Although the best time to transplant peonies ( Paeoniaspp . , USDA zone 3 to 8) is in crepuscle , you may get yourself needing to move these works at a dissimilar time of year . Because peonies hold up for tenner , you ’ll belike want to dig up a precious plant if you ’re moving to another house , which may be in spring .
You may also need to transplant a peony in leap , for example , if you ’re install hardscaping over its spring up site .
Tip
Transplanting peonies in spring is possible , but new transplants need a small more after - upkeep than fall - transplanted ones .
Why Fall Is the Best Time to Transplant Peonies
The rationality fall is best for transplanting a peony is that this is the time of year when plant are getting ready to enrol their dormant period . During dormancy , roots go on to grow but water and nutrient penury are reduce .
This make peonies to lose less transplant stress in fall than plant that are break their dormancy in spring and needing more energy to flush young foliage and get flowers for the growing time of year .
Before Transplanting Peonies in Spring
Choosing a suitable site as the unexampled home for your peony is an crucial determination even before you dig your industrial plant . Choose a full - sun location ( at least six minute day by day ) with well - draining soil that ’s liberal and crumblydue to high constitutive thing mental object . empty the land site of all sens and take rocks .
- Another important considerateness is expert circulation , * * which means plant are n’t crowded or planted too close to a bulwark or other structure that can occlude strain stream . If you ’re transplanting more than one peony , space plant 18 inches apart .
How to Transplant Peonies in Spring
Moving peony in spring follows the same procedure for digging , dividing and transplanting peonies in fall with a few tweaks in post - transplant guardianship .
deep and 24 column inch encompassing .
the crown to take away the root organisation .
the ground beside the excavated hole .
around the base and divide the crown into wedges using a sharp knife wiped with alcohol . Dust the cut surfaces with a antifungal agent . Each chock should have at least three to five " eye , " which are the blanched or pink buds that develop into shoot . ( Depending on the time in spring you ’re transplant a paeony , you may already see shoots or else of buds . ) If your peony is a new industrial plant , you may want to transplant it inviolate without dividing it .
site so that the peak is only 1 or 2 in below the soil .
around the roots .
After Transplanting Peonies in Spring
When transplanting peonies in spring , plant life are find ready to sail into the passion of summertime without the welfare of having become established during the dormant season . This means that leaping transplanting suffer more organ transplant stress than fall transplants .
To avail offset this focus , be certain to keep works water well . At least 1 inch of water in spring helps root and shoot institution , and you may need to water twice weekly during the heating plant of summer the first yr after transplanting .
Even peonies transpose in crepuscle may take a couple of class to flower . Spring transplants will also take this foresighted , or longer , before they reward you with flowers .
Stake plants so that the produce foliage does n’t make plant to fall down over from radical that are n’t firmly in place from spring transplanting .
In late fall , compensate plants with 4 to 6 inch of organic mulch . This helps paeony , especially in dusty mood , from " heaving , " which can push them out of the ground from freeze - and - thaw cycle during winter . Be sure to withdraw the mulch in outpouring .
