Content
Hydrangea grows poorly among gardeners, not only due to insufficient care, but also for other reasons. It is a whimsical garden and indoor culture that needs good care. Poor growth can be caused by a poor-quality seedling, unfavorable weather conditions, a lack of feeding, or diseases that have arisen.
Why does hydrangea grow poorly?
There may be several reasons why culture grows poorly. The first and most important is planting a weak, non-varietal flower. It is important for novice flower growers to carefully choose the planting material for their flower garden.
Modern varieties that are now presented in nurseries have different winter hardiness, bush sizes, shape and location of inflorescences.
Climatic conditions play an important role in the growth rate of hydrangeas. The culture prefers the southern regions of Russia, it takes root well in the central ones. In areas with frosty winters with little snow, the flower does not grow, even with good shelter.
Dry, dense, low acid soil is not suitable for these plants. It is important to choose a planting place carefully; it is necessary to take into account all the needs of a whimsical plant.
Lack of fertilizer, untimely pruning and rare watering will not affect the growth of hydrangeas in the best way. With insufficient care, some of them not only slow down growth, but also die.
Reasons why garden hydrangea grows poorly
To create ideal conditions, it is important to consider the factors that inhibit the growth of the culture. Even the wrong planting technology (too deep) will slow the growth of the seedling for several seasons. Often, hydrangeas do not grow in height for this very reason.
Wrong choice of seedling
Most often, gardeners choose hydrangeas impulsively, rooting shrubs, according to aesthetic tastes. Before buying, it is important to find as much information as possible about the characteristics of the variety you like. Winter hardiness is the main criterion by which this plant is chosen. Many varieties of flowering shrubs simply cannot stand the cold.
Arid regions where it is difficult to find water for irrigation are also not suitable for hydrangeas.
The flower loves abundant moisture in the root system, without moisture stagnation.
Improper care
The life of a hydrangea on a personal plot begins with planting. This is an important step for the rooting of the seedling. It is important to choose a place that is well lit or slightly sheltered from direct sunlight. Planting is best done in the spring, so the culture will have time to take root and take root before the onset of frost. The soil should be well dug and moist.
This is a moisture-loving plant that does not tolerate drying out of the soil. At elevated air temperatures (above + 30 ᵒС) and the absence of moisture, large-leaved hydrangea does not grow.
In summer, this type of watering is carried out regularly, at least 3 times a week.
The lack of mineral and organic fertilizing leads to inhibition of the growth of hydrangeas older than 2 years. The first years after planting, the shrub absorbs those nutrients that were laid in the planting hole.Later, the plant is fertilized in the warm season at least 1 time per month. At the same time, mineral compositions alternate with organic matter, nutritious irrigation and spraying.
Loosening is carried out before or after watering. This is necessary to provide air access to the rhizome, to facilitate its growth. It is enough to carry out the procedure 3 times in the summer. The earth is loosened carefully, not going deeply, since there is a possibility of damage to the roots, they are located in the bush almost on the soil surface.
Pruning is essential for hydrangeas. Some varieties of shrubs are thinned out in the spring, while others in the fall. For example, after the autumn pruning, the panicle hydrangea does not grow.
The paniculate species is cut off only in the spring, before the buds are laid.
Radical pruning of serrated, large-leaved and prickly hydrangeas in the fall will inhibit their growth. These varieties lay buds on the shoots of the last year, shortening the stems leads to the cessation of growth and flowering.
Unfavorable weather conditions
Insufficiently warm summers with winds, frequent rains and temperature changes negatively affect the growth of hydrangeas. Wintering is especially important for flowering shrubs. Any hypothermia is fraught with the death of the plant.
Watering should be stopped in rainy summer. An excess of moisture and its stagnation at the root leads to the death of the shrub.
Diseases and pests
The attacks of harmful insects and the appearance of diseases lead to the fact that hydrangeas do not grow. In advanced cases, culture may disappear altogether.
Dangerous fungal diseases:
- gray rot;
Damaged plant tissues soften, become watery, and dry out in dry weather
- septoria;
Small rusty specks form on the surface of the leaf, as they grow, the leaves fly around, the culture loses its decorative qualities, does not grow
- chlorosis;
The disease occurs due to a lack of iron in the soil, and, as a result, metabolic disorders begin, the flower does not grow
- powdery mildew.
The disease affects young, immature plants, arises from an excess of nitrogenous fertilizers and with a lack of moisture
Fungicide preparations will help protect the culture from the fungus: Fundazol, Ferovit, Topaz, Skor.
Slugs and snails are dangerous for garden hydrangeas, they are selected by hand.
Pests arise with thickened plantings of hydrangeas, slugs and snails destroy the green part of the bush, after which it does not grow
To combat garden pests, insecticides are used: Decis, Actellik, Kleschevit. The drugs are also effective against worms, ticks, and harmful flying insects.
