Menu for the "fair lady" of the garden. hydrangea care

In this article we will tell you about changing the color of hydrangeas and also which hydrangeas cannot change their color.

We are often asked questions:
- Is it possible to water tree-like and paniculate hydrangeas alum?
- does soil acidity affect tree hydrangeas and can it be changed? White color to pink?
I answer questions like these right away.
You can change the color of hydrangeas only with large-leaved ones with the appropriate varieties, which include pink, red, and blue flowers. Even in white varieties of large-leaved hydrangeas, we cannot change the color. From personal experience I’ll tell you, the color of such hydrangeas becomes a dirty green or cream color with pink strokes, which in my case resembles a diseased plant.

Paniculate and tree-like hydrangeas also do not change color. Which also greatly affects color changes on them. They don't look the best either in the best possible way.
Therefore, my experiments on them are finished.

But on other varieties (pink, red, blue) large leaf hydrangeas you can easily create a whole bouquet bush with a variety of colors.
Aluminum salts give the blue color. Change hydrangea color from pink to blue easier than changing from blue to pink. Changing from pink to blue involves adding aluminum to the soil, and changing from blue to pink means removing aluminum from the soil or making it unavailable to the hydrangea.

It is possible to change the color of the inflorescence if you change the acidity of the soil: if it is neutral or slightly alkaline (in alkaline soils, hydrangea can develop chlorosis - yellowing of the leaves) - the color is pink, if acidic - blue.

However, “recoloring” occurs as the bush matures: if you plant pink hydrangea in acidic soil, you will be able to see blue inflorescences only after a few years. It happens that multi-colored inflorescences are present on a bush at the same time

For artificial coloring blue tones Once every two weeks, add a 0.3–0.5% solution of aluminum or iron alum to the soil around the bush, 5 liters per young plant, 10 liters per adult bush. They can be purchased at a pharmacy or store chemical reagents. Or buy at garden stores special compositions for coloring hydrangeas.
Excessive application of alum to the soil can lead to the death of roots, so do not overuse the concentration of the solution for a quick effect. To begin with, I advise you to experiment on one copy. Grown from cuttings yourself.

What plays a more significant role in coloring– acidity of the soil or the presence of aluminum in it? Scientists have proven that the presence of aluminum in the soil has an effect on the acquisition of blue color higher value than increased acidity.
So we remind you:
- from pink hydrangea we can make blue and blue hydrangea
- from red hydrangea we can make purple tones hydrangeas.
And the brighter the variety, the darker we can make its color.
Personally, I achieved the darkest shade that a hydrangea can have, dark blue almost black.
If anyone is interested in my article on how to achieve almost black hydrangea (photo below), I will consult you by phone.
Thank you for being with us.

Luxurious Asian hydrangea is increasingly appearing on garden plots. The tropical sissy is very capricious and requires especially careful care. From Latin name oriental beauty translated as “a vessel with water,” which eloquently demonstrates the love of moisture. Proper watering hydrangeas are an integral part of care. In order not to destroy the hydrangea, you need to carry out irrigation according to all the rules. In addition, by adding some components to the water, you can change the color of the petals of the Asian guest. You will learn how and what to water hydrangea from the article.

How watering affects a hydrangea plant

Hydrangea - a genus of beautiful flowering plants, belonging to the Hydrangeaceae family. Of the known 70 botanical species no more than a dozen representatives are used in the culture. In Russia, paniculata and tree hydrangea. At home, the large-leaved variety is grown, represented by more than 600 varieties.

The greatest concentration of species is observed in Japan and China. The Japanese admire luxurious flower hats and call the culture ajisai. Growth, dimensions, habit, size, and shape of inflorescences directly depend on the species. The color of large false petals of sterile flowers depends on the variety and conditions of detention.

Important! When growing an Asian guest, you should choose a place that excludes small children from accessing the bush. Each part of the plant produces glycosides, the breakdown of which ends with the release of cyanide acid.

Often the flower has yellowing foliage. This phenomenon occurs due to lack of moisture. If the soil is not kept constantly moist, the plant will suffer from moisture deficiency. Once you resume watering, the leaves will look healthy again.

Hydrangea is a real unique species. When certain additives are added that change the acidity of the substrate, pinkish inflorescences can change color. Acidification of the soil will lead to the appearance of blue-blue petals, and with increasing acidity the heads will turn bright pink or lilac tones. If the substrate environment is close to neutral, the flower caps are beige in color.

