Reasons for poor flowering of peonies: why they don’t bloom, few buds or only leaves

How to make a flowerbed of peonies fragrant

Peony is perhaps the most luxurious and favorite flower of many gardeners. But a flower bed with these flowers sometimes does not give the lushness that one would like to see. Let's look at the reasons for the poor flowering of this plant:

Flowers are planted in the shade, where there is stagnant moisture, and they love sunlight.
Insufficiently strong root system. How long to wait for the root system to develop? It will get stronger only 2 years after planting.
There are few roots, so the buds do not have enough nutrition. It needs to be fed, or better yet, transplanted to a place more convenient for flowers. There is no need to replant often; once every 4 years is enough. For many gardeners, with proper care, peonies grow in one place for a long time, producing lush buds.
When transplanting from the top bud to the surface of the ground, a distance of 3–5 cm on loam and 5–7 cm on light soils must be maintained. The buds should not be placed too high, otherwise they may freeze in winter, and in summer they will begin to suffer from heat and drought.
The plantings should be renewed; old bushes do not bloom well.
Feed correctly. How to fertilize? To bloom, peonies need potassium and phosphorus, but excess nitrogen will lead to the formation of lush greenery without buds.
In dry weather, the plant requires abundant watering so that nutrients reach each layer.

Why the tree and ITO peony does not bloom

Luxurious flowering of tree and ITO peonies occurs 2-3 years after planting. In general, these are unpretentious plants that will bloom if planted correctly. Plants require an open sunny area, protected from cold winds and fertile, loose soil.

The reason for the lack of flowers lies in diseases of perennials. Wet and cold weather, excess nitrogen fertilizers lead to the appearance of gray rot, rust, and brown spot on peonies. The plants look depressed, brown spots are visible on the foliage, the buds turn black and fall off.

Diseases are fought with the help of Bordeaux mixture, drugs Skor, Fundazol. Treatments are carried out several times a season; in unfavorable weather, healthy plants are also sprayed as a preventive measure.

How and when to feed peonies

Peony buds are very large, so the plant consumes a lot of nutrients. When should you fertilize them? Fertilizers are applied before and after flowering. From the third year of development, the following requirements are imposed on feeding:

The first application of fertilizers is carried out immediately after the snow melts. At this time, nitrogen-potassium fertilizers are applied: 10-15 g of nitrogen and 10-20 g of potassium per bush.
The second application of fertilizers is carried out during the formation of buds. This should be nitrogen (10-15 g), phosphorus (15-20 g) and potassium (10-15 g) per bush.
The third feeding is 1-2 weeks after flowering. Top dressing should consist of phosphorus (15-20 g) and potassium (10-15 g).

Just don’t overdo it with fertilizers; as much as is written, that’s what you need to apply. If you overdo it with nitrogen, you will get abundant green mass instead of buds.

In order not to look for separate fertilizers, purchase Kemira-Universal mineral fertilizer. It is applied first in early spring, then 7 days after the start of flowering and in the fall.

How to use Kemira? First you need to water each bush, and then pour a handful of the drug under it, then embed it in the soil and water it. The second feeding can be done in the same way using the Kemira-Combi preparation.

General information about how peony develops and blooms

Peony is a perennial shrub. In herbaceous crop species, the above-ground part dies off every year during the winter and resumes the growing season with the arrival of spring, while in tree-like crops it is preserved for the winter. The plant has a powerful root system, deepening up to 1 m. Thanks to this, the shrub is able to provide itself with moisture even during periods of drought, and withstand frosts down to -35 degrees.

Only healthy peony bushes can bloom profusely.

Regeneration buds form in the upper part of the root of peonies. They have a two-year life cycle. The formation of new buds occurs annually at the end of flowering. It is thanks to them that the plant grows new shoots and forms buds every year.

Peonies bloom in the second half of May or June, depending on the type and variety. The plant forms apical buds. Flowering duration is 10-14 days. At the end, fruits are formed in which the seeds ripen. Closer to autumn, the above-ground part of herbaceous plant species begins to fade, and the growth of new shoots begins only next spring.

Important! After planting, the peony seedling should bloom in the third year, and before that it is actively growing its root system.

