To achieve abundant and colorful flowering, it is important to properly care for peonies in the spring. One of the key elements of care is fertilization.
Anastasia Kovrizhnykh , an expert of the online publication "BelNovosti", an agronomist and landscape designer, told when and how to feed peonies.
Soil preparation
The first step to luxurious flowering is preparing the soil.
Loosening
In spring, as soon as the snow melts, it is necessary to carefully loosen the soil around the peony bushes. This will provide oxygen access to the roots and improve water absorption.
Mulching
After loosening, it is recommended to mulch the soil around the bushes with compost, rotted manure or leaf humus. Mulch will help retain moisture, suppress weed growth and gradually release nutrients into the soil.
Feeding peonies
Peonies require three main feedings during the spring.
1st feeding
At the beginning of growth, when the first shoots appear, it is recommended to add nitrogen fertilizers. This can be urea (20-30 g per 1 m) or ammonium nitrate (15-20 g per 1 m).
2nd feeding
During the budding period, peonies need phosphorus and potassium. For this, you can use superphosphate (40-50 g per 1 m) and potassium sulfate (20-30 g per 1 m).
3rd feeding
After flowering, peonies require additional feeding to restore their strength. During this period, it is recommended to use a complex mineral fertilizer, for example, nitrophoska (30-40 g per 1 m).
Foliar feeding
In addition to root feeding, foliar feeding can be used. For this, solutions of micronutrient fertilizers are used, which are sprayed on the leaves of peonies. Foliar feeding is especially effective during the period of budding and flowering.
Features of feeding different types of peonies
Herbaceous peonies
They respond well to organic fertilizers such as mullein or chicken manure infusion.
Tree peonies
They prefer mineral fertilizers.
Earlier we talked about how to feed trees in the spring .
Expert: Anastasia Kovrizhnykh