There are exceptions to every rule - snow-white buds will not change their natural color even with the addition of special additives. Only large-leaved hydrangea can change the color of its petals. Due to the low threshold of winter hardiness, it is often cultivated as an indoor crop, but frost-resistant hybrids are able to grow in open ground. It is only important to properly organize winter shelter for this shrub.

Such a graceful plant landscape designers They recommend decorating hedges and creating luxurious group plantings. If you add certain components with different sides bush, the buds will color unevenly. This technique will allow you to decorate a green lawn with a multi-colored pillow. Although the culture looks great with other representatives of the shrub-type flora, its neighbors are selected especially scrupulously.

Advice! So that the Asian plant does not experience a lack of moisture, it is not planted close to plants that have a superficial root system.

How often to water a flower

The need for moisture depends on the conditions of detention. Garden varieties Regardless of age, they are demanding of high water content in the soil. But it’s still worth knowing the limit. Excess liquid stagnating in the soil causes rotting of the root system. And the totality high humidity and low temperatures provoke the growth of pathogenic fungi.

How not to overdo it with irrigation? The watering rate is up to 50 liters twice a week. If there is natural precipitation, monitor its amount. If the soil is deeply saturated with rainwater, supplementary irrigation not required.

Mulch will help reduce the frequency of watering. A layer of peat chips will retain the life-giving liquid and prevent its premature evaporation. Mulched bushes are irrigated once every 7-10 days, and even less often in case of heavy rainfall. In addition to peat, it is permissible to use components as mulch that reduce the pH level of the soil - pine needles, crushed bark, sawdust. After all, the optimal pH level for the development of a shrub will be a pH range from 4 to 6. An alkaline environment is strictly contraindicated in hydrangea.

Attention! Since the crop is decorative until the end of the season, the irrigation regime should not be changed. Otherwise, the buds will fade much faster, and the foliage will also lose its decorative effect.

How to water hydrangea to change color

First, let’s figure out what causes the Asian guest’s ability to turn into a chameleon. Changes in petal color are associated with complex chemical reactions occurring in the plant organism. The juice of macrophila (large-leaved variety) is rich in the natural pigment delphinidin 3-monoglycoside. The substance reacts with aluminum, changing the color of the corolla to blue.

But how then do you get pink and purple buds? It's quite simple. Aluminum salts are absorbed by plants only in dissolved form. Aluminum forms readily soluble compounds at low pH levels of the substrate. If the acidity exceeds 5.5, aluminum passes into poorly soluble forms and becomes inaccessible for absorption. Simply put, high acidity of the soil blocks the entry of aluminum into the plant body. For the petals to change color, not only the acidity of the environment is important, but also the presence of aluminum itself. If there is little trace element in the soil, the corollas will turn pale blue.

Since alkaline soils have a detrimental effect on the development of the Asian guest, you can only slightly increase the pH. Already when the pH level is about 8, the hydrangea will begin to hurt.

On a note! At a pH level above 6.5, the inflorescences will turn pink, in the range of 5.5-6.5, the corollas will turn purple, and at an acidity level of less than 5.5, the flower caps will turn blue.

In addition to the pH value and the presence of aluminum, the presence of other trace elements plays a large role in changing the color of the petals. If there is a lot of phosphorus in the soil, even if there is sufficient quantity aluminum and low acidity will not change the flowers appearance. Phosphorus is able to bind the necessary microelement, turning it into false, poorly soluble complexes. To ensure blue flowers, the amount of phosphorus fertilizers should be kept to a minimum. Potassium, on the contrary, binds aluminum salts, converting them into soluble forms. Applying large amounts of potassium fertilizers promotes the appearance of blue and blue inflorescences.

So, what should you water the hydrangea with so that the color of the petals acquires the desired shades? To get pink inflorescences, it is necessary to “block” the access of aluminum, converting it into insoluble forms. To do this, the acidity of the soil must be brought to 6.5. This will help you:

Chalk, slaked lime, dolomite flour. These components are applied in the form of solutions on acidic soils. The amount of additives is determined experimentally, because it is important to know First level Substrate pH. Do not exceed the level of 6-6.2, since too high a pH value will disrupt the absorption of iron, this will lead to chlorosis of the leaves.
Fertilizers with a high concentration of phosphorus. It is desirable that its amount be 2.5-3 times higher than nitrogen and potassium. A solution of monoammonium phosphate is suitable.

