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.
Apply this baking soda treatment every two weeks. If you have one hydrangea plant, feel free to spread the treatment around to other struggling plants — you'll see similar results.
No. Baking soda will not make any color changes to your hydrangeas and is safe for plants of all types, including those that you are trying to keep a specific hue on them (like blue flowers).
A pH of 7 is neutral, and household vinegar has a pH of around 2.4 (which is quite acidic). The theory is, applying diluted vinegar to the soil will lower the pH enough to change the color of your hydrangea blooms. This strategy will make the soil more acidic, but not for long!
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.
Although there are many types of hydrangeas, they all require similar environments. They grow best in about 4 hours of morning sun or filtered shade throughout the day. Keep in mind that do not like extremely hot conditions, so try to locate them in an area where they can enjoy some afternoon shade.
Make a vertical slit in the incision and hold the stem upright in the boiling water for about 60 seconds. Place the hydrangeas back in your floral arrangement and they should revive themselves in an hour or so.
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.
For the first couple of months of the growing season, I watered my hydrangeas every 2 weeks or so with a mixture of 1 tablespoon of baking soda for every 2 quarts of water. I usually just split the one big watering can between all five of my hydrangeas, so not too much for each one.
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.
You can use vinegar to lower the pH of your soil, but be aware that in order to achieve blue blooms, you will need both an acidic environment and aluminum ions. The acidic environment will also need to be a sustained over a period of time, which could be hard if rainwater is washing the vinegar away.
Use vinegar diluted with water in a ratio of 20 parts water to one part apple cider vinegar. Water the plants along their base. Try not to get the vinegar-and-water solution onto the leaves, because it can burn the foliage.
Water your hydrangeas in the morning before the heat of the sun is strong enough to quickly evaporate soil moisture. Try to avoid watering at night, which can encourage mold and mildew as the moisture sits through the cool night. Water your hydrangeas through the growing season as well as in late fall.
In addition to bolstering future blooms and strengthening stems, deadheading your hydrangeas has aesthetic benefits, too. "Removing faded flowers creates a neat and tidy appearance, which many gardeners prefer over the look of leaving dried flowers on the plant," says Meyers.
If the sap gets too clogged, it actually blocks water from traveling up the stems and it never even reaches the blooms. This is why sometimes hydrangeas are too far gone to even perk up. The boiling water helps to unclog that sap, so water can flower into the blooms again!
Water them for longer.
If you notice that your hydrangeas are starting to look stressed, de Corral says to try and shift your watering schedule to less frequent one, but with longer intervals.
First, add a 1/4 cup of sugar to the room temperature water in the vase. The sugar helps feed the stems and increases the life of the cut flowers.
After you have enjoyed your hydrangea arrangement for a few days, dump out the old water and fill your vessel with fresh, cool water. At the same time, give the stems a fresh cut. This will prolong the life of your blooms, and your enjoyment.
Hydrangea Care Tips
Water at a rate of 1 inch per week throughout the growing season. Deeply water 3 times a week to encourage root growth. Bigleaf and smooth hydrangeas require more water, but all varieties benefit from consistent moisture.
It's best to start adding coffee grounds to the soil months before the blooming season begins, ideally in the late fall. You can repeat the process with your typical fertilizing schedule. With a little caffeine and a lot of patience, your hydrangeas should reward your efforts come spring with the boldest blue globes.
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.