Hydrangea belongs to the genus of flowering plants.
It got its name for moisture love, and translated from Greek means "vessel with water."
In hydrangea, lush inflorescences, which reach 20 cm in diameter, are primarily attracted and delight us from spring to late autumn.
Color can be very different, and it is up to you.
From how you will care for her, how to feed with fertilizers.
Hydrangea cultivation. The choice of planting material, seeds
Previously, hydrangea was considered difficult to care for and unable to tolerate winter frosts. However, now there are a huge number of varieties that can withstand not always favorable conditions. Therefore, when choosing seeds and seedlings for planting, pay attention to the endurance of plants, and the ability to survive the cold.
There are such main types of hydrangeas:
• Broadleaf, large-leaved (Macrophila) - Peerless hydrangea, which pleases with every possible palette of colors (pink, raspberry, blue, blue). Low in height and blooms on the shoots of the second year. Flowering is plentiful, but short-lived. At the end of August, such blooming hydrangea is no longer seen. Afraid of frost, it needs to be well covered for the winter. Previously, it was grown as a houseplant, but with the cultivation of new varieties, it became possible to grow in the garden (Grandiflora, Lilacina, Perfecta).
• Panicle - a cold-resistant tall bush that perfectly winters. The inflorescence goes on a cone. It blooms from August to October, mostly white or its shades (Vanille Fraise, Grandiflora).
• Tree-like - Bush, 1-3 meters high. Unpretentious in leaving, shade-tolerant, winter-hardy. It blooms before other species, blooms with a hat from July to late autumn. The color is usually white (Annabel, Radiata, Sterilis).
• Petiole hydrangea, which is a climbing plant. It is attached by accessory roots to cracks and bumps. Those. this plant will weave all uneven walls or other objects with its white flowers. It is also a groundcover that will creep around. And if he has some kind of support, then he will grow very quickly. The care is also unpretentious.
It is believed that hydrangea blooms only at the ends of annual shoots. However, this applies only to broadleaf hydrangea. Here, the peculiarity is that in the current season the flowers bloom from the upper buds of last year's shoots, and they begin to grow in the fall.
Hydrangea propagates in several ways:
• cuttings - the most common way;
• layering, dividing the bush, grafting;
• seeds that you can buy or collect yourself.
When buying seeds, give preference to proven producers. Keep in mind that planting material is very small and does not require additional processing.
Hydrangea cultivation. Sowing and planting (dates, top dressing, shelter, temperature, soil, etc.)
Before sowing, first of all, you need to choose the right place for planting and prepare it. Hydrangea loves shady and cool places. Do not plant it in direct sunlight. She will burn and constantly hurt. A sunny place requires abundant watering. Young seedlings also need protection from the wind. Given that the root system of hydrangea is not quite deep, pits for planting are dug at a certain distance from trees and other tall bushes. This is done so that the latter do not deprive her of water and essential nutrients.
When planting, the seeds are sown superficially, they are not buried and they use the method of watering - spraying. It is possible to sow in containers already in the winter, and in open ground - at the end of April-May. In the open air, sprinkle the sowing place with sand, which will act as a drainage during irrigation. With this method of growing hydrangea, the first shoots appear in a month. At this time, follow the necessary conditions for care: make sure that there are no weeds, constantly water, make the necessary dressing. If frost is expected, then the seeds are covered with paper.
As for planting seedlings, hydrangea can be planted in a permanent place both in early spring (before the leaves open), so in summer and autumn.
Hydrangea planting process
Bushes are planted at a distance of about one meter from each other. A pit is dug shallow and in diameter is 2-3 times larger than the root system. The fertile mixture is poured into the bottom and mix it with the soil. It is recommended to purchase a special primer for azalea, rhododendrons and hydrangea, which contains an acidic top layer of peat. Seedlings are placed so that the roots are not above the soil level. Then the bushes are abundantly watered with water, and the soil is mulched.
Most hydrangeas during planting require the following conditions: fertile, rich, moist soil. Add compost, peat, humus to enrich poor soils.
A distinctive feature of this plant is that when growing hydrangea, it can change color. A necessary condition for this is, first of all, the composition of the soil. In acidic soil (pH 5.5) they produce a culture of blue flowers and shades, and in alkaline soil they produce pink. Unfortunately, you will not change the color of the white flower. Cream hydrangea can be changed to pink or raspberry. To get blue and blue flowers, you need to water the plant every week with a solution of special acidifying agents and create all the necessary conditions for it.
Please note that you can change the color of flowers, but not instantly. Color correction takes weeks, even months. It is easier to change blue flowers to pink than pink to blue. Wait until the plant is at least 2 years old to give it time to recover from the shock of its initial planting.
Hard water can also affect the color of a flower, turning blue flowers into pinkish ones. So use rainwater for irrigation. In autumn, hydrangea flowers combine pink and green colors. It is simply an aging process that cannot be redefined. Next year, the flowers will return to their original color.
