are planted in the prepared soil. "

On each division leave from 3 to 5 buds

Do not rush to throw away small pieces of rhizome that broke off during division, if at least one intact bud remains on them. Dig them in the garden bed or greenhouse to a depth of 10–15 cm, water and sprinkle with mulch. In 1-2 years, good planting material will be ready.

To prevent the seedling from becoming buried during watering and not becoming exposed when the soil settles, a clamp (rail, plank, bar) longer than the diameter of the prepared hole is attached to the cut stems at a distance of 4–5 cm from the upper buds. When planting a division, the plank rests on the edges of the hole, fixing the buds at the optimal distance from the soil surface until next spring.

Tip #2. Every year, transplanted peonies bloom more and more abundantly, so replanting is recommended no more often than once every 3–5 years.

Popular varieties: a brief overview

Currently, there are several thousand varieties of peonies, grouped according to their main characteristics into 5 different groups: simple, double, semi-double, anemone, Japanese. Top 5 varieties that are especially popular among gardeners:

Maxim's Festival. Belongs to the semi-double group. Flowering period is mid-early. Each peduncle produces 3–4 snow-white flowers with a diameter of up to 20 cm. Unpretentious, frost-resistant.
Sarah Bernhardt is a very fragrant semi-double pink variety.
Growing peonies from seeds

Reaches a height of 100 cm. It is not afraid of frost and does not require special care.
Doris Cooper is a pink double peony of delicate pink color. The diameter of the inflorescences is 15-17 cm. Frost-resistant, drought-resistant.
Barbara is a peony with incredibly lush inflorescences of a bright crimson palette with a diameter of up to 15 cm. Reaches a height of 70 cm. Prefers fertile, loose soil.
Christine is a transitional form from semi-double to terry. Refers to Japanese looking. White buds with a pronounced aroma consist of 2 rows of outer petals framing many large light lemon stamens. The maximum height of shoots is 80 cm. Unpretentious when grown.

Inflorescences of the Sarah Bernhardt variety reach 20 cm in diameter

Diseases and pests of peonies

Peonies are quite disease resistant compared to other ornamental plants. garden plants. But if you ignore the rules of agricultural technology and neglect preventive measures, they can also get sick. Common peony diseases and ways to combat them are given in the table below:

Disease	Symptoms	Causes	Control measures
Gray rot	The appearance of foci of gray mold on the stems (mainly in spring)	Excess nitrogen in the soil, rainy weather, dense plantings	Removing and burning affected areas, treating the bush and soil with copper sulfate (50 g per 10 liters of water) or garlic infusion (10 g chopped garlic per 1 liter of water)
Powdery mildew	Whitish coating on leaves (mainly on the upper side of the leaf), yellowing of tissues under the coating followed by drying out	Infection with fungal spores if preventive measures are not followed	Timely destruction of plant residues, spraying with copper sulfate (20 g per 10 l of water) or soda solution (50 g of soda per 10 l of water) twice: with primary symptoms and after 2 weeks
Septoria	It appears in early summer with the appearance of rounded brown spots on the lower leaves.	Fungal infection, wet and cool weather in spring and summer	Burning plant residues in autumn, preventative spring treatment copper oxychloride (40 g per bucket of water) or 1% Bordeaux mixture
Root rot	Grayish, white or pink coating on the roots with further rotting and death of the rhizome	Infected planting material, soil contamination, high humidity	Removal (cutting out) of rotten roots and half-hour disinfection of the rhizome in a 1% solution copper sulfate during transplantation; rubbing the cuts with ash.
Verticillium wilt	Wilting of leaves and stems during flowering	Bacterial infection	Complete destruction (burning) of the plant along with a lump of earth, disinfection of the resulting hole with formaldehyde or bleach

Peonies have few pests. The main enemies are the cutworm butterfly, turf ants, bronze beetle, and root-knot nematodes. With good care, these pests do not cause significant damage. Effective control measures are spraying the breeding sites with modern pesticides, any preparations of the pyrethroids and nicotinoids group, such as Aktara and Kinmiks.

Bronze beetles damage leaves, young shoots and flower petals of peonies.

