What soil is needed for hydrangea. Luxurious tree hydrangea shrub - planting and care

Sometimes gardeners call hydrangea a chameleon, because the color scheme flowering bushes easily changes depending on the pH level of the soil. Having acquired a new copy, you should not rush to experiment. The seedling should be planted in the soil optimal composition. After waiting for the first flowering, you can make adjustments to the pH of the soil mixture.

It should be mentioned that gardeners successfully grow hydrangeas both in gardens and in rooms. The rules for planting, growing and caring are somewhat different for indoor and garden shrubs.

What soil does garden hydrangea need?

Hydrangea can easily cope with the role of the queen of the garden if you put in some effort when planting the seedling. There is an opinion that ornamental shrub does not place high demands on agricultural technology and care. However, the plant gratefully responds to the correct composition of the soil, delighting with abundant flowering.

Soil for hydrangea must meet certain criteria:

- Mineral composition;
- Aeration level;
- Water permeability;
- Acidity level.

Mineral composition

The soil mixture for planting hydrangeas should be prepared long before planting the seedling. Having decided on the landing site, dig a planting hole. On heavy soils, the hole is dug somewhat deeper than the drainage layer required for arrangement. Large crushed stone and broken shards are perfect for drainage. The drainage layer will not allow water to stagnate.

Separately prepare the earthen mixture for filling the planting holes. The nutrient substrate is obtained by mixing equal amounts of chernozem, leaf, turf soil, coarse sand, humus and peat. Rotted manure or superphosphate is added as a top dressing. The resulting earth mixture is poured into planting pits for two to three months for complete synthesis of mineral and organic components.

Soil aeration for hydrangeas

Coarse sand added to the substrate improves soil ventilation. Additionally, hydrangea agricultural technology includes loosening the soil and mulching to prevent oxygen starvation of the root system.

Great importance For successful cultivation ornamental shrub has soil permeability.

Hydrangeas do not tolerate heavy loamy soil, which retains moisture for a long time and is prone to waterlogging. Also, the crop does not take root in sandy areas due to its low nutrient content.
The water permeability of the planting substrate is maintained due to the content of peat and sand. These components allow water not to linger in the upper layers and easily penetrate deeper, reaching the roots. It is recommended to loosen the surface layer after each watering of the hydrangea.

Acidity level

Hydrangeas prefer moderately acidic or slightly acidic soil.

The most acceptable pH level is 5.5. It is strictly forbidden to lime the soil. The acidity of the soil will gradually decrease as nutrients are absorbed by the root system, which is a natural process.

Organic and mineral supplements acidify the soil. Ammonium sulfate, urea, saltpeter, and ferrous sulfate perfectly increase the pH of the substrate.

If necessary, additional acidification can be carried out by adding ten grams of any food acid to ten liters of water.
Hydrangea itself informs the gardener about changes in the acidity of the nutrient medium.
The plant, like a litmus strip, changes the color of its spherical inflorescences depending on the level of acidity.

Specimens growing in acidic soil bloom with blue, purple and blue flowers. While in an alkalized area the shrub pleases the eye with clusters of pink flowers. White flowering clusters are characteristic of hydrangeas growing in soil with a neutral reaction.
Experienced gardeners use the unique property of the plant for experiments. The soil is acidified on one side of the hydrangea bush, while at the same time alkalizing on the other, in order to obtain brushes of different colors on one specimen.

Preparing the substrate for indoor hydrangea

Flower growers who do not have summer cottages successfully grow indoor hydrangea. A flowering bush serves as a wonderful decoration for a spacious room or balcony. Indoor hydrangea requires a slightly different substrate composition than a garden crop.

Optimal soil mixture for a home copy, it is prepared by mixing equal amounts of the following ingredients:

Leaf soil;
Rotted humus;
Peat crumb;
Coarse sand;
Pine needles.

Indoor hydrangea also likes slightly acidic soil, so be sure to add peat and pine needles. The sand must first be calcined in the oven or placed in the microwave for a few minutes.
When choosing a planting container, you should remember that the flowerpot should be wide rather than tall. Indoor specimens form straggling, low bushes. Wide floor decorative flowerpots are perfect for planting indoor hydrangeas.

