The peony is a hardy, hardy perennial. However, the leaves of peonies can turn brown if certain conditions are not met or if certain pests have attacked them.
So if your peony is turning brown and you’re worried and looking for answers, don’t worry because we know why your plant is behaving this way.
If a peony faces prolonged periods of insufficient watering and exposure to temperatures above 32°C, the leaves may burn and the buds may turn brown.
Additionally, excessive watering and inadequate drainage can lead to root rot and leaf browning. Finally, over-fertilizing your peony can burn the leaves of the plant, turning them yellow and then brown.
If you want to learn more about how to fix peony darkening, keep reading.
Contents
Why is my peony plant turning brown?
Peony plants produce large, fragrant flowers in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. These hardy, long-lived (some up to 100 years old) evergreen shrubs have a long history as a garden plant.
Peonies are classified as tree, Itoh (intersection) or herbaceous (shrub). Tree peonies can reach four to seven feet tall and four to five feet wide. Itoh and herbaceous varieties reach a height and width of 1 to 3 feet.
Peonies aren’t fussy, but choose their location carefully as they don’t like disturbances and don’t transplant well.
Peonies prefer full sun, and while they can tolerate partial shade, they thrive best in a sunny location that receives 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day.
Due to their large flowers, peonies can become very heavy in strong winds. It is not recommended to plant too close to trees or shrubs because peonies do not like to fight over food, lightand humidity
Peonies thrive in fertile, humus-rich, moist locations. floor it’s fine The pH of the soil must be neutral.
Here are some causes why your peony plant may turn brown:
1) Root issues
Peony leaves can turn brown if not enough water reaches the roots. This may be due to insufficient watering of the peonies, too many weeds at the base of the plant, or clay soil that does not allow water to drain freely.
The plant will start to hang up if there is not enough water. If they don’t get enough water regularly, the tips of the leaves will turn brown and the brown area will dry out and tear.
how to fix it
Water the peonies once a week with 1 in (2.5 cm) of water around the base. If the soil seems to be drying out in sweltering weather, water it every other day or so.
To keep the soil moist, add a layer of mulch around the base of the plant.
2) Too little sun:
The sun provides energy to the plant and dries the leaves, reducing the risk of diseases that cause the leaves to turn brown.
However, the amount of sunlight does not directly brown the leaves. Peonies, mainly herbaceous peonies, can die if kept in the shade. The leaves first turn brown before dropping when they die.
Different levels of sunlight are needed for the two types of peonies. Tree peonies that keep their stems need full sun or partial shade all day.
However, they should be kept out of the morning sun. Tree peonies need at least 6 hours of sunlight per day.
how to fix it
Replant herbaceous peonies in areas where they will receive 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Transplant tree peonies from partial shade to full sun, but not in the morning.
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3) Diseases – leaf spot and black spot
Several diseases can only affect the peony, but can also spread to other people nearby. Leaf spot is the most common disease on peonies, but powdery mildew, black spot and fusarium can also occur.
Leaf spot starts as brown spots on the leaves and if left untreated, it spreads and spreads to other leaves.
Black spot appears on leaves as dark brown/black spots surrounded by a light brown area.
powdery mildew and other types of fungi enter the environment through fungal spores which settle and grow on the leaves, absorbing all the nutrients and turning the leaves brown.
The increased airflow dries out mold and disease, preventing them from spreading.
Fusarium is a fungus that grows in the ground and can lie dormant for a long time. However, since the only symptom is blackening and wilting of the leaves, it is difficult to know if this is the cause of the blackening.
how to fix it
Spray the plant with a mixture of neem oil and water. Be careful not to wet the leaves when you water them, as this can promote the spread of disease.
Cut off the affected areas and discard them so that the disease does not spread to other plants. Remove weeds and prune nearby plants to improve air circulation. If this persists, replant them in new Fusarium-free soil.
4) Poorly drained soil
peonies have one floor pH 6.5 to 7.0. Poor drainage prevents water from penetrating deep into the roots of tree peonies. A change in pH affects the nutrients available in the soil.
When soil pH falls outside the range of 6.5 to 7.0, the nutrients that peonies need are depleted.
Water also helps the roots absorb and transport nutrients throughout the plant. A peony plant will be nutrient and water deficient if the water does not reach the roots.
Solutions
Replant peonies in loose, well-drained soil that is dark brown in color. If the pH is above 7.0, add sulfur. If the pH is below 6.5, use limestone-based products, also called chalk.
5) harmful insects
Peonies are relatively pest free. However, they can make a home in peonies and start depleting essential nutrients.
Fortunately, the parasites are easy to identify and treat. Web-like structures on the underside of the leaves hitting the stems and a crumbly brown/black residue on the plant are the most obvious signs.
The bumps are the mealybug bodies that cling to the plant and feed on the nutrients. Scale insects are small white insects that produce white silk.
In addition, scale insects leave brown spots on the leaves where they have absorbed nutrients.
On the other hand, over time, scale insects absorb nutrients from the plant, weakening it. And in large quantities, they can completely destroy a peony.
How to fix it:
After dark, spray the plant with insecticidal spray or neem oil. Replant them in fresh soil if you notice a large sprout in the ground.
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6) Too many nutrients
The consistency of good peony soil is that of compost from a garden store. Usually there is no need to add additional fertilizer.
Some plants benefit from extra fertilizer, but too much can have the opposite effect and damage the roots.
This reduces the amount of nutrients the peonies can absorb and causes the leaves to develop yellow spots before turning brown. Some leaves have turned brown, while others have yellow spots that have not yet turned brown.
how to fix it
Replant them in fresh soil with the consistency of store-bought compost. Don’t add extra fertilizer so the soil can balance out.
7) Damage caused by herbicides
Herbicide damage can be difficult to detect, but crooked, distorted, or crooked growth is a common symptom. Some herbicides can cause discolored or dead spots on the leaves.
how to fix it
Reduce the amount of herbicide you give to get rid of weeds. If you are targeting other adjacent weeds, limit the herbicide to weeds only.
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8) Temperature changes
Peonies exposed to prolonged periods of insufficient water and temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit may develop leaf scorch or darken leaf tips and edges.
how to fix it
Plant peonies in full sun to partial shade and in fast-draining soil to avoid cultural damage. Plant peonies away from the hottest areas of your garden.
final thoughts
Peonies are long-lived perennials that produce large, fragrant, colorful flowers. However, peony leaves can turn brown if not enough water reaches the roots.
Too little sun can also cause the leaves to turn brown. Leaf spot is the most common disease that causes browning of peonies, but powdery mildew, black spot, and fusarium can also occur.
Poorly drained soil, too many nutrients, and too high temperatures that cause burns and pests are also some of the causes that can darken the leaves.
Provide plenty of water for the soil, place the plant in partial or full shade, and use a fungicide to kill the fungal infestation.
Also make sure that the water flows well into the pot and does not stay there. Higher temperatures must also be controlled to prevent the leaves of the plant from turning brown, which can inevitably lead to the death of the plant.
About the Author:
sad envy
Saad is an avid gardener and a great lover of plants, animals, photography and people. Currently, her focus is on indoor plant photography and captioning beautiful photos.