Generally speaking, peony likes warm and cool climate, cold resistance and damp heat. However, judging from the cultivation and distribution of peony in China, the distribution area has spanned three climatic zones: Beijing, Heze and Luoyang, the main producing areas, have warm temperate climate, with high temperature and rainy summer, cold and sunny winter, with an altitude of 50-350 meters, an annual average temperature of 8- 14℃ and an annual average precipitation of 500-800 mm, and Shaanxi, xi 'an and Yan 'an, the other producing areas on the Loess Plateau of Gansu Province. There are also some cultivation areas, such as Shanghai and Kangzhou in the Yangtze River Delta, Chengdu and Pengxian in the Sichuan Basin, which belong to the tropical climate of Central Asia. Of course, Shanghai and other southern regions need to take some special measures to make the peony native to the north grow normally. These conditions show that peony has a wide range of ecological adaptability in the long-term cultivation process, and has formed or is gradually forming a variety group adapted to the above various climatic conditions. Peony is cold-resistant and drought-resistant, can withstand the absolute low temperature of -29.6℃ (near the picking stage), and can grow normally in the place where the annual average relative humidity is about 45%.

Peony likes light and is more resistant to shade. If you shade a little (especially in the hot and humid areas in the south of the Yangtze River), avoid direct sunlight at noon or in the west, which is beneficial to its growth and flowering, and also helps to make the colors delicate and prolong the viewing time.

Peony prefers loam or sandy loam with fertile sulfur pine and good ventilation, and avoids sticking heavy soil or low-lying waterlogged land. The soil ranges from slightly acidic, neutral to slightly alkaline. But neutral soil is suitable. Peony has a long life. Large plants of 50- 100 are everywhere. After renewal and rejuvenation, old plants can still flourish. Peony has both life cycle changes and annual cycle changes. The life cycle can last for hundreds or even hundreds of years from the appearance of embryos to the end of plant death.

Its growth is very slow in infancy. After sowing, the seedlings 1 age, short growth, only 10 cm high, 1-2 leaves, and shallow underground roots. After the third year, the growth gradually accelerated, and it began to bloom in 4-5 years. The change of annual cycle can be divided into two different periods, namely growth period and dormancy period. In the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, the phenological period of growth and development is roughly as follows: germination in early February and mid-March; From the middle and late March to the beginning of April, the stems and leaves are pulled out and the buds grow rapidly; Flowering from mid-late April to mid-early May; Flower bud differentiation takes place in June-September or 65438+1October; 65438+1dead leaves in late October-165438+1mid-October, entered the dormant period. Peony buds are all mixed buds. The flower bud differentiation in Beijing began in the first half of June and ended from late September to1mid-October. The flower bud differentiation of single-petal varieties ended here, and the semi-double-petal and double-petal varieties continued to differentiate. The pistil and stamen began to petal in June 5438+065438+ 10, and the fruiting time varied with varieties and bud sizes: peony seeds had the habit of dormancy of epicotyl. After sowing that autumn, the radicle extended downward and developed into a root, but no bud was unearthed. It must go through a certain low temperature period (about l- 10℃, 60-90 days) to break the dormancy of epicotyl and sprout long seedlings in spring.

In order to cultivate new varieties of peony, peony seeds can be sown by artificial hybridization or natural hybridization. Peony seeds generally mature in the first half of August. Harvest immediately after maturity and sow in the same month, so that the seeds can germinate neatly in the next spring. If the seeds are mature or sown too late, they will not germinate in the next spring and will germinate in the third spring.

In order to make peony seeds germinate orderly in the next spring, wet sand can also be used to accelerate germination after the seeds are ripe and harvested. Mix 2 parts of seeds and 8 parts of wet sand, put them into flowerpots evenly, then bury the flowerpots 0.6 meters underground, accelerate germination for about 2 months (2-3 times in the middle), sow in the first and second months of lO, water them after sowing and cover them with grass. Water 1 time before winter, so that the seedlings can emerge neatly in the next spring. After two years of cultivation, the seedlings are transplanted 1 time, with a spacing of 30 cm and a row spacing of 50 cm, so that they can bloom one after another after three to four years of cultivation. Tissue culture: Tissue culture is an effective method for rapid propagation of excellent peony varieties. At present, research departments in Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong, Jiangsu, Luoyang and other places have cultivated test-tube seedlings with roots, but they have not yet been put into mass production.

