Feeding peonies in spring and summer: what is the best fertilizer for lush flowering
As unexpected as it sounds, peonies are able to grow for a long time and bloom magnificently in one place, without transplanting. However, for this you need to properly care for the flowers throughout the growing season. This is especially important in the spring, when the plant is just waking up and needs additional nutrition more than ever.
About when and how to feed peonies in spring, so that they bloom even more luxurious and longer, read further in our article.
Content
Why fertilize peonies in spring
Peonies, like any other flowers (plants), require certain macro- and microelements for growth and development (flowering):
- Nitrogen is needed for the active growth of powerful and strong shoots (a set of green mass).
Important! If you overfeed the peonies with nitrogen fertilizers, they will begin to "fatten" - to actively increase the green mass (there will be a lot of foliage) to the detriment of flowering.
- Phosphorus - promotes lush, abundant and long-lasting flowering (affects the size and number of flowers), and is also responsible for the root system of the plant.
- Potassium is very important in the budding and flowering phase (also contributes to better flowering) in spring and summer, and in the fall for the establishment of future flower buds and the successful wintering of peonies (affects the frost resistance of the plant).
- There are a lot of trace elements, and each of them is responsible for different processes in plants. For example, the setting of buds and the brightness of flowers largely depend on magnesium.
Note! If, when planting peonies, you have already applied fertilizers, then in the next 2-3 years the bushes do not need any feeding.
Thus, feeding peonies in spring:
- stimulates the formation of buds;
- increases flowering duration;
- increases the color intensity of flowers.
Of course, there are flower growers who never feed peonies with anything, and they grow and bloom beautifully (one might say, like weeds). Actually, you can also try this - conduct an experiment and compare (feed some peonies, and others not).
When to feed peonies in spring, summer and autumn: optimal timing and scheme
Many flower growers adhere to this scheme for feeding peonies in spring (before flowering), in summer and autumn (after flowering):
- First time you should feed the peonies immediately after all the snow in the garden has melted andthe aerial part of the bush will appear... At this point, the plant needs a lot of nitrogen (ammonium nitrate or urea) and a little phosphorus with potassium.
Advice! Before feeding, carefully clean the area of weeds and slightly loosen the soil.
Important! If you do not carry out the first feeding, then there will be nothing terrible, just do not forget about the second.
Note! In general, many gardeners feed peonies only once in the spring - with a full complex mineral fertilizer (preferably with humates and trace elements).
- The second peonies are fed at the very beginning of the period of bud formation (budding), about 10-14 days after the first. At this moment, the plant needs the whole complex of macronutrients, in other words, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (nitrogen can be less, potassium - more, phosphorus - also more). Alternatively, you can use nitroammophos (16% each) or diammophos, or a special flower fertilizer such as Fertika or any other.
- The last (autumn) peonies are fed 10-14 days after the end of flowering. The purpose of this summer-fall dressing is to help the plant establish new flower buds for the next year, as well as prepare the bushes for winter. This means that it should be a phosphorus-potassium fertilizer (ideally - superphosphate + potassium sulfate, i.e. more phosphorus).
Video: care and feeding of peonies in the spring before flowering: when and how to fertilize for lush flowering
How to properly feed peonies in spring
Basic recommendations and rules for fertilizing peonies:
- The root system of peonies is located deep enough, therefore, before applying fertilizer, an annular groove (hole) must be made along the diameter of the bush (departing from the center of the bush by 20-30 centimeters). Alternatively, you can simply dig small holes or dimples around the plant (10-20 cm).
Important! The main thing is not to pour mineral fertilizers into the center of the bush, this can damage (burn) young shoots and buds.
- Before applying top dressing, it is recommended to first spill the peony bushes with plain water, because it is always advisable to fertilize on wet soil, especially with mineral fertilizers.
Advice! It is advisable to spill the earth a day or at least a couple of hours before applying liquid fertilizing.
By the way! And if a good rain has recently passed, then it makes no sense to additionally moisten the earth.
- It is desirable to make top dressing in the morning or evening, but not at lunchtime, when the sun is at its zenith.
- Usually, in the spring produced precisely root dressing (in liquid form, but it is also possible in dry form - scatter the granules into the holes and cover them, the fertilizers will gradually dissolve during watering or rains). But already in summer, during flowering, can be done and foliar feeding (by leaves).
Important! It is believed that foliar (leaf) dressing is especially effective when the plant needs specific trace elements (this is manifested in its appearance).
However! Foliar dressing cannot completely replace root dressing.
- As for the dosages and terms of application of certain fertilizers, always follow the instructions on the packages, do not rely on memory.
How to feed peonies in spring and summer-autumn: options for the most suitable fertilizers
There are many effective ways to feed peonies in the spring. Naturally, the best way is to combine mineral (preferably complex) and organic fertilizers.