Particular attention is paid to the drainage layer and drainage holes on the bottom of the pot. Small pebbles, small pieces of polystyrene foam, and broken shards are used as a drainage mixture. Broken brick and expanded clay accumulate moisture and are not suitable for planting hydrangeas. The top layer of soil must be loosened and mulched to maintain an optimal level of aeration of the root system.

Indoor hydrangea is also sensitive to the level of soil acidity and responds to experiments with the production of multi-colored spherical inflorescences. Alum, ferrous sulfate, and mineral additives are used as an oxidizing agent.

In autumn, the plant stops flowering and prepares for winter rest.

The last feeding is carried out in early to mid-September, after which watering is gradually reduced. The dormant period begins in November and lasts until February. During this period, the pot is transferred to a cool, illuminated room, maintaining moderate watering. The first application of fertilizer is carried out in early to mid-February to awaken the hydrangea.

Why don't hydrangeas take root?

Despite the general unpretentiousness of ornamental flowering shrubs, sometimes gardeners fail. Testing the substrate for acidity will help eliminate the cause of the growth stop. Hydrangeas, both garden and indoor, react extremely negatively to alkaline soils, high lime content, and lack of iron.

Not all types of hydrangea form flower stalks on last year's shoots. Inexperienced flower growers often show irrepressible enthusiasm when pruning shrubs, depriving the plant of flowering shoots. It is recommended to prune hydrangeas in early spring, until the kidneys awaken. Feeding is stopped in September, and watering is maintained as before until the beginning of October, depending on weather and climatic conditions.

Decorative perennial grows as a bush, and sometimes in the form of a tree that decorates borders, lawns, and houses. It has two types of flowers: small fruiting ones? located in the middle of the inflorescence, and large marginal ones are sterile. The first years after planting, the plant is low-growing and other low-growing flowers can be planted with it.

Place and soil

The place and soil for planting hydrangeas should have a very high humus content, loose and permeable. Mandatory compliance with pH, it must be within 5.5. It is quite easy to control the pH of the soil; with a slight deviation, hydrangea flowers change their color. If the soil acidity is high, the flowers turn blue, and if the level deviates to the alkaline side, the flowers are pink. You can read about how to determine and correct soil acidity by following the link.

For good growth Plants require partial shade for flowering, but in no case direct sunlight. Since the soil dries out very quickly on them, the flowers themselves become much smaller. It is not recommended to plant hydrangea under trees and shrubs, as the root system will not have enough moisture.

Planting hydrangea

You can plant hydrangea in the fall only if the seedlings have a good root system. Otherwise better fit practice in the spring. Before planting, it is recommended to add a sufficient amount of sand, pine needles, and ash to the soil. You also need to install drainage system. The depth of the planting hole should be at least half a meter, this is in order to protect the root system from damage. When filling the hole, you need to add sawdust to the soil; it will help maintain soil moisture.

Soil fertilization. Before planting, it is necessary to add organic and complex fertilizers in sufficient quantities. mineral fertilizers mineral fertilizers. In the spring, add additional urea to the soil. Moderate application of manure is required. Since if there is an excess of it, there will be very large inflorescences that can break off the branches.

Dissolve 8-10 g. ammonia-potassium or potassium alum in 2 liters of water. This solution is enough to feed one bush. Also for coloring hydrangea flowers in Blue colour You can use a bluing agent that is sold in flower shops.

It’s better to immediately forget about feeding hydrangea with ash. In addition to alum and iron salts, mineral fertilizers are suitable for heather crops, rhododendrons and azaleas.

In the first year of planting large-leaved hydrangea in the ground, the plant can be watered with a slightly pink solution of potassium manganese. This measure will prevent damage to the bases of the shoots by rot. You can also use fungicides for this purpose, for example, Fitosporin.

