How to feed hydrangea for growth

There are many varieties of hydrangea, but they all have one thing in common - they are beautiful. But in order for hydrangeas to feel comfortable and delight you with lush flowering, they must be properly looked after: choose a suitable place for the bush, plant them in loose nutrient soil (the pH level should be around 5-6). And of course it is necessary to feed the hydrangea in order to provide the plant with adequate nutrition. In the event that you follow all the recommendations for plant care, hydrangeas can become one of the main attractions of your garden.

How to feed hydrangea in spring?

When planting under a hydrangea, a complex mineral fertilizer is applied (a mixture for azaleas is suitable). Or you can add all the necessary elements separately, using 20 grams of potassium and ammonium sulfates and 100 grams of superphosphate (per bush). These hydrangea minerals are enough for the first time. Hydrangea blooms usually in the third year after planting (it may bloom later or earlier, it largely depends on the variety and climatic characteristics of your area), so from that time on, the bush must be fed regularly.

After the plants come out of dormancy in the spring, they begin to actively grow foliage. To build up green mass and grow shoots, hydrangeas, like all other crops, need nitrogen, therefore this element should prevail in the dressing in spring. The first feeding in order to feed the hydrangea should be carried out after the first leaves have blossomed. To do this, mix urea with potassium sulfate (you can use a matchbox as a measuring container, ratio 1: 1) and pour ten liters of water. After the fertilizer is completely dissolved, water the hydrangea bushes under the root (five liters per bush). Pre-water the hydrangeas with plain water, feeding cannot be carried out on dry ground, so you can "burn" the delicate roots of the plants.

Instead of mineral fertilizers, in order to feed the hydrangea in the spring, you can use organic matter, which is also rich in nitrogen. To do this, dilute mullein (1:10) or bird droppings (1:14) in water and leave for 24 hours. Adult bushes need to be watered using five liters per plant, for young plants one and a half liters will be enough. This organic dressing is most loved by "Tree-like" and "Large-flowered" hydrangeas, they respond to it faster than others.

Fertilizer "Pokon", recommended for azaleas and rhododendrons, has been successfully used by experienced growers for hydrangeas. This fertilizer contains a lot of potassium and nitrogen and has a long lasting effect, so if you spread enough under the hydrangea bush in the spring, it will nourish the plant until the end of summer.

You can also use the domestic liquid fertilizer Flower Paradise for feeding hydrangeas in spring. This drug not only affects the growth of foliage and budding, but also strengthens the hydrangea's immunity and increases its resistance to adverse environmental factors.

During the budding period, the amount of nitrogen in the dressing must be reduced, since at this time the plant needs more potash and phosphorus fertilizers. You can use ready-made complex fertilizers "Agricola" or "Kristalon".

During the spring, the hydrangea should be sprayed with a weak solution of manganese two or three times.In addition to the fact that it has a protective effect against fungal diseases, such treatment gives additional flexibility to the branches, which means that it reduces the likelihood of mechanical damage.

Sometimes, coming out of a dormant state, hydrangea develops rather slowly: the leaves grow poorly, become smaller and smaller and quickly begin to turn yellow. Most often this is due to a lack of nitrogen, which is responsible for the growth of green mass. Root dressing in this case will not be effective enough, therefore, resuscitation measures should be taken and foliar treatment of the crown with a solution of ammonia should be carried out. Ammonia is ammonia, so the drug can be used as nitrogen fertilizer. For ten liters of water, you will need 2 tablespoons of ammonia, such a solution should be sprayed with hydrangea bushes twice with an interval of several days.

In addition to a lack of nitrogen, chlorosis can be the cause of yellowing of hydrangea leaves - this is the name for a lack of any mineral. Most often, chlorosis develops due to a lack of iron, so foliar feeding with a solution of ferrous sulfate will not harm.

How to feed hydrangea in summer?

In order for the hydrangea to bloom as long as possible, fertilizer should be applied every three weeks in the summer. During the summer, hydrangeas are fed:

• complex fertilizers, mainly containing potassium and phosphorus.
• green manure from weeds.
• means prepared on the basis of yeast or crackers.
• fermented milk products (kefir, yogurt), diluted in water.

