Blue hydrangeas and pH - which soil is suitable


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Blue hydrangeas

When blue hydrangeas are discolored, soil and water play a crucial role. With the right factors, pink flowering hydrangeas can even be dyed by themselves. In addition to the right knowledge but also a little patience is needed, because for the seemingly magical change, the plants need some time. However, if the pH value is respected and adhered to, a bright blue can be achieved and maintained. Even color plays of different tones - especially in the planter - are easily possible and guaranteed eye-catching.
coloring
Pink, white or blue - when buying, many resort to the unusual blue hydrangeas. These do not occur as constant color in the hydrangeas. Rather, it is actually pink flowering plants that change their tone in conjunction with certain water and soil conditions. However, unlike cut flowers and dyes in water, this process is prolonged. It can take up to two years before the flowers only shine blue. If you want to preserve the blue tint permanently, you should pay close attention to substrate and irrigation water and use only the appropriate pH values. Otherwise, a gradual discoloration will take place. With this tint can be played wonderful again, if the decisive factors are known.
Tip: If you want to color a hydrangea blue or violet, you should use a pink flowering plant as the output. Only with these is the change possible.
selection
In addition to the right starting color, so Rosa, the right varieties must be selected. Suitable are farm hydrangeas, garden and plate hydrangea. Here are breeding forms with fake flowers, especially fringed variants, faster and easier to repaint than others. If you want to dye yourself and do not want to wait too long for success, so should resort to these.
Proper pH
Crucial to success in dyeing or maintaining the color blue, hydrangeas is the pH. This must be between 4 and 4.5, if a bright blue tone is to be achieved. Decisive for the lasting success are therefore regular tests and the exclusive use of water and earth with these values. Also the fertilizer as well as all fertilizers must not push the pH into the alkaline range. So here's some caution, effort and knowledge needed.
Tip: In the bucket or flower pot the pH value is easier to maintain in the long term, as freely planted in the garden.
earth
The easiest way to preserve or color the hydrangeas is to plant in rhododendron soil. This substrate already has the appropriate pH of 4 to 4.5. Mixtures, tests and other measures are therefore not necessary. For larger beds, however, this particular soil is often quite expensive, especially if in the long run, an increase in the pH takes place. And this is due to rain, hooking up other substrates and washes automatically before. A barrier, for example by lawn edges, can help here. However, it does not have to be a rhododendron earth, as there are other alternatives for the blue hydrangea. However, it is necessary to mix even soil. Decisive is the already mentioned pH value. This can be achieved with the following procedure and the means mentioned:
  • hydrangeas

    1. First, the current pH of the substrate - preferably compost earth - must be determined to estimate how much it needs to be acidified. There are test strips available for this purpose. However, a professional determination of the value can also be carried out, for which a soil sample is sent to a corresponding soil analysis center or, for example, delivered to a hardware store or garden center.
  • 2. If the pH of the earth is well above 4.5 - so is not sour enough - it should be provided with appropriate acidifying means. The addition of sand and peat offers itself, as a result of this, a rapid reduction in the value is achieved. However, peat is ecologically questionable, but are destroyed in its degradation peat bogs. Alternatives are therefore to be preferred. Rotting oak leaves, chopped softwoods or needles themselves, hazelnut branches and grape pomace or fertilizer from this are suitable. Compost made from these fabrics is optimal.
  • 3. The selected agent is mixed well with the soil and this combination is subsequently moistened.
  • 4. After about a week, the pH of the soil should be retested. In the case of substances that are just rotting, the pH will slow down but will decrease in the longer term. For faster changes therefore already decomposed means should be used.
  • 5. Depending on the result of the test, further supplementation of acidifying agents may be necessary. So it is mixed until a value between 4 and 4.5 is reached.
With this procedure, therefore, a little patience is needed.Therefore, vinegar is still recommended for the acidification of the soil, and in fact, the pH can be lowered in a very short time. However, this measure is not recommended to color the hydrangeas blue or to maintain their color in the long run.
Tip: Another possible alternative is the use of fertilizers that have an acidifying effect on the substrate. These include, for example, azalea, rhododendron and hydrangea fertilizer.
water
The soil may initially have the ideal pH, but gradually become too alkaline for blue-flowering hydrangeas. Not infrequently this is due to hard water or the lime in this. As well as the substrate, casting is therefore a decisive factor in coloring the hydrangea blue or maintaining the blue throughout. It is best to use only soft water. The simplest source for this is rain, which is collected in tons. If this option is not available, you should turn to the test strips or inquire about the hardness of the tap water at the respective waterworks. If this is very soft, so it contains hardly any lime, it can be safely used to make the blue hydrangea. If, on the other hand, it is hard, it should first stand in a jug or pail for a week. Here, the contained lime settles at the bottom of the vessel. So long as the water is not stirred up, it can also be used for casting. As a further alternative, filtered water can be used.
Time