Advice! if you want hydrangea to delight you with pink inflorescences, refrain from planting nearby lovers of acidic soil - azaleas, representatives of the heather family, rhododendrons. When the acidity is above six, no effort is needed; it is enough to focus on phosphorus fertilizers to bind soluble aluminum.

Blue flowers are less common in nature than others, so they are highly valued by gardeners. Why not decorate your garden with blue clouds of hydrangea? To achieve this result, the hydrogen index of the earth is reduced to 4-5.5, and the shortage of aluminum is also compensated. Use watering with the following additives:

The deficiency of the required microelement can be replenished by constant watering with a solution of aluminum sulfate. The solution of this salt has an acidic environment, and this is what hydrangea needs. Take 15 g of the component per liter of water, mix thoroughly and water strictly at the root throughout the entire growing season.
A solution of potassium alum will give a similar effect. This complex salt also contains a soluble form of aluminum and an acid residue, leading to a decrease in pH. Take 5 g of reagent per liter of water.
To bring the acidity of the substrate to the required level (4-5.5), watering is carried out with solutions of organic acids - oxalic, citric, acetic. You can also use electrolyte, but not from batteries. Battery acid is not suitable because it contains lead salts and other heavy metals.
Fertilizers containing a large number of potassium will help hydrangea acquire a blue tint. In this case, the amount of phosphorus should be minimal. The N:P:K composition complex is selected so that the proportions of the components correspond to 10:5:20.
Water for irrigation often has increased hardness due to the carbonate content. To prevent the substrate from shifting the pH level to the alkaline side, the water is left to settle and lemon juice is added. You can add a handful of peat a day before irrigation or use rain, melt, or river water.

Remember! When using chemicals, it is important to prevent them from coming into contact with the foliage. To ensure maximum absorption by the root system, solutions are applied only to pre-watered soil.

Everyone knows that blue roses does not exist in nature and even the work of breeders was not crowned with success. The indigo buds found on sale are created artificially using special paint. Cut shoots are placed in the solution. After some time, the dye along with the liquid is absorbed by the plant through the cut, evenly distributed in the tissues.

In this way, strange plants with unusual colors are obtained. This technique can be used to recolor hydrangea flower caps. It is enough to buy a special dye in the store and water the bush with it according to the instructions. The method allows you to “color” even white buds of the tree and paniculate varieties.

Watering hydrangea

The land in which the ajisai is planted is buffer system. This means that the substrate constantly strives to restore its previous level of pH. If you do not systematically water the bush with acidifying or alkalizing components, it is almost impossible to achieve stable coloring of the petals in a certain range. Even plain water has a different level of acidity, which can lead to a shift in the pH value of the soil.

Let's consider several more options for irrigating the Asian guest using various components.

Citric acid

Watering hydrangea with the addition citric acid used to maintain soil acidity level at a certain level. Irrigation begins immediately after waking up, observing an interval between waterings of 10-15 days.

Important! Citric acid powder can be replaced with oxalic acid. In this case, the proportions and frequency of irrigation will not change.

To prepare an acidifying solution, you will need a 10-liter bucket and 2 tablespoons of powdered acid. The components are mixed until completely dissolved. The solution application rate is 1 bucket for each square meter landing area. The solution is applied only after watering clean water.

Potassium permangantsovka

Potassium permanganate is an excellent fertilizer for hydrangea. A weak solution of potassium permanganate (pale pink) will bring the following benefits to the eastern guest:

will maintain the pH value in the required range (4.0-6.0), because potassium permanganate is a strong oxidizing agent;
will protect against fungal diseases, since the solution has antiseptic properties;
will strengthen the wood, give flexibility to the shoots due to the replenishment of manganese in plant juice;
potassium, which is part of the salt, promotes the formation of flower stalks, provides abundant flowering. It also promotes the absorption of aluminum and will give you the desired blue buds.

You should not prepare a bright raspberry mixture, because it will only partially color the petals, which will lead to a loss of decorativeness. Too high a concentration of potassium permanganate causes burns to the root system and leaves.

Attention! When making liquid, it is necessary to ensure that all salt crystals are completely dissolved. Undissolved crystals cause severe chemical burns.

