Divided peony not thriving
Tiny insects called thrips may be to blame for bud drop
Q: I split a peony last year, being very careful to replant them at the proper depth. They came up this year and appeared to be very healthy. While they had a lot of buds, unfortunately those buds just dried up and I had no blooms. The leaves curled and still remained curled. I have fertilized, watered and babied the plants, hoping to get some peonies next year. What happened, and can I expect the same thing next year? A: There are a number of potential causes of your peony’s leaf curl and bud drop. Thrips is one, as well as botrytis blight, viral diseases and simply too much shade. If the problem is thrips, you will need to wait until spring, check for the insects, and treat with an insecticide — such as Doktor Doom House and Garden — containing permethrin. A magnifying glass could be helpful because thrips are very tiny. If you do spot some, apply the insecticide immediately and repeat two to three times.
If the problem is viral, there is nothing that can be done. If the disease has not progressed, the plant may recover on its own. But if you see the same problem next spring and note that more of the plant is affected, remove the plant and dispose of it.
If the problem is botrytis blight or fungal in origin, you may be able to treat with Serenade fungicide. Spray the fungicide as a preventive measure first thing in the spring and again during the heat of the summer (July).
It is very difficult to tell what the problem may be without seeing the plant. I would also be curious to know if the other part of the peony that you split is experiencing the same problems. Try going online to extension.umn.edu/ distribution/horticulture for help in your diagnosis Q: I have a small backyard garden that produces enough vegetables to eat fresh during the summer. I add peat moss and buy composted soil every spring to add to it. When we built, we scraped the clay and had good black dirt added. I have an apple tree fairly close to the garden. Behind it, my neighbours have a cedar tree. On the east side the neighbour has a blue spruce, which is fairly close to the garden as well. During the summer, my soil becomes rock hard and when I dig, I’m digging up roots. This year my carrots and beets were mini when I dug them up. These roots must be sucking up the moisture and nutrients I’m adding. I usually only rototill in the spring and hand dig in the fall. I pull up all the roots I can. What can I do about this? I have no place else to put my garden. A: My guess would be that the spruce is the likely culprit, but it does sound as if other roots may be contributing to the problem. The spruce is notorious for stealing moisture from other plants. A good alternative would be to construct a raised bed for your vegetable garden. This is a simple process; many garden centres now carry brackets specially designed for this task. You simply need to buy the lumber and assemble with the brackets. Two-by-six or two-by-eight boards would work well and would raise the vegetables high enough to keep them away from the influences of the other roots.
Fill the raised bed with a good quality soil to which organic matter is added. Choose compost or manure, since peat moss can affect the pH levels in the soil.