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wildflowerman_2000

Rooting Tree Peonies

I have a friend who has a wonderful pure white tree peony. They have had this plant for over 35 years and it is about 42" tall and 36" wide. It had over 45 blooms this year. I would love to get a division of it for my garden and am exploring my options. Can they be rooted or is grafting my only option of getting a start of this plant?? Thanks for any information. Regards, Mark

Comments (8)

  • maifleur01
    13 years ago

    Easiest way is to nick the bark on a branch then put dirt over the nicked area. Weight the area with a rock or brick to keep the branch from moving. With luck by fall the branch will have sent out roots in the nicked area. Some rooting hormone might help if you have it but nicking seems to be the key as the nicked areas send out the roots.

    If the plant is multi stemmed coming from the ground you can also explore one of the blooming branches to see if it has roots on it. You might be able to dig and separate that branch with enough roots that it would survive.

  • Mark (wildflowerman_2000) Rose
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I only got the one answer, For which I am thankful, but surely there are others out there with more information to add to the discussion. Any help would be greatly appreciated. wildflowerman_2000

  • maifleur01
    13 years ago

    I second your request for more discussion since that is the only way to learn different methods. My suggestion might work in part of the country but not all of it.

  • peonyman
    13 years ago


    It seems to me about all of the options have been covered in MaifleurâÂÂs first posting.

    As I see it there are really only 4 options for obtaining a plant. I have them listed in the order of reliability.

    1) Although Maifleur list this second, the first and most reliable would be to dig a cane that is growing at the side of the tree peony and transfer that cane along with attached roots to your yard. One problem with this is a number of cultivars seem to put up canes but the canes seem to take years to develop any roots. The risk is digging into a plant and then not finding suitable canes with roots attached.

    2) The second option would be to purchase a plant that is similar to the one your neighbor has. This would most likely be a grafted plant with the nurse root still attached. These plants are reliable and easy to grow. The biggest risk here is that you may get a plant that is much different from your neighbors and perhaps not even the color you ordered.

    3) The third option is to try to graft a scion taken from the neighborâÂÂs plant. This way you would know you are getting a plant that is identical to your neighborâÂÂs plant. The risk here is that the graft may not take or that it may fail in the first year or so.

    4) The fourth option is to try to ground layer a cane as Maifleur described in her earlier posting above. The risk here is that the limb may not root and you will need to wait another year to try again. Also, it may take multiple years to get roots produced at the nicked site on the cane.

    5) There has been some talk of rooting tree peonies. I tried it for the first time this past year. I doubt I will try this again. The method is long and cumbersome and it makes the parent plant look bad for a while. My recollection of the process follows: In early summer you would need to remove lower leaves from a branch that has current year growth. The area is dusted with root stimulating hormone. Then some raspy type of wrap is strapped into place. Velcro has been suggested here. After 6 weeks the stem is cut just below the wrapped area and the cut end is allowed to callus. The cutting is placed in a rooting medium and enclosed in a clear plastic bag to conserve moisture. Check often to keep the medium moist but not wet. Try to keep mold from taking over the contents. In perhaps 2-3 months the cutting should begin to develop roots. I have tried a modified version of this on a single cutting. I got a root to develop but the cutting died before it was moved from the bag. This is not a good option and I would only recommend it if you really don't care if you have a plant or not.

    You will notice there are 5 options listed but I earlier said there are really only 4 options. I stand by my earlier statement. As I see it there are really only 4 options for obtaining a plant.

    Anyone who has read this far should seriously consider getting some counseling of some type. ...

  • maifleur01
    13 years ago

    Actually Leon there are pros and cons of all of the methods that could be discussed. The use of wads of different materials wrapped around stems or the gel packs that are used for some rooting applications. I would like to know which have been used. In dryer areas the gel packs may be better or worse since they have a evaporate. However without discussion, who knows,

    Older books suggest rooting the buds that appear in June in the inter nodal areas or rooting cuttings in sand. Some reader that normally lurks has probably tried this and other methods that have been forgotten or new methods that are used in only one area and assumed to be used in all.

    Personally I feel that there are methods that work better with certain types of tp's or in certain areas of the world. What we have suggested work in this area but may not work in coastal or dryer areas.

  • peonyman
    13 years ago


    Maifleur,

    I think you are referring to yet another method of propagation: Air Layering. That method attempts to set up conditions on the stem to hold moist material against the stem so it can root.

    The process described above is to prepare the stem for later rooting. The purpose of the material wrapped around the stem is to irritate the stem and to keep all light out, the stem is left dry. I think it is the absence of light that is the most important. When I tried this I used aluminium foil. I did not use rooting hormone at this point. The process did work for me but not very well. I may have seen some success if I had tried more than one single cutting.

    Certainly each of the various methods will work better for different people and different conditions.

    Leon

  • calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
    13 years ago

    There is propagation system popular in Europe called "Stooling" which I have not tried on tree peonies, but I might if I had a good peony I wished to propagate but would be willing to lose if it failed!! Al

  • maifleur01
    13 years ago

    A method similar to stooling that can be used for tree peonies is to plant at an shallow angle. This encourages the growth of additional stems and would also encourage root growth. Would work best on a plant that was on it's own roots but should also work with one still on the nurse root. However you should discourage the nurse root's growth by removing any shoots that appear from it.

    I am currently attempting it on an unknown bright red which was stuck together with another plant when I purchased.

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