The nitrogen content of fertilizers should be kept to a minimum, because it does not have a very good effect on flowering. All nitrogen fertilizing is carried out exclusively in the spring.

In order to prepare a nutritious feed for hydrangea yourself, you need to dissolve a spoonful of granulated sugar in ten liters of warm water and, at your choice, a kilogram of bread crumbs or 0.1 kg of fresh yeast. The solution must be infused until it begins to ferment (it will take at least 24 hours), and then water the hydrangeas at the rate of five liters of fertilizer per bush. If you used crackers, then sprinkle the fertilizer on top with a little soil so that the bread mass does not attract insects.

Fermented milk products are diluted in water (1 liter: 20 liters) and sprayed on the plants. Such treatment of hydrangea not only compensates for the lack of trace elements, but also increases the immunity of plants.

You can also prepare a green fertilizer, which is not only nutritious, but also helps to "utilize" the weeds from which, in fact, are prepared.

You will need a barrel (usually 200 liters in volume), which must be half filled with chopped plant materials: nettles, celandine, dandelion and other weeds. Pour the grass with water and add a teaspoon of boric acid, the same amount of potassium permanganate, a tablespoon of ferrous sulfate and the same amount of copper, ½ a bucket of ash and 1-1.5 tablespoons of iodine. Mix everything well and leave for 10-14 days, continuing to stir daily. Be prepared for the fact that the fertilizer will turn out to be very “aromatic” and concentrated - before using it you will need to dilute it with water 1: 5 for root dressing. But the resulting mixture can be used to fertilize not only hydrangeas and other flowers, but also garden crops. To carry out foliar dressing, such a mixture must be diluted 1:10. After the fertilizer is ready, it should be used within 1-2 days, so if the garden and vegetable garden on your site does not occupy a very large area, then initially reduce the amount of the original components.

One of the most interesting features of a hydrangea is that its flowers can change shade, their color depends on the composition of the fertilizers with which you feed the hydrangeas. An increased aluminum content in the fertilizer will cause white or pink hydrangeas to turn blue.For this purpose, you can use the drug "Bona Forte", it is necessary to start applying it with the appearance of buds and continue feeding until the hydrangeas are blooming.

If it is not possible to purchase ready-made fertilizer, then you can prepare the mixture yourself:

• in a bucket of water it is necessary to dissolve potassium sulfate and ammonium sulfate (two tablespoons each), such a solution will give the hydrangeas a blue tint.
• mix lime and wood ash in equal shares, and then sprinkle it under the hydrangea bush during the budding period - this contributes to the coloring of the flowers pink.

Feed the hydrangea and prepare it for winter

Hydrangeas do not always tolerate winter well, therefore, starting from the second half of August, it is worth preparing the bushes for winter. Nitrogen from top dressing should be completely excluded, since it stimulates the growth of new shoots that will not have time to get stronger, which means they are likely to freeze in winter. As in the flowering period, the main emphasis should be on potassium and phosphorus, they help the plant to strengthen the bark and store as much nutrition in the roots as possible - this is exactly what the plant needs to survive the frosty winter. In September, it is necessary to carry out the last feeding of the season with a solution of superphosphate and potassium sulfate (30 and 25 grams per bucket of water), for each adult plant you need a bucket of such fertilizer. At the beginning of October, it is necessary to mulch the soil of the trunk circle using peat, compost and sawdust. Such mulch will not only warm the roots of the hydrangea, but also provide it with additional nutrition during the decomposition process.

Conclusion

Like any other flower or garden crop, hydrangea needs additional nutrition. At the initial stage of the growing season, the plant needs nitrogen, and in the summer and autumn periods, potassium and phosphorus. In addition, it must be remembered that hydrangea loves water very much, it should be watered weekly and the rate of one irrigation is 2.5-3 buckets of water (the soil must get wet to the required depth).

If we talk about pests, then most often the hydrangea is affected by aphids. If you find pests at the initial stage, then it will be possible to deal with them with the help of a soap solution, but if the pests spread very quickly, then it makes sense to resort to the help of insecticides.
During the flowering period, faded inflorescences should be removed in a timely manner so that the bush does not weaken and can form new buds.

How to feed hydrangeas in summer? video