Prepping your Peonies for Spring — Enchanted Gardens
All peonies like a slightly acidic to neutral pH. Many areas of the Northeast have acidic soils. Lime is used to ‘sweeten’ the soil and raise the pH. If you are in an area with acidic soils and it’s been a while since you added any lime to your peonies, spring is a great time to do so. Sprinkle one cup of garden lime around the drip line of established peonies. Use less for younger plants.
Depending on your soil, you may also want to fertilize your plants for increased blooms. Some are blessed with rich soil which delivers all the nutrients peonies need to grow and bloom well without any fertilization. At Cricket Hill Garden, we are not so lucky. Adding compost to the soil in your garden is an investment in the long term fertility of your garden. Like many good investments, it can take a few years to pay dividends as the nutrients filter down to the root zone.
For a more immediate boost, we like to apply a granular organic fertilizer in the early spring such as Pro Gro 5-6-5. We apply 1-2 cups of this fertilizer around the base of the plant and lightly scratch it into the soil. We also use Azomite, a crushed volcanic rock powder, contains 70 different minerals and trace elements. These micro-nutrients help facilitate healthy plant growth. We have found to be an excellent supplement for our peonies, other perennials as well as in the vegetable garden. Bone meal is high phosphorus fertilizer which is also good for peonies, but is best applied in early summer after the bloom.
The soil amendments are lightly worked into the ground. This final step of ‘scratching’ the soil amendments and fertilizer into the ground is very important. If simply left on the surface, they will cake and not break down into the soil as quickly.
One green growth has commenced, we will begin fertilizing the peonies with Neptune’s Harvest. For area where fungus is an issue for us, we apply the organic fungicide Actinovate. This is only effective when the air temperature is above 40° F.