Peony can be propagated by many methods, such as branching, grafting, cutting and sowing. The first three methods are the most commonly used. In some places (such as Yunxian County, Hubei Province), peony is also propagated by layering method.

Propagation by ramets: relatively simple and easy, but the reproduction rate is low. Peony is a tufted shrub, which is very suitable for branching. Ramet propagation: It should be carried out in the Yellow River valley from late September to 65438+1mid-October. 4-5-year-old peony can be dug up as a whole, the soil attached to the roots can be removed, and it can be dried in the shade for 2-3 days. When the roots are a little soft, we can find the place that is easy to separate according to their interrelation, which can be opened by hand or split with a knife. For large clusters, each plant can be divided into 4-5 plants, and the small ones can be divided into 2-3 plants. Then plant it.

Grafting propagation: the roots of Paeonia lactiflora are mostly used as rootstocks, and the new branches sprouting from the rhizosphere of Paeonia suffruticosa or the 1 year-old short branches on the branches are used as scions. Grafting by splitting or inlaying. Grafting propagation must be completed in late September-65438+1early October, otherwise the survival rate will be affected.

Cutting propagation: it is not widely used in the north. The method is as follows: short branches (soil bud branches) germinated in peony rhizosphere are selected as cuttings (spikes) with the length of1; About cm, quickly impregnated with 300rPm D9I butyric acid aqueous solution, and then inserted into the seedbed. The cutting depth is 1/3 or 1/2 of the cutting length, and water immediately after cutting. Then spray water/kloc-0 every 10- 15 days, keep the bed surface moist and shaded, and plant in September of the following year. The survival rate of peony cutting by this method can reach above 80%.

Peony is a fleshy root, so loose, fertile and deep sandy loam should be chosen when planting. If the soil is bad, improve it. To plant peony, you should choose a place with high terrain, dryness and good drainage. Never plant in low-lying places where water is easy to accumulate. Neutral soil is the best, and slightly alkaline and slightly acidic soil can also be used. Before planting, properly trim the roots, cut off the diseased roots and cut off the roots, and then use 0. 1% copper sulfate solution or 5% lime water for half an hour for disinfection. Then take it out and rinse it with clean water before planting. The planting depth should be flush with the soil surface at the junction of rhizomes. In the Yellow River Basin, late September-65438+1early October is suitable.

The area north of the Yellow River can be planted early and the area south of the Yangtze River can be planted late. The planting period should be appropriate, so that the wound will heal quickly and take root easily after planting. If you plant it too early, it will easily cause "autumn hair" and there will be no flowers in the next year. If the planting is too late, the wound will heal slowly, which will affect the survival. Even if it survives, its growth will be very thin, and it will take a year or two to recover slowly. Peony is drought-tolerant, but it should be watered in spring and autumn, but it cannot accumulate water. It rains for a long time in summer, so we should pay attention to drainage and flood prevention. Peony is a fertilizer-loving plant. Rational fertilization is one of the important conditions to make peony flowers colorful and avoid the phenomenon of "flowering every other year"

Peony needs to be fertilized at least three times a year. The first time is "fertilizer before flowering", and it is applied in the middle and late February with "thawing water". The second time, in early May, "fertilizer after flowering" was applied. If cake fertilizer is used, it should be fully decomposed. If compound fertilizer (chemical fertilizer) is used, it should be applied far away from the main root. 0.2-0.5% potassium dihydrogen phosphate can also be used as root topdressing. Fertilize before and after the third winter. In order to make peony grow vigorously and bloom every year, plastic pruning is also very important. The shaping and pruning of peony mainly includes fixation, pruning, bud removal and bud thinning. After peony is planted for 2-3 years, the stem can be fixed to determine how many branches the plant leaves. For varieties with weak growth and few branches, the weak branches are generally cut off and the strong branches are retained. For varieties with vigorous growth and many branches, it is advisable to leave 3-5 stems. For varieties that are particularly vigorous, they can be pruned into dry "peony trees".