Foliar feeding

What can you do to admire amazing bouquets of peonies throughout the season? Apply foliar feeding with Ideal. Dilute according to instructions and spray the leaves with a nutrient solution. To ensure that the fertilizer adheres well to the leaves, rub a little laundry soap into it.

Feeding schedule with other drugs:

As soon as the first above-ground parts of the bush appear, they are watered with a urea solution (50 g per 10 liters of water).
A month later, fertilization should be repeated: add 1 tablet of microfertilizer per 10 liters of solution to the urea solution.
The third feeding is carried out after flowering. Watering is carried out with a solution of microfertilizers (2 tablets per bucket of water).

Reason 2. The peony is planted or transplanted incorrectly

Proper planting (or transplanting) of peonies is another key to their good flowering, so treat this procedure responsibly.

For planting, choose healthy sections of the plant without cracks, growths, signs of damage, or spots of unknown color. The cuttings should have 2-4 renewal buds and at least 2-3 light adventitious roots more than 5 cm long (it is through them that the plant will feed at first).

The planting hole for a peony should be large enough (at least 60x60 cm) - there the plant can form a powerful root system. There should be a layer of drainage in the hole, and on top - a specially prepared fertile soil mixture (garden soil, 1-2 buckets of compost or humus, 200 g of superphosphate and 300-400 g of ash).

Don't plant the bush too deep or too close to the surface. The optimal depth will be when there is a 5-7 cm layer of soil above the top bud. The buds may eventually end up above the soil surface, then they will be negatively affected by spring frosts and summer heat. In this case, you should dig up the peony, deepen the hole and lower the plant into it along with a lump of earth. If the growing bush is too deep, it must be carefully lifted and soil must be added under the roots.

Remember also that the older the peony bush gets, the weaker it blooms. Therefore, if you want abundant flowering, once every 8-10 years the peonies need to be rejuvenated - dug up, divided so that each section has 3-4 buds, and planted.

Peonies: how to divide and replant bushes
We reveal the secrets of dividing and transplanting peonies.

When to expect peonies to bloom

To ensure that peonies bloom all summer, experienced flower growers plant different varieties. In what month does this flower begin to bloom? The earliest varieties delight with flowering already in mid-May. This process continues from May until the first ten days of June. These varieties are: Offcinalis plena alba, rosea or rubra; Karina; Flame; Maryin root.

Behind them, from about mid-June, other varieties bloom: François Ortega, Festiva Maxima, Edulis, White Sail, Monsieur Jules Ely. How long do they bloom? Approximately from June 16 to June 27. Flower lovers also liked the following varieties: Clemenceau, Varenka, Felix, Sir Thomas Lipton, Kansas, Mont Blanc, Cruiser Aurora, Princess Margaret.

Behind them, the late and latest varieties begin to smell fragrant. Their flowering period is from June 25 to July 8. These are: Anshatress, Moonglow, Edlund, Victory, Graziella, Philippe Rivoire, Snow Globe.

Reason 6. Peony is damaged by diseases and/or pests

Of course, an invasion of pests or diseases can also negatively affect the duration or overall likelihood of peony flowering.

Gray rot, powdery mildew, Lemoine's disease, verticillium wilt, aphids, nematodes, bronze beetles, fine weeds - each of these misfortunes can deprive your peony bush of good flowering.

Therefore, timely prevention of peony infection by diseases and pests and, of course, competent treatment and control measures if necessary are very important.

Diseases and pests of peonies: photos, description and treatment
What diseases and pests are peonies most afraid of and how to protect these plants from major misfortunes?

Thus, thanks to proper care, a florist can easily influence the duration and intensity of peony flowering in his own area.

What to do if the flower does not bloom

Often a peony does not want to please its owners with its beauty. The question arises: why did it stop blooming? There are many reasons, let's consider everything in order.