A light pink solution of potassium permanganate is used for watering not only at the roots; you can also spray it on the foliage. Fertilizer is applied three times per spring period with a frequency of 2-3 weeks. The amount of liquid used is the same as for normal irrigation - 30-50 liters.

Vinegar

Acetic acid or Apple vinegar at a concentration of 9% it is used similarly to citric acid. A bucket of water will require 100 ml of acid. Irrigation is carried out once every 2 weeks from the moment the plant awakens after a dormant period until the end of the season. The amount of liquid is 10 liters per square meter.

Alum

Potassium alum – great way repaint the inflorescences in shades of blue and maintain the acidity of the soil at the required level. The drug is sold in pharmacies and buying it is not difficult. To water the hydrangea, prepare a composition of 5 g of alum and a liter of water. 2 liters of the mixture are poured under each bush. Irrigation frequency is twice a month.

Important! It is better to combine the application of potassium alum with fertilizing with iron.

Copper sulfate

Copper sulfate is a blue crystalline salt. Copper sulfate replenishes the sulfur content, acidifies the substrate, disinfects the soil, and prevents the development of spores of pathogenic fungi.

In most cases, copper sulfate is used to protect garden flora from fungal diseases, but in low concentrations it is used as a top dressing. If you need to protect your green pet from diseases, treat the foliage with a 1% salt solution. To feed the hydrangea and bring the pH value back to normal, water with a mixture of 10 liters of water and 5 g copper sulfate. Watering the Asian guest better in spring at intervals of 3-4 weeks.

Sour milk

Fermented milk products are rich useful substances, lactobacilli, have an acidic environment. This feeding is ideal for most plants and hydrangeas will love it. Two packets of curdled milk or whey are diluted in a ten-liter bucket. The mixture is poured under the bush at the final stage of irrigation, i.e. the bush is first watered with clean water, and then fertilizing is applied. You can add curdled milk every time you water the bush. This composition will not do any harm. Sour milk will give health and lush flowering.

Advice! Instead of watering at the root, you can spray with fermented milk products. Nutrition is absorbed faster through the leaves.

How to properly water hydrangea at home

As indoor plant The large-leaved variety is grown. Low frost resistance will adversely affect the health of the eastern guest if it is planted in the garden.

Apartment conditions require careful care, the main component of which is the correct irrigation regime. The shrub needs good drainage. If you plan to grow pink hydrangea, avoid expanded clay. It contains a large amount of aluminosilicates.

You will have to water the window sill dweller more often, because the soil in the pot dries out much faster. Once it dries a little upper layer soil, but it won’t form a crust, it’s time to water your favorite. After irrigation, be sure to mulch the surface of the substrate. So, moisture will stay longer in the root zone.

Water for irrigation should be well settled and not too hard or cold. To reduce hardness, add a little lemon juice. It is important to observe a period of rest. By autumn, moisture is transferred to moderate mode. When the plant awakens, it will again need a lot of moisture. Dry air has an adverse effect on the development of indoor macrophiles, so they need to be sprayed frequently.

Remember! All the rules for “repainting” petals also apply at home. In potted crops, it is even easier to regulate the pH level.

It is not necessary to grow indoor flower of a certain shade, if you fertilize one side of the bush with alum, and add phosphorus fertilizers or dolomite on the other, you will get a multi-colored specimen.

Hydrangea paniculata watering rules

Paniculate hydrangeas are unable to change the color of the corolla, but maintaining a low pH level is very important for them. Some simple rules will help you grow healthy and luxurious hydrangea:

irrigate the crop twice a week using 40-50 liters of water;
focus on the level of natural precipitation;
the liquid must settle and warm up;
add acidifying components listed in the previous section of the article to the water;
Make sure that the droplets of liquid completely evaporate from the foliage before sunrise. If moisture lingers on the leaves, sunburn will occur as it evaporates.

Mistakes when watering hydrangeas, how to avoid them

Soil acidification promotes easy absorption of iron, which has a beneficial effect on health. plant organism. Microelement deficiency causes leaf chlorosis. The disease manifests itself as yellowing of the plate, while the central and lateral veins remain green.

The yellow leaf cannot “feed” the plant, because it lacks chlorophyll. Thanks to this pigment, food is obtained through photosynthesis. If there is not enough chlorophyll, the hydrangea begins to starve, uses up reserves, and then dies.

Advice! Watering will help fight chlorosis iron sulfate or the drug "Iron Chelate". This is why it is so important to acidify the soil during watering.