hydrangea

If a pink flowering Hydrangea is used as the output, some patience is required in the staining. Even if the pH values ​​of water and soil are correct. Initially, the flower will turn lilac and gradually become bluish. This is often first achieved a purple color. Only then does it come to the blue flowers. Although this is not complicated in itself, it can certainly take one to two years. In particular, if the plant is not placed directly in low pH substrate, but is gradually lowered, the process takes longer.
fertilizer
In addition to the pH values ​​of soil and water, blue hydrangea also requires alumina in the soil, as this compound is responsible for the coloration. In order to provide these sufficiently, it is necessary to fertilize accordingly. Suitable are special fertilizers for hydrangeas. But also agents for azaleas and rhododendrons can be used. Universal fertilizer or other products with a high phosphorus content, the blue flowers, however, quickly appear pink.
Conclusion
With a little patience and the right soil it is easily possible to create blue hydrangeas or to keep blue-flowering specimens in the desired tone. If you bring the appropriate knowledge and pay attention to the pH value of soil, water and fertilizer, you can even play with the tint of the flowers and create so many variants.

Blue hydrangeas and pH - which soil is suitable

FAQ - 💬

❓ What pH is needed for blue hydrangeas?

👉 For true blue flowers, the hydrangeas need to be grown in acidic soil with a pH of 5.5 or lower. For pink flowers, the plants need neutral to alkaline soils (pH 6.5 and higher). For purple blooms (or a mix of blue and pink flowers on the same plant), the pH of the soil must be between pH 5.5 and 6.5.Em cache

❓ What soil pH do hydrangeas like?

👉 5.2-5.5A pH of 7 is neutral. Alkaline soils have a pH of 7.5 or more. Hydrangeas grow best in soil that has a pH of 5.2-5.5. If your soil is not in that range, you will need to manipulate the soil so the plant can absorb its needed nutrients.

❓ What is the best soil for hydrangeas?

👉 loam soilFor bigleaf hydrangeas, the best is loam soil. Loam soil is made up of a pretty even mixture of sand, silt, and clay, giving it a great well-balanced texture. Loam soil has good water retention and has excellent drainage, which provides a healthy environment for hydrangeas to thrive.

❓ What soil acidifier for blue hydrangeas?

👉 Espoma Organic Soil Acidifier contains elemental sulfur & gypsum to help lower soil pH and turn hydrangeas blue. It is long lasting and much safer than other acidifiers like Aluminum Sulfate. Like all Espoma Organic products, no sludges or fillers are ever used.

❓ Do coffee grounds make hydrangeas blue?

👉 If you've been trying to get your hydrangeas to become big and blue, then we might just have the tip for you. Hydrangeas color is based on how acidic your soil is—the more acidic the soil you plant your hydrangeas in, the more blue. We've found that adding a few coffee grounds to your soil can do just the trick.

❓ Does alkaline soil make hydrangeas blue?

👉 Hydrangeas and pHIn acidic soil (below a pH of 6), their flowers will be blue. In alkaline soil (with a pH above 7), their flowers will be pink, or even red. In neutral to slightly acid soil, these hydrangeas can have purple blooms, or even a mixture of pink and blue blooms on the same plant.

Video Board: Using Soil : Making Soil Acidic for Blue Hydrangea.

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