When is it better to plant peonies: now or in August-September

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First, you need to find a sunny piece of land. Peonies are extremely photophilous, so their new home should be accessible to sunlight throughout the day. Well, maybe an hour less, but no more.

Why is it better to plant peonies now, not in August-September

Most reputable gardeners advise planting peonies in late August-early September, but it is best to do it now. As experience shows, early planting of peonies significantly improves their establishment and gives them increased resistance to diseases.

The key is in the adaptability of the root system and the formation of suction roots, which determine the above qualities. And adaptability is lower at the end of summer.

In addition to high solarization, peonies have two other basic requirements for their habitat: there should be no excess moisture in the form of groundwater – that's one thing, and two – the habitat should not be located in a lowland. Elevation is not mandatory, but in a lowland – no-no.

Formally, the peony is unpretentious, but it loves comfort. The soil prefers neutral or very slightly alkaline. The dimensions of the planting pit are determined by the root system. A small bush, with one or two roots, requires at least 60×60×60 centimeters. Each new root increases the parameters by another 10 centimeters in all directions.

The first layer in any case is drainage. The best drainage is sand. The thickness is 15 centimeters, no more, but no less than 10.

Do not skimp on a special nutrient layer. It is simple and primitive, but effective: 1 part of the removed soil is mixed with 1 part of compost, 1 part of rotted manure (not younger than 3 years) and 300 superphosphate with added trace elements. You can add, if available, a half-liter jar of ash. All this goodness should be at least 20 centimeters thick. And more. This year the winter was snowy, and the spring was long and not at all hot, so we also add a half-liter jar of dolomite flour to avoid sin. In this way, we insure ourselves against possible acidification of the soil.

Then this nourishing pillow is filled with the removed soil so that 10 centimeters remain to the edge. We trample everything with our foot and pour a layer, five centimeters, of sand and fill it with soil completely. The reference point is the upper bud: there should be 3 to 5 centimeters of soil above it.