If you constantly water the shrub with chemicals after transplanting, you cannot plant anything in this area.

Conclusion

Proper watering of hydrangea is not only a guarantee of its health, but also an excellent tool for creating a unique flowering shrub. Knowing how to add certain components will help you get the flower of your dreams.

- a shrub of rare beauty with a long flowering period. Even one bush will bring French charm to your garden and transform it, and a wide variety of varieties and species will give you the opportunity to decorate it with bright colors.

All gardeners who grow luxurious hydrangeas know that this shrub is unpretentious. The main thing is to choose the right landing site and fill the planting hole correctly. By this you will already provide your beauty with two years of successful growth and good development root system. Further feeding is mandatory and regular.

Let's talk about caring for hydrangea. The bush grows, the bush blooms. But how? In order for a beautiful and strong plant to grow, the bush to be covered with charming, bright, huge balls and pyramids, will it still have to be helped? What to do?

Abundant watering. Hydrangeas love to drink, especially when buds are forming. If there is a lack of moisture, the buds will be small. The earthen clod must not be allowed to dry out. Soil and root system must always be kept moist. We water with soft, warm, settled water (preferably rain) depending on weather conditions. On hot, dry days, 10 liters per bush daily. At moderate air temperatures at least twice a week, 20-25 liters within a radius of 1 meter. If the summer is rainy, watering is reduced to 4-5 times per season. There is no need to flood the plant; check the soil before watering. To enhance the strength of the shoots, add a little potassium permanganate to the water.

2.Sprinkling the crown. In addition to watering, hydrangea needs sprinkling, especially on hot summer days. It should be carried out in the morning or evening hours. For sprinkling, we recommend using “ Bio cocktail» ( Healthy garden+Ecoberine+Vostok EM-1).

3. Mulching. We must mulch the soil around the bush with a layer of 10 cm!!! For mulch we use organic materials that acidify the soil, improve its structure, water regime and soil fertility. For this purpose, high-moor peat (it is red in color and has high acidity), rotted pine needles (can be mixed with peat in equal parts), leaf humus, crushed pine bark, coffee grounds. As it decomposes, this substrate will become part of the soil and acidify it. If the soil on your site is acidic, coconut mulch will look beautiful.

In this case, you can simply use compost. Let's start mulching late spring, when the soil is still sufficiently moistened, but already well warmed up. Before adding mulch, be sure to water the hydrangeas and remove weeds. Cover the soil with mulch, 7 cm away from the shoots of the plant, to prevent root rot. The contour of the covering of mulching material should correspond to the projection of the hydrangea crown, or better exceed it by 20 cm. Remember that after mulching you need to water the hydrangea again, since thick layer mulch will absorb some water. Immediately spill fresh organic material with a solution of the drug " Vostok EM-1"(2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water). This will help neutralize and process the mulch and maintain the health of the bush.

In addition to mulch, as a “living” mulch, plant hostas, periwinkles, heucheras, and low varieties of ferns in the “legs” in the lower tier of the hydrangea.

4. Feeding. The bush will absorb all feeding only in acidic soil. When the pH increases to 6-7 units or higher, the plant will remain hungry even in soil that is very “rich” in nutrients. Growth will stop, the foliage will turn light green and then turn yellow, i.e. all signs of chlorosis from lack of nutrition will appear. Soil for good absorption nutrients must be acidic, moist and structural, contain humus. Based on this, be sure to mulch the soil with the materials listed above, and also regularly water it with acidified water (10 liters of solution per 1 sq. m.). For acidification, we use citric and oxalic acids (at the rate of 1.5 - 2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water) or 9% apple cider vinegar (100 g per 10 liters of water). It is advisable to do this once every 2 weeks (or at least once a month). The soil is a buffer system; it quickly restores its original properties, including its original acidity.

Feeding the plant is not difficult. Application phases:

In the spring, after waking up, feed from the heart. Usually this is the end of May.

To form new strong shoots, use horse manure or well-rotted chicken droppings, diluted 1:10 with water (1 glass per 10 liters of water), leave for 3-4 hours, add 15 drops NV-101- 2 times. If the soil is “poor” - 1 more time.

We add vermicompost under the bushes - 2 kg. per 1 sq. m.

Further herbal infusion with “live” bacteria - "Vostok EM-1" or " Shine" - 1 time.

