Content
Fertilizing hydrangea in the spring is necessary, first of all, so that the plant recovers after winter. In addition, during this period, the shrub spends a lot of vitality on the formation of green mass and the creation of buds, therefore, for lush flowering, it is better to add at least one top dressing.
If even after a couple of spring dressings, the hydrangea looks depressed, additionally fertilizers are added to the soil in summer and autumn. If you initially plant this crop in soil with a high level of acidity, the need for fertilizing is minimized.
Do I need to feed hydrangea in spring
Despite the fact that this is a rather unpretentious and hardy culture, at the beginning of the growing season the shrub is in dire need of replenishment. Timely feeding with organic and mineral mixtures restore its strength after slight freezing and stimulate a quick set of green mass. Ultimately, the hydrangea not only blooms profusely, but also forms a lush, spectacular crown.
Deficiency of micronutrients inhibits the growth of bushes. Their shoots are thinning, foliage is extremely scarce, and there are almost no flowers on the branches. Yellowing of the leaves and their subsequent fall off indicate a serious lack of nutrition.
For this reason, in the spring, hydrangeas are fed with large doses of nitrogen, it is he who is responsible for the foliage of plants. It is followed by potash fertilizers and phosphorus compounds.
Hydrangea responds well to spring feeding and, with proper care, forms a large number of inflorescences
When to fertilize hydrangea in spring
In the spring, at least 2 feeding of hydrangea bushes is carried out. For the first time, plantings are fertilized after the snow melts and the soil thaws. In the conditions of the middle zone, this occurs in early to mid-April. During this period, emphasis is placed on nitrogen-containing fertilizers.
The second feeding falls on the stage of bud formation. At this time, the hydrangea is fed with potash and phosphorus compounds. Complex fertilizers have proven themselves well.
Additionally, you can feed the hydrangea 2-3 times with a manganese solution in the spring. This substance will help to strengthen the wood tissue.
Feeding hydrangeas in spring with folk remedies
Folk remedies allow you to fertilize hydrangea bushes quickly and cheaply. They are quite effective, but you should not rely entirely on them. All of these methods should be used only in combination with industrial formulations, alternating between the two types of fertilizers.
Dairy products
A fairly simple and cheap way to feed hydrangea in spring is to use the remains of fermented milk products. This includes kefir of any fat content, yogurt, various whey, fermented baked milk, etc.All these products effectively acidify the soil, which has a beneficial effect on the color of the buds.
Fermented milk products allow you to change the pink color of hydrangea to blue
Bread infusions
A good feeding for the lush flowering of hydrangeas is watering the plants with bread infusion in spring. It can be made by soaking bread crusts, after which the resulting composition is diluted in a 1: 1 ratio. The liquids are allowed to brew a little more, decanted and poured under the hydrangea bushes in the spring.
If you feed the plantings with a solution of acidified bread, you can significantly increase the content of beneficial soil bacteria.
Yeast
Another common way to feed your garden hydrangea is to add ordinary baker's yeast to the soil. There are different compositions of fertilizers based on this product, but one of the most popular is the following: a bag of a substance is mixed with 2-3 tbsp. l. sugar and pour all this into 1 liter of water at room temperature. When the yeast foams, the solution is poured into a 10 L bucket and more water is added to it so that the container is filled to the top.
The resulting solution is used for watering hydrangea in the area of the trunk circle
Banana peel
Banana peels are one of the most affordable ways to feed hydrangeas in the spring without any major expense. Bananas contain a large amount of potassium, magnesium, nitrogen and phosphorus, and it is these elements that are vital for garden plants for full flowering.
Fertilize plantings with an infusion in which the banana peel is kept
Potassium permanganate
Very often hydrangea is fertilized with potassium permanganate, but here it is important not to exceed the permissible norms. The solution should not be concentrated - just a few crystals of potassium permanganate in a bucket of water. If you stir it, it should turn slightly pink.
A saturated color indicates that the content of potassium permanganate is too high.
Fertilizing hydrangeas in spring with mineral fertilizers
The simplest mineral fertilizers for hydrangeas in spring are superphosphate, potassium sulfate and ammonium sulfate. Before use, these substances are dissolved in settled water and introduced into the soil according to the instructions, watering the plantings from April-May to July.
The urea solution has also proven itself well as a fertilizer. It is bred in the proportion of 1 tbsp. l. substances on a bucket of water. In the spring, the consumption of such a solution is 5-8 liters for each plant.
Agricola for indoor and garden hydrangeas
Agricola is very popular and can be used to feed both garden and indoor hydrangeas. The complex is based on nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
The drug is produced in the form of special sticks for plants.
"Pokon"
The Pokon food dressing is produced in the form of granules. They are scattered in the area of the trunk circle, lightly sprinkled with soil. After planting the nutrient composition, the bushes are watered abundantly so that the active components contained in it penetrate into the ground.
It is a long-acting drug that is used only once per season.
Ferrovit
"Ferrovit" is sprayed on plantings if the plant is deficient in iron. This is evidenced by the weakening of immunity - the bushes begin to hurt and look depressed. The recommended dosage of the solution for this horticultural crop is 1 g of substance per 1 liter of water.
"Ferrovit" is used for preventive feeding of panicle hydrangeas in spring.
The use of the drug reduces the risk of chlorosis in hydrangea bushes
"Green World"
"Green World" fertilize the flower bed in spring and summer according to the instructions to increase the splendor of the flowering. The drug lasts an average of 2-3 months.
The tool is especially effective in the summer.
Fertika
Fertika is a specialized nutritional formula for garden hydrangeas. It is recommended to feed the bushes with this drug 1-2 times a month according to the instructions, from spring to the end of summer.
The release form assumes liquid fertilizer and granular mixture
How to fertilize hydrangea in spring
Hydrangea does not tolerate a high organic content in the soil, so this type of fertilizer must be alternated with mineral compositions. In addition, it is important to maintain the recommended acidity level for this crop, which should be at 4-5 pH. If you grow hydrangeas in an alkaline environment, the plant will often hurt, and the flowers will become faded and expressionless.
Young seedlings are fertilized during planting, filling the bottom of the planting pit with nutrient mixtures. This is especially important if the soil on the site is poor. You can feed the bushes with potassium sulfide or humus, superphosphate is also suitable.
Tips from seasoned gardeners
Despite the fact that hydrangea is one of the undemanding plants, it is recommended to fertilize the plantings from time to time. A few tricks associated with this process will help to fully reveal the potential of the shrub:
- If you feed the seedling during planting with a nutrient mixture, filling it at the bottom of the planting pit, then you can no longer fertilize it until winter. Moreover, this composition may be enough for the plant for the next year.
- If the acidity of the soil on the site is too low, the soil can be acidified artificially. To do this, the near-trunk circle is fertilized with rotted coniferous sawdust, high-moor peat, as well as pine or spruce litter.
- The color of a large-leaved panicle hydrangea with pink flowers can be corrected if the plant is properly fed. To do this, it is necessary to fertilize the plantings with aluminum alum, citric acid solution or high-moor peat, after which the flowers will turn blue. If you add these substances to the soil from only one side of the bush, you can get a two-color color of the buds - pink-blue. An exception to this rule is the white hydrangea, which does not change the color of the petals.
Conclusion
If you fertilize the hydrangea in a timely manner in the spring, this will not only ensure the lush flowering of the shrub, but also significantly strengthen its immunity against various fungal diseases. At the same time, it is important not to allow bias towards organic or, conversely, mineral fertilizers. These two types of dressings must be alternated.
