The Process of potting up peonies
You all know I’ve been potting peonies like crazy… more than 1200 of them to get ready for spring here on the peony farm.
I have a three hour window in the afternoon, four days a week, when all the kiddos are in school and I can actually get something done.
Lately that’s potting up peonies to be sold in the spring here on the farm. There’s a process, some technique and a whole lot of trial and error that goes into it.
Supplies:
Peony roots
2-gallon nursery pots
Soil (20% bark for better drainage)
Trusty soil scoop
Pruners
Stapler
Labels
The process
One variety at a time, I’m potting up peony roots in our winter high tunnel.
First pots are labeled (very important!) and one scoop of soil is added to the pot. Next, peony roots are trimmed to fit the pot and are placed in eyes up! Another scoop of soil goes on top making sure the eyes of the peony root end up about 2” below soil level, just like if we were planting in the ground.
Pots are then placed in rows and I log where each variety is located. This is a huge help come spring when we are organizing in the garden center!
Last come a very thorough watering. Sometimes dry potting soil can be hard to wet through completely so I tend to overwater at this point to make sure they soil is all moist. Any extra drains through to the gravel floor and away from the pots so they aren’t sitting in water.
This year we are experimenting a bit with a product my husband’s company sells, a natural biological that helps the soil retain moisture and also helps the plant take up nutrients. The peony roots will grow new little rootlets up until the pots are frozen solid.
The high tunnel is unheated but the temperature is somewhat regulated through a heat sink process. Lining the walls of the tunnel are 55-gallon drums filled with water. During the day, these water barrels soak up the heat of the sun to keep temperatures low in the tunnel. Overnight, that heat is released from the water barrels into the tunnel to keep the temperature warmer than the outside air. It’s a passive process but makes such a difference in the health and survival of our precious peonies.
After all roots are potted we kiss them goodnight, close up the tunnel and pray. Not all of them will come up in the spring. There’s always some attrition. Come spring I will note how each variety over-wintered so we have that data when making decisions in the future.