When caring for hydrangea, you must remember that the plant responds well to all feedings. In the spring, at the beginning of growth, add Riga mixture with microelements or per 1 square meter. m give 20 - 25 g of urea, 30 - 40 g of superphosphate and 30 -35 g of potassium sulfate. During the budding period, a second feeding is done at the rate of 60 - 80 g of superphosphate and 40 - 45 g of potassium sulfate per 1 square meter. m; the third and fourth feedings are in summer. Hydrangeas are moisture-loving: 15 - 20 liters for each plant are given once a week; when it rains, once a month is enough. To enhance the strength of the shoots, it is recommended to water the plants with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

When caring for hydrangeas, you should take into account that it is advisable to mulch the soil with peat or sawdust in a layer of 6 cm and leave them for the summer, raking them away from the stems of the plant. Loosening to a depth of 5 - 6 cm is carried out together with weeding and watering 2-3 times per season.

There are two ways to artificially transform hydrangea flowers from white to blue. The first is to pour aluminum sulfate around the roots. Second, the bush is watered with a special bluing substance, which can be bought at a gardening store.

Pit. It must be of sufficient size so that it is not damaged during planting. root system. For a seedling that is about 5 years old, the depth should reach up to 40 cm and the width should be at least 50 cm.

Creating a hedge. If you are creating hedge, then the distance between the seedlings themselves should be about one meter. After a few years, it is necessary to prune the plant and thin it out.

Planting season. Of special significance does not unless there are severe winters in your area. Otherwise, it is better to replant in the spring.

Spring planting. Has its own characteristics. First of all, it is necessary to remove annual shoots (leaving only a few buds), then shorten the roots of the seedlings. Mandatory abundant watering after planting and mulching the soil with peat.

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The genus Hydrangea (Hydrangea) includes 35 species. Homeland - Southeast Asia, Northern and South America. Among the representatives of the genus there are mainly deciduous shrubs, with long semi-ampelous shoots, and, less often, small trees. The name from the Greek words “hydor” - water, “aggeion” - vessel, was formed in view of the obvious moisture-loving nature of this plant.

Hydrangea belongs to the ornamental flowering shrubs; the inflorescences are mainly corymbose in shape, usually consisting of two types of flowers: small fruiting ones, located in the middle of the inflorescence; marginal - large, sterile, of 4-5 petal-shaped sepals, mostly snow-white, blue or pinkish. The fruit is a capsule with numerous small seeds.

Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens - in nature grows up to 3 meters high, forming a dense bush with large whole leaves - about 20 cm long, with a serrated edge. It blooms with white flowers without fragrance, about 2 cm in diameter, collected in corymbose inflorescences about 15 cm in size. Breeders have bred varieties with double (completely sterile) flowers, the inflorescences of which are more than 25 cm in diameter, in a wide variety of shades. This hydrangea easily overwinters in middle lane Russia, is well formed by pruning, including cardinal pruning. It grows very quickly.

Hydrangea largeleaf Hydrangea macrophylla is somewhat more modest - in nature it grows up to 2 meters tall, has broadly ovate large leaves(about 15 cm). This particular type of hydrangea is called garden hydrangea; several dozen varieties can be found on sale. Corymbose inflorescences up to 20 cm in diameter, there are varieties with spherical extremely large inflorescences up to 30 cm in diameter, sterile white, pink, red or blue flowers, each flower up to 7 cm in diameter.

Have large leaf hydrangea decorative forms With variegated leaves, for example, the Tricolor variety has a white stripe along the edge of the leaves, the leaf blade itself is light green.

Large-leaved hydrangea is more thermophilic than tree-like hydrangea; in central Russia it is required winter shelter from frost (winter hardiness down to -15C).

Large-leaved hydrangea is often grown as a tub or greenhouse plant (for winter garden). At the same time, the height of the bushes reaches a maximum of one and a half meters in height, most often no more than 1 meter in height. Grows well under artificial light.

Can decorate your garden Hydrangea paniculata Hydrangea paniculata Oriental beauty originally from Southern Sakhalin, Japan and China. This is a taller, frost-resistant shrub - about 2.5-3 meters in height, in the wild up to 10 meters, has elliptical leaves up to 15 cm in length with a velvety surface. The inflorescences are dense pyramidal (panicles) up to 30 cm in length. Blooms for a long time, from mid-summer to mid-autumn.

