Most beginner flower growers have a natural question: "When to prune peonies so as not to destroy the plant and get the maximum number of bright buds in the new year?" There are several simple, but mandatory conditions, the fulfillment of which will provide the front garden with these fluffy representatives of the flora.
For enhanced flowering
The first two years of life on the site, peonies need to completely remove emerging buds. It is this "barbaric" approach that allows you to stimulate the accelerated growth of the whole plant and, as a result, more abundant flowering in the future. If the goal is to provide your home or shop with large peonies on a long stem, then all the buds that appear below the top are removed as soon as they reach the size of a small pea. On the contrary, if you want to get bright, lush flowering bushes on the site, all the ovaries should be left in place.
When peonies are pruned after flowering
As soon as the last petal of the budwithered, you need to remove the entire head. The flower is removed along with part of the stem, making a cut in the region of the first maximally developed leaf. Usually professional flower growers recommend leaving a small stump or the entire stem until autumn. If a tree variety of this plant is cultivated, then up to a third of the buds on each stem are removed to increase the size of the flowers.
When deciding when to prune peonies, you need to remember that young buds develop and grow due to the beneficial nutrients that the leaves produce. Therefore, you should not cut the shoots without buds - you should always leave at least 50% of the shoots on each bush.
To determine the exact time when peonies can be cut, in the second half of October or November, they monitor the behavior of the stems. As soon as they lie down at the first frost, they are cut off at ground level. This method is used for herbaceous varieties of peonies. If young buds are exposed during pruning, then the bushes must be spudded to a height of 7-10 cm. Tree-like species begin to “cut” at 3-4 years of age. Experienced flower growers know when to prune peonies of these varieties - either in spring or autumn. For the first such procedure, October-November is chosen, when the young stems have not yet had time to develop, but spare buds have already appeared. Further pruning is transferred to the spring, when all old and damaged, weakened shoots are removed, cutting them to the very ground level.
When to prune peonies: common beginner mistakes
You can not remove shoots very early. Such miscalculation may occurdue to transplanting the plant to a new place or the annual division of the bush. Cut stems begin to grow very quickly, and by frost, the peony can bloom microbuds.
On the one hand, winter flowers are rare and beautiful, but on the other hand, you need to understand that the bush may die after such untimely germination.
If you prune later than the recommended time, the rhizomes may rot. In cold areas, above-ground shoots can be removed at the end of September, but in the middle lane it is better to give preference to classic care and postpone the event to October-November. And one more nuance: if you cut peonies indefinitely (for decorating a room or for sale), there will be few new buds for collection next year.
