How to change the color of a hydrangea and make a hydrangea blue

Content:

Changeable color
Factors affecting color
Color change technology
How to get blue hydrangea
Color change to pink
Blue hydrangea in the garden
Pink hydrangea from white
Video

Hydrangea is an ornamental shrub, the inflorescences of which resemble lush caps and come in various shades. Belongs to the genus flowering, Hortensia family. An unusual plant is grown in the open field and at home, providing proper care.

Changeable color

Hydrangea attracts attention because the color of the inflorescences lends itself to change. They can be pink, blue, have a raspberry, purple hue. There are two-color hydrangeas. But not all plants change their color. There are many types, for example:

tree-like;
large-leaved;
paniculate;
ashy;
rough.

Hydrangea

Only one of them is famous for the ability to acquire a new shade. This is a large-leaved hydrangea. It reaches a height of four meters, the diameter of the inflorescences is about 13 centimeters. Leaves are ovoid, bright green in color.

Tree hydrangea is also in demand among gardeners. It is a more compact shrub, with a height of one to two meters. His flowers are snow-white, pinkish or pale green, depending on the variety.

Factors affecting color

The color of the inflorescences is determined:

hydrangea variety;
composition and acidity of the soil.

Hydrangea Weems Red - description of the panicle garden hydrangea

To influence the shade and know how to change the color of a hydrangea, you need to do the processing immediately after planting. Then the color of the buds will be brighter and more saturated. In this case, red and purple buds appear.

The composition of the soil and acidity can be changed independently, using various additives and turning to folk methods.

Influence of soil acidity

Soil tends to react when it interacts with water or salt solutions. It is determined by the presence of hydrogen ions in the soil and can be:

neutral;
acidic;
alkaline.

Note! With an acid reaction, the hydrangea flowers turn blue. The hue changes depending on the concentration. The inflorescences can even be bright blue. If the reaction is alkaline, the hydrangea turns pink.

Determination of soil acidity

You can determine acidity using special devices or test strips. Their color changes upon contact with the ground, depending on its reaction.

Means for changing acidity

There are mini testers that can help determine the acidity when immersed in the soil. They are usually scaled from 4 to 8. A neutral reaction keeps the Ph in the region of 7. A decrease indicates that the soil is acidic, an increase indicates an alkaline environment.

Acidity meter

Digital and electronic devices for determining the reaction of the soil have a wider range of values that are displayed on the screen.

There are special professional kits for complete soil analysis. They contain the liquid reagents required for the tests and detailed instructions.

Determine the acidity using litmus paper. It is placed in a container with water and a sample of soil. They are taken in a 1: 1 ratio. The acidity is judged by the color change.

Folk ways

There are folk methods for determining acidity using improvised means:

You need to take a soil sample and put it in a jar. Pour vinegar or hydrogen peroxide on top. If a foam or hiss reaction occurs, the soil is alkaline. The absence of changes indicates an increased acidity of the soil;
Grind the black currant leaves and put them in a jar of hot water. After a few minutes, place a soil sample inside. The water will change color. When a pink tint appears, they speak of an acidic environment. The more saturated it is, the higher the reaction. If the water turns green, then the soil is neutral, when it turns blue, it is alkaline.

Watering agents that change color

The soil in the middle lane in garden plots is usually neutral or slightly acidic. It is suitable for most plants as well as pink hydrangea. For a blue flower, you need to use additional funds to maintain the color. Otherwise, it will turn pink or dirty crimson.

Important! To obtain a blue pigment, it is necessary that there be soluble aluminum in the soil. When the soil is low in acidity, the flower cannot get an important element from it. Therefore, its additional introduction is required.

Aluminum sulfate is used at the rate of 500 grams per 1 square meter. A special aluminum sulphate is available for dissolving in water. Every time you water, it is added to the container.

Color change technology

The beginning of the process

Why does hydrangea have pale leaves - how to feed?

Before you start coloring the hydrangea, you need to determine the acidity of the soil. For this, special means are used or they turn to folk methods. If you want to have hydrangeas of different shades, experienced gardeners recommend growing them in different containers. So it is easier to maintain the acidity of the soil necessary for each color.

Potted hydrangeas

Soil testing

Sometimes the soil does not need to be tested. The appearance will tell you about its properties:

reddish shades on the surface, reminiscent of rust, indicate that it is highly acidic;
after watering, a film forms on the water, which shimmers in the sun, which means that the reaction is acidic.