Hydrangea Bretschneider Hydrangea bretschneideri is a medium-sized shrub with a spreading crown up to 3 meters high, very frost-resistant (homeland - Northern China, adapts to Siberia and the Urals). The stems are reddish, with thin peeling bark on young shoots. The leaves are ovoid, fluffy on the reverse side, 10-12 cm long. Umbrella-shaped inflorescences are about 15 cm in diameter, with small flowers, which change color from white at the beginning of flowering to red at the end of flowering. Fruits are formed on the inflorescences over time.

Another Far Eastern hydrangea - Hydrangea petiolate Hydrangea petiolaris comes from Southern Sakhalin, Kuril Islands and Japan, is more of an ampelous form - the plant has aerial measles with suckers, which allows the shoots to cling to rocks or tree trunks. Without support, the shoots spread along the ground, forming a ground cover form. As a shrub, this species should be grown by fixing the stems to a support. The leaves are broadly ovate, long-petiolate, smooth, with a finely toothed edge. Inflorescences are corymbose, 20-25 cm in diameter. Despite the fact that the central fertile flowers do not have petals that last long, the inflorescences are quite decorative, and the shrub is a real decoration for the walls of houses, gazebos and other buildings. Despite its origin, petiolate hydrangea is less frost-resistant than the previous species and needs shelter in harsh winters.

Location

In the southern regions of Russia, choose a bright place, but protected from the afternoon scorching sun (partial shade). From the eastern, northwestern part of the site there is a gazebo, wall of a house or barn.

In the central regions of Russia and northern regions, choose a place that is drier and more open, warmed by the sun, but keep in mind that hydrangeas do not like prolonged exposure to direct sun rays(south and southwest side). Try not to plant hydrangea next to other water plants or large shrubs and trees - there is competition for moisture, the plants will have to be watered frequently.

Soil for hydrangeas

Hydrangea is considered one of the most unpretentious garden shrubs, however, only if it is planted on soil appropriate for its needs: nutritious, with a sufficient proportion of humus, containing many draining particles, well filled with moisture.

If you have an uncultivated plot of land, you need to prepare a mixture of soil in the hole dug for planting, consisting of 2 parts humus, 2 parts leaf soil, one part each of peat and sand.

If vegetables grew in the same place under which manure was applied, the humus part must be reduced. Hydrangea does not like dense clay soils - they absorb moisture, but take a long time to dry out and are poorly supplied with oxygen; such soil must be diluted with peat. Sandy soil poor in humus component, and it also needs to be enriched with humus and peat.

You cannot plant hydrangeas on alkaline soils with an acidity pH higher than 6.0, the optimal pH is about 5.0.

Planting hydrangea

It is best to plant hydrangeas in the spring, when the threat of return frosts has passed. In the southern regions of Russia it can be planted in the fall.

When planning a place for planting hydrangeas, it is necessary to take into account the size of an adult bush, leaving a distance of about 1 meter between plantings.

The size of the hole being dug is about 50-60 cm wide and deep. Fill it 20-30 cm with soil, then place a 5 liter bucket (empty) inside and fill it around with soil. Compact the soil. Now remove the bucket - you will have a neat hole with a diameter of 25-30 cm in width and depth. Place a hydrangea bush or a rooted cutting into it, without deepening the root collar. Cover the roots with soil, without compacting them too much. Water it.

In 3-5 days the earth will settle, after which it will be covered with peat.

How to care for hydrangea

Hydrangeas need to be watered regularly, especially in dry, hot weather. Water for irrigation should be taken from soft water, preferably rainwater; hard water with a high proportion of lime is contraindicated for hydrangeas; if this is the kind of water in the well, just save it rainwater in barrels.

If the weather is rainy and there is frequent precipitation, you need to loosen the soil around the hydrangeas at least once a week to a depth of 7-10 cm to improve root aeration.

At the end of spring, beginning of summer, feed hydrangeas with diluted mullein (ratio 1:10), and after two weeks with complete mineral fertilizer for flowering plants(for example, Fertika Lux), or make your own fertilizer from 1 tbsp. spoons, 1 teaspoon of potassium and 1 teaspoon per 10 liters of water.