Last season there were too many buds on the bush and the bush was simply exhausted. Advice: if there are more than 20 buds on a bush, then the extra ones should be cut off at the initial stage of their appearance. It is also important to prune plants that are already flowering, that is, their side shoots. It is a pity to remove them, but they take away the strength of large flowers.
Excessive application of fertilizers, especially nitrogen.
There is too little green mass, which is very bad for photosynthesis.
Lack of nutrients and sunshine. Flowers will never bloom if they grow in the shade.
Peonies bloom poorly if they are infected with various diseases, including late blight and gray mold.
Lack of moisture and poor care are also one of the reasons for the poor flowering of these seedlings. Buds appear, but they do not bloom.
If the old bushes are not divided, then abundant flowering may not occur.
To take a bouquet home or as a gift, some gardeners severely prune the branches of the plant. If the shoot was cut by a third or more, then next season you may not see flowering, or it will bloom, but very poorly.

The cause is a small amount of green mass. That is, do not cut off the lowest leaves, because new buds begin to form at the base of the shoots.

How to make it bloom? You have already learned the reasons why peony does not bloom, so you need to exclude them and then all summer you will admire the lush bloom of these amazing flowers.

Errors in care and how to correct them

Diseases of dahlias - what they are, why they grow poorly and do not bloom

A provoking factor as to why garden peonies do not produce buds may also be improper care. In this case, you need to determine the root cause in order to eliminate it.

Bush flooding

This crop cannot tolerate prolonged stagnation of moisture in the soil, so it cannot be grown on clay soil without first adding sand and peat. Overmoistening can be detected by the dark border on the leaves, which indicates the development of root rot in the peony. The groundwater level should also be taken into account. It must be at least 1.5 m.

Excessive or insufficient watering can harm a peony.

Watering too frequently can also cause moisture stagnation. Peonies are among the plants that are able to independently provide themselves with moisture even during dry periods. Therefore, humidification should be carried out only during a long absence of rain. In this case, watering should be 2-3 times a week, soaking the soil by 20 cm.

Flooding of a bush may be due to its placement in an area where melt water stagnates. Therefore, experienced gardeners recommend planting shrubs on a hill.

Excess or lack of fertilizers in the soil

Peony buds may not bloom as a result of improper feeding. Each stage of shrub development requires certain nutrients.

In spring, during the period of active growth of shoots and foliage, the plant needs nitrogen. Therefore, at this stage it is necessary to use organic matter or mineral fertilizers with a high content (urea, ammonium nitrate).
And at the moment the buds form and when they begin to open, the peony needs phosphorus and potassium. These components are responsible for the color intensity, flower size and frost resistance.

Important! With excessive application of nitrogen and lack of potassium, the peony actively increases green mass to the detriment of flowering.

To correct the situation, it is necessary to adjust the feeding. This means that you need to stop using nitrogen fertilizers during the period of bud formation, and switch purely to phosphorus-potassium mixtures or wood ash.

Pruning rules not followed

After flowering ends, the life cycle of the shrub continues. During this period, the peony restores the energy spent on the formation of buds, prepares for the upcoming winter and lays new buds for restoration. Therefore, leaves play an important role, as they provide the plant with additional nutrition.

It is impossible to cut off the above-ground part of the peony ahead of time.

If you prune the shoots early, this will significantly weaken the bush, and it may stop blooming the next year. Therefore, experts recommend not removing leaves and stems until they wilt. And even when cutting peonies into a bouquet, you need to leave at least 2-3 plates at the bottom.

Important! It is necessary to cut off the above-ground part of peonies only when autumn frosts occur, and in herbaceous species completely, and in tree-like ones - by 1/3.

Launching the root system

Despite the fact that a peony can grow in one place for 50 years, it needs periodic replanting. This is due to the fact that over time there is a gradual destruction of the main root. As a result, several small bushes are formed around.

If they are not divided in a timely manner and the rotted shoot is not removed, the bush will consist of many weakened shoots that will never bloom.

Autumn transplant

If you plan to replant flowers, then do it in the fall. As soon as the heat subsides, start replanting, otherwise the seedlings will not have time to gain strength for wintering. Before the transplantation procedure, the bush must be cut off, leaving shoots 9-10 cm high.

How to replant so as not to damage the thin root shoots:

First you need to dig up the bush.
Place a pitchfork under it and pull it out along with the earth.
Wash the root shoots and trim off the rotten areas.
Disinfect tubers. Treat the tubers with potassium permanganate, 2-3 grams per bucket of water.
Keep the bush in the shade for 6 hours, then start dividing.
Prepare a hole for planting, up to 50-55 cm deep, into which pour a mixture of garden soil, peat, humus and sand, mixed in equal proportions.