Means for the prevention of fungal and bacterial diseases of peonies

As a preventive measure, plants are sprayed with fungicidal biological products. Treatment is carried out three times per season: when the first shoots appear, during budding and at the end of flowering. Modern therapeutic and prophylactic agents for combating pathogens of common peony diseases are given in the table:

A drug	Mode of application	Dosage	Characteristics
Fitosporin-M	watering at the root	6-10 ml of solution per 10 liters of water to treat 10 plants	Environmentally safe, has immunostimulating, anti-stress, growth-accelerating properties
Alirin-B	Spraying during the growing season; watering the soil before planting and during the growing season at the root	Dissolve 20 tablets in 10 liters of water, use 1-2 liters of the prepared solution per 10 m²	Non-toxic, the prepared solution cannot be stored. Period protective action– 1-2 weeks from the date of application. It is recommended to add to the working solution liquid soap for better adhesion (1 ml per 10 l)
Glyocladin	Apply into the ground without prior dissolution with water	1 tablet per 1 planting hole	Cannot be used simultaneously with chemical fungicides. With biological drugs (Alirin-B, Planriz, Gamair, etc.) it is necessary to maintain a time interval of at least a week
Extrasol-55	Spraying the green part of the bush	1 tbsp. l. for 1 liter of water	Strengthens the plant's immunity, inhibits pathogens. Compatible with any chemicals

Typical mistakes when growing peonies

If the plant develops slowly, does not grow green mass, and does not bloom for a long time, it means that mistakes were made during planting and care. Here are the most common:

The divisions are too large. Growth occurs due to the old rhizome. New roots are not formed, the plant becomes exhausted and dies after 2–3 years.
Excess organic matter during planting and excess dose of nitrogen fertilizers when fertilizing.
Failure to comply with the recommended planting depth. Plants with buried rhizomes will not bloom. The buds that come to the surface will freeze. Optimal location the upper bud on light soils - up to 7 cm, on heavy soils - up to 4 cm from the surface.
Incorrect location on site. Peonies should not be in the shade or root growth zone of shrubs and trees.
Frequent transplants. The bush is ready for division no earlier than after 4–5 years. "

Proper replanting of peonies

Answers to pressing questions about growing peonies

Question No. 1. Is it permissible to replant peonies during the flowering phase?

The flowering period of peonies is short, so you should wait 2-3 weeks until it ends. If for some reason an urgent transplant is required, it is allowed to move the flowering bush. But it is worth keeping in mind that this manipulation will prevent the opening of new buds and will affect the decorative appearance.

Question No. 2. What to do if planting material was purchased in early spring?

It is recommended to plant it in a 2-3 liter pot, which is best kept in a dark and cool place. In May, the plant is buried in the ground without removing it from the pot, and in August it is moved to a permanent place by transshipment without damaging the earthen ball.

Question No. 3. What to do if the stem of a peony, planted last fall, withered in early summer?

If a peony withers at the very beginning of the growing season, it does not mean that it has died. It is possible that there are buds left on the rhizome that will awaken and sprout next year. But it is necessary to take preventive measures to combat fungal diseases. You can dig up the rhizome, clean it of pockets of rot, treat it with a fungicide and plant it in another place.

Question No. 4. When to trim peony stems?

Peduncles are cut at the end of October at a level of 5–7 cm from the ground. When cutting flowers for a bouquet, leave part of the shoot with 3-4 lower leaves.

Question No. 5. Why did the double peony, purchased last year, not demonstrate the declared varietal beauty when flowering?

Firstly, the plant has not yet become strong enough to fully flower. In the first year of life, the peony must grow its root system. Prematurely formed buds are pinched to prevent flowers from blooming. Secondly, pictures in flower catalogs do not always correspond to reality. To get an idea about appearance adult plant, it is recommended to visit special flower exhibitions.

Why are peonies rarely grown from seeds?

We grow peonies, first of all, because of the beauty of their flowers; wanting to get the most beautiful specimens, we purchase varietal peonies.

However, varietal peonies can only be propagated in order to obtain more specimens by dividing the bush, because During seed propagation, the varietal properties of peonies are not preserved. In addition, many varieties do not bear fruit at all, for example, pink-shaped Madame Forel and Marchal Mac-Mahon, crowned Mont Blanc or double Celestial.

Even if a particular variety produces seeds, seed-grown hybrid peonies may end up only vaguely similar to the original variety. Although this does not mean that peonies will be less beautiful. There is one more disadvantage: plants grown from seeds bloom only in the 5th-6th year.

How to propagate peony by seeds

If you still want to try to grow peonies from the seeds of your plants, then you need to collect the seeds at the beginning of their ripening, approximately from August 15-20, no later than September 10-15. The seeds are still light brown, not hardened, full, shiny. They are collected and immediately planted in the garden in beds or boxes, digging in to a depth of no less and no more than 5 cm.

