Like most hydrangeas they need a slow-release, balanced fertilizer from April through August. Because hydrangeas love a rich well-drained moist soil, it is best to water them thoroughly with time between waterings rather than a little every day. Mulch them well going into winter and during the heat of summer.
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.
Multiply the number of bold, bright blooms on your woody hydrangea shrubs by making sure your plants have the right amount of sunlight and soil, a fertilizer designed to increase bloom quantity, and a pruning and deadheading routine that keeps them flowering all season long.
Place the hydrangeas on the cutting board and use the sharp knife to cut the end of the hydrangea at a 45 degree angle. Then cut a small slit vertically up the middle of the newly trimmed stem. Place the hydrangea(s) in the vase filled with hot water. Let sit for a minimum of one hour and voila!
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.
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.
By altering the soil pH with vinegar, you can actually turn your pink-flowering hydrangeas blue! For this trick, simply dilute your vinegar in water before pouring it around the base of your hydrangeas, and within just a few weeks you could have fresh and bountiful blue blooms.
If you are looking for an all-around great option for hydrangeas and other flowers then I recommend the Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food. This fertilizer instantly feeds providing bigger, better fruit. You can apply it every two weeks with a garden feeder.
Start adding coffee grounds to the soil surrounding your hydrangeas in late fall. Sprinkle them around your hydrangeas, but be sure to work them into the soil to help eliminate any off-putting smell. You do not need to do this process often–just two to three times per year should be sufficient.
Best Fertilizer For Hydrangeas
Organic, slow-release fertilizers for roses (such as a 15-10-10, or 10-5-5 formula) work well on hydrangeas, giving the plants the nutrients they need to increase the size and quantity of their blooms.
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.
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.
When you deadhead hydrangeas, you aren't harming the plants at all. Removing the spent blooms triggers flowering shrubs to stop producing seeds and instead put their energy toward root and foliage development. This makes plants stronger and healthier, so by deadheading, you'll be doing your hydrangeas a favor.
Too much exposure to full sun for long hours and lack of moisture can cause your hydrangea stems to weaken and touch the ground. Drooping and wilting is your hydrangea plant's way of saying that it is not doing too well and needs your attention!
Though hydrangeas prefer protection from hot direct sun, too much shade can prevent them from forming flower buds. Ideal light conditions for hydrangeas are several hours of direct morning sun with afternoon shade, or dappled shade that allows plenty of bright indirect light.
If you're looking for a natural way to help your hydrangeas reach their fullest potential, then Epsom salt could be just what the doctor ordered. Not only is it a superb choice for improving soil fertility and helping your plants thrive, but it also provides essential nutrients that help combat common gardening woes.
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.
Also, when you do water, after a week or 10 days, water with a water soluble fertilizer such as Miracle Grow, Rapid Grow or Peters 20-20-20. Apply this water soluble fertilizer every second or third watering and see if the plant doesn't do better.
Spring, when soil temperatures are rising, is a good time to start fertilizing your hydrangeas. Fast-release fertilizers can usually be applied monthly from spring onwards – until the flowering on your hydrangeas finishes.
Baking soda helps reduce soil acidity and increase the pH levels needed for these flowers to blossom into a deep shade of red.
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.
Pickle juice is mostly composed of vinegar, which can help to lower the pH of the soil and make it more acidic, which can be great for plants like Hydrangea, Gardenia, Camellia, Azalea, Begonia, Impatiens, Rhododendron, Blueberry, Potentilla, Heather, Vinca, Clematis, Fuchsia, and Astilbe.
Treating Slugs on Hydrangeas
You can spray the plants with soapy water. Use a teaspoon of dawn or joy dish soap with a quart of water in a spray bottle. Spray the leaves, branches and the ground beneath the plant.