I understand that peonies don’t like excess water at “feet”.
Does that include after they’ve bloomed? I’m asking since my peonies in west end Toronto have bloomed, and I’d like to make a sort of edging by placing paper tubing around their stalks, to prevent any water from accumulating around them.
Since I like reusing more than recycling, I’d cut a place the inside of toilet paper tubes, slit the tube down the middle, and place it at the bottom of the peony stalks.
I’m reluctant to do this, however, since plants need air, besides water and sun. I know the bottom of the stalk rarely will get sun, but would the air circulation be affected to any degree?
This idea came about partially because I saw a video about increasing the size of leeks by wrapping the bottom of the stalk, and partially because I seem to always have a solution before I find a problem for it, which is probably the basis for reusing.
This isn’t the original video I viewed, buy it shows the process in the last two minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkc5Su9Pq6A.
Toilet paper or other paper tubes may be useful as biodegradable “pots” in which to start seeds and can protect seedlings from cutworms. However, if these tubes are placed around peony stalks and get wet & soggy, they could retain moisture near the plant. If the tubes became mouldy, this could be unhealthy for the plant. In these cases, the tubes could negatively affect a plant’s health. I agree with you that the stalks would likely also be exposed to less air circulation, but it’s not clear to what degree or how this would affect the plant’s overall health. Another issue may be that the plants would look rather odd with toilet paper rolls circling the stalks.
Why not simply make sure the plants are not “sitting in water”? Peonies do not like “wet feet” at any time. The soil should drain well, and the plants should never become waterlogged. See Peony care topics at the Peony’s Envy website, which provides lots of detailed information on keeping your peonies healthy, including soil conditions that are best for these plants. If water accumulates around your plants, amend the soil to ensure proper drainage.
However, it sounds like your plants are doing well, perhaps just continuing on with what you have been doing is the best idea.