Do hydrangeas need feeding

Do hydrangeas need feeding

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Feeding hydrangeas

Regarded for having lush foliage and incredibly large flowerheads, hydrangeas are a common staple in most gardens but feeding hydrangeas is a question that most gardeners have. In a lot of cases, hydrangeas will grow well even if you don’t feed them. However, with some plants, such as those in pots or in poor soil, it can really make a difference. It can even help change the flower colour too.

When to feed hydrangeas

In order to prevent the plant from flopping over, you want to start by watering at the bottom of the shrub and never on top. If you water on top it will fill your flowers with extra water and that will cause the flowers themselves to fall over which can damage the stems and the branches.

Hydrangea fertilizer and feeding is fairly simple once you understand the basic elements of when you should feed and what you should feed. You can apply a slow-release chemical specifically for hydrangea shrubs once a year.  If you have a fast release compound you can do it more frequently.

What’s important is to know what fertilizer you are using. Too much fertilizer can scorch your plant. If the leaves look like they were burned that is the first sign that you have applied too much fertilizer. If you are using a fast release fertilizer do it in March, May, or July but make sure you spread it around at the drip line points of your branches not at the base and afterward water the plant well.

If you have a slow-release type of fertilizer you want to lightly cover it with soil after you have applied it around your hydrangea in order to activate it.

What to feed hydrangeas

Hydrangeas spring care

What to feed your hydrangeas is a common question. Many argue traditionally that fertilizers are the best solution as fertilizers are what most people feed their plants but in the case of hydrangeas, that’s not necessarily the right option.

With these versatile shrubs having an all-purpose composition, 12 to 4 to 8 or 10 to 10 to 10 is even better. This will give your hydrangeas everything they need to live healthy, happy lives. You can utilize a chemical source or some form of organic matter to make the food that you feed your plants.

It is recommended for more natural composition that you opt for a combination of sulfur, peat moss, and compost to fertilize your hydrangeas. It is also recommended that when you feed your hydrangeas you include a biannual dose consisting of liquid iron. This will help to promote green healthy colors in your leaves.

In order to change the soil for pink blooms you can add powdered garden lime. This should be applied in the fall because it can take several months for the soil to change. Dolomitic limestone is another option as it increases magnesium in the soil.
Lime being applied to acidic soil to lower ph

Most of the time people choose to feed their hydrangea specifically with the intent of controlling the color produced in the flowers. Small amounts of lime or sulfur if added to your fertilizer can change the color of a hydrangea. If your hydrangea has been treated with sulfur it will turn slightly blue. If you treat it with lime it will turn slightly pink. This only refers to the color of the blooms. And if you have a plant that produces naturally white blooms, you won’t be able to change the color.

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