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Mon, May 22, 06 at 16:07
| Can someone tell me why buds would dry up instead of blooming? This peony does not have ants if that is necessary. I have heard both ways, that ants are bad for the peony bloom and also that they are necessary! Any help is appreciated, thank you, Cindy |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| The ants don't hurt or help the buds to bloom. But, that being said, I don't know why your buds would dry up. |
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| Google bud blast and it should give you some answers. :) Diann |
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| i've always heard that ants necessary to open buds. noticed that buds give off a nectar of some sort possibly to attract the ants. perhaps they massage the petals while drinking the nectar. that said, have plenty of buds, no nectar and no ants, and buds not opening, alas. |
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- Posted by jenny_in_se_pa USDA7 Sunset 32 (My Page) on Thu, May 25, 06 at 14:52
| I have peonies and have no ants and they have bloomed just fine every year. Sometimes the weather including temperature, will affect how long it may take the buds to open. If the plant's roots are traumatized via planting while in bud, lack of water, too much water, underground digging from critters, etc., the blooms can abort. If they are not planted at the right depth, the blooms can abort or may never even appear. Sometimes diseases such as botrytis can affect the buds as well as the foliage. Additionally, insects such as thrips can attack the buds and they won't open. Ants are not required but they are often attracted to the by extrafloral nectaries of the peony that secretes nectar. Many other plants do this like fruit trees, passifloras, moonflower vines, hoyas, etc. It is hypothesized that the nectaries evolved to attract certain insects like wasps that could help eliminate insects detrimental to the buds. |
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