Planting Bare Root Peonies in the Fall
Selecting a planting site
Peonies need full sun to bloom. In the gardening world that means 6-8 hours of sun every day. Here in the South (North Texas (zone 8a)) the peonies that did best on our property received morning and early afternoon sun followed by some amount of shade in the afternoon. This mattered most in the high heat of our summer which gets into the high 90’s and low 100’s daily. If you live in a more temperate climate, ignore this idea and plant in a site that gets as much sun as possible.
Drainage for peonies is particularly important. For sandy soil types, adding a bit of peat moss or organic material can help hold more moisture in the soil. For clay soils (like ours) adding in play sand, pine bark mulch and a little compost to our planting site, then mixing in our clay soil, was key in keeping our peony roots healthy and moist throughout the growing season.
When to Plant
You can plant your peonies any time before you get a hard ground freeze. This is different than a light frost. Dig your hole generously, far wider and deeper than your root size. This will give you the opportunity to break up your soil and add nutrients which can aid in the root development over winter and help your peony put on extra growth in the spring. Backfill your hole so that there is a maximum of two inches of soil covering the eyes of your root. For everyone in the South- one inch of soil or less um is all you need.
I love following Cranberry Hill Flower Farm for planting tips. Here is a link for Kelly’s Video on planting peonies.
Mulching
Adding natural wood chips around exposed soil is a great way to lock in moisture and prevent weed seeds from rooting on bare ground. However, I don’t recommend covering the crown of your peonies with wood chips or leaves once the foliage dies back for the season. This is to help mitigate the spread of fungal disease and potential root rot that may occur from locking in too much moisture during the rainy season. In addition, mulching above the crown of your peony root can result in an accumulation of broken-down soil above the eyes of the peony over time- which will negatively impact blooming as the root becomes buried deeper and deeper.
Fertilizer and water
After planting bare roots in the Fall, we generously soak the planting site before leaving the roots alone. Be sure to LABEL your peony variety and mark the planting site so you don’t accidentally dig into your root by mistake. Though we may occasionally water the area during dormancy, we only do so when there has been multi-week stretches without rain. Using a mild bulb fertilizer at planting like Espoma’s Bulb Tone (3-5-3) is a good option for peonies in the Fall. Sprinkle around crown only.
Spring time- Fertilize with a low nitrogen, high phosphorous fertilizer once before bloom.
Peony Disease and Fungal Issues
Treating with a fungicide on shoot emergence can help mitigate fungal issues that may arise in the springtime. There are many organic options for this but we recommend picking a product that would be particularly good for botrytis. Here is a link from the Missouri Botanical Garden on peony problems with pictures https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/visual-guides/peony-problems .
To help keep peonies clean and disease free, make sure you cut back dead foliage and clean debris in the fall.
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