Hello! New member here. I found this forum while searching for info about peony roots online. It appears that there is a wealth of knowledge here and I'm hoping that some of you might be able to share your thoughts with me. I recently received an order that I had placed for a mixed pack of roots, (multiple roots, various varieties, unlabeled in one pack). I'm unsure about the health of some of the roots. They look different from what I've received from other suppliers. I'm not sure if these roots just aren't as "cleaned up" as what I'm used to receiving or if they are unhealthy. Some of them have pretty large hollow sections in the crown. I did a quick search online and saw that peony root rot could possibly cause that but other info said that if the roots are from older plants that they could have hollow sections? I have no experience with dividing peonies myself, so I'm unsure if what I'm looking at is "normal". I don't want to plant anything that could introduce disease to my other peonies.
The large root in the photos had soil caked in the hollow section in the middle. I wasn't sure what it was, (it felt soft and squishy), so I ended up splitting it in half to see what was going on and then washing it out.
Would you plant these roots?
Thank you in advance for any advice you can provide. If you need any further info please let me know.

I don't have enough experience, either, but wanted to pop on and say that hopefully one of the moderators will see your post since not many members are checking the forum at this time of year. It's more active in January (ordering) and bloom time (spring).

Where did you order them from?

While the roots aren't "pretty" they certainly look viable and healthy. Plant and see what happens. Ugly roots can make beautiful plants.

SWsGarden. Roots can be very different between cultivars so don't expect them to look the same - unless you only ordered one variety Certainly a large established clump of some varieties will have hollowed out sections, many of which have resulted from the clump expanding up to the surface of the ground. Provided you have removed any black soft sections amongst the roots I wouldn't worry about diseased plants - if you can't see it then it's either hidden or not there! Depending on the source you should be able to assume these came from disease-free stock, so go ahead and plant them all. I think we'd all love to hear back from you next Summer as to how many bloomed and what they look like

Thank you all for your responses! I planted the roots. After reading the replies on here and talking to a few other people I realized the roots were likely just a little more "rustic", (for lack of a better word), then what I had received from some other suppliers. I'm still relatively new to growing peonies, so it was nice to receive opinions from others who have more experience than me.
@Vals_Garden I will report back next summer for sure!

They look healthy SW. As was mentioned, not all roots have the same appearance. Those look great from here. Look forward to seeing your flowers next year. They look large enough to produce flowers the first year.

Welcome SW

I'm glad you went on and planted your roots. Older plants of some varieties do get hollow spots in the and they are fine.

We always have a thread for roots each year, so you can go back through the Forum and look at the quality of roots from various suppliers. We like to post the source of our roots so we have an idea of what to expect if you purchase from a particular seller.

Hopefully you will share photos of your blooms with us this coming bloom season.