Peony drying should be carried out in autumn and winter. Fixing the stem should be completed in several years according to the growth of the happy plant, so there is no need to cut too much and be eager for success. There are many adventitious buds in peony rhizosphere, which germinate in large numbers every spring and compete with branches for nutrients, so they should be removed in time. Don't clean in spring, do it in autumn. Generally speaking, peony can grow evenly and bloom luxuriantly after stem fixing, annual bud removal and cutting off redundant branches, disease and insect branches, inward branches, cross branches, parallel techniques and overlapping branches. The common diseases of peony are leaf (brown) spot disease. Anthracnose, purple feather disease, root-knot nematode disease. Pests include longicorn beetles and scale insects. To prevent and control peony leaf diseases, the same amount of Bordeaux solution can be sprayed every half month after flowering in the same year, and it can be sprayed continuously for 7-8 times; Or spray 1 400-500 times of sulfur rubber suspension for 7- 10 days, and spray continuously for 3-4 times. Cut off the dead leaves of peony every winter and burn them collectively. The incidence of purple feather disease is at the junction of rhizome or root, and the prevention and control method is mainly to disinfect the root when planting; Avoid planting peony in low wetland areas; Do not apply fertilizers that are not completely decomposed. Peony root knot nematode disease occurs near the capillary root of peony, forming a beaded shape, which makes the growth of peony wither and even die. The control method is mainly to disinfect the soil with chloropicrin before cultivation, or to bury mifepristone in the soil 5-20 cm around the root of Paeonia suffruticosa, with the dosage of 7- 10 g per plant. Zinc sulfide can be used to control longicorn beetles. Control aphids and red spiders; 40% dimethoate or omethoate oxide or 50% malathion 1000- 1500 times can be sprayed. Peony can be cultivated in the open field or potted. Potted peony should choose early and middle flowering varieties with strong adaptability and good flower patterns, such as' Luoyanghong',' Er Qiao',' Huhong',' Zhao Fen',' Rulian',' Yipin Zhu Yi' and' Qinglong WoMo Chi'. Plants should choose peony root grafting, two or three-year-old peony with 2-3 branches.

If split seedlings are used for potted plants, the roots should be cut again at the beginning of planting, or stubble should be left, or only one or two short branches should be left. When putting the pot, the flowerpot can be smaller, and then with the growth of the plant, it can be replaced with a larger flowerpot. Potted soil can be loose, fertile, well-drained, slightly alkaline or slightly acidic culture soil. In the middle and late September, in order to avoid "autumn hair", leaves can be planted appropriately. Pruning and shaping is similar to planting peony in the field. Daily management is similar to ordinary potted flowers. Only in winter should we pay attention to putting potted peony into the "flower pond". The pool is filled with sawdust to keep out the cold and winter. In cold areas, peony can be buried in the soil in pots, or it can be wrapped with straw or covered with multi-layer kraft paper bags, and then cultivated for the winter.

Peony is very suitable for popularization and planting. By controlling and adjusting the temperature, flowers can bloom on New Year's Day, Spring Festival and other festivals. In order to make it bloom in the Spring Festival, you can choose a fine variety of 4-5 years old, plant it in a pot 35-60 days before the Spring Festival, move it into a greenhouse and gradually raise the temperature, and control it at 20-25℃ during the day (if it exceeds this limit, you can open the window for ventilation). Control at 10- 15℃ at night, strengthen foliar spraying and ground spraying to increase relative humidity. Apply 1 dilute fertilizer solution every 7- 10 days, or spray 0.2-0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate on the leaves as topdressing. If the flower buds do not germinate, apply 300-500 ppm gibberellin solution to the scales with a brush to promote germination. In this way, after 40-45 days, up to 60 days (depending on the variety), it can bloom on the eve of the Spring Festival. If the flowers bloom in advance, the flowerpot can be moved into a low-temperature room (5- 15℃) for temporary storage.