Today in living quarters you can find a huge variety of plants that delight with their beauty. The scientific name of hydrangea is hydrangea macrophylla. The plant belongs to the flowering department, the Hydrangea family. In total, it has about 80 species, among which there are both large shrubs and small trees. Under natural conditions, this flower can be found in China, Japan, America, as well as Southeast Asia. Every year there are more and more new hybrid varieties. Today, many people prefer to grow hydrangeas in pots on balconies, terraces and verandas. Let's take a closer look at what a hydrangea is, home care for this flower, and other issues related to growing it.
Room beauty: description
Home hydrangea is a perennial shrub with large serrated leaves. The inflorescences of this plant are shaped like balls. They are quite large and can reach a diameter of 35 cm. Usually inflorescences consist offlowers of two types: at the edges they are large, and in the middle - small. Their color is determined by the type of soil. In acidic soil, the inflorescences will have a bluish tint, and in alkaline soil - lilac or pink. Hydrangea fruits are small boxes with seeds. The plant can reach about a meter in height. What needs to be done to please the hydrangea? Home care and photos will be discussed next.
What do hydrangeas need?
Let's dwell on this in more detail. Many today want to grow such a bright and wonderful flower as hydrangea on their balcony in the summer. Care and cultivation at home are not particularly difficult. A spacious bright place is best for a flower. At the same time, the hydrangea should not be exposed to direct sunlight. For proper growth and development of the flower, the optimum temperature will be 20 degrees. Try to avoid sudden drops and drafts.
Immediately after flowering, the plant goes dormant. During this period, it is better to put the flower pot in a cool place, the temperature in which does not rise above 10 degrees. There the flower should be left until the buds begin to wake up. After that, you can return it to normal conditions. Wintering in a cool dark room will help the plant to better restore the forces expended on flowering. In case of non-compliance with this requirement, the next appearance of buds should be expected only after a year.
Irrigation scheme
So what do you need to know about this? ImportantPart of hydrangea care is watering. It must be regular. In the summer it should be done as often as possible. In spring and autumn, the flower should be watered sparingly. During dormant periods, the hydrangea is moistened purely symbolically. For irrigation, settled or filtered liquid is best suited. If you live in an ecologically clean area, you can also use rainwater. It is recommended to water the flower about once a month with liquid with lemon juice. Hydrangeas require not only moist soil, but also air. For this reason, you should not place the flower next to the heaters, try to spray it as often as possible.
How the fertilization process works
What do you need to know? At home, hydrangea must be fertilized. Top dressing is best done during the period of active growth. Fertilizers are applied once every two weeks. Complex nutrients intended for flowering plants are best suited as top dressing. You can start using them as early as February. It is at this time that the formation of new plant shoots occurs. In winter, when the flower is resting, it is not necessary to feed it.
Cutting
On the windowsills of many city apartments today you can see such a flower as room hydrangea. Care at home (there is a photo in the article in question) - that's what novice flower growers are interested in. An obligatory step in growing hydrangeas is pruning. It is held twice a year. The first time pruning is carried out in the fall, after the plant has faded. In this case, it is necessary to remove weakshoots, and shorten the more developed ones by half. In spring, the plant needs to be rid of too elongated weak shoots.
Home culture transplant
How should a hydrangea grow? Home care must necessarily include an annual flower transplant procedure. As a houseplant, hydrangea lives 3-4 years. After that, you can plant a new flower. Fertile soil is best. For growing hydrangeas, a soil consisting of one part of sand and three parts of leafy and soddy soil is suitable. The pot should be wide and spacious. This is due to the fact that hydrangea has a horizontal root system. The flower is transplanted by transshipment. This method reduces damage to the roots. Drainage is laid in a thick layer at the bottom of the dishes for planting plants. When the plants are transplanted, fresh soil must be added to the new container so that it fills all the voids. The root neck of the flower should be flush with the soil surface. When the hydrangea is transplanted and the soil is moist, it is worth covering the soil with a layer of peat mulch. This will create the necessary humidity. The liquid will not quickly evaporate from the substrate.
Propagation of hydrangeas by cuttings
This issue should be given special attention. The easiest way to propagate hydrangeas is with cuttings. They can form a bush with a large number of stems until next autumn. If cuttings are harvested in the spring, then most likely you will get only a single stem plant.
Many beginner gardeners are attracted by the chic hydrangea. Home care, photos and reproduction are discussed in this article. For harvesting cuttings, root shoots 7-8 centimeters long are used. There must be at least three internodes on the selected segment. Leaves that are located on the bottom of the cuttings must be removed. The upper parts are made two or even three times shorter.
To process the lower cut of the cuttings, a root stimulator can be used. After that, they should be planted in a substrate consisting of peat and sand. For some time, the cuttings are kept in the light. The temperature should not fall below 18 degrees, and humidity - below 75%. To create such conditions, glass jars are used. Every day they are removed for airing. The soil must be moistened. The cuttings will root in about 3-4 weeks. After that, they can be seated in separate containers.