Reason 1. Peony grows in the “wrong” place

The first reason for the lack of flowering of a peony is the wrong choice of its planting location. If the plant is basically uncomfortable and spends all its energy on survival, you must agree that there is no time for flowering.

So before you start this crop on your site (in principle, like any other), find out more about its preferences. In the case of peony, you should also be careful when choosing a planting site because it will “live” in one place for many years.

What place does a peony prefer to grow well and bloom luxuriantly? First of all, it is sunny - even a couple of hours of regular daily shading can lead to a sharp deterioration in the quality of flowering of this crop. You also need to ensure that the area with peonies is protected from constant winds and drafts.

Secondly, you need to remember that the soil for peony should be slightly alkaline and always well-drained - stagnation of water in wetlands or close groundwater also negatively affects the plants - their roots quickly rot.

Peonies should not be placed in the root system of trees and large shrubs, because their development may be affected by a lack of moisture and nutrition.

Planted near the wall of a building (closer than 1.5 m), peony bushes may suffer from overheating in hot weather, and from snow debris or drops in winter and spring.

How to plant peonies in spring - step-by-step master class with photos
Spring planting of peonies is not much different from autumn. Although there are still some peculiarities...

Peony diseases

If the peonies stopped blooming, then they could be affected by gray rot. This disease can “attack” a plant even in the middle of summer. At this time, many plot owners cut flowers to put in a vase, exposing the ground part.

A diseased plant is treated with fungicides. It is best to make a solution of potassium permanganate, taking 3 g per 10 liters of water. You can use colloidal sulfur (60 g per 10 liters).

If the roots have been damaged by nematodes, then this bush must be quickly dug up and burned. We will also have to destroy those bushes that have been affected by viral diseases. How to recognize them? The leaves began to curl, and many thin shoots appeared on the bush.

Finally: in the article “Why peonies don’t bloom,” we introduced you to the reasons for this phenomenon and suggested ways to eliminate them. Proper care, and then your peonies will never cease to delight you with fragrant bouquets.

How to make peonies bloom

If peonies bloom poorly or buds do not form at all, it is necessary to understand the cause of this pathology and, if possible, correct it:

Replace varieties with zoned ones.
Purchase only high-quality planting material.
Follow the rules of planting and care.
Trim the stems correctly.
Replant and divide bushes in a timely manner.
Carry out preventive measures to protect plants from diseases and pests.

For regular flowering, it is necessary to ensure that the rhizome is not exposed

Mistakes when planting peonies

Most often, peonies do not bloom because you initially planted them incorrectly, namely, you chose the wrong time, the wrong place, or planted them incorrectly.

Video: why peonies don’t bloom - how to plant them correctly

Bad timing

It is believed that the best time for planting peonies is late summer - early autumn (August-September). But after spring planting in open ground, the plants get sick for a long time and slowly take root.

However, what to do if garden centers bring peonies in the spring, and in the fall only half-dead, unsold specimens remain for sale?

There is nothing left but to plant in the spring according to all the rules. And the main thing is not to skimp on fertilizers; thanks to them, peonies will be able to quickly take root in a new place, grow roots and bloom.

By the way! The site has an article on how to properly plant peonies in open ground in the spring or replant them .

Recessed landing

One of the most popular reasons for the lack of flowering in peonies is their immediate improper planting, namely excessive deepening of the growth points (buds).

The fact is that it is recommended to make the planting hole in advance. However, they often dig it on the day of planting and subsequently the earth begins to settle, and with it the rhizomes are buried. In such cases, the seedling can be raised higher or transplanted.

So, the growth points (renewal buds) should be no deeper than 4-5 cm (if the soil is light, then 5-6 cm is possible, if it is heavy, then 3-4 cm).

If you bury the seedling too deeply, the plant may stagnate or simply not bloom (or weakly), although outwardly at first it will look completely normal. On the contrary, if the seedling is too close to the surface of the earth, then its buds may freeze in winter and it will again bloom very inactively.

