In the natural environment, hydrangea, or hydrangea, grows in Japan, China and America. Basically, the plant is a flowering tree-like shrub with large (up to 30 cm in diameter), beautiful, corymbose or paniculate inflorescences. Hydrangeas in the form of vines and trees are also found.
The flowering period stretches from spring to mid-autumn. Usually the flowers are white in color, but large-leaved hydrangeas are also grown with blue, red, pink or lilac flowers.
Flowering hydrangea
Fruits are boxes in which small seeds are found.
Attention! Hydrangea is a poisonous plant that contains a cyanogenic glycoside.
Shrubs cultivated in the European part grow up to 3 meters. They can be grown both in the garden and indoors.
Hydrangea arboreal Anabel
In Russia, gardeners grow different types of hydrangeas in open ground:
- tree-like;
- panicled;
- ground cover;
- Sargent
- petiole;
- large-leaved.
What kind of land does hydrangea like
The plant is not very picky about the quality of the soil. However, the size and color of future inflorescences of the bush depend on the soil.
What soil does hydrangea like? It should be loose and pass air well. In this case, the bush will develop normally and bloom magnificently. Therefore, after watering, it is recommended to loosen the earth around the bush.
Hydrangea prefers fertile soil. Shrubbery can also be grown on depleted land, but in this case the inflorescences will be small and the bush will lose its decorative qualities.
The color of the flowers of large-leaved hydrangea depends on the following factors:
- variety;
- pH level of the earth;
- chemical composition of the soil.
If the pH of the soil is pH 6.5), then purple or pink.
Blue hydrangea flowers
When grown on neutral soils on one bush, flowers with blue and pink colors can bloom at the same time. Thus, you can independently adjust the color of the flowers.
Why do blue inflorescences form on acidic soils of a shrub? In order for the flowers to acquire a blue hue, it is necessary that the aluminum that is in the soil is normally absorbed by the plant. This can only happen when grown on acidic soils.
If the soil for hydrangea is acidic, and you need to get pink flowers, then chalk, dolomite flour or lime is added to the ground. Alkaline additives are introduced in the second half of March. However, when growing shrubs on lands with a pH> 7, hydrangea increases the likelihood of developing chlorosis.
It may happen that even on acidic soil it is not possible to grow a shrub with blue inflorescences. This happens when there is insufficient aluminum in the soil, or the earth contains a lot of phosphorus, which interferes with the absorption of aluminum by the plant.
How to acidify hydrangea soil
When growing shrubs over time, a change in soil acidity may occur. This happens due to frequent rains, watering or applying different types of fertilizers.
If the hydrangea had blue flowers, then they turned pink, then this means that the soil must be acidified.
Large leaf hydrangea
In order for the garden shrub to bloom in blue, the bush is mulched with sawdust, needles, peat, or aluminum sulfate or sulfur is introduced into the ground.
The amount of sulfur per 1 square. the meter also depends on the composition of the soil. So, for example, to reduce the acidity of sandy soil in the garden by 1 unit, you need to add 60 g of sulfur per square meter. 1 m, for clay - 160 g. For acidification, sulfur or aluminum sulfate is added to a depth of 30 cm.
Also, to increase the acidity of the soil, it is possible to carry out periodic irrigation with aluminum sulfate (15 g per 1 liter of water).
Acid solutions can be used, for example:
- citric acid;
- oxalic acid;
- of hydrochloric acid;
- vinegar (grape or apple).
Keeping track of your pH is much easier if hydrangea grows in a flower pot. In the case of indoor cultivation, the soil also needs to be acidified periodically.
Citric acid for acidification of the soil
How to make hydrangea soil acidic with citric acid? For a garden plant, it is recommended to periodically water the bush with acidified water 1-2 times a month.
To acidify the soil for hydrangea with a solution of citric acid, use the following proportions: 1.5-2 tbsp. crystalline powder on a bucket of water.
How to feed hydrangea with vinegar
To acidify the soil with vinegar, take 100 g of 9% vinegar or oxalic acid and dilute it in 10 l of water. The finished solution is spilled around the trunk.
How to plant panicle hydrangea
If the bush is planted in open ground, then spring is suitable for the northern regions of the country, in areas with a warmer climate, planting is done in spring and autumn.
So how to plant panicle hydrangea in spring in open ground? Before planting, the root system of the shrub is trimmed a little. Annual shoots are also pruned. They leave no more than 4 pairs of kidneys.
Panicle hydrangea
First, a drainage layer is laid in the landing pit, onto which fertile soil consisting of a mixture of peat and humus is poured on top. If garden soil is used, its composition is enriched with the help of mineral and organic additives. The soil is poured in the form of a hill with a peak located at the level of the edge of the pit.
The prepared seedling is placed on top of the knoll and the roots are carefully spread. Next, the root system is sprinkled with the remaining earth.
Attention! Deepening of the root neck is allowed no more than 3 cm.
After planting, the soil is well compacted, spilled with water and mulched with a thick layer of peat or sawdust.
If you plan to grow blue hydrangea, then you can place metal shavings or metal objects under the root to enrich the earth with iron.
