Any peony growers out there? I have a peony that is not going to bloom much this year. The buds started and then did not develop. This has been a very reliable peony in past years. It's sister is doing just fine. Any ideas? You can just barely see the undeveloped bud here. Most of the buds look like this. Above is a bud that has developed the way it should. This is on that same peony. This is a shot of the budless peony. It looks plenty healthy otherwise. This is the sister peony, right next door to the first peony. Can anyone shed some light here?
We had a mild winter then a very cool spring. I have had peonies do this right after being transplanted.
I know this Cayu--I used to grow peony's until two things happened--I needed the ground for a plum tree and my Bride wanted them gone. hahaha. That sounds harsh, actually she didn't like the ones that I had, and Nederland being a moist country, the blooms filled with water and earwigs, and their weight caused the stems to bend over. Of course I could have kept them, but in hindsight I ought to have selected another more open type. Nu, ter zake: This curious anomaly that your plants are presenting with can be covered by the umbrella term, PBB, or Peony Bud Blast. The term itself does not actually refer to a disease, rather a symptom...a symptom that is caused by one or more physical conditions present in their plot. Nr. 1-- Not enough sunlight Nr. 2-- Insufficient 'food', or nutrition Nr. 3-- Inadequate moisture during dry spells Nr 4-- over-crowding Nr. 5-- Sudden drops in temp during the phase in which the buds are developing Nr. 6-- Planting them too deeply Nr. 7-- I have also heard that it could be from botrytis, microscopic worms (similar to what got into my onions) or K deficiency Now then Cayu, those are several things you can think about and R/O. I cant help you from here because I cannot appraise the plants and their site; however based upon what I see, I could imagine that you could thin out your peony's and perhaps transplant some to another location with different conditions in terms of sunlight and soil type. At any rate, I would be delighted to hear what you think and what actions you will take, if any. Bonne chance. Addendum: Thanks for the good foto's in accompaniment.