"Bio-cocktail" based on foliage. But mineral nitrogen fertilizers must be treated with caution. In the spring, this can lead to greening of the buds, and closer to autumn it will negatively affect the wintering of the entire bush.

In June, during the period of bud formation, liquid organic fertilizer DCM, which provides balanced nutrition to plants that prefer acidic soils (5-10 ml per 1 liter of water 1-2 times a week). Biococktail shower once a week.

July - during flowering (for prolonged flowering and planting flower buds next year) we continue to use DCM fertilizer, alternating once a week with watering with the Vostok EM-1 solution. Hydrangeas are great delicacies. It is almost impossible to overfeed them. They respond with pleasure to “live” bacteria (the effect is especially noticeable on macrophiles). To the preparations “Vostok EM-1” and “Siyanie”-1, you can add such non-traditional fertilizers as kefir, yogurt, whey from any lactic acid products, kvass, black sour bread diluted to a mushy state, beer. We dilute 1-2 glasses per 10 liters of water and add 2 liters per plant after the main watering.

We continue the “Biococktail” by spraying on the foliage - 2 times a month.

At the end of July we stop feeding so that the shoots have time to become woody by winter.

In August, water the roots with a solution " Phosphatovita"(3 tablespoons per 10 liters of water) - 1 time. This way the shrubs will be better prepared for winter.

At the end of summer it is useful to add up to 15 kg. compost under the bush.

In September, we spread HB-101 granules at the rate of 1 g per 1 sq.m. We reduce watering, depending on weather conditions.

5. Changing the color of hydrangea inflorescences. Only large-leaved hydrangea can change the color of inflorescences. From pink you can make blue or blue, from red you can make purple. But you can never turn a white hydrangea into a blue one. It is possible to change color by changing the acidity of the soil.

If it is neutral or slightly alkaline (in no case alkaline!) - the color is pink, if it is acidic (pH 4.5 - 5.0 units) - blue. For this purpose, high-moor peat is used.

Apply it in large quantities to the soil, mulch the bushes with it, starting in the fall, for winter shelter. Water them with peat-infused water at least 2 times a month from the beginning of bud formation (by the way, it is also good as a fertilizer). You can add metal shavings to the soil.

Buy burnt alum at the pharmacy. In 10 liters of water, dilute 25 g of alum and 1 tsp. citric acid. And you will have sky-blue happiness!

Follow these simple rules, and you will see the fruit of your efforts.

Hydrangea is considered one of the most beautiful flowering bushes. Lush spherical inflorescences, behind which the foliage is almost invisible, will decorate even an unkempt garden.

Many people know that the color of hydrangea flowers can be changed. Make blue or blue from pink, and purple from red. However, it should be noted that not all varieties can be dyed. For example, it will never be possible to get a blue one from a white hydrangea. To get pink or blue flowers, you will need grandiflora hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla.

The color of hydrangea largely depends on the soil in which it grows. The acid-base reaction of the soil can be determined by the color of the inflorescences. Plants will bloom on soils with a slightly alkaline reaction. pink flowers, on acidic soils - blue and even blue. Therefore, if you prepare the substrate in advance and select right place for planting shrubs, you can get the desired color of flowers without the use of special preparations.

Blue hydrangea

To obtain a blue color you need slightly acidic soil and great content it contains metal salts, which in a neutral or alkaline environment turn into insoluble forms and cannot be fully absorbed by the plant. To get a rich blue tint, you need to do the following:

Measure the pH of the soil, it should be between 5.3 - 5.5. Only with such indicators will metal salts become available to hydrangea. More high values pH will result in transitional colors with shades of purple.

Buy aluminum sulfate or potassium alum, they allow you to lower the pH if necessary. You can also use iron alum and even iron filings or rusty nails, which are dug into the ground around the bush.

It is recommended to add dry aluminum sulfate in the following proportions: per 1 m² up to 0.5 kg of dry aluminum sulfate. You can dissolve alum or aluminum sulfate in water and water the bushes once every one or two weeks, but not less often. At the same time, observe the proportions: take 30 - 40 g of sulfate or alum per bucket of water. The norm for one adult bush is two to three buckets. Otherwise, the color will change partially.

To increase acidity, you can add dissolved peat, apple infusion, sawdust, and chopped grass under the bush.