What to do if hydrangea does not grow
If, after planting, the shrub retains its original size for a long time, you need to pay attention to the composition of the soil and the abundance of sunlight. To accelerate the growth of hydrangeas, fertilizers with iron, nitrogen are introduced into the soil, before flowering - mineral complexes.
Sunlight is also important for the growth of any sort of hydrangea. Each of them develops well in partial shade, and petioled hydrangea does not grow in the sun. She prefers completely shaded, windless areas with acidic, loose, humus-rich soil.
The first few years, even with a successful planting, the petioled hydrangea grows slowly
In calcareous soils with insufficient acidity, any variety will not grow. Also, black soil, soil fertilized with manure or humus are destructive for the culture.
Watering is especially important for the growth of hydrangeas - this crop quickly dies in drought. Moisten the shrub with a watering can. The water must be scattered so as not to expose the surface roots of the plant. The liquid is pre-defended, it should not be cold.
Watering is carried out only in the early morning or evening, after sunset.You can not allow exposure to sunlight on a whimsical culture after wetting. An adult shrub needs 1-2 buckets of water in one procedure. In hot summer, watering is carried out every other day or 2 times a week. The shrub grows well only with abundant moisture.
If gray, whitish or rusty spots appear on the leaves of the hydrangea, this is a fungal disease. Because of this, the shrub grows poorly and stops blooming. The bush is sprayed with fungicides 1-2 times a week until the signs of the disease disappear completely.
The plant will relieve any pests with a garlic-soap solution. Prepare it like this: peel 0.5 kg of garlic, chop the cloves with a blender. The resulting gruel is poured into 2 liters of water, insisted for 2 days. After that, rub a bar of laundry soap on a grater, combine it with infused and strained garlic water. Garden plants are sprayed with liquid, clearing them of slugs, snails, leaf rollers, spider mites.
The tick-affected hydrangea leaves dry out and fall off, after which the culture does not grow
Also, insecticides "Fufan" or "Teofos" are used to combat the pest.
It is important to prune the hydrangeas in the spring to speed up the growth of young shoots. In the fall, it is better not to remove the branches of the current year, since it is on them that the flower buds of the next season are laid.
Hydrangea serrated, oak-leaved, prickly cut off minimally (only the tips of old shoots). Thorough pruning can inhibit the growth of these types of hydrangeas.
Timely shelter of hydrangeas for the winter will preserve the integrity of the shoots and flower buds. In the new season, such a flower will grow well, releasing leaves when the first rays of the sun appear.
Treelike and panicle hydrangeas are distinguished by increased frost resistance; in the southern and central regions of Russia they are not wrapped up. For a successful wintering of these crops, it is enough to mulch the trunk circle.
Top of the mulch is covered with a thick layer of dry fallen leaves
All other types of hydrangeas need a multi-layer shelter for the winter. If the culture overwinters successfully and does not freeze, it will grow well in spring and bloom early.
How to feed a hydrangea if it does not grow
Lack or overabundance of fertilizers negatively affects the growth of the shrub. After planting, for the first 2 years, he does not need additional fertilizing, they are sufficiently introduced into the hole, the culture is actively growing.
Adult plants over 2 years old do not grow well due to lack of nutrition
Lack of nutrients can be identified by thin shoots, pale and sluggish leaves, lack of buds.
Nitrogen fertilizers applied under the bush in early spring, before flowering, will help accelerate growth. As soon as the budding begins, the hydrangea is watered with complex mineral fertilizers. In their composition, a large amount should contain potassium and phosphorus (a mixture of potassium sulfate and urea), and nitrogen - a small part.
Large-leaved and paniculate hydrangeas thrive on acidic soils. For this, the soil is spilled once a month with a weakly acidic solution of vinegar or lemon.
You can make a hydrangea grow even in an unsuitable soil by watering it several times a season with copper sulfate. To do this, 6 g of the substance is diluted in a bucket of water.
Experienced gardening tips
Good care and a properly selected hydrangea variety in accordance with climatic conditions is the key to rapid growth and lush flowering of an ornamental shrub. These rules work if you take into account the recommendations of experienced florists.
Hydrangea grows poorly if:
- the thermophilic variety is cultivated in regions with cold and short summers;
- when planting, the root processes were cut off, the soil was shaken off them;
- the planting hole is not made deep, moisture evaporates quickly, and the flower lacks it;
- the flower is grown in open areas, under the scorching sun;
- the shrub was planted in the midst of other crops, it does not have enough space to grow;
- during the flowering period, hydrangea is fertilized with organic matter;
- the shrub is not pruned in early spring.
Hydrangea is hard to tolerate transplants, after a long time it is sick and does not grow. You shouldn't disturb the plant in vain.
Conclusion
It is difficult for inexperienced growers to figure out why hydrangea grows poorly. There are many reasons for this. It is important to seriously study the conditions for good growth and flowering of a given culture. She is whimsical, subject to the influence of many unfavorable factors. But the result is worth such a hassle, because hydrangea in bloom will not leave anyone indifferent.
