You Planted Your Peonies — Now What?

Here in the Homer area, you might have excellent soil in one spot and, 200 feet away, have total clay. That is why one of the best things you can do is have your soil tested.

For about $20, you can have a soil sample analyzed. You do not have to be a scientist to understand the results. There are people who can read the report and tell you what amendments your soil needs.

We have used:

Take small shovel samples from about five areas of the bed or field. Mix them together thoroughly, then send approximately one cup of that mixture to the lab.

Lime or bone meal can help raise the pH. Changing soil pH takes time, however. The soil can only absorb so much at once, so correcting acidic soil may take several years.

Soil is extremely important, but it can also get complicated quickly. My advice is simple: get the test and let someone who understands the report tell you what your particular soil needs.

You either love it or you hate it. Too much water and peonies can rot. Too little and you can end up with tiny flowers or, worse, stunted plants.

So how much is the right amount?

Eventually, you will learn what works for your particular site. For the first couple of years, though, you are going to have to experiment.

Dig down about 8 inches and check the soil there. If it is dry, water. And when you water, give the plant enough to actually reach the root zone rather than just wetting the surface.

Until you get a good feel for your own soil, check it about once a week.

Everyone has a favorite fertilizer, and many different approaches work just fine.

If you are short on time and do not want to spend a lot of time figuring out pH and individual nutrients, Miracle-Gro does work. You will sometimes hear concerns about salts building up in the soil, but proper application and proper watering make a big difference. I know peony farmers who have used it successfully for many years.

Here in Alaska, we are also fortunate to have products such as Fishy Peat available. You may need to use a little more of it, but it is an easy, safe, natural fertilizer option.

Alaska Mill & Feed also makes a commercial peony fertilizer. We worked with Wilbur-Ellis to develop a formula specifically for peonies. It only takes a couple of tablespoons per plant. Work it into the top couple of inches of soil and then water it in.

Again, your soil test is important. The person helping you interpret the soil report may recommend something different for your particular property.

Peonies are prone to botrytis, a fungal disease that can seriously damage or even kill a plant. Keeping the area around your peonies free of weeds and old plant material helps reduce the conditions that encourage botrytis.

Cutting the plants back also removes decomposing foliage from around the crown and gives you a clean start the following spring.