Fertilizer also affects color change. Feeding with physiologically acidic complex fertilizers with low phosphorus content, high potassium content and medium nitrogen levels will help in the production of good of blue color. The optimal N:P:K ratio is close to 10:5:20. Avoid superphosphate and bone meal, which are sometimes used to promote fuller blooms.

It is important to know that too much alum applied can cause root death, so do not try to quick effect and follow the rules when diluting the solution.

Pink hydrangea

The pink color of hydrangea appears as the acidity of the soil decreases.

Acidity should be between 6.0 and 6.5 units. With such acidity, hydrangea is not able to absorb metal salts from the soil, and, therefore, will not “turn blue.” If the indicator is higher, the plant may suffer due to lack of nutrients. There is no need to strive for the soil to be truly alkaline, because the plant will develop chlorosis.

Add dolomite flour, lime or ground limestone to raise the soil pH to 6.0 - 6.5. If the acidity is too high, they need to be applied several times a year.

To maintain intense Pink colour feed the bushes with fertilizers with a sufficiently high content of nitrogen and phosphorus, but low level potassium Phosphorus forms insoluble compounds with aluminum chemical compounds, and the metal is not absorbed by the plant. Select a fertilizer type with an N:P:K ratio close to 25:10:10. Monoammonium phosphate (11:53:00) can be used.

If the soil throughout the area is very acidic, then it is more convenient to grow pink hydrangea in separate containers, pouring soilless substrates, such as peat, into them. There are practically no aluminum compounds in peat. It is much easier to maintain in such containers necessary for the plant mode.

Plants that require acidic soil (rhododendrons, azaleas) should not be grown next to pink hydrangea.

Once your hydrangeas have turned blue or pink, adding more amendments to the soil will not help enhance the depth of color. Color may vary from season to season due to weather conditions, plant stress, and environment. For example, plants planted near concrete foundation or concrete path may never turn blue due to the lime that leaches from the concrete.

It should be borne in mind that the color of hydrangea changes as the plant develops and matures, so if you plant, for example, pink hydrangea in acidic soil, you will be able to see blue inflorescences only after a few years.

Previously, hydrangea was a welcome but rare guest in our gardens due to the scarcity of varieties and the lack of frost resistance of the crop. Today the situation has changed dramatically, and all thanks to the fact that breeders bred frost-resistant varieties, and the inflorescences have become much more diverse - now they differ not only in shape and structure, but also in the color of the flowers.

Large-leaved hydrangea is a plant that has unique property change the color of the inflorescences to blue in acidic soil conditions (the acidity of the substrate is affected by the high content of aluminum and iron). Since the ideal combination - a sufficiently illuminated place, and also with acidic soil - is quite rare, the substrate is acidified artificially. For these purposes, special preparations are used that are capable of changing the color of inflorescences on one plant from bright red to intense blue.

Previously, amateur gardeners often used a variety of different colors to change the color of hydrangea flowers. folk remedies, increasing the acidity of the soil (they buried nails in the ground, watered the plant with rusty water, etc.). However, homemade preparations, and even the methods reported by neighbors in the area, were often blasphemous and caused great harm to the plant. Currently on sale safe drugs based on potassium alum, which was developed specifically for use in the garden (“Green Boom Hydrangea Coloring Agent”, “Bona Forte Rainbow”). Their main advantage is that they are absolutely harmless to hydrangeas. The composition of “Green Boom Hydrangea Coloring Agent” includes heptohydrate of aluminum and potassium salts (potassium alum). The drug helps change the color of hydrangeas from pink to intense blue to blue, also thanks to it you can long time maintain color saturation at the desired level. It is best to apply the product at a time when the plant is just beginning to form inflorescences. For best results, monitor the acidity of the soil. On acidic soils (pH 5.0) the coloring effect will be noticeable much faster.

Another way to change color is to use peat. It is applied to the soil, used to mulch hydrangea bushes, and watered with peat-infused water (it is also good as a fertilizer). Also for these purposes, the bushes can be watered with fertilizers containing aluminum sulfates or alum.

Not all plants will easily acquire the desired color. Changing the color of hydrangea inflorescences to blue or blue is possible only in varieties with pink petals; in plants with white inflorescences, the color may change to pale pink. You can make purple hydrangea from red hydrangea. But remember: you will never be able to get a blue one from a white hydrangea!

The original color of the variety can be changed to:

White - Pale pink
Pink - Blue, blue
Red - Purple