If there is a device that allows you to determine the exact value of the quality of the soil, then you can predict the color of the plant in the future. Provided that no additional funds have been deposited:

pH about 7.5 - inflorescences are bright pink;
pH less than 4.5 - a blue tint will persist or appear;
pH in the range from 5.5 to 6.5 - the flowers will turn purple or will be pink and blue on the same bush at the same time, you get a colored hydrangea.

Administration of drugs

There are several ways to change the acidity of the soil:

When planting, add sour peat, for example, coniferous bark, to the top layer;
Feed with special fertilizers that acidify the soil;
Mulch with peat and pine needles. This means that you need to add these materials to the surface of the soil in order to change its properties in this case. So, mulching is also used to protect against pests, diseases, while using not only natural materials, but also artificial ones, which are crushed to the desired size.

How to get blue hydrangea

Hydrangea soil - how to acidify hydrangea soil

For a hydrangea to take on a blue hue, it must have access to aluminum. In this case, the soil must have an acidic reaction. If the pH level is below 5.5, and there is enough aluminum in the soil, then you do not need to think about how to water the hydrangea so that it turns blue, it will strive for this shade on its own. When the reaction is neutral and alkaline, additional measures are necessary.

Hydrangea blue

How to make blue hydrangea:

Acidify the soil with peat or agricultural sulfur;
Water the shrub with aluminum sulfate solution. It is important to moisten the soil first. It is not recommended to use aluminum dry, otherwise the roots may get burned. You also need to avoid getting the solution on the leaves of the plant;
Mulch with bark of coniferous trees, peat. Do not use expanded clay and marble chips;
Fertilize with acidic agents that contain large amounts of phosphorus and potassium.

Important! If the soil contains a lot of alkaline building materials, then watering the hydrangea to change color will not help. Better to transplant a shrub. The color is affected by lime, which gets into the soil, for example, from a concrete foundation. Therefore, it is better to change position, place the shrub in a separate container with acidic soil.

Color change to pink

Some gardeners, when discussing how to water the hydrangea so that it changes color, remember potassium permanganate. Indeed, a weak solution will help the flowers acquire a pinkish tint. But this is a temporary phenomenon. You need to do this treatment constantly, when you stop watering, the action will stop. In this case, it is important that the crystals of the substance completely dissolve in water.

How to make hydrangea pink if pH below 6.5:

Reduce soil acidity by liming. For this, slaked lime, dolomite flour, chalk, ash are used. The amount of application depends on the composition of the soil. If it is light, then a slight addition of raw materials is necessary, clay soils require large quantities;
Apply fertilizers with a high content of nitrogen and phosphorus, a small amount of potassium;
Use a universal substrate, peat composition is suitable. Repositioning and placing in a separate container will speed up the process.

Additional Information. Hydrangea is a moisture-loving plant. Shrub maintenance requires abundant watering twice a week. Exceptions are rainy weather and soil with a high peat content. It retains moisture for a long time.

Blue hydrangea in the garden

How to color a hydrangea so that a blue flower takes on a rich blue hue:

You need to look after, creating a comfortable environment. The intensity of the color is influenced by the temperature of the environment, humidity and the general condition of the plant;
Regular feeding and maintaining the required acidity level will make the inflorescences bright and colorful;
Iron salts will help the shade change, make it saturated. Such additives can "tint" the shrub, making it more attractive.

It is also important to periodically add a solution of aluminum sulfate to the soil in the garden, acidify the soil and monitor the irrigation and light conditions, and feed during the flowering period.

Pink hydrangea from white

You can get pink hydrangea from white hydrangea if you reduce the acidity of the soil. But this process is not always successful. It is much easier to change the shade from pink to blue and vice versa. In addition to the use of potassium permanganate, they turn to vinegar. Take 100 milliliters of acid in a bucket of water. Shrubs are treated every 14 days using a maximum of 10 such doses.

Pink hydrangea

Greenish hydrangea does not change its hue under any circumstances, despite the additions and efforts. The white shade of the shrub is found in a neutral environment, when the acidity of the soil changes, you can achieve a pink or blue color.

Note! Only large-leaved hydrangeas, also known as garden hydrangeas, change color. The color of paniculate and tree-like shrubs remains the same. They will always bloom the same way.

Hydrangea is an attractive garden flower that can change with environmental conditions. The acidity of the soil affects the color of the plant, it is this characteristic of the soil that determines how to water the hydrangea to change color, and why it does not change when fertilizing. You can achieve the transformation of the plant yourself, using drugs to change the quality of the soil, or buy ready-made paint for the shrub in specialized stores.