In the future, there is no need to fertilize more often than once a month; it is enough to periodically mulch the soil under the bushes with humus or peat.

Changing color of hydrangeas

Many gardeners know that when hydrangeas bloom, they easily change color when the acidic composition of the soil changes. So, watering with alum gives the flowers a blue color; for this you need to dissolve 5 g of the product in 1 liter of water. Alum is sold in flower shops or pharmacies. For reference, the composition of alum: heptahydrate of aluminum and potassium salts.

In order for hydrangea flowers to change color, you need to water them with alum once a week for a month.

If the acidity of the soil is insufficient, then hydrangeas tend to acquire pink tint, and some varieties simply lose color - fade and become discolored. In acidic peat, the flowers take on a purple or blue tint, so you can water the bushes with peat-infused water.

To the contrary, to enhance the intensity of the pink color of hydrangea flowers, you can water them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate).

Pruning hydrangeas

Hydrangeas form dense, lush bushes, and they bloom on the shoots of the current year. Therefore, the more branches a plant has, the more magnificent the flowering will be. Heavy pruning should be carried out in the fall, after flowering along with the peduncle (drastic pruning is acceptable, especially in the case of diseases or pests, when it makes no sense to leave and try to cure diseased branches).

But young hydrangeas that have not yet formed many shoots, for better branching, need to be pruned in the spring, before the buds open, shortening them by 2-3 buds, no more (otherwise, they are greatly depleted from the abundant sap flow).

Very old hydrangea bushes (and they are long-lived plants) are renewed by pruning them at the root. In this way, bushes can be preserved for decades, not forgetting to improve the soil under them by adding humus and mulch (including leaf humus).

Young plants are ready to bloom profusely in the first year after planting. However, abundant flowering can severely deplete hydrangeas. Therefore, on a bush about 50 cm high, it is better to leave no more than 2-3 inflorescences, and pick off the rest.

Sheltering hydrangeas for the winter

The most popular hydrangeas in our gardens are tree-like and large-leaved, they show good frost resistance. The most popular hydrangea variety “Annabelle” winters well in the Moscow region and Leningrad region without additional.

Some varieties of large-leaved hydrangea of Dutch origin are somewhat more tender, like any young hydrangea grown from cuttings and layering - they must be mulched in the fall with peat, leaf soil, humus or a mixture of humus and sawdust to protect them from freezing. Cover the bushes themselves with spruce branches. But don’t forget to remove the cover in the spring to avoid damping off.

In regions with harsh winters, it is necessary to additionally cover hydrangeas for the winter with film or spunbond. With the onset of frosty weather, bend the shoots to the ground, mulch, and cover with a film of leaf litter. It is better not to use straw, because... Mice love her.

In the spring, after the snow has melted, remove the film cover and tie the hydrangea shoots in vertical position, but before the onset of warm days (until the threat of return frosts has passed), keep the burlap shelter (damming does not occur under it).

Hydrangea propagation

Garden hydrangea easy to reproduce vegetative way- cuttings and layering of the bush.

To propagate by cuttings, you need to cut off the still green branches during flowering from the ends of the non-lignified shoots of the current year's growth. The size of the cuttings is about 15-17 cm. Tear off the lower leaves, dip the tip of the cutting in root or other root formation stimulator and immerse it in a container filled with a mixture of vermiculite and peat soil for rooting. Hydrangeas take root better in conditions of high air humidity (in a mini-greenhouse or under a bag).

If the cuttings rot, cut fresh ones and sterilize the rooting substrate by frying them on a baking sheet.

Abundant and lush flowering from rooted branches can be expected no earlier than after 4-5 years.

Large-leaved hydrangea is often grown as home plant, therefore it can be propagated before winter - by separating small layerings from the mother bush and planting them in a regular flower pot. In winter, you need to keep garden hydrangea in a pot in the coldest place - on an unglazed balcony until frost, or a cold window sill with a slightly open frame or window, where the temperature is not higher than 15 ° C, although the optimal wintering of hydrangea at home is at a temperature of +2 -7°C.

Composition of soil in a hydrangea pot: 2 parts turf soil, 2 parts peat, 1 part coarse grain river sand or fine gravel.