Peony seeds require two-stage stratification.

How to plant peony seeds from China. Growing peonies from seeds from China

The first stage is warm, at temperatures from 15-30°C, for 2 months. This is necessary to activate intrafamily embryo growth and seed germination. The temperature at this stage should not be maintained at a constant level, it may fluctuate day and night.

The second stage is cold, at a low positive temperature of about 5-10°C, for 2-3 months. It is necessary for the development of the shoot growth point.

Thus, seeds sown in August have time to go through both the warm period (in August and September) and the cold period in autumn-winter, so approximately half of them should germinate next spring. Despite the fact that 100% germination is very rare, some of the seeds will still germinate in another year, in the second spring.

If you do not collect seeds from your plants, but purchased them somewhere, then pay attention to how they look. Dry seeds are wrinkled, with a hard shell, they have already been lying around and their germination rate has greatly decreased. Therefore, before planting, the seeds are soaked in water for 2 days.

Then the seeds are placed in wide bowls in slightly moistened sand, the bowl is placed on a heating pad (during heating season to the battery). Heat the sand to 27-30°C, let it cool, and warm it up again. The sand is moistened periodically. The procedure lasts up to 60 days and should result in the appearance of roots. As soon as this happens, the seeds are removed, the root tip is pinched and planted in boxes with soil, lightly sprinkled. You can plant the seeds in peat pots, put them in a box and cover them with soil (this way the young plants are less injured when planted in the garden). Then the boxes are placed in a cool place, where the temperature is 5-10°C, and the leaves are waited for to appear.

When the first leaf appears, the seedlings are again transferred to warm room at 16-18°C. Then, at the beginning of May, the peonies can be taken out into the garden.

The seedlings continue to live and grow in boxes until the end of summer, and in the second half of August they can be planted in a permanent place in the garden, maintaining a distance between the bushes depending on the species requirements (50-60 cm for dwarf bushes, 75-90 cm for ordinary bushes) .

Tree peony: successful cultivation from seeds

Every gardener can grow a tree peony from seeds, but you need to have knowledge and patience.
If a tree peony is grown from seeds, it will be easier to tolerate the climatic conditions of a particular region and the microclimate of your garden. And this hardy plant will not require any extraordinary efforts in preparing for winter.

I sowed the seeds of tree peonies collected after ripening immediately into open ground. And in the coming spring I saw with regret: one, maximum two plants sprouted (out of 30-40 seeds sown). The next year I found 2-3 more peony sprouts in this place - that’s all...

Then I decided to try to sow the tree peony in a different way, pre-treating the seeds before sowing.

Tree peony seed treatment

In early December, I soaked my tree peony seeds, collected in the fall.

Two weeks later, when the seeds had swelled, I scarified them. I rubbed each peony seed on sandpaper (medium grit) on both sides until a white heart appeared under the seed shell.

I laid sphagnum moss at the bottom of a transparent plastic container, which perfectly absorbs and retains moisture for a long time for the seeds placed in the moss. I closed the container with the seeds with a lid.

If there is no moss, I advise you to use toilet paper to moisten the seeds, fold it into ten layers, and put the seeds in the middle.
You can place the seeds on prepared toilet paper; then you need to cover them on top with a thick lid of wet toilet paper.
For the experiment, I put several peony seeds between layers of toilet paper and placed them in a resealable jar.

I put the peony seeds in the refrigerator (on the bottom shelf) for 2.5 months.

In March, I took out from the refrigerator a jar of seeds and a container with tree peony seeds lying in moss.

All the tricks of growing peonies from seeds

I placed the containers with the seeds in them in a warm corner of the windowsill.

Please note that in sphagnum moss, mold does not appear on stored seeds at all, and therefore you can not look into the container with moss for some time.

In the photo: tree peony seeds ripened and germinated in sphagnum

Sowing sprouted tree peony seeds

Transplanting tree peony seedlings

When the tree peony seedlings grow up, you can start replanting them.

It is best to transplant them to a permanent place after two years.

Flowering tree peony seedlings

For a tree peony seedling grown from seeds, the first bud will open only five years after germination. In subsequent years, more and more flowers will form on the peony bush.

Tree peonies grow relatively slowly, but they live for fifty years or more. And these plants do not require special care, giving us magnificent flowers every year in May!

Natalya Popova (Volgograd)
http://mysad34.ru

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Glad I saw your comment. I need your advice. I really want to have tree peonies in my garden.

