Solarize Peony Bed Soil to Sterilize It
As you may know, it appeared to me that my Intersectional Peony 'Callie's Memory' died of root rot,
2020 Intersectional Peony 'Callie's Memory' Dies of Root Rot? I have no way of knowing for sure, but there weren't any roots left on that peony. There could have been a host of factors that caused its demise. Regardless, it must have rotted in at least some way. So I decided to solarize the soil to kill any pathogens that might still be present there before replanting the area.
Solarize Peony Bed Soil to Sterilize It
To do this I simply placed a clear sheet of plastic over the area and weighted it down with bricks on the edges. After 6-8 weeks the soil should be ready for planting. However I will probably wait much longer than that to replant, most likely until fall to plant my replacement potted Intersectional Peony 'Callie's Memory',
2020 Potted Up Intersectional Peony Roots for Fall Planting. You may remember when I originally started this intersectional peony bed, I solarized the subsoil,
2012 Peony Bed Soil Solarization, before bringing in some
2012 New Dirt for New Peony Beds. I never solarized the new dirt I put on top as top soil. So I suppose now's the time to make sure I solarize it now too. ;-)
