Peonies in bloom are a real joy in the garden. However, in order for these to return year after year, peonies need to be properly fertilized.
The genus of peonies (Paeonia) currently includes 32 different species - so it's no wonder that this plant species has earned a place in so many gardens and garden owners with a true bloom delighted. However, in order to keep the strong, light pink flowering 'Louise Mouchelet' or the strong-growing 'Gilbert Barthelot' in your garden paradise in the long term, one thing is particularly important: the right fertilizer.
Peonies are one of the more easy-care plants, after all, their roots reach into remote nutrient stores in the surrounding soil. But the natural nutrient reserves that they find are rarely perfect. For this reason, you should give your peony fertilizer on a regular basis. Unfortunately, not every fertilizer is equally suitable for flowering plants. The dose and the time should not be random either. That's why we explain how and when to best supply a peony with nutrients.
Why should you fertilize peonies?
Nutrients are essential for plants to build up biomass, i.e. to be able to grow happily. A peony is no different. If you pay attention to the right composition and concentration of the energy messengers, you can support lush flowering and vigorous growth. Peonies are particularly dependent on a good supply of nutrients during the growth phase, because in the cold season many species of the pretty flower hibernate underground as a rhizome. All the nutrients needed for new growth in spring are stored here. If the plant was not sufficiently fertilized in the previous year, this deficiency is reflected in the nutrient storage of the rhizomes. In the spring, these plants then have a less than optimal start to the growth phase.
Fertilize peonies: when and how often?
Fertilization begins when the peony sprout after the hibernation, after all the sprout wants to start the new yearbe properly supported. The last fertilization is then in July or August before your peony has its last bloom to say goodbye to summer. You should not fertilize later, as a later shoot cannot harden before winter.
If you use a slow-release fertilizer, you only need to fertilize at the beginning and end of the fertilizing period. With mineral fertilizers, you should feed your peonies in small doses every four weeks. In most cases, these only have a very short-term effect and can easily be flushed out of the soil. This not only shortens the watering interval, but also pollutes the groundwater. For this reason and because of the high risk of over-fertilization, it is advisable to use an organic fertilizer when fertilizing peonies. This also offers a long-term effect in a natural way and therefore only needs to be used twice a year.
Summary: When and how often to fertilize peonies
- The first fertilization takes place with the sprouting after the hibernation
- The last fertilization is in July or August before the last flowering
- With a long-term fertilizer you only have to fertilize at the beginning and end of the fertilizing period
- Mineral fertilizers are applied in small doses every four weeks
- In contrast to mineral fertilisers, organic fertilizer does not pose a risk of over-fertilization and only has to be used twice a year because of its natural long-term effect
Fertilize peonies: instructions and fertilizer recommendation
Fortunately, because of their deep roots, peonies do not need an excess of additional nutrients, because they use a large amount of soil and the nutrients stored in it. Therefore, the dose of nutrients is also strongly dependent on the substrate in which your plant grows. Sandy soil can store fewer nutrients than loamy soil. It is therefore important in this case to improve the soil by properly fertilizing the plant with compost and mixing in loamy soil. In addition, it is very beneficial to know the exact variety of peony. Although most varieties are quite frugal, there are also breeding masterpieces such as the fast-growing variety 'Gilbert Barthelot', which consume a little more for nutrients. In general, fast-growing strains naturally consume more nutrients than slow-growing strains.
In the case of theFor peonies, with all of the properties mentioned, a primarily organic long-term fertilizer such as our Plantura organic flower fertilizer is advisable. Nitrogen (N) should be the least available as you don't need an unnatural growth spurt. Among other things, phosphorus (P) promotes the formation of flowers, which is what gives the peony its special status in your own garden - for this reason the largest proportion is needed here. Potassium (K) regulates the water balance, but is also responsible for root growth and the frost resistance of the plant. Therefore, it should be second in terms of proportion.
Fertilize peonies organically
In the case of most peonies, you should refrain from using mineral fertilizers because there is an oversupply of nutrients with which the plant is quickly overwhelmed. The reason for this lies in the slow growth behavior of many peonies. The slow availability of an organic flower fertilizer with a long-term effect fits perfectly with this. Ideally, this should also be of organic quality so that the soil creatures can do their work well and happily. Our primarily organic Plantura organic flower fertilizer offers exactly these qualities - and almost exclusively based on plant-based raw materials. The NPK ratio of 4 - 2 - 7 promotes he althy, bushy growth, vigorous flowering and gets your plant strengthened with potassium through the winter.
Organic long-term fertilization: Application recommendation for peonies
Actually, you can't go wrong with organic fertilizers when it comes to the dosage, because even if too much ends up in the pot or bed, you don't need to worry about over-fertilization. But if you want to take care of your garden as environmentally friendly as possible, you should avoid unnecessary fertilizers. So that the fertilizing of your peonies does not end with unnecessary waste, we have prepared a short application recommendation for our Plantura organic flower fertilizer for you below. Composed almost entirely of organic ingredients, this organic fertilizer keeps peonies happy all year round when used as follows:
- Before planting, work 100 - 150 g/m² (well-filled 0.2 liter glass) of our Plantura organic flower fertilizer into the top layer of soil
- Water the soil and freshly planted peony well so that the granules dissolve wellcan
- For maintenance fertilization in spring, you should fertilize another 80 - 120 g/m² (0.2 liter glass) per plant
Fertilize peonies with minerals
If you dare to use mineral fertilizer for these neat perennials, you should never exceed the recommended dosage. Otherwise, the high-dose nutrient suppliers will quickly become too much for the frugal peonies. Also make sure that you only give blue grain and Co. with enough water. Otherwise, the nutrients cannot be absorbed and, in the worst case, burns can occur in the root area. Since a mineral fertilizer quickly does more harm than good for the peony, you should rather use an organic long-term fertilizer. This is gentler on the plants and also considerably more environmentally friendly.
Fertilize peonies with home remedies
Peonies in the bed are suitable for traditional fertilization with mature compost, with manure from goats, sheep or horses or with bone meal. Work the natural fertilizer into the upper layer of soil in the root area twice a year. Covered with a fresh layer of soil, the nutrient release can then start. But peonies can also be cared for in pots with home remedies. You can simply fertilize your plants with dried coffee grounds every four weeks. This is scattered in the root area or added to the irrigation water.
Fertilize peonies in the pot
Should the peony grow in a sufficiently large tub or pot, a few special features must be observed. First of all, shrub peonies are much better suited for the pot than the perennial varieties. This is because the latter are downright deep-rooters and will be more affected in the pot. Furthermore, the substrate of the pot should be rich in nutrients and there should be drainage at the bottom of the pot to avoid waterlogging (e.g. from broken pottery or gravel). Fertilizer additions to potted peonies should generally be applied more frequently than to outdoor varieties, as it often happens that the plants do not flower and the fertilizers are used to constantly stimulate growth or flowering.
Tip: It is much more advantageous to offer the peonies a place outdoors, as they are much more frost-resistant and blooming there.
Another important care measure is the right cut. This article tells you how to proceed when pruning peonies.