A nursery in the Urals sends out peony seedlings in the spring. Several varieties. But it’s difficult to figure out which ones are specifically suitable for my site.

I live in Altai, the climate is sharply continental. It may rain in January, which will wet the snow crust so much that it will look like a skating rink mirror. It may get colder in July down to +8 at night.

Spring can be early and warm, when in April we already wear open sundresses, then, however, the cold will come, but it will be tedious rains, when people say: May is cold, the year is fertile. Or maybe it’s the other way around: May and the first ten days of June are cold with frosts every night.

They can be not only on the soil, this year there was just such a spring, everything froze, we did not have plums, cherries, or nuts. Winter is also very torn, but frosts in December-January can reach -50.

At the same time, there is either snow, sometimes very heavy, and sometimes there is no snow until the new year, and then everything that is not local and not frost-resistant freezes out. Shelters don’t help, only snow saves everything for us. I would like tree peonies, several bushes. Now I will describe the proposed varieties.

Bouquet of pink carnations. Bush 2 meters high. Early flowering variety. Giant from Chemosa. The bush is vigorous (the specific height is not indicated), the flowering period is late.

Sapphire. The height of the bush is 120 centimeters, the average flowering period. Duck Black Ash.

Plant height is 100-120 centimeters, flowering period is early. Jade Princess. Height 100 – 120 centimeters, medium life, resistant to adverse climate conditions. Song of the rain.

Height 100-130 centimeters, medium life, stability, like the Jade Princess. Garnet bracelet. The height of the bush is one and a half meters. There is no mention of flowering times and resistance to climate vagaries.

Phoenix. Height up to 140 centimeters, early date, there is no mention of sustainability either. The nursery is in the Urals, but the climate is not the same as Altai, their winters are milder. Which varieties are preferable to choose?

What should you consider when choosing?

Two winters and one summer

Growing peonies from seeds

No. 40 (332) from October 18, 2012 My favorite flowers are peonies! I have been collecting varieties for many years, and now I have 48 bushes of 18 varieties. I always remove faded inflorescences so as not to weaken the plant. But this year I didn’t come for a long time, and the seeds have ripened.

Since this happened, I want to try growing peonies from seeds. Please advise how and when is the best time to do this? Ivanova Maria Vladimirovna, Leningrad region The peony is undoubtedly a special flower - the imperial one.

Everything about it is beautiful: lush caps of flowers, and juicy dark green split leaves that remain decorative throughout the season, and age is not a hindrance to it - the older the bush, the more beautiful it is. Blooms profusely and annually.

For royalty, everything must be perfect, which is why flower stalks with ripe seeds are very decorative. autumn garden and bouquets of dried flowers, giving them a special sophistication. And what royal thing will come out of the seeds? Reproduction of peonies by seeds is an interesting activity, but it takes a long time.

And most often, peonies are propagated by segments of rhizomes (vegetatively). Varietal characteristics are not preserved during seed propagation. With the help of seeds, new varieties are obtained exclusively. A collection of 18 varieties - that's cool!

Not every nursery can boast of such an assortment, and the ordinary amateur gardener deserves only superlatives. Let's try to develop new varieties so that the seeds don't go to waste.

Moreover, cross-pollination could result in something special So, prepare a small garden bed and fence it off on all sides with dug-in plastic borders. Or dig a flat box into the ground.

This is necessary in order not to lose crops - Peony seeds germinate within a year and a half!They will need two winters and one summer. Therefore, sow right now with fresh, well-ripened seeds.

Approximately 30% of the seeds will germinate in the spring next year, and the rest will require another winter freezing (stratification). Prepare light, moderately fertile soil. In summer, do not allow it to dry out. Seedlings will bloom in the 3-5th year after germination.

And the gardener’s patience will be fully rewarded. New interesting varieties you are definitely guaranteed. And they can turn out to be cool cultivars. Good luck.

Expert's argument For those who love winding paths of knowledge, we advise you to “deceive” nature and try speed up the seed germination process peonies. Method one. Place fresh seeds in the freezer now.

Prepare a garden bed at the dacha by digging small trenches (10 cm deep, 15-20 cm wide). Cover it with film, hardboard, roofing felt. After two months, remove the stratified seeds and sow them in small and shallow planting containers.

Place on a bright, warm windowsill. After another two months, place the containers in the refrigerator for a week so that the seeds gradually cool. Check the formation of roots first.

