How To Fertilize Peonies & Extend Their Beautiful Blooms

Fertilizing is an important part of garden care. Like us, our prized flowers need nutrients to grow and thrive, and sometimes, they can't get everything they need from the soil. Adding fertilizer allows you to fill in the nutritional gaps of your soil and helps your flowers produce beautiful blooms that brighten up your yard. However, fertilizing isn't as straightforward as we would like it to be. Everything you grow will have its own unique needs, and you can't just apply a general fertilizer to everything and hope for the best. Doing this can actually be detrimental to your plants. When it comes to peonies (Paeonia spp.), too much of the wrong fertilizer can decrease blooms. Instead, it is a good idea to opt for a bulb fertilizer that is high in phosphorus and low in nitrogen.

Although like all plants, peonies do need nitrogen, too much of it can cause the plant to slow down blooming. This means that a 5-10-10 fertilizer or something similar is a much better option for extending the blooms of your peonies. As plant blooming slows down without phosphorus, a bulb fertilizer that has more phosphorus and less nitrogen is perfect if you want to successfully grow peonies with big blooms.

A bulb fertilizer with a low rate of nitrogen is good for peony blooms, but it is essential to test the quality of your soil before applying it. This will give you insight into what nutrients your soil already has, and how to plan accordingly. For example, you may have a buildup of certain minerals in the soil, and this may mean you need to avoid feeding your plants. If the soil needs fertilizer, you can apply feed to your peonies in spring and fall. These flowers do not need a lot of feed, so use a quarter or a half of a cup for each plant.

When applying fertilizer to your peonies, it is essential to avoid putting it too close to the plant, as the crowns and new shoots of peonies can succumb to fertilizer burn. Instead, apply it 8 to 18 inches away from the center of the plant. After doing so, water the soil thoroughly. 

Alongside using the right fertilizer, there are other ways you can help your peonies thrive in the garden and produce beautiful, long-lasting blooms, such as amending the soil and ensuring they are getting enough sunshine.