A: We purchased pink hydrangeas and want them to maintain their color. I’ve been told to maintain alkaline soil. Can I use fast-acting lime?
A hydrangea clump can be seen in front of my house. When I planted them there fifteen years ago, I heavily supplemented it with garden lime. The blossoms were pink during the first five years. As time went by, they progressively turned blue. In contrast to twenty blue blossoms, I saw yesterday that there was just one pink bloom.
You want your pH to be between 6.0 and 6.2. Aluminum is unavailable to the plant at this pH. Blue flowers are made possible by aluminum. The hydrangea may not have enough iron if you reach 6.4.
Although technically speaking an alkaline soil is one with a pH above 7.0, pink flowers do best in this range.
You will be given advice on how much lime to use to raise the pH to 6.0 in your soil test report. You can increase it by about 0.10 by applying a little bit more than is advised.
Due to its fine grinding, fast-acting lime dissolves and acts more quickly. However, you must still apply the same quantity that was advised in the soil test report. You can divide a guideline for 40 pounds per thousand square feet into four applications per year at a rate of 10 pounds per thousand square feet. (Perhaps 12 pounds every time)
My personal experience shows that lime’s impact on the soil eventually decreases. Perform a second soil test after one year of liming to determine the impact of the lime.
It’s likely that you’ll need to add garden lime each year to maintain the pH between 6.0 and 6.2.
Which types of soil are ideal for hydrangeas?
Because they are such dependable flowering shrubs, hydrangeas are suitable for gardens of all sizes. Compared to most other plants, they flower for significantly longer periods of time—often months as opposed to weeks. Even after they have gone, the blossoms frequently retain their beauty, giving the garden interest even in the dead of winter. They make wonderful cut flowers as well.
They are simple to grow both in pots and outdoors, which is wonderful news. They only require the right environment, lots of water during dry spells, and sporadic feedings with the proper fertilizer, one that is designed to bring out the best in them.
In the open ground or in pots and containers, pot-grown hydrangeas can be planted at any time of year using Vitax John Innes compost. Pick for good, sizable containers that will enable the plants to flourish for many years. Smaller containers soon dry out.
Prepare the soil thoroughly before planting in open ground by incorporating a lot of garden compost or organic manure to strengthen the soil. To increase the humus content of the soil, which aids in water and nutrient retention in subsequent years, a few handfuls of 6X Natural Fibrous Fertilizer should be forked well into the soil.
When planting, mix a few handfuls of compost or Vitax Hydrangea Feed into the soil. This offers all the necessary nutrients for strong growth and lovely blooms.
The majority of hydrangeas may grow in full sunshine, but they prefer light shade. They thrive in dense clay and flourish in most soil types. They are therefore appropriate for the majority of newly constructed gardens and moist, compacted soils. They prefer plenty of water, as implied by their name, thus adding organic compost or organic manure on a regular basis helps retain moisture. Compost or bark mulch applied around the plants early in the growing season when the soil is moist also aids in moisture retention. Do this after they apply Vitax Hydrangea Feed annually.
The most well-known and colorful kinds of Hydrangea macrophylla are mophead and lace cap hydrangeas. Throughout the season, their flowers frequently change color, and the soil might have an impact on the color of some types. Some are blue on neutral to acidic soil and pink in alkaline environments. Use Vitax Hydrangea Colourant, added to the soil after planting or to the growing media in a pot, to preserve the blue color. Additionally, it can be diluted in water and sprayed on mature plants. However, be patient as this should preserve the color. It does not always function right away.
The compact growth of new hydrangea cultivars makes them perfect for tiny gardens. Many of these produce flowers on both the branches developed in the upcoming season and those from the year before. Consequently, they grow more flowers.
The well-known Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle,’ which grows in a clump of tall stems with soft leaves and sizable frothy, white flowerheads, is another superb garden hydrangea. It looks its best when in bloom and provides a stunning spectacle when under the light shadow of trees.
