The plant tags on your ‘Endless Summer’ hydrangeas assured beautiful sky-blue flowers– so why are the blossoms completely pink? For how to change hydrangea color, take a more detailed look at the dirt they’re growing in.
Here’s the Secret …
It remains in the soil! The key to color-changing hydrangeas is whether the soil is acidic (low pH) or alkaline (high pH.) In order for hydrangeas to be a beautiful blue, the soil needs to be on the acidic side, with a pH lower than 6. You can evaluate this with a soil pH meter like this one. You can likewise take a look at your hydrangea blooms: If they’re pink, then the soil is alkaline.
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Which Hydrangeas Change Color?
Before you think of changing your soil, understand that not all hydrangeas change color. Hydrangeas with white or ivory flowers like oakleaf, ‘PeeGee’ or ‘Annabelle’ types aren’t affected by the pH of the soil. These hydrangea flowers will remain white, though a few cultivars like ‘Vanilla Strawberry’ might blush from white to pink.
The hydrangeas that can change from pink to purple to blue are the macrophylla group, also referred to as bigleaf, lacecap or mophead hydrangeas. (Lacecaps have flat flowers with frilly edges; mopheads have large, globe-shaped flower heads.) Varieties of this group consist of ‘Unlimited Summer season,’ ‘Nikko Blue,’ ‘Summer Crush,’ and ‘L.A. Dreamin.’ Some of these varieties have “blue” or “red” in their names, all bigleaf hydrangeas can alter color.
How to Get Blue Hydrangeas
To turn your hydrangea flowers blue, lower the soil pH to 6.0 or lower. You can do this by purchasing a soil acidifier plant fertilizer to feed your hydrangeas each to two weeks. Or, lower the pH of the soil naturally by spreading out pine needle or pine bark mulch around the plants. Coffee grounds can also assist make soil more acidic, along with compost tea, vinegar or peat moss contributed to the soil.
An absence of aluminum in the soil can likewise prevent hydrangeas from turning blue. Due to the fact that excess aluminum can be toxic to plants, confirm aluminum levels with a soil test prior to buying additives.
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How to Get Pink Hydrangeas
Pink hydrangea blossoms need alkaline soil, with a pH of 7.0 or greater. To make the soil more alkaline, you can work in ground or powdered limestone or wood ash. You will need to do this several times throughout the growing season. It is more hard to make soil more alkaline, so it will likely take longer than the process for blue flowers.
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How to Get Purple Hydrangeas
Hydrangea flowers will turn shades of reddish-purple to fade purple when the soil pH is someplace in between acidic and alkaline. You will typically have purple flowers throughout the procedure of raising or reducing the soil pH. To attain purple tones, goal for a pH in between 6.0 and 6.9.
Be Client with Your Garden
Altering the pH of your soil will spend some time, so understand that these color changes won’t occur over night. It will take a number of weeks or even months of changing the soil, as well as taking these steps in subsequent seasons.
If you’re wanting to see hydrangea color modification occur quicker, attempt planting a small hydrangea in a container. You’ll be able to alter and manage the pH in potted soil far more easily, and this is an enjoyable method to experiment with hydrangea color. Here are a lot more ideas for taking your garden from good to terrific!
The post Here’s How to Modification the Color of Your Hydrangeas appeared initially on Taste of Home.