Hydrangea, part of the Hydrangeaceae family, comes from the eastern part North America. It is a spectacular ornamental shrub, the height of which varies from 1 to 2 meters.

Features of the plant

The rounded bush is formed by thin shoots that are not covered big amount fluff. The ovoid leaves are about 20 cm long and are painted in a bright green shade. Their lower surface has a light green-bluish color. The leaves are attached to the branches using long and thin petioles. They are located on the shoots opposite each other (the so-called opposite arrangement).

Quite large inflorescences with a diameter of almost 15 cm, shaped like a shield, are formed from whitish flowers about 2 cm wide. Lush flowering continues from mid-July until October. The seeds ripen in October.

This type of hydrangea is different:

fairly good winter hardiness,
because it actively grows after winters with severe frosts,
high percentage of rooting of cuttings.

Based on this species, several varieties have been created that can be purchased in nurseries in our country:

Planting tree hydrangea

Selecting a location

In areas with a warm climate, it is better to choose a place for planting tree hydrangea in partial shade. It grows well in the sun, but it requires regular and abundant watering. In the middle zone and to the north of this crop, areas with good lighting or in openwork shade.

Landing dates

This type of hydrangea is planted in the southern part of Russia in spring and autumn, and in more northern areas it is recommended to plant only in spring.

Landing technology

The width, length and depth of the hole varies from 30 to 40 cm depending on the size of the ball of earth with roots (container plants) or the root system (seedlings with OCS).
Since tree hydrangea is demanding on the presence of moisture and nutrients, it is advisable to fill the holes during planting with a mixture of river sand, leaf humus, compost or turf soil.
When planting a plant, the root collar (the place where the branches end and the roots begin) is placed at ground level and care is taken that it is not covered with soil.
Before planting, check the roots and cut off any broken, very dried out or excessively long roots. The bulk of the roots should be approximately the same length. If container plants are planted, very tangled roots are also straightened and trimmed a little.
To speed up survival, the roots are soaked in a heteroauxin solution for several hours (from 2 to 24), and then immediately planted.
After planting, the plants are watered with plenty of water and the settled soil is added.

Caring for tree hydrangea

For lush flowering and good development hydrangeas required feeding, watering, trimmings And mulching.

Watering

All types of this plant require regular watering. Moreover, at one time (every week) 15 to 20 liters of water are poured over the bush. If precipitation occurs frequently, watering is carried out once a month.

Top dressing

Four feedings are usually carried out per season.

The first is carried out at a time when shoots begin to grow. For it, a complete fertilizer with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is used, and there should be a little more nitrogen than other elements. It is advisable to add some microelements to this fertilizer.
The bushes are fed the second time when buds begin to form. To do this, take potassium sulfate and superphosphate.
The next two feedings are carried out using the same fertilizers during the summer.

Mulching and loosening

Mulching the soil around the bushes is an important measure for caring for tree-like gothrensia. It is carried out after the shoots begin to emerge. The height of the layer of peat, sawdust or wood chips is from 5 to 8 cm. But you need to ensure that the layer of mulch does not come into contact with the trunks and shoots, but is moved away from them a few centimeters.

With this agrotechnical methods the area around the plant needs to be loosened only 2 or 3 times throughout the entire season to a depth of 5-6 cm (excluding the mulch layer).

Propagation of tree hydrangea

Propagation by cuttings

It is quite simple and easy to propagate tree hydrangea using green cuttings, the rooting percentage of which reaches 100 percent (when treated with a solution of indolylbutyric acid).

Cuttings are prepared in two terms:

the first time this happens is in early June, but at the same time in its lower part there must be a piece of last year’s shoot,
The second time the cuttings are cut in July, but this must be done before the shoot is completely lignified. To do this, select the branches that appeared this year.

Cuttings are cut with 2-3 pairs of leaves, sheet plates cut in half.
The cuttings are treated with a root growth stimulator and the cuttings are planted in a shady bed with moist, loose and nutritious soil or in greenhouses. The lower pair of buds is buried in the ground to the middle of the internode.
The entire rooting process lasts from 20 to 30 days, but all this time it is necessary to maintain high level humidity. To do this, they are covered with cut plastic bottles.