The popularity of Hydrangea paniculata variants is rising. These bloom in the late summer, producing huge, conical flower heads at the tips of the stalks that are reminiscent of lilacs. The majority are white, occasionally with pink or burgundy flushes. They are ideal for the back of a perennial-filled border.
Leave the flower heads on Macrophylla hydrangeas during the winter, and in the spring, prune each stem back to the first pair of fat buds behind the flower. In the case of old, established plants, some of the older stems can be pruned back all the way to the ground in the winter.
Hydrangeas Paniculata: Hard prune in late winter, reducing by half to two thirds. Maintain a sturdy branch framework at the plant’s base. Strong shoots with flowers at the tips are produced as a result.
Hydrangea arborescens: In the late winter, trim all stems to a height of 15 cm (6 inches). Although this may seem severe, it guarantees strong shoots that should remain upright.
Feed by sprinkling Vitax Hydrangea after pruning, or at any time during the growing season. Feed the area around the plants, hoe or fork it into the soil’s surface, and then liberally water. One of the longest-lasting flower displays in the garden will result from your hydrangeas’ wonderful blossoms and leaves.
How should soil be prepared for hydrangeas?
- When roots are spread out, they grow more quickly. So that the root system has lots of room to easily expand, make the hole deep and wide enough. So that you may place the dirt at the bottom of the hole, where it will be most beneficial, keep it in a separate pile.
- Mix dehydrated cow dung, garden compost, or peat moss (up to a 1/3 concentration) into the topsoil pile to help the soil become looser. Make sure the peat moss you purchase is either granular peat or baled sphagnum. You may also mix in 2 or more inches of organic material or our Coco-Fiber Potting Medium evenly with the current soil.
You can get the perfect organic ingredients from your lawn, such grass clippings and crushed leaves. The grass and leaves not only decompose to replenish the soil’s nutrients, but also to assist loosen the soil. These can be collected in the fall in preparation for spring planting.
Common soil amendments:
- compost
- sand
- manure
- lime
- bog moss
Most soil types will benefit from the addition of organic elements like our Coco-Fiber Potting Medium and compost. Sand-like soil particles are bound together by organic compounds, improving moisture and nutrient retention. Additionally, they disintegrate clay and silt particles to allow water to permeate and allow roots to grow.
Collect a Soil Sample
In a clean plastic container, scoop some soil from the planting location. Take a composite soil sample for the best results. A blend of samples gathered from just that location is appropriate if you are planting in a clearly defined garden area. It is advisable to collect samples from various parts of the yard before blending them all together and testing a sample from that blended batch if you are planting a large area, such as an entire lawn.
Since a single garden location can produce unexpected results, testing a mixed sample will yield the most accurate results. For instance, because pine needles tend to make soil acidic, a sample taken from a location close to a pine shrub may yield results that are unusually acidic.
Test for Alkalinity
Mix together 1/2 cup of water with the soil sample. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar after that. The pH of the soil is alkaline if there is observable bubbling or fizzing action. When an acid (vinegar) comes into contact with an alkaline substance, the chemical reaction you are witnessing happens (soil). The pH increases as the fizzing activity becomes more apparent.
Any response to this test suggests that you likely have alkaline soil, which may need an amendment to raise its pH level into the range that is acceptable for most plants because most soils are naturally somewhat acidic.
Test for Acidity
Another soil sample should be taken, 1/2 cup of water added, and then mixed. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda after that. The soil is acidic if it bubbles or fizzes. The interaction between an alkaline chemical and acidic soil causes the reaction you are observing (baking soda). Once more, you can tell how vigorous the action is by how acidic your soil is.
Given that most soils are already slightly acidic to begin with, a very little degree of fizzing occurs naturally. However, a strong reaction can be a sign if your soil is extremely acidic. To boost the pH, you’ll either need to amend the soil or choose only plants that do well in acidic soil.
Amend the Soil, if Necessary
If your tests reveal that your soil is either highly alkaline or extremely acidic, you can add amendments to the soil to change the pH such that it is suited for the plants you wish to grow. To increase the pH of the soil and make it less acidic and more alkaline, use agricultural lime or wood ashes. The conventional additives for lowering the pH and increasing the acidity of soil are pine needles or elemental sulfur.