Transplant individual sprouted plants into pots and place them to grow on the windowsill. Then, upon arriving at the dacha, shovel the snow from the previously prepared bed, remove the cover and place the remaining pots of seeds in the trenches.

Fill all the voids with dry, pre-stocked peat and wait for spring. So, in the freezer the seeds will survive the first “winter”, on the windowsill - “summer”, and in the garden bed they will overwinter a second time. Method two. Soak the seeds in water for 1-2 days.

Plant them in flat boxes with a light nutrient substrate, pouring a 5-cm layer of sand on top. To speed up germination, it is recommended to organize differences in day and night temperatures for two months.

During the day, place the box on the radiator (30-34 degrees), and at night move it to a cool place (14-16 degrees). After such invigorating procedures, roots should begin to appear. Place the boxes in the refrigerator for two months (5-10 degrees).

And then move it to a warm, bright place and wait for the leaves. At the end of May, replant in open ground in a school. Such agrotechnical exercises will help you beat time, speed up the appearance of roots and save a whole year. Why are peonies rarely grown from seeds?

We grow peonies, first of all, because of the beauty of their flowers; wanting to get the most beautiful specimens, we purchase varietal peonies. However, varietal peonies can only be propagated in order to obtain more specimens by dividing the bush, because During seed propagation, the varietal properties of peonies are not preserved. In addition, many varieties do not bear fruit at all, for example, pink-shaped Madame Forel and Marchal Mac-Mahon, crowned Mont Blanc or double Celestial. Even if a certain variety produces seeds, hybrid peonies grown from seeds may turn out to be only vaguely similar to the original variety.

Although this does not mean that peonies will be less beautiful. There is one more disadvantage - plants grown from seeds bloom only in the 5th-6th year.

How to propagate peony by seeds

They are collected and immediately planted in the garden on beds or in boxes, digging in to a depth of no less and no more than 5 cm. Peony seeds require two-stage stratification. The first stage is warm, at temperatures from 15-30°C, for 2 months.

This is necessary to activate intrafamily embryo growth and seed germination. The temperature at this stage should not be maintained at a constant level; it can fluctuate day and night. The second stage is cold, at a low positive temperature of about 5-10 ° C, for 2-3 months.

It is necessary for the development of the shoot growth point. Thus, seeds sown in August have time to go through both the warm period (in August and September) and the cold period in autumn-winter, so approximately half of them should germinate next spring. Despite the fact that 100% germination is very rare, some of the seeds will still germinate in another year, in the second spring. If you do not collect seeds from your plants, but purchased them somewhere, then pay attention to how they look.

Dry seeds are wrinkled, with a hard shell, they have already been lying around and their germination rate has greatly decreased. Therefore, before planting, the seeds are soaked for 2 days in water. Then the seeds are placed in wide bowls in slightly moistened sand, the bowl is placed on a heating pad (on a radiator during the heating season).

Heat the sand to 27-30°C, let it cool, and warm it up again. The sand is moistened periodically. The procedure lasts up to 60 days and should result in the appearance of roots.

As soon as this happens, the seeds are removed, the root tip is pinched and planted in boxes with soil, lightly sprinkled. You can plant the seeds in peat pots, put them in a box and cover them with soil (this way the young plants are less injured when planted in the garden).

Then the boxes are placed in a cool place, where the temperature is 5-10°C, and the leaves are waited for to appear. When the first leaf appears, the seedlings are again transferred to a warm room at 16-18°C. Then, at the beginning of May, peonies can be taken out into the garden. The seedlings continue to live and grow in boxes until the end of summer, and in the second half of August they can be planted in a permanent place in the garden, maintaining a distance between the bushes depending on the species requirements (50-60cm for dwarf, 75-90 cm for ordinary bushes).

How to grow peonies from seeds? (1 of 2)

You will learn how to grow peonies from seeds and get beautiful, eye-pleasing flowers. You will need:

Landing in the ground

Peonies are grown for their beauty. They can be grown not only by division, but also by seeds. It is necessary to collect seeds at the beginning of their ripening, starting from mid-August and ending on the 15th of September. The seeds should not be hard and light brown in color.

They are collected and immediately planted on the plot, or in pre-prepared pots, to a depth of 5 centimeters.

Seeds require stratification in two stages. The first, considered warm, is to maintain a temperature of 15 to 30 degrees for two months. It is necessary to activate the growth of the embryo and seed germination.

When planting peonies with seeds, a second stage is also needed, it is cold. The temperature is maintained at 5 to 10 degrees Celsius for 3 months. It helps shoots develop.

