PEONY FAILURES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 November 1940, Page 9

PEONY FAILURES

- THE CAUSE. Peonies often fail just as they are about to open, the flower stems themselves collapsing just below a bud. Sometimes this is due to a specific infection by a fungus and in that case, the only remedy is to remove and burn the affected shoots. In the following season, spray several times with a good fungicide, while the flower stems are lengthening. But quite as often, the trouble is due to starvation and lack of moisture. The flowers of modern peonies are so immense that they place a great strain on the food reserves of the plant and, if the latter are not in sturdy condition, collapse at this vital time becomes •% inevitable. The remedy is to feed and ' water well from the time the buds show until they are actually open.There is nothing better for this purpose than well decayed manure placed round the plants as a mulch. Unfortunitely, this is not always available, and substitutes must often be employed. Well decayed vegetable refuse will serve, or another 'alternative is to dust the soil around the plants with a good fertiliser, then spread a mulch of lawn clippings on top. The advantage of the mulch is that it keeps the soil cool and moist, encouraging root growth even when the weather is hot and dry.