Things Needed

Minnesota has a long history of peony culture . Oliver F. Brand set up Brand Peony Farms near Richland , Minnesota , in 1867 and hybridized many varieties . Other nurseries followed , and growers founded the Minnesota Peony Society more than 100 years ago . Minnesota ’s climate courting peonies , which primitively grew in temperate area of Europe and Asia . In fact , some landscapes in the state are home to peony plants that have grow there for 30 class or more . Although these long - lived plant are tough and dauntless , they require proper pin lop to persist healthy . await until the first voiceless frost of fall to cut down peony . Even if there are no rosiness , the foliage is still feeding the root .

Step 1

Prepare a 10 - percentage whitener answer to kill botrytis blight and other fungal diseases that often hide on healthy plants . If a peony is obviously pathologic , do not wait until the first frost to prune the morbid plant .

Step 2

Cut the peony stanch within 2 inch of the priming . Spray or dip the pruning shears into the solution between cuts to down any pathogen and avoid transpose them to other plants .

Step 3

Dispose of the cut stems and parting in the trash . Tossing most grounds debris into the compost bin is an earth - friendly riding habit , but peony trimming may harbor pathogens that will harm the plant the next season . Do not compost the trim or else you take a chance cloud the compost with disease .

Tip

Adding a light layer of compost in the fall improves the soil over the winter and makes nutrient pronto useable in spring . When cut peonies get to sprout in the bounce , place a tomato batting cage over the plant to supply support . Water peonies at the pedestal of the plant . Overhead watering , which wets the leaves , creates disease - encouraging pockets of moisture .

Warning

If you prune peony too too soon in the season , the plants will famish and the paeony will not have enough salt away push to grow well in the cool Minnesota spring . Although they are elusive plant , starved peonies fail within two or three seasons .

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