Blue and pink flowers
The composition of the soil affects the color of hydrangea, but how to determine it?
You can determine the acidity of the soil at home in the following way: pour a handful of earth with table vinegar. If the watered area begins to “bubble” strongly, then the soil is considered alkaline, if not, then acidic. To increase acidity, fertilizers, sulfur, kefir or pine needles must be added to it. To reduce acidity, it is necessary to treat the soil with a lime solution.
This unsurpassed shrub tolerates almost any soil with proper care and additional fertilizing. It also blooms from mid-summer to autumn, when little can be in bloom.
Hydrangea cultivation. Care, dressing
After planting a young hydrangea, the first thing to do is prune it. All damaged branches and weak stems are removed. This is done to form the main stems.
Pruning is done annually in spring.before budding. This is done to:
• giving the shrub a decorative shape;
• removal of dead stems, which will take the nutritional properties of the plant;
• thinning shoots. Do not worry, hydrangea is distinguished by the fact that it is very easily restored and has good growth strength;
• rejuvenation of the bush.
In the fall, when leaving the plant, it is not recommended to prune the plant, as wounds form on the stems, which in winter can lead to diseases. At this time, remove only the flowers that have bloomed.
Depending on the type of hydrangea, there are necessary conditions and differences in its pruning.
A panicle of panicled hydrangea is formed by removing new shoots that grow from the ground. Upon reaching the desired height, they begin to form a crown: every year the topmost young shoots are completely removed. That is, we count from the base three or four paired leaflets in height and cut it off. Observing the necessary conditions, you will get the desired shape of the bush.
Tree hydrangea is pruned, leaving 2-4 pairs of the strongest kidneys.
There is also anti-aging pruning, which is done for a plant that is more than 3 years old. Its purpose is to provide all the necessary conditions for abundant and saturated flowering of hydrangea.
Thinning pruning is recommended to remove weak shoots that do not bloom and take away nutrients. Avoid pruning after August 1st.
With incorrect pruning, the plant will not delight you with the beauty and abundance of flowering.
Bush pruning
A necessary condition for growing hydrangea is its abundant watering. If this is not done, then the plant will wither. Do not let the soil dry, which should always be moist even near the roots. Water regularly and abundantly, especially when it comes to dry and hot weather. During rains, watering is reduced. It is also recommended to loosen the soil several times a season after watering.
An important component in caring for this crop is top dressing.
Fertilize the flowers before June, and then top dressing must be stopped. If your soil is rich, then you can hydrangea and not fertilize. And if it is light or sandy, then it is better to feed the plants once a year at the end of winter or spring.
If you want to achieve an increase in flowers and leaves, then fertilizing must be carried out with organic and mineral fertilizers, this is a necessary condition for them. Do not overdo it with the addition of substances that include nitrogen. This will lead to a deterioration in winter hardiness of the plant.
Feeding steps:
1) spend early in the spring. To do this, scatter dressing in the near-trunk circle and mulch. It can be, for example, a urea solution.
2) in two weeks. You can make complex fertilizers of superphosphate and potassium sulfate.
3) if necessary, top dressing is carried out no more than 2-3 times per season in reduced doses.
Strengthen shoots with potassium permanganate solution.
Every year, observing the necessary conditions for care, trunk circles are mulched to a height of 30 cm with a mixture of compost (leaf humus) with sawdust, mowed grass or coniferous branches. Small plants for wintering can be bent to the soil and covered with dry soil, covered with a film on top.
The main pests and ways to combat them
With proper care and compliance with agrotechnical requirements, hydrangea cultivation can do without diseases and pests.
But such troubles can happen:
• Powdery mildew - this fungus appears at very high humidity, temperatures above 20 ° C and in the absence of a sufficient amount of sunlight. To combat it, use a solution of soapy water and copper sulfate (150 g of soap and 15 g of vitriol per bucket of water).
• Hydrangea annular spotting - spots appear on the leaves, from which it begins to deteriorate. Also, the plant loses its ability to bloom. This disease is not treated, therefore, carefully monitor the quality of seedlings.
• Spider mite may appear in dry weather. With a small lesion, they are not as noticeable as with a large one. To get rid of it in care, acaracides such as thiophos, Fitoverm, Vermitek preparations are used. Soap processing may also help.
• Great harm to hydrangea bring snailsthat eat buds and leaves. You can fight them by removing from the stems (like Colorado beetles) or you can use pesticides such as metaldehyde or Thunderstorm.
To avoid diseases and pests, observe the following agrotechnical requirements:
1) avoid bright scorching sunlight;
2) observe the irrigation regime, not allowing drying or overmoistening of the soil;
3) top dressing promptly and with the right technology. Do not burn the plant;
4) do not allow thickening of landings. Give plants freedom.
Subject to all these necessary conditions for growing hydrangeas, she will delight you with the splendor of her flowering all season. Indeed, the huge hydrangea inflorescences give it such a special charm, which is difficult to resist.