Important! All types of peonies can and should be fed, which, by origin and shape, are usually subdivided intotreelike (European, Japanese, Delaway and Yellow peony hybrids) andherbaceous (evading, medicinal or common, narrow-leaved, Mlokosevich, lactic-flowered or white-flowered.
Next, we will consider in detail and list the main fertilizers suitable for spring feeding of peonies:
Nitrogen feeding
Remember! It is used only in early spring, at the very beginning of plant growth (immediately after the snow melts).
Moreover, you should not overdo it with nitrogen fertilizers, otherwise the plant will begin to drive foliage, and the flowering will be faded.
Mineral nitrogen fertilizers:
- Urea (Urea) - 46% nitrogen (10-15 grams per 10 liters of water or per 1 square meter);
By the way! The site already has a separate article about how to use urea in the garden.
- Ammonium nitrate - 33-35% nitrogen (15-30 grams per 10 liters of water or per 1 square meter);
Advice! Also released a separate material on the use of ammonium nitrate in the garden.
Organic fertilizers
By the way! Many gardeners who adhere to organic farming recommend using Baikal EM-1 for spring feeding of peonies.
- infusion chicken droppings (usually 1 in 20, and then another 1 in 3 with water);
- infusion cow dung or mullein (1 in 10, and then another 1 in 2 with water);
- green manure (nettle infusion).
Alternatively, you can additionally mulch peoniescompost or humus (scatter in the trunk circle).
Complex mineral dressing
It is very convenient to use complex mineral fertilizers, which contain all the macronutrients.
So, peonies in the spring can be fed with the following fertilizers:
- Nitroammofoska (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium - 16% each). Prepare the solution at the rate of 20-30 grams per 10 liters of water. Pour about 5 liters under an adult bush.
- Diammofoska - 10% nitrogen, 26% each phosphorus and potassium (20 grams per 10 liters of water).
Note! The composition of these fertilizers does not include any trace elements, and it is very desirable to add them. Therefore, it is highly recommended to add humates to the solutions, which are described in more detail later - in the last paragraph).
Phosphate-potassium fertilizing
An excellent option for feeding peonies during the budding period for a vigorous and lush flowering can be the following combination of mineral fertilizers:
- Superphosphate - nitrogen 6-9%, phosphorus - 26-30% (10-20 grams per 10 liters of water or per 1 square meter).
Advice! About, how to use superphosphate correctly detailed in this article.
- Potassium sulfate (potassium sulfate) - 46-52% potassium (10-20 grams per 10 liters of water or per 1 square meter).
By the way! Instead of potassium sulfate (potassium sulfate), you can use potassium salt.
Better yet, usekalimagnesia, which, in addition to potassium, contains such an important trace element for the flowering of peonies as magnesium.
If you prefer to use only organic fertilizers(although feeding decorative and flower crops with mineral fertilizers is not the same as edible crops), you can use potash as a top dressing (during budding) use wood ash, having prepared the following solution (or even better infusion-extract): 100-200 grams per 10 liters of water.
Concerning phosphorus, it is available in the same bone or fish meal.
Fertilizers for peonies (flower crops)
If you do not want to bother (you are a "lazy" summer resident) and are ready to spend a little more money, then you can buy one of special complex fertilizers for peonies (for flower crops), which already contains all the macro- and microelements, for example:
- Fertika Kristalon for garden flowers (liquid with trace elements);
- Fertika Kristalon Floral (granulated with trace elements);
- Fertika Lux (granulated with trace elements);
- Fertika Universal (organo-mineral mixture with humates and a complex of trace elements);
- Especially popular are special long-acting fertilizers (granular, it is advisable to apply dry into holes along the diameter of the bushes, and then water). For example, "Flower»From Fusco.
- Or "Root Feeder - Flowers»(A complex fertilizer of long-term action with microelements).
Important! Apply and dilute all fertilizers according to the instructions on the package.
Video: feeding peonies in spring for powerful flowering
Fertilizers with humates and microelements
Very good to use humateswhich promote better absorption of mineral fertilizers. Therefore, you can prepare the solution first Potassium humate, and then add a complex mineral fertilizer to it, for example, the same nitroammophoska or nitrophosphate.
By the way! Nowadays, humates and microelements are initially added to some complex mineral fertilizers. For example, "Strong " with potassium humate and trace elements.
In general, it is very effective to use for feeding peonies ready-made cocktails with essential microelementstype Humate +7 (there is also + Iodine).
Thus, now you know when and how to feed peonies in spring (as well as after flowering, in late summer - in autumn). If you do everything right, then peonies will surely thank you with their gorgeous and long flowering. Then - to the point!
Video: how to feed peonies in spring
is it possible to feed peonies with horse manure granules in spring
Good day, Natalia!
Not possible, but even necessary. You want to make an infusion solution, right? It is not very effective to simply add granules to the soil (even more so to scatter them over the surface), unless before planting.