A question for the forum -

How many stems/stalks should I expect to see added each year as a peony matures?
Most of my peonies were from smaller divisions years ago and have taken a while to "creep".
Although they flower well, the last several years they come up every year with the same number of stems....between 5 and 8. Aren't they supposed to add more stems each year once established? I've seen peonies with 12-20+. Where is the "leap"?

Thanks in advance for any input!

My wife and I had planted a peony about 4 year in the past before I took an interest in caring for the plant. It came up last year with 7 stems and flowered with 3 blooms. Shortly there after, I did the following...

1. Removed all competitive plants by placing mulch.
2. Fed a 10-10-10 fertilizer.
3. Amended the soil with azomite and biochar
4. Watered as needed

This year it is going to put up at least 20 stems, probably closer to 30. It has been an amazing change and I am really looking forward to seeing it bloom.

I should also mention that this is it's 5th year which is important because that is generally regarded as being the year that a peony reaches maturity. The improvement in flower production between years 4 and 5 is close to a doubling effect which can be seen in flower studies. Getting to year 5 is a big deal.

Top

THat's great advice, Top! I second what Top said.

Thanks for the input Top and Kouza! From what I had read from the growers, a peony sould reach maturity at 3 years if everything is ideal. I didn't realize it was closer to 5.

Since these started as 2 eyes, I figured it would take a little longer, and it did. They probably got to 5-8 stalks after 7-9 years. But now, even with weeding, mulching in a circle away from stalks, bulb tone/azomite....none have "taken off" like Top's to get larger amount of stalks after another 2-3 years of this tender loving care. They have stayed the same size.

Don't get me wrong...they are beautiful and strong with 3-4 flowers per stem, so approx. 20 flowers per peony. But would love to see them "mature".

Last fall, a friend gave me a division from her ancient peony that her grandmother planted, it is coming up with 10 shoots! I am over the moon to see how it does this spring!

Well, if after 7-9 years of growth with 2-3 years of loving care and they are not "leaping", I think that you should dig them up this fall and check the roots to see if there are problems that prevent them to grow well. Here are something to consider before you make that drastic move:

Are your peonies getting enough sun? 6hours or more? - too much shade will reduce peony growth
Is the location where they are at subject to prolonged water exposure? - this can cause root rot
Is there any possibility, the roots maybe hitting a big slab of rock under them?
Is there maybe rodent damage (voles or moles eating roots?

What kind of peonies are these? Are they the old fashion Grandma types? Some peonies esp. newer hybrid and species have very particular growing conditions and if these are not met, they fail to thrive.

I agreed with both Top and Karen. The only other thing I would check is are there any tree roots growing into the peony rootball? I had a couple that failed to thrive, and there were tree roots growing into their root balls!

Funny you mentioned rocks, kouza! Two weeks ago, I dug out a straggler daffodil that was growing in the dripline of one of these peonies, and I found the bulb sitting right next to a big rock. I jokingly told my husband I found a boulder, since it was a large round one, maybe 6"x 4" x 4".

Maybe this is my problem, since when I planted these peonies years ago, I hadn't done any research to know to dig a deep and wide hole before planting. I knew just to plant shallow.

Since they do bloom well and reach their correct heights, I don't want to dig up. What about if I dig around outside of the drip line and deep, to see if I find more rocks?

They are various varieties, old school - Festiva Maxima, etc. No newer hybrids.
Also get the minimum of 6-7 hrs sun. No trees nearby so at least roots not the issue.

My real heart break this year: a Coral Sunset I planted fall of '18, hoping to see something this year.....just as it was coming up a deer chomped off the two shoots and leaves. Now all I have is a little bit of new leaf growth on one of the stalks.
Is this peony worth giving another year, or since it was so new and now so damaged, I should dig up? Thanks again to all the experts!

I don't know what the deal is with Carol Adleman's soil, but it is amazingly light and workable. She makes regular local TV appearances on a garden show due to her business. When you watch her dig, you come to understand what perfect planting conditions look like. (https://youtu.be/3cgmDWpw3LQ)

Anyhow, on episodes where she is planting peonies, you get to see how peony roots look under what have to be optimal soil conditions. Most of the roots clearly grow outwards - not downwards - and they probably exceed the dripline by a little bit. The roots radiate outwards fairly evenly and are probably 4 or 5 inches lower than the crown of the peony at their deepest with most being much shallower.

It seems reasonable to think that a peony sending out roots towards a nearby rock is expending energy without much reward. I doubt that it can double-down by growing more roots towards the open angles, so yeah, I would think that a couple of big rocks could seriously hinder a plants ability to get nutrients and water both, with very near rocks taking up far more of the arc of growth.

One thing that Carol mentions in the linked video is that too much nitrogen in your fertilizer may reduce the number of blooms.

Here is a link to the show that sometimes features Mrs. Adelman as a guest: http://www.gardentime.tv/video...

Yes, leave Coral Sunset ! It's very vigorous and it will rebound.

I agree with Top... poke around the perimeter and see if there are some rocks.

Also, have you ever checked the ph of your soil? In my experience, peonies like a slightly alkaline soil. (7.3).

Wow, thanks for all the input!

Top, I have a few peonies I bought from Adelman's the last two years, and have watched a few of her videos, but I never noticed as you did, the way the roots grow! I did notice in one of the tutorials, that she places the peony on top of the ground level soil, and then mounds extra soil on top for the extra 1 or 2 inches...mounding peony rather than burying it. I wondered how that would be ideal when massive rains come and wash that top dirt away...but it seems to work for her! She must be doing something right, since she is seriously the peony queen!

Can't be nitrogen, since what I have does bloom well...tall stems that need staking and multi flowers per stem....but each plant just 6-8 stems and never expand.

Mieko2 - I did send soil sample to local lab two years ago and came back perfect.Thanks for suggestion. My next project will be digging for rocks "boulders!" around the perimeters...what we do for these 'lovelies'!

This has been an interesting thread for me as I planted two Itoh's last year. I usually amend my plants with a little compost & this spring added a light mulch. Now wondering if that was a mistake as I don't want to bury them. I don't tend to add fertilizer to my plants. Should I expect in 5 years to have 15-20 stems on my itohs? I was relieved they returned this spring My scrumdidleumptious has 16 blooms and Singing in the Rain only 6 so far (in a shadier spot). Tomorrow I will count the stems on each plant. Top-I enjoyed the link to the Adelman's video. LG-I will have to check my soil as ours tend to be acidic. So much to learn about these beauties!