Hydrangeas are valuable ornamental plants. Their beautiful, gorgeous, white or colorful blooms brighten gardens from late spring to autumn, and the dense bushes fill the space beautifully. Properly prepared soil is essential for hydrangeas to enjoy their beauty for many years. After all, the lush development of the bush, its abundant flowering and even shades of inflorescences depend on the quality and composition of the soil used.
What is a hydrangea?
Hydrangea is an ornamental shrub that was brought from Far Eastern Japan to Europe in the 18th century. These beautiful bushes every year delight with beautiful inflorescences of frosty white, pale pink, purple, bright blue and blue. Sometimes all these shades can appear on the same plant. A bush with a decorated crown reaches from 1 to 3 meters in height, blooms from April to late autumn, sheds leaves in winter.
The Latin name for this ornamental plant (Hydrangea) translates to "water container" and indicates its high irrigation requirements. Hydrangea really likes high humidity, which is why it is sometimes called a water flower. Not every garden will have the same attractive shrub, because not every gardener can satisfy its excessive care requirements.
Ground requirements
The plant can be grown throughout the season - from early spring to autumn. However, it should be remembered that when planting a plant, you must choose a sunny or semi-shaded place. Soil requirements for hydrangeas are quite high. Plants are best cultivated in a well-permeable, nutrient-rich and moist substrate. This type of soil heats up very quickly in early spring, which results in the rapid appearance of the first vegetation after winter. Hydrangeas prefer slightly acidic soils (pH 5.5-6.0). Interestingly, the level of acidity affects the color of the flowers. Reddish shades of hydrangeas are obtained by planting them in soil that is more alkaline, while acidic soil causes hydrangea flowers to turn blue or purple.
If the soil does not meet the required parameters, the plant may even die. The first signal of unsuitable soil for a bush is the twisting of flowers and falling leaves. Therefore, the gardener needs to carefully monitor all the changes in his plant.
How to plant a hydrangea?
Planting a plant is not a complicated procedure. It is important to remember that before planting, the soil for hydrangea should be weeded, it should be aerated, crushed and moist. Then you must follow these steps:
- Prepare a hole for planting - it should be twice as large as the root ball of the plant. It is also necessary to keep a distance of 1 m between the pits in which individual bushes will be planted.
- Water the plant before taking it out of the pot and putting it in the hole.
- The root ball with the bush should be carefully placed in the prepared recess. Then fill it with a special earthen mixture. Fertilize with rotted manure or superphosphate.
- After planting, form a substrate around the bush in the shape of a bowl in which the water will stop.
- Water the hydrangea and spread mulch around it.
For more well-known species (tree-like, large-leaved and panicled) hydrangeas, the soil for planting should consist of an equal amount of black soil, leafy, soddy soil, coarse sand, humus and peat.
Mineral fertilizer
One of the most important procedures is fertilizing the soil for hydrangeas. You should fertilize two or three times during the season, at the latest at the end of August.
Its main function is to provide the nutrients necessary for the proper growth and development of hydrangeas. Appropriate fertilizer must contain the macro- and micronutrients necessary to obtainthe right amount of flower and leaf buds and to maintain a long and intense flowering plant. In early spring, you should start fertilizing the bush with a balanced granular hydrangea fertilizer. The composition of universal plant nutrition includes nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and other trace elements.
The second method of fertilization is additional acidification of the soil. The purpose of the procedure is to change the color of the flowers to a more intense color (the flowers become intense blue). For this purpose, it is recommended to use fertilizers for acidophilic plants from early May to mid-August.
To prepare hydrangeas for the winter, potassium and phosphorus fertilizer is recommended at the end of summer. Delivery of these ingredients before winter will allow the hydrangea to properly prepare for the first frosts, and then for a more or less cold winter. In addition, potassium and phosphorus influence the formation of flower buds and stems.
Soil aeration
To improve soil ventilation, coarse sand is added to the planting substrate. Regular loosening of the soil surface and mulching the base of the bush will protect the root system from lack of oxygen.
Success in growing an ornamental flower also depends on the permeability of the soil. The plant does not tolerate heavy loamy soil, which retains water for a long time and is prone to waterlogging. Ornamental shrub does not like sandy areas due to their lack of micronutrients. The permeability of the planting soil must be maintained by adding peat and sand to it. These components help moisture to penetrate more easily from the upper layers.to the roots of the plant. Do not forget about loosening the surface layer after each watering of the bush.
Soil acidity for hydrangeas
Perfectly selected soil has an acidity of 5.5-6.0 pH, which is slightly acidic. PH above 7.0 can lead to bush diseases. Among the large family of hydrangeas, Hydrangea macrophylla and Hydrangea serrata can be distinguished, the flowers of which contain a special dye. It responds to changing soil pH values.
If the pH value fluctuates between 4 and 4.5, the buds will turn purple. Along with increasing the value of the coefficient, their color changes to pink and red. In order for the inflorescence to turn blue, one more factor must be taken into account, namely the presence of aluminum in the soil, which must be available for shrubs. In an alkaline environment, above pH 5, aluminum is bound by calcium so that it cannot be absorbed by hydrangea roots.
Dependence of the shade of ornamental shrub inflorescences on soil acidity:
- pH 7, 4 - light pink;
- pH 6, 9 - pink;
- pH 6, 5 - dark pink;
- pH 5, 5 - blue, pink;
- pH 5, 1 - blue;
- pH 4, 5 - dark blue.
Be aware that white hydrangeas do not change color. They just don't have anthocyanins, natural dyes that respond to pH changes.
Getting blue-flowered hydrangeas
Let's consider how to acidify the soil forhydrangeas for blue flowers. To do this, it is necessary to have the content of aluminum in an accessible form in the soil. Two conditions must be met:
- acidic soil with a pH value of 4 to 4.5;
- constant presence of aluminum ions in the soil.
Available in pharmacies, hydrated potassium aluminum sulfate, commonly known as alum, has a surprising side effect. Its use as a fertilizer causes aluminum to become available to several types of hydrangeas in acidic soil, and their inflorescences turn blue.
- Before starting the procedure, make sure that the hydrangea is suitable for color change.
- In February, the soil around the hydrangea should be enriched with forest soil or acid peat, supplemented with compost.
- From March to the end of July, bushes should be fertilized in accordance with their requirements.
- In addition, from March 20, 20-50 g of alum should be distributed under the base of the bushes.
- Add more alum until desired hydrangea color appears.
- Some gardeners advise watering the bush every week with two liters of water, dissolving 10 g of alum in it.
Getting a hydrangea with pink inflorescences
Consider what kind of soil a hydrangea needs to have in order to get pink flowers.
If you are tired of the blue flowers, you can increase the pH of the soil, of course, within reasonable limits. To do this, calcium should be added to the substrate for the plant or the bushes should be watered with calcium-containing water forseveral weeks. The blue color should gradually disappear. When the pH reaches a value between 6.0 and 6.2, you can observe the pink splendor of the flowers.
In the question of how to make the soil acidic for hydrangeas or, on the contrary, alkaline, care should be taken. So, at pH values below 4 or above 6.4, there may be a lack of nutrients. Cultivation of the plant in alkaline soil with a pH of > 7 can be detrimental to it. It happens that by chance on one shrub, flowers appear in dark pink and blue shades. This gives a fantastic visual effect.
Now you know what kind of soil hydrangea loves and about the unique ability to change the color of flowers of this plant.