Reproduction by layering

Tree hydrangea is also propagated by layering. To do this, in the spring, the shoot is carefully bent to the ground into a shallow and long hole, covered with a 1.5-2 cm layer of soil and secured. The end of the shoot is left free from the ground and slightly bent upward.

Throughout the season, soil is gradually poured into the hole 2-3 times and kept moist. On next year the rooted shoot is separated from the bush using pruning shears and planted in a bed in partial shade or shade for growing.

Dividing the bush

Tree hydrangea can be successfully propagated by dividing the bush. The bush is dug up and divided using a sharp shovel, pruning shears, and dividing old bushes often requires the use of an ax.

The resulting parts are planted in prepared pits. Then the plants are pruned. They usually take root well.

Trimming and further care carried out in the same way as when transplanting hydrangea (see below).

Trimming

Formative

Tree hydrangea blooms on shoots that appeared this year. Over time, the bushes quickly thicken, resulting in a decrease in the quality of flowering.

Regular heavy pruning, which is carried out in early spring (March-April), allows you to keep the bushes in good condition. As a result, strong and strong shoots appear, on which large inflorescences bloom in the summer or at the very beginning of autumn.

Strong shoots are shortened by 3-5 buds, weak shoots by 2-3 buds, so that the upper buds “look” outward. Then the bush will be more lush, and the middle of the crown will not be thickened.

After pruning, the plants must be fed with a complete fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Sanitary

In young plants, immediately after planting, cut out broken, dried out and poorly developed shoots. In the spring of the second year, formative pruning of these bushes is carried out, and last year’s branches are significantly shortened.

Rejuvenating

To rejuvenate mature bushes, very heavy pruning is carried out. During it, all branches are cut at a level of half a meter from the surface of the ground. After such pruning, the plants bloom only after a year.

Transfer

It is best to transplant hydrangeas in early spring, immediately after the snow melts. In the southern regions this can be done in the fall.

Replant the plant with big lump soil, trying to preserve it as much as possible and not damage the roots. After transplanting, the bush is watered.

Before or after transplantation, hydrangeas are pruned; it is more convenient to do this first. In this case, the shoots are shortened by a third of their length according to the rules of formative pruning.

If, when digging up a bush, the root system is damaged or the earthen ball has collapsed, pruning is carried out more radically, otherwise the plant may not take root.

In the next 2-3 weeks, the transplanted hydrangea needs to be slightly shaded from the bright sun.

It is important to remember to water regularly in hot and dry weather.

Feeding the plant can be done no earlier than 3-4 weeks after transplantation, when shoot growth resumes, which is a sign that rooting has occurred successfully.

Preparing for winter

Hydrangea is tree-like and its varieties have good winter hardiness, and in addition, even after severe frost damage, it grows back quite quickly and blooms well. These qualities allow this shrub to be grown in almost any climatic conditions.

In the middle zone of our country, as well as in more northern regions, it is necessary to make a winter shelter for tree hydrangea. To do this, a strong wooden stake is stuck next to the bush, to which all the hydrangea shoots are tied. Then the plant is covered with large branches of spruce branches, which are fastened together. Instead of spruce branches, you can wrap the bushes with a special covering material.

Properly prepared soil for hydrangea is of great importance. Not only the development of the bush and its splendor, but also the abundance of flowering and the shades of the inflorescences depend on the quality and composition of the soil.

A hydrangea bush in the garden is always lush greenery and bright colors. This plant has high decorative qualities, so it is very popular not only among gardeners, but also among landscape designers. And knowledge of the rules for its cultivation and their strict implementation will only increase the decorativeness of the shrub. After choosing the right planting site, it is important to provide the hydrangea with nutritious soil. This is exactly what the soil for hydrangeas should be like.

Despite the fact that there is an opinion that hydrangea can grow on any soil, it is still necessary to make an effort to prepare the soil before planting to obtain a chic bush. Important criteria are:

nutritional value;
ease;
water conductivity;
acidity (pH composition).

