Hydrangea plants require fertile, well-draining soils that receive plenty of moisture. Amend your garden soil with rich organic materials and well-decomposed compost. Mulch your garden, focusing around the base of the plants to help regulate temperature and moisture levels.
Adding organic materials, such as our Coco-Fiber Potting Medium and compost will improve most every soil type. Organic materials bind sandy soil particles so they retain moisture and nutrients better. They also break apart clay and silt particles, so that water can infiltrate and roots can spread.
First of all, these plants need a well-drained mix. They also like soil that contains humic acid; In fact, it is the ideal environment for them. The humic acid is fantastic for water retention, which is crucial for healthy hydrangeas. Adding coir or vermiculite is also a good idea.
For loamy, compacted soils in particular, you should dig a large hole and then mix the excavated soil with leaf humus at a ratio of at least 1:1. If you don't have any of this, you can also use bark humus. Garden compost, on the other hand, is not ideal for Hydrangeas, because it often has high levels of lime and salt.
Fall is the best season to plant hydrangeas, followed by early spring. The idea is to give the shrub plenty of time to establish a healthy root system before blooming. The best time of day to plant is early morning or late afternoon.
Most common hydrangeas prefer a partial sun location - ideally receiving sun in the morning hours and shade in the afternoon.
Where to grow hydrangeas. Hydrangeas grow best in well-drained soil, in a protected, dappled shady spot. They prefer sun in the morning with some shade in the afternoon. South-facing positions are best avoided, and protect young growth from spring frosts.
Some gardeners report success in turning their hydrangeas blue by applying coffee grounds to the soil. The coffee grounds make the soil more acidic, allowing the hydrangea to more easily absorb aluminum. In addition, fruit peels, lawn clippings, peat moss and pine needles, are thought to have a similar effect.
Miracle-Gro Performance Organics Blooms Nutrition
This is an all-purpose blossom booster that's suitable for use on a wide variety of perennial and annual blooming plants, including hydrangeas. It provides various minerals, including copper, calcium, and iron, to supplement common nutrient deficiencies.
If you're growing hydrangeas, use coffee grounds to affect their color. Coffee grounds add extra acidity to the soil around hydrangeas. On a chemical level, this increased acidity makes it easier for the plant to absorb naturally occurring aluminum in the dirt. The effect is pretty blue clusters of flowers.
For best results when planting hydrangeas, follow these steps: Create a hole twice as wide as the plant's root system, and about six inches deeper than the plant's pot. Break up the soil a bit before you plant to help the roots easily establish themselves.
To give hydrangeas their best chance at success, apply a layer of chunky mulch around the base of the plant. Decorative mulch is helpful but we recommend straw, marsh hay, or fallen leaves.
You can tell that a root system has developed if you feel resistance when you gently tug on the stem. Can you root hydrangeas in water? Shrubs with woody stems like hydrangeas do not easily root in water. It is best to encourage their rooting with rooting hormone and then planting the stems in soil.
There are fertilizers that can help you on that quest, but other household ingredients can prove just as effective–and come with a lower cost. Enter, your leftover coffee grounds. Here's everything you need to know about how to produce the bluest hydrangea blooms while putting those spent coffee grounds to good use.
Generally, most gardeners suggest adding the amendments just before the leaves or flower buds begin to develop or flush out – possibly late February or early March. Altering the color of the flowers only applies to the mop head hydrangeas which are often called big leafed.
Homemade compost is a great source of slow release nutrients for hydrangeas. Either top dress the soil beneath your plants with your compost and water well or brew up a batch of compost tea and give your plants a deep drink of it. You can repeat your application of compost tea in 2 to 3 weeks.
Don't fertilize after August. Fall is the time for hydrangeas to begin preparing for dormancy. Fertilizing at this time may stimulate new growth that will be too tender to withstand the winter. In the South, a late May application and another in July would be about right.
This common household item is surprisingly effective at helping perk up plants and brighten blooms. For hydrangeas specifically, adding baking soda helps the plant retain more moisture in the roots. When this happens, the result is bigger blooms with more vibrant colors that last longer than they would otherwise.
There is one more trick up the apple cider vinegar sleeve: You can actually change the color of hydrangea flowers from pink to blue. Hydrangea flowers will be pink in alkaline soil, but change to blue in acidic soil. So, mix up some apple cider vinegar and water, and give all the acid-loving plants a treat.
To reduce the size of a hydrangea that blooms on new wood, cut off about one-third of each stem in late fall or early spring before it begins to leaf out. If your hydrangea blooms on old wood, prune right after it has bloomed when the flowers are fading.
This timing will vary by region. For instance, in areas with winter freezing and snow, hydrangeas should be planted in early spring or early fall (as soon as summer heat breaks). In warmer regions with mild winters, the window for planting hydrangeas is longer, from fall all the way through to early spring.
The hydrangea should be watered thoroughly at least 3 times a week. Always water the plant all the way around the container, not just in one place. Water should come out the bottom of the pot. Never let it sit in water which will cause the roots to rot away.
East Side. The east side of the house is the best planting location, as it gets the morning and afternoon sun. This is the best side of the house for your hydrangeas, traditionally.