If the seeds are planted in August, then the plant has time to go through both warm and cold period. Accordingly, half of the seeds should germinate in the spring. Seed germination is not 100%, although some seeds may germinate after a year.

If the seeds were not collected yourself, you can buy them in the store. When purchasing, you should pay attention to their appearance.

If they are dry and wrinkled, this means that their germination rate has decreased. Before planting, you need to soak them in water for two days. To understand how to grow peonies from seeds, you need to place them in wide pots with moistened, but not filled with sand.

Then, the pot is placed on the radiator (during the heating season). The sand must be heated to +27 degrees, then cooled, and the heating procedure repeated again.

The sand is periodically watered, but not much. This process must be completed for 60 days. After this time, roots appear. The seeds are removed, the roots are pinched and transplanted into a prepared container with soil, lightly sprinkled on top.

The container is placed in a cool place where the temperature is from +5 to +10 degrees and they wait for the first leaves to appear.

After the first leaves, the plant must be placed in a warm place, where the temperature should not exceed +16 degrees. In May, you can take the seedlings to an open area. They are planted in the ground at the end of August.

Peonies from seeds are a very interesting process of plant growth. The flowers turn out very beautiful, all the waiting time is 100% worth it.

Growing peony from seeds

Peonies are the only representatives of their family. This is a perennial shrub plant that is distinguished by a powerful, vigorously growing root system. The height of the stems, which are sometimes called trunks, reaches up to one meter.

The leaves are dark green, but by autumn their color becomes closer to yellow or brown. Only one flower grows on each stem. The diameter of the bud ranges from fifteen to twenty centimeters. The number of petals is five, and sometimes six.

The most common flower colors are soft pink, white and red. But there are also orange, burgundy and coral varieties. Peonies are often propagated by dividing the bush. This is done on the twentieth of August.

The bush is dug up and cut into parts, each of which should have roots, and several buds on the stems. Then the divisions are placed in a flowerbed. Peonies are also grown from seeds.

But here it is worth noting that the resulting plants may differ from each other in color, since they are hybrids. The soil in which you plan to plant seedlings should be light and loose.

To obtain this effect, the soil is mixed with sand. Peonies begin to bloom three years after sowing. In order to speed up the process of seed germination, you can use a little trick. In autumn, crops need to be put in the freezer.

This is necessary to make them more resistant to spring-winter temperature changes and, accordingly, various diseases. In January, the seeds are placed in small pots filled with special soil intended for growing seedlings.

The pots will need to be placed next to a window so that future plants receive enough light. After sixty days, the crops are moved to a cooler place, and in May they can be planted in a flower bed. The most important thing in caring for peonies is regular loosening of the soil.

It is necessary to control the appearance of weeds in order to get rid of them in a timely manner. You only need to water the flowers twice a month, but the moisture should be plentiful. During bud formation this procedure can be done more often.

A few months after you plant the peonies in a permanent place, the soil in the flowerbed will need to be fertilized. It is better to use mineral complexes. But in the third year it would be a good idea to fertilize with organic matter.

Growing peonies from seeds.

Peonies always take their rightful place in the flower garden, filling the air with a subtle aroma. Cut peony flowers look no less chic.

Flower growers, as a rule, propagate peonies vegetative way– by dividing the bush, since when grown from seeds there is a high probability of splitting varietal characteristics. In breeding work seed propagation is of paramount importance - in this way it is possible to develop new varieties.

Unfortunately, peonies grown by sowing seeds bloom only in the 5th or 6th year. In addition, seed propagation has its own subtleties.

Physiological characteristics of peony seeds

Peony seeds germinate very slowly, which is due to the morphology of the embryo. Due to low enzymatic activity, seeds germinate only in the second year after sowing, as they require two-stage stratification.

The process of obtaining seedlings can be accelerated if you grow peonies from your own collected seeds. To do this, it is recommended to collect seeds that are not fully ripe (from about mid-August to mid-September).

Freshly harvested seeds are immediately sown in beds to a depth of about 5 cm. In this case, the seeds have time to go through both stages of stratification: warm, at a temperature of 15 to 30 °C, and “cold” for 2 months (temperature 5 - 10 °C ).

This sowing technology allows you to get seedlings the following year. In this case, not all seeds will germinate - some will sprout in another year.

A few germination secrets

Experienced flower growers and breeders have developed a number of specific techniques to speed up the production of peony seedlings. Firstly, high-quality thermal stratification will only occur if the seeds are exposed to variable temperatures during the daily rhythm: day - 30 °C, night - 15 °C.

