Shortly before harvest, the buds are still closed. The perennials grow waist-high in the fields of Sebastian Sauer. Its peonies are yellow, pink, or magenta. In Bergtheim near Würzburg, the farmer grows peonies, as they are called in technical jargon, on 30 hectares. Cut flowers on a grand scale, in one of the driest corners of Bavaria. But for Sauer this is not a contradiction – on the contrary.
Price pressure and little water
“The peony itself is a plant that needs little water,” says Sauer. His farm planted the first peonies 20 years ago. For a long time he also earned money with raspberries and blackberries. But he has now said goodbye to them. On the one hand, because the price pressure was great; on the other hand, because the water requirement of the berries is about twice as high as that of the peonies. Sauer fears that his water rights could be reduced.
Less water for farmers and other users
With a permit from the district office, the farmer can pump groundwater out of the ground. So far he has never exhausted his approved amount. But because many companies around Bergtheim want to use water and the summers have often been dry recently, there has been a moratorium since 2016. The district office does not issue any new water permits in the Bergtheimer Mulde. In the case of extensions, the quantities can be reduced. Last year, farmers around Bergtheim were allowed to withdraw 550,000 cubic meters of groundwater.
The peony has therefore become all the more interesting for Sauer. He mainly delivers to florists, flower wholesalers and a flower exchange, most of them in Germany.
Peony is suitable for dry soil
Claudia Taeger from the Kitzingen-Würzburg Office for Food, Agriculture and Forestry also confirms the comparatively low water consumption. The demand lies somewhere between wine and asparagus. However, she also says: “If I have a very dry winter and have to cover to ensure the quality of the cut flowers, then I have to be able to compensate for the lack of winter moisture.”
Nevertheless, the peony is well suited for cultivation in the dry region. From July, when the harvest is complete, the peony can survive the rest of the growing season with little water. “If you have the confidence to enter the cut flower market in terms of cultivation and marketing, then I think the peony is a very good choice for this soil,” says Taeger.
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