Hydrangea - how to care and grow at home

Hydrangea is not only a shrub that is planted in the garden, but also a houseplant. For her to grow up healthy, home care must be properly organized.

Hydrangea - growing and care at home

Hydrangea growing at home looks very beautiful and decorative. But even at home, the bush does not bloom all year round. The moment has come when the indoor hydrangea has faded, what to do next - this question is of interest to many flower growers. The most important thing is to provide the indoor flower with proper care, so that the hydrangea will not only bloom profusely, but also rarely get sick.

Indoor hydrangea

After flowering, you need to make the bush feel as comfortable as possible. First of all, it is necessary to regulate watering, light and temperature conditions. And also figure out the top dressing, whether you need to make them in winter or not.

Transplanting hydrangeas into a new pot

Florists do not consider the hydrangea home plant to be capricious; you still need to know how to care for it in order to grow a healthy flower.

Reproduction by dividing the bush

Autumn is the best time to reproduce the plant by dividing the bush. During this period, active vegetative growth stops, so the hydrangea easily tolerates the division of the bush and the transplant. This is one of the easiest breeding methods.

Reproduction process by dividing the bush:

• the bush is taken from an old pot;
• the plant is divided into several parts so that shoots and living buds are in the same quantity on each of them;
• the pot is half filled with soil;
• a separated part of the plant is installed in the center of the pot;
• the pot is filled with soil to the top.

At the end of planting, it is necessary to water the bush with plenty of warm water. Some parts can be planted in open ground if the bush has grown too much and there is no longer enough space for it at home.

Pruning and replanting a bush

Home care for a hydrangea mix involves regular pruning and transplanting a flower. Pruning is done twice a year - in spring and autumn. If necessary, you can additionally cut the bushes in the summer.

In the fall, pruning is done after flowering. The procedure is necessary in order to prepare the flower for winter. With a sharp pruner, the entire deciduous part is cut off almost at the root. The cuts can be sprinkled with wood ash to prevent disease.

In the spring of a colored hydrangea, it is necessary to cut off all weak and too elongated shoots.

Pruning hydrangea

When transplanting for soil, use:

• humus;
• coarse river sand;
• peat;
• turf;
• leafy ground.

Leafy earth and humus need to be taken in two parts, all other ingredients - one part at a time. All ingredients are thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous substrate is obtained. During planting, drainage (expanded clay or small pebbles) is usually covered at the bottom of the pot, and then the soil. Drainage is necessary so that in case of waterlogging of the soil, the root system does not start to rot too quickly.

With the help of the soil, you can change the shade of the inflorescences.Hydrangea is an unusual plant. It, like litmus paper, reacts to changes in the composition of the soil. If you acidify the soil, then the color of the inflorescences will be more saturated.

In a soil with neutral acidity, hydrangea flowers will be white or creamy. In slightly acidic soil, the inflorescences acquire a bluish color. And if the soil is acidic, the flowers turn into a rich pink or lilac hue. To increase the acidity of the soil, it is necessary to add sawdust, peat, coniferous soil to it.

Plant feeding

Growing home hydrangea is impossible without regular application of mineral and organic fertilizers. The type and amount of dressings depends on the season and growing season.

Spring

Garden hydrangea care in spring is aimed at stimulating future buds and active growth of the shrub. Nitrogen is responsible for all this. In spring, the main dressing is potassium sulfate and urea. For 10 liters of water, you need to take 1 tbsp. l. of each substance. Stir the solution thoroughly. One adult bush should take 5 liters of fertilizer.

During the appearance of hydrangea buds, phosphorus and potassium are required. Superphosphate can be used as fertilizer

Summer

In the summer, organic matter and complex mineral fertilizers must be applied to the soil. Suitable for this are "Kemira flower", "Agricola" and nitrophoska. From organic fertilizers, slurry is used (dilution in a ratio of 1:10) and an infusion of nettle leaves with chicken droppings.

Hydrangea after dressing

Fall

At this time, the plant is prepared for winter, so feeding should be aimed at increasing immunity so that the flower will survive the winter. The nitrogen is stopped. The last time it can be entered in early September. In the fall, they stop feeding the flower completely until spring.

In winter, top dressing is usually not applied. You will have to resort to this measure only if at this time of the year the plant gets sick and it will be necessary to additionally stimulate the immune system.

The importance of feeding is not only in preparing the bush for winter or increasing the duration of flowering, but also in preventing the appearance of pests and diseases. A weakened plant quickly begins to hurt even with the slightest disturbance in care. The danger of diseases lies in the fact that many of them cannot be treated and the bush has to be thrown out. Also, all other flowers in the house can be infected from a diseased plant.

How to care for hydrangea during dormancy

During the dormant period, plant growth slows down, and flowering stops. But even the "sleeping" hydrangea should not be ignored, watering and caring for it should be continued, but on a smaller scale.

Hydrangea care

The dormant period for the flower begins at the end of autumn. It lasts for several months. Every beginner who is going to grow a plant should know this. The first condition is temperature. Towards the end of autumn, the temperature in the room where the pot stands is reduced to +8 - +12 degrees. The plant is placed in a cool room after it has faded. In this case, the bush must be pruned.

Hydrangea is a deciduous one, therefore, before the onset of cold weather, it usually sheds its foliage. Novice growers shouldn't panic. This process normally takes place once a year.

In winter, the amount of natural sunlight is reduced. This is an inevitable process. In the Moscow region, daylight hours in winter lasts only 5-6 hours. This is very little for a light-loving hydrangea. The pots will need to be rearranged on the sunny side and additional artificial lighting will be turned on every evening (for several hours).

Watering in winter should be minimal. It is not recommended to water the bush in the evening. This often leads to root rot.

Thanks to the care, the hydrangea will bloom for a long time and abundantly in spring and summer. It should not be ignored even when the flower enters a dormant period.