Note that hydrangea loves slightly or moderately acidic soil, optimal level pH-5.5. This criterion must be monitored and under no circumstances should the soil be limed before planting hydrangeas, but rather, if necessary, acidify it. This is done using organic food acids. Most often used water solution citric acid at the rate of one teaspoon per ten liters of water. Citric acid can be replaced with apple, sorrel or vinegar. The color of hydrangea inflorescences indicates the level of soil acidity. If the bush is covered pink flowers, which means the earth is slightly alkaline, but when the inflorescences are blue, blue or saturated purple, then this indicates that the soil is acidic. Many experienced gardeners use this feature of hydrangeas and quite successfully regulate color scheme hydrangeas, I use watering with organic acids for this.

Soil acidity is also regulated by applying fertilizers. This can be ammonium sulfate, potassium sulfate, iron sulfate. Sulfuric acid acidifies soil well. Ten liters of water require no more than five milliliters of the drug. The bush can be watered with this solution several times a season. Experienced gardeners use some tricks that help them grow a bush with colorful inflorescences. To do this, they water the hydrangea on one side with solutions to acidify the soil, and on the other hand, on the contrary, add lime. With such actions you can achieve an excellent result when large inflorescences of pink and blue flowers flaunt on one bush.

Now a few words about the composition of the soil. The soil for planting must be prepared in advance. Therefore, first of all, a plot of land should be dug up and a sufficient amount of organic matter and minerals should be added. As organic fertilizers They use humus or peat; you can take superphosphate from mineral ones. Then you need to prepare planting holes with a drainage layer and substrate. The soil for planting hydrangeas is best prepared from black soil, turf, peat, humus and river sand. All components are taken in equal parts. The prepared substrate is poured into the planting holes and allowed to settle. Just before planting the seedlings, special fertilizers are added to the soil to acidify them; these can be preparations like Kemira, Acid Plus and others.

In order for the soil to retain moisture longer after planting the seedlings and receive additional nutrients, it is necessary to mulch the root circle with humus or peat. The mulch is periodically updated.

Since hydrangea loves nutritious soils, applying fertilizer has great value for the full development of the bush.

The first feeding is carried out in early spring before the start of active growing season, the second during the formation of buds. Then, throughout summer season, hydrangea is fed every two weeks. The last feeding of the season is carried out in the fall, after flowering.

The plant responds quite well to complex mineral fertilizers, and before preparing for winter season, it is best to feed the bush with a solution of urea, in a ratio of twenty grams of the substance per ten liters of water. On average, one adult bush requires up to thirty liters of liquid. After feeding, the hydrangea should be mulched with humus or peat.

From everything written above we sum it up summary. Hydrangea needs nutritional and acidic soil, which should be moist, but not excessively, and conduct water well. Compliance with the basic requirements for cultivation will allow you to get maximum results with little effort.

Soil requirements for indoor hydrangea

Today, not only garden but also indoor hydrangea is popular. It is a perennial subshrub, beautiful shape and large flowers. The decorative value of indoor hydrangea also largely depends on the composition of the soil in which it grows. Indoor plant also reacts with colorful inflorescences to the level of soil acidity.

In order for the plant to develop well and delight with its flowering, it should be regularly watered and fed, and also replanted in fresh nutritious soil.

Indoor hydrangea requires clay soil with high acidity. To plant bushes, prepare a special mixture of soil, pine needles, peat, sand and humus in equal quantities. The prepared mixture is poured into a wide pot, on the bottom of which a drainage layer is first placed. After landing indoor hydrangea into the pot, the root collar of the plant should remain on the surface. Then the hydrangea is watered and the soil surface is mulched.

To maintain the nutritional value of the soil in which it grows indoor shrub, requires regular feeding.

The first fertilization of the season begins in February. The plant receives necessary components for growth and bud formation. Then the hydrangea is fed during the formation of buds and, directly, during flowering. Special complex fertilizers are used as fertilizers.

Indoor hydrangeas also respond to forced soil acidification to change the colors of the inflorescences. Iron salts or ammonia-potassium alum are added as stimulating substances.

After the plant has flowered and is no longer fed, the indoor shrub should prepare for winter period recreation.