The size of the landing pit
Under seedlings, the landing pit should be dug to a depth of half a meter and a width of at least 40 cm.
How to plant panicle hydrangea, if the soil is poor in composition? In this case, the pit is prepared in large sizes. This is done so that it can fill more fertile soil. The soil for planting is not lime.
The distance between hydrangeas during planting
If you plan to create a hedge of hydrangeas, then shrubs are planted at a distance of 1.4 to 2.5 m from each other.
Hydrangea Hedge
When planting seedlings, pits are prepared at a distance of 70 cm to 1 m. This is done so that when the plants grow, it is possible to select and remove the weakest and most damaged seedlings.
Care Rules
How to water hydrangea
The plant is watered with soft, settled water. Do not use hard water for irrigation.
How often to water
The shrub loves moist soil, so in the summer it must be watered often. Hydrangea watering should be plentiful and regular, at least 2 times a week.
Tip. To reduce the evaporation of water, it is recommended to arrange a layer of mulch around the trunk.
How to feed hydrangea in June
To stimulate the lush flowering of hydrangea, it is periodically fertilized. Spring dressing begins in March and is intended to enhance the growth of green mass of the bush. During this period, nitrogen-containing preparations are used. Urea and potassium sulfate are commonly used.
To increase the number of flower buds, top dressing should be changed and fertilizer mixtures containing phosphorus and potassium should be used. Therefore, in the summer period, superphosphate or complex mineral fertilizer is used as top dressing. To prepare the working solution, dissolve 1 tbsp. fertilizers in 10 liters of water.
Does hydrangea love manure
In the spring, you can feed the bush with manure. To do this, insist 1 liter of mullein in 10 liters of water. It is not recommended to make mineral fertilizers and organics for one dressing.
What peat is needed for hydrangea
Since hydrangea prefers acidic soils, to create a soil substrate or to mulch it is necessary to use high peat, since its pH is in the range from 2.8 to 3.6, in contrast to lowland with a pH from 5.5 to 7.
Sour Peat
Can hydrangea be fertilized with ash
Ash is a good organic fertilizer rich in minerals and trace elements. However, it is not recommended to fertilize hydrangea with ash, as ash refers to additives that increase the pH level. This can adversely affect the development of the plant.
Watering hydrangeas with potassium permanganate
To prevent fungal diseases, you can water and spray the plant with a weak solution of manganese. To prepare a working solution, 3 gr. potassium permanganate is dissolved in a bucket of water.
Gardeners recommend spraying with a potassium permanganate solution at least 3 times per season.
Succinic acid for panicled hydrangea
When growing panicle hydrangea for acidification of the soil, 1% succinic acid solution can be used. Hydrangea seedlings are watered and sprayed with this solution, and also use it when caring for weakened plants, since the drug is a good stimulant for the growth of new shoots.
As fertilizers in the summer, they use drugs that include succinic acid, for example, Fertilizer for blue hydrangeas of the Bona Forte brand.
Agricultural technology
Shrub prefers lit places or partial shade. For hydrangea, direct sunlight is harmful. Under their influence, inflorescences become smaller.
The plant is grown on clay or loamy acid soils. On sandy soils, it does not grow well.
The shrub likes the earth to be constantly moist, so the trunk circle is mulched or ground cover plants are planted in it. During the growing season, watering is carried out at least 2 times a week.
Hydrangea indoor
If the trunk circle is not mulled, then after watering the soil must be loosened periodically. The plant responds well to the application of mineral and organic fertilizers.
For bushes, pruning is carried out annually 2 times a year: in spring and autumn.
The soil for growing hydrangea in indoor conditions is the same as when growing in open ground.
How to plant hydrangea seeds from China at home
It is worth considering how to grow hydrangea from seeds at home for seedlings. Some gardeners are trying to grow hydrangea from the seeds that are usually ordered in China - the birthplace of the bush. Gardeners usually have no particular problems getting seedlings from seeds. A novice gardener can also cope with this matter.
Features of the process:
- Before starting growing, you need to look at what the acquired hydrangea seeds look like, pay attention to their appearance. They should not be damaged, sick, covered with mold, wrinkled, etc.
- To accelerate the appearance of seedlings, hydrangea seeds are pre-germinated. To do this, they are laid on a damp cloth and the landing is closed with a damp cloth. During germination, the seeds are periodically washed from mucus.
- Prepare the soil for planting. To do this, take in equal parts leaf, sod and coniferous soils, as well as humus, peat and sand.
- Prepared soil is poured into a box.
- Swollen seeds are laid out on the surface of the soil. From above they are covered with a small layer of soil.
- The box is covered with polyethylene or glass to create a greenhouse effect.
- It’s easy to take care of sowing. Periodically, the earth needs to be sprayed from the spray gun with warm, settled water. Regular ventilation is also necessary, for this for a while the greenhouse needs to be opened.
- After emergence, the polyethylene is removed.
- When 2 leaves appear on the seedlings, they are planted in flower pots.
Hydrangea seeds
Hydrangea is a very beautiful flowering shrub. Performing simple agricultural techniques, you can grow a beautiful bush that will delight you with bright beautiful flowers.