Advice! To learn how to properly prepare a planting hole and plant peonies, read this article about their autumn and spring planting .

Wrong choice of location

The reasons for the lack of flowering are too shady area, close groundwater, acidic soil.

In order for peonies to safely take root in your garden plot, begin to actively grow and develop, and then delight you with lush flowering, you must choose a suitable place for their placement, which must meet the following requirements:

It is well lit (have a sufficient amount of sunlight)
, although the shrub also blooms well in light partial shade.
It is optimal if during the day in the afternoon (that is, in the very heat) the peonies are in the shade , and the rest of the time - in the sun (preferably in the morning - before lunch). If you plant the shrub in a place that is too shady, the peony’s stems will begin to stretch out and the inflorescences will become smaller. Or flowering will stop altogether.

Advice! You should not plant peonies between or under spreading trees or overgrown shrubs, which will constantly shade the flower bushes. Although, if you plant on the south side (southwest or east), then this is quite acceptable. But not from the north!

The site must be protected from drafts and strong winds , and also have good air circulation , which should not stagnate.
Under no circumstances should peonies be planted in damp places . The plant is very prone to getting wet. Accordingly, it is not recommended to place seedlings in an area with very low groundwater (less than 70-80 cm from the surface). This arrangement negatively affects the peony roots - they begin to rot, which leads to disease and death.

Alternatively, you can plant peonies in raised beds.

Peonies will grow best in acid-neutral 6.5 pH (6-7 pH), loamy (soils with a high clay content and a significant amount of sand) or sandy loam soils. Such soil is capable of both receiving and retaining nutrient moisture.

Important! If the soil is acidic , then it is necessary to deacidify by adding, for example, lime, dolomite flour , wood ash (the latter are also excellent fertilizers).

It's time for a transplant

If, 3-5 years after planting, the peony has not bloomed (or blooms too weakly), then you have no choice but to dig it up and replant it in a new place (if the issue is due to incorrect initial planting).

The same should be done with old peonies (over 10 years old), the flowering of which has noticeably weakened, and the bushes are all overgrown (thickened) and overgrown (they have a lot of leaves and thin stems).

Advice! Actually, replanting and dividing peonies also needs to be done correctly (including digging), which you can read about in this detailed material .

The main reasons for the lack of flowering in peonies

Before finding out why the plant does not bloom, you need to consider that it develops slowly.

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After planting, the root system of the peony should become stronger; for this it needs at least two years. If the buds appear on the bush before the age of two, they must be cut off to protect the seedling from depletion.

What to do and how to help peonies bloom magnificently

A peony planted according to all the rules lays buds from which flower stalks will appear next year, at the end of summer. It is important that during this period the plant does not lack moisture and nutrition. We must not forget about the autumn feeding of the peony with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.

Important! In regions with cold winters, the bushes are covered with spruce branches or sprinkled with peat. If frost damages the replacement buds, there will be no flowering.

If peonies bloom poorly, what to do?

It is necessary to check whether all parameters necessary for the normal development of the plant are met:

Is the landing site chosen correctly?
Is the peony healthy?
Is the rhizome located at the correct depth?
how long ago was the plant transplanted;
Does the peony get enough water and nutrition?

If at least one of the items on the list does not meet the recommendations, you need to correct the error in order to get a chance to bloom next season.

Proper watering of peonies

In rainy and cool summers, there is no need to water peonies. However, if it is hot, you will have to do this according to the rules.

In hot weather, peonies need to be watered every 7-10 days. Watering is especially important in late May - early July, when the bushes quickly grow and flowers form. Another important stage is mid-July - August, when renewal buds are formed.

Many people pour water directly under the bush, where there are practically no roots. There, near the base of the shoots, there are thickened rhizomes that store nutrients; they cannot absorb moisture from the soil. Young roots, capable of watering the bush, are located on the periphery.

For young peonies, the suction zone is therefore approximately 20-25 cm from the center of the bush, and for old peonies it is 40 cm. This is where water should be poured. To prevent it from spreading, dig a groove about 10 cm deep around the perimeter and water directly into it - 3-4 buckets per bush.

It is best to water peonies in the evening so that the water is completely absorbed into the soil and does not evaporate.