Seed use
Today, the hydrangea flower has become widespread. Home care for this plant largely depends on the method of reproduction. For example, if you use seeds to plant a crop, then you need to be very careful in choosing the soil. It should consist of equal parts of leaf and sod land. Additionally, you can add another part of the sand and humus. Small hydrangea seeds are best sown at the end of winter. For this purpose, it is better to use a small container. From above they must be covered with a film or glass. Every day the seeds planted are worthventilate. The soil should be moistened as needed. As soon as the first shoots appear, the glass must be removed. When the seedlings have their first true leaves, they can be transplanted into deep containers. Once the plants are fully established, they should be moved to larger pots.
Dividing the bush
Here is another option for propagating room hydrangea. Care at home will also be mastered by a beginner florist. This breeding method is considered quite simple. However, it will take some dexterity to complete it. The hydrangea bush during transplantation must be divided so that each division has its own growth point and a certain number of roots. Shoots and roots should be slightly shortened before planting. After this, the plants must be planted in separate containers and watered. It is advisable to cover the soil on the surface with peat mulch. The best way to propagate hydrangeas in this way is in the spring. Then by autumn you will get already well-rooted delenki.
What are the diseases and pests
Many dream of having a hydrangea in a pot growing on their windowsill. Home care for this plant includes the fight against infections and pests. Quite often, the flower is affected by gray rot. The reason may be too high humidity. To cope with this ailment, you must use Bordeaux liquid.
Another disease that can develop as a result of high humidity is powdery mildew. To combat it, you will have to use drugs,containing copper, as well as fungicides.
With insufficient humidity, hydrangea can be affected by a spider mite. To destroy these pests, you must use a soap solution or Actellik.
If you notice that the plant is starting to turn yellow, then most likely you are not following the rules of care.
Such a sign may indicate:
- insufficient watering;
- low soil nitrogen;
- high concentration of alkali in the soil.
If these causes are quickly eliminated, the plant can be cured.
At home, hydrangea sometimes starts to dry.
This can happen for the following reasons:
- lack of nutrients in the soil;
- insufficient watering;
- root damage during transplantation.
To eliminate these problems, it is enough just to follow the rules for caring for the plant. Try increasing the amount of watering and humidifying the air more often.
Why can jasmine indoor hydrangea not bloom? Home care must necessarily include rest in the winter. The plant needs to get enough nutrients. Otherwise, he simply will not have the strength to bloom. In winter, it is necessary to provide the flower with a good rest in a dark room. Hydrangea can simply be taken to the basement or other room. Experts recommend removing all leaves from the plant, and shortening the shoots by half. The best time to do this is in December. Then in February, the hydrangea will already be able to return to life. If you follow this simpleas a rule, the hydrangea will bloom at the right time.
Hydrangea may become stained as a result of exposure to sunlight. Therefore, pots with these flowers are recommended to be placed on the western or eastern side. Hydrangea will grow well away from windows, especially if the room is located on the south side. The plant will be quite enough and diffused light. To avoid breakage of thin stems, it is sometimes necessary to maintain heavy inflorescences. You can use special props for branches for this purpose.
How should jasmine hydrangea grow? Home care should occasionally involve moving the plant outdoors. At positive temperatures, it would be best to keep the culture on a veranda or balcony. If this is not possible, try to ventilate the room as often as possible.
Change color
Why do many flower growers today want to grow a plant like hydrangea? Home care and photos of flowers are all of interest to housewives who want to decorate their garden with magnificent inflorescences. This plant attracts many for the simple reason that with the help of special tools added to the soil, the color of the inflorescence can be changed. We are talking about preparations that change the acidity of the soil. Neutral soil is characterized by a pH value of 7.0. If the value is lower, then the soil is acidic, if higher, it is alkaline.
In acidic soil with a pH of 3 to 6, the buds will have blue, blue and purple hues. In neutral soil, hydrangea willbe white and light in color. In alkaline soil with a low aluminum content, the flowers are red and pink.
In what kind of land does hydrangea grow best? Planting and care at home should be carried out in soil with an acidity ranging from 5.5 to 6.0 pH. Hydrangea does not tolerate highly alkaline soil. In it, the plant may not absorb iron, which threatens with leaf chlorosis. To maintain the desired level of acidity, it is recommended to use coniferous litter, high-moor peat, pine bark, citric acid and potassium permanganate. You can measure the pH level a few days after applying special products. If the acidity is still less than the required value, it is worth repeating the procedure.
This way you can easily dye red and pink flowers purple and blue. If you water only one side of the plant with the prepared solution, you can get a very interesting effect. This is what beginner flower growers usually want to achieve. It is possible to make sure of everything before planting if you look at the photo of room hydrangea. Home care was introduced in the article.
When processing, be sure to ensure that the composition does not fall on the flowers and leaves. Remember that the color of plants will not change instantly.
Conclusion
As you can see for yourself, growing a gorgeous flowering hydrangea bush is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. There are many rules and conditions to be followed. However, if you read all the questions in advance, you will have a greathydrangea flower. Home care is not very difficult, you can grow a beautiful bright bush in your apartment.
