How to fertilize peonies in spring to get lush flowering: tips

Peonies will become a real decoration of the garden. These graceful and bright flowers with large, lush buds are quite unpretentious, but improper care can ruin the bloom.

March is the perfect time to clean the flowerbed, rake up the garbage that has accumulated over the winter, and loosen the soil around the bushes. OBOZ.UA figured out how often peonies need to be watered and what fertilizers will ensure lush and long flowering.

How often do you need to water peonies

You can start watering as soon as the weather is dry. It is in the spring that the branches and leaves are actively growing, so the plant needs moisture, especially during the period of flower budding.

Peony leaves evaporate quite a significant amount of water, so experienced gardeners advise setting the appropriate watering rate – 30 liters for each adult plant every 10 days.

After natural precipitation, it is imperative to loosen the soil so as not to block the access of oxygen to the root system.

What fertilizers are suitable for peonies

The first step is to carry out preventive treatment. After the bulk of the sprouts have appeared, it is advisable to moisten the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate at the rate of 2 g per 10 liters of water. This is necessary to reduce the risk of fungal and virus damage to the flowers, and as a bonus, it will accelerate the growth of buds and roots.

About a week after treating the soil with potassium permanganate, you should spray the bushes with a Bordeaux mixture, which will protect the plant from gray rot.

Then comes the period of fertilization.

There are several options for fertilizing to ensure maximum flowering:

• dry manure (horse or cow);
• complex fertilizer containing nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.

These components should be dug up with the soil to a depth of about 30 cm.

Gardeners point out that with proper planting and fertile soil, peonies should not be fed for the first 2-3 years, but foliar feeding is considered acceptable, as it promotes faster growth of the root system. It is best to feed the leaves once a decade in the morning or evening hours, and the first feeding is advised to be done after the sprouts appear.

For the first feeding, you need a bucket of water and 40 g of urea (urea), and for the second – a bucket of water, 40 g of urea, and a tablet with trace elements. For the third fertilization, only a tablet with trace elements is enough. You can also add 1 tablespoon of laundry detergent or grated laundry soap to make the solution stick better to the leaves.

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