The amount of modification required, however, can be difficult to determine. At this stage, you might want to spend money on a laboratory test to identify the kind and quantity of modification needed. Typically, your university’s extension office can test soil for you, and the report you receive will include comprehensive instructions.
You might also just add your own amendments to the soil, starting with little quantities of materials that build alkalinity or acidity. Up until you obtain a relatively balanced soil pH, test after each amendment.
Tip
Even if your soil has the perfect pH, it is still a good idea to supplement it with compost, peat moss, leaf mold, or similar organic material. The texture and nutrient value of the soil will be enhanced by the addition of any organic material to the soil or by applying it as a top-dressing mulch.
Do hydrangeas require specific types of soil?
In dappled shade that is neither very sunny nor overly dark, wet, well-drained soil is excellent for hydrangeas. Avoid sites that face south, especially if the soil is quite dry. Grow Hydrangea anomalasubsp. petiolaris, a climbing shrub, in an extremely shady area like a north-facing wall. Avoid planting in a frost pocket and plant away from strong winds in the spring since the tender new growth is vulnerable to frost damage.
Most soil types, including alkaline and acidic soil, are suitable for hydrangea growth. The color of some types’ flowers will vary depending on the pH of the soil. If the soil is acidic, some plants that typically produce pink flowers will instead produce blue ones.
When to plant hydrangeas
Hydrangeas grow best in the spring or fall when the soil is warm and moist. It is possible to plant in the summer, but you must monitor the soil’s moisture content.
How to plant hydrangeas
If your soil is thin, bulk it up with moisture-retaining organic matter before planting hydrangeas because they thrive in damp soil. A good hour or so before planting, thoroughly water the plant. A hydrangea should never be planted any deeper than it was in the pot. Well with water. After planting, add a layer of mulch. Leaf mould is preferable, but compost or well-rotted manure can also work. Throughout the plant’s first spring and summer, make sure it gets plenty of water.
Train climbing hydrangeas initially onto galvanized wires before planting. They have roots that attach to themselves, so after a season of growth, they will find their own way.
Watch this Gardeners’ World video to learn how to plant lacecap hydrangeas:
Are hydrangeas suited for coffee grounds?
Coffee has always been amazing to me. If not magical, then pretty close. I mean, I’m a writer, and I’m pretty convinced that writers account for at least half of the sales in the coffee industry. But this also means that every day, we throw away tons of used coffee grounds. Although coffee grounds alone are not very harmful to the environment—in fact, I’ll teach you how to use them in your yard in a moment—they do add to the volume of landfills. Coffee, ever the sociable drink, mixes with other trash in foul trash heaps to produce methane, which as we all know is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. So the next time, try something a little different rather than simply throwing the grinds in the trash.
If you just drink one pot of coffee per day, you will have a lot of wonderful, mineral-rich grounds left over after you finish your first pot of the day, which you can use to enhance your garden. We coffee aficionados enjoy the strong coffee fragrance, but insects that harm flowers respond negatively to it. Coffee grounds not only deter ants and snails, but they also stop neighborhood cats from digging in your flowerbeds. Therefore, pile the material high around your preferred plants to ward off slimy, stingy, or fluffy pests.
Use coffee grinds to alter the color of your hydrangeas. The soil around hydrangeas becomes more acidic thanks to coffee grinds. Chemically speaking, the plant can more readily absorb naturally occurring aluminum in the soil as a result of the increased acidity. Pretty blue flower clusters are the result. Coffee grinds let you play with the color to transform pinker blossoms into other shades of blue, or perhaps a shade of purple in between, even if coffee won’t influence the brilliance of the flowers (pale blue flowers will remain pale blue, for example).
Coffee contains nitrogen, which helps plants grow, so give your plants a boost by turning the grinds into a natural fertilizer. Add a quarter cup of coffee grounds to four or five liters of water to make a “tea of coffee grounds.” Pour the liquid over all of your plants the next morning for a nutrient boost after letting it set overnight.