So how to move a peony plant in New Zealand… you’re about to find out!
How To Move Your Peony Plant In New Zealand… What is a good reason to transplant peonies?
There can be numerous reasons for transplanting and dividing your beloved peony. Overcrowding in your garden, due to other plants or trees growing and blocking sunlight.
It may be that you just want to move them or it could be that you are redesigning your outdoor area and the plants in that area need to be moved.
When is the best time to lift your peonies that you want to move?
Peony root clumps are typically divided and transplanted in autumn. The reason that autumn is best is because this is when the peony plants enter their dormant period.
When the plant is dormant the roots will continue to grow but the water and nutrient needs are significantly reduced.
This importance of this timing is because it causes minimal stress to the peony rather than peony plants that are transplanted at spring time.
While the peony can be transplanted in spring or summer it is a bit hit and miss with the success rate. This latter method can be unpredictable and flowering can take 2-3 years longer.
How To Move Your Peony Plant In New Zealand… What Was Our Experience Of Transplanting In Spring…
After learning about the stress that is put on a peony plant that is moved in Spring/Summer we decided to trial it ourselves.
We learned how to move a peony plant during spring in the 2022 season and our experiment was successful.
We shifted six plants that were at a stage of where the foliage was growing and we were expecting the peony plants to sulk.
As the season progressed the peony plants foliage was luscious and there were some stunning blooms to enjoy aswell. We are looking forward to more blooms this coming season.
Even though you maybe tempted to put your new peony blooms on display in your home it’s really important not to cut any stems in their first year of growth.
By leaving the blooms on the peony bush they are building up strength for their next season.
How Do I Remove The Peony Plant From The Ground Safely?
What we have found works best is to insert the spade into the ground about a foot out from the plant and dig around in a circle. You then start to lift and loosen the soil around the plant, lifting it carefully so to minimise the breakage of any roots.
Gently wash/remove as much dirt as possible to expose the roots and eyes. Then take a sharp knife ( we use a sharp spade) and split the tuber ensuring that there are at least 3 eyes per section.
Where Is The Best Place To Move Your Peony Root Division?
When choosing a new home for your peony it is important that the peony root division is transplanted into well draining soil which will prevent their roots from rotting.
You also need to ensure that the new site gets a lot of sun, at least 6-8 hours worth of sun. . If you are transplanting more than one plant it is best to plant them 80cm-1m apart. This ensures that the peony wont be crowded as it matures so that there is good air flow around the plant.
Good air flow helps the peony avoid boytrytis which is the peony’s only serious disease. At this time you will also need to ensure the planting depth is on point. If the root division is planted too deep the flowering stems will never emerge and develop.
Why Is It Important To Have At Least 3-5 Eyes On A Root Division?
To ensure success when transplanting your peony, you will need a peony root division that has 3-5 eyes. A division with only 2 eyes will typically take 3-5 years to flower, but it will flower.
When you are planting the peony root division ensure that the eyes are no more the 2 inches deep to ensure the maximum of blooms on the newly transplanted peony.
Just remember if you plant your root division too deep all is not lost if you make this mistake. Once autumn comes around lift the peony again and make sure that the eyes are less than two inches below ground.
Do You Treat Dormant Peony Roots Differently To Freshly Lifted Peony Roots?
When you purchase dormant peony roots they are often dry after months of cool storage.
It would be advantageous to soak them in clean lukewarm water to help plump them up and rehydrate them. This gives them a kick-start towards getting established in the soil.
If the peony roots are very very dry you can soak them up to 4 hours. If the root doesn’t look too dry a quick half hour soak will suffice. When you purchase peony tubers from ourselves they will have only just been lifted and there will not be the need to soak them at all.
How Do You Look After A Newly Planted Peony Division Root?
Once you have planted your division root, ensure that you water the peony well but do not over-saturate the soil.
Check the ground where it has been planted weekly and water if there has not been sufficient rain supplied by Mother Nature. However, please remember that if the soil surrounding the root division is soggy it encourages the root to rot.
By watering your newly moved peony will help to establish them in the new soil and get established before the frosts hit in winter.
Newly-planted peonies generally do not need to be fertilised, unless planted in nutrient-deficient soil.
If fertiliser is required, peonies are generally fed in spring when the stems are about a foot tall and the leaves are starting to fold out. Some peonies are also fed in late summer/early fall.
Once you have lifted the peony tubers they need to be planted soon after they have been divided. Depending on what publication you read but tubers really need to be put into the ground within 5 days of being lifted.
Alternatively you could keep them in a cool dark place, one suggestion was in the vegetable bin in your fridge.
How To Move A Peony Plant In New Zealand Other Things To Note
Limited growth can sometimes be noticed in the first season following the transplant. As each season passes the development will continue to improve.
One thing to keep in mind if your peony does not flourish, is the depth that you planted your peony was originally planted at . This can affect the blooms considerably.
There is quite a lot of information on the web about mulch and what it achieves. Like keeping down the weeds (which is always a bonus when you have a paddock of peonies) and keeping the moisture in the ground.
However if moisture is trapped in the ground it can led to rotting of the peony tuber. I will leave this up to you to decide what is best for your plant(s). What we have done in the past is as the foliage is growing we spread broken down horse manure around a section of the peony plants.
We found that the foliage and blooms in this section was much more greener and shinier.
Buy Our Tubers…
Learning how to move a peony plant in New Zealand doesn’t have to be hard! If you want some of our peonies in your garden. We offer our tubers up to a limited number of people each year.
To ensure that you have first priority of the peony tubers that we will have available for sale this season, please click on this link and complete the form.
The peony bush, god bless it’s little cotton socks, is a hardy plant, and doesn’t require a lot of fussing.
Just make sure that you don’t overwater it, don’t plant it too deep, don’t cover it with mulch in winter, leave the first years blooms on the bush and your peony will flourish for years to come.