Secondly, you need to know that at the stage of thermal stratification, a root appears on the seed. Next, a transition to the “cold” phase is required.

The process of passing through the second phase of stratification can be artificially accelerated by treating the hypocotyl (the area of the stem under the cotyledons) with a solution of gibberellic acid (a growth regulator). First, prepare a regulator solution with a concentration of 0.01%.

The seeds are opened, a piece of bandage is moistened with the solution and applied to the hypocotyl area. To maintain the required level of humidity, the seeds are covered with caps made of translucent material.

At low positive temperatures (5 - 10 °C), the seedling should form a growth bud. If after a week the bud has not formed, then it is advisable to repeat the treatment.

Seedlings with a bud are transferred to a warm room, where they will continue to grow at a temperature of 15 - 18 °C. Of course, manipulating “acceleration” is a rather labor-intensive process, but this allows you to save a whole year of waiting!

Germination of purchased seeds

Store-bought peony seeds often have a long shelf life, which is why they lose some of their moisture and become wrinkled. Such seeds have a hardened outer shell, which creates an obstacle to pecking.

For this reason, it is recommended to soak newly purchased seeds in water at room temperature for 48 hours before sowing. If sowing work is carried out in August, then you can sow, as indicated above, directly into the ground.

In general, the germination technology is similar to that already described. If you decide to sow in winter time, then you will have to carry out a two-stage stratification artificially.

For this purpose, it is a good idea to purchase a heating pad with a thermostat, which will allow you to regulate daily temperature fluctuations by switching control limits. Peony seeds are sown in moistened sand and the bowls in which the sowing was done are placed on a heating pad.

Over the course of a month, it is necessary to increase the heating temperature to 30 °C during the day and reduce it to 15 °C at night. Of course, the sand must be periodically moistened with a spray bottle. When roots appear, you can move on to the second stage - “cold” stratification.

At the second stage, the hatched seeds need to be transplanted into boxes with fertile soil (peat humus cubes can be used) and the temperature reduced to 5 - 10 °C. Now all that remains is to wait for the leaves to appear, after which the seedlings are again transferred to warmth (18 - 20 °C).

By the way, if you wish, you can manipulate the seedlings using gibberellic acid. The grown seedlings are planted in a permanent place in the second half of August.

Tree peony is propagated in different ways: by dividing the bush, by air layering, by cuttings, and sometimes by grafting. The seed propagation option is used mainly by breeders, but we will also talk about it.

How does tree peony propagate?

Reproduction by dividing the bush

This method is used when the plant is already 5 or 6 years old. The peony is carefully dug up, the roots are washed, and they are separated so that each fragment contains at least 3 shoots. It is advisable to rinse the separation areas with a solution of potassium permanganate and sprinkle with crushed charcoal or activated carbon. Before being buried in the soil, each separated part is dipped in a solution of water and clay for about half an hour. This process is best done in the fall. The division method is rightfully considered one of the most convenient and effective methods of propagating this type of peonies.

Tree peony - propagation by cuttings

This process is best carried out in July - mid-summer. A healthy and strong bush is selected, semi-lignified shoots with a bud (heel) and leaves are separated from it. The leaves are cut in half, and the shoots themselves are placed in a sand-peat substrate to about 2-3 cm (by the way, vermiculite can be used for these purposes). To make the process more productive, it is better to cover the cuttings with transparent plastic glasses or cut-off plastic bottles - to create a kind of “greenhouse”. The stock of cuttings needs to be frequently ventilated and watered. After 2-3 months, the seedlings are planted in separate pots and “preserved” in such greenhouse conditions until spring arrives. From the moment the cuttings actively grow, they can be transplanted to a permanent place of residence, to a plot.

Tree peony - propagation by layering

Tree peony - propagation by grafting

The best time for this procedure is the second half of August. Caring with this approach is quite tedious, but, from some point of view, it can be called creative. A previously separated and processed part of the root is taken, an incision is made in the shape of the letter “V”, and a scion is inserted into this incision. The joints are tightly tied with a special garden or grafting tape (as it is called) and additionally covered generously with garden varnish. 20 days before planting in the soil, this “structure” can be placed in a container with sawdust, under the film, creating a kind of greenhouse for it. These containers should be placed in a room where there will always be partial shade. In the case of a lateral type grafting, everything happens in a similar way, only the shape of the incision differs - or rather, a diagonal cut is made at the rootstock and scion.

Tree peony - propagation by seeds

This is the work of breeders; this method requires strict adherence and consistency of actions. Alternating treatment with cold and heat is only a small part of all manipulations. Plus, the seeds must be fresh, because even if stored for a short period of time, they still quickly lose their ability to germinate. If everything works out and this method brings a positive result, then such peonies will be able to germinate in 2 or 3 years of life, and will bloom only after 5-7 years.

From the above it follows that propagation of the tree peony gives the best result when dividing the roots. Cuttings also require skills; layering is a method quite accessible to beginners, just like division. Grafting should also be carried out, if not by a breeder, then by a fairly experienced gardener. It will take about a couple of years for layering to produce results, one and a half to two years for grafting, heel propagation will give results much faster. Well, then the choice is yours - whoever is more comfortable, more interesting.

How to grow tree peony from seeds at home?

Pod with seeds, photo:

How to grow tree peony from seeds at home:

Seeds should only be taken fresh. The best ones are those that are collected immediately after the “ripe” pods open. With the onset of autumn, in place of flowers, some varieties of peonies appear with pods containing seeds. A sign of seed maturity is the dark brown color of the pod. Once the pods reach this stage, they should be carefully opened and the black grains removed. The seeds themselves are quite large, about the size of coffee beans or black peppercorns.
The collected seed should be carefully examined; damaged or suspicious specimens are rejected immediately.
After this, we take convenient containers, fill them with vermiculite (or calcined river sand), moisten them (but not too much) and immerse the seeds in them not very deeply for 30-35 days. These containers should be located in a dry and dark room, where it is always warm. You can place them on a radiator, for example (or on an electric heating pad with temperature control). At all times, the air temperature near the containers should be approximately +30°C during the day, and at nightfall it should be reduced to +15°C. Vermiculite or sand must be constantly moistened, which can be easily maintained with a spray bottle.
When the seeds have small roots, then they should then undergo the so-called cold stratification. To do this, take other containers, fill them with an earth mixture containing peat and/or humus, and carefully transplant the hatched seeds into them along with the roots. During this period, the air temperature in the room with containers should be approximately +7..+10°C.
Now you will have to be patient and wait for the first leaves to appear, after which the air temperature should be raised to +18..+20°C. You should not forget about periodic irrigation; you can also sometimes add growth stimulants to the water. The young shoots are transferred to their permanent place of residence at the end of August.

Young peony in a pot, photo:

There is another way to grow tree peony from seeds at home - sowing them in the soil immediately after harvesting. Winter cold will ensure natural stratification of the seed. Seeds planted in this way can germinate in the same autumn (at the very end), or maybe in the spring. There is nothing complicated in the sowing process itself: the seeds are buried in the soil by about 4-5 cm, the distance between the seed and the seed should be at least 3 cm. Water this area regularly, but not too much, to avoid rotting of the roots.

With the onset of the first cold weather, cover the beds with fallen leaves (mulch). When September comes to an end, watering should be stopped; you can additionally lay a layer of foliage on top. If everything was done correctly, you will see the first shoots in the spring, but remember about time - some seeds can germinate even a year later, next spring. Water young plants moderately in summer and feed them with small doses of appropriate fertilizers. With the onset of autumn, young peonies can be planted at larger distances from each other. Full foliage of such seedlings appears approximately in the 3rd year of life; at this time, the plants should receive enough sunlight to be able to develop further normally. We have already mentioned choosing a place to plant a peony a little higher.

When does tree peony bloom? With normal care and compliance with all planting requirements, such seedlings can produce their first flowers already in the 4th year of life. Be prepared for the fact that it may take 5 or even 6 years before a tree peony grown from seeds will delight you with its first flowers. When choosing planting material, be sure to consult with more experienced gardeners or, for example, study information on the Internet. Some varieties: Madame Forell, Mont Blanc, Marshall Mohon do not form seeds at all. But even those peonies that produce seeds can only partially retain their “maternal” qualities when growing new stock. This process is fascinating and truly creative in some way, because you always wonder what will happen next, what kind of flower will come out of a small seed grown with your own hands.

Didn’t I really scare you with the difficulties of tree peony propagation? Of course they are. This includes the waiting time for your pet to bloom after planting a cutting or after rooting a cutting, and the unpredictability of the result when planting seeds. But a gardener always believes in luck when he really wants to have a profusely flowering bush on his plot - a tree peony. Reproduction using one of the methods described above (and you choose the one that interests you most) will not seem like an impossible task.