For the normal development of the plant, it is important not only to ensure proper care, but also to use high-quality soil with all the necessary nutrients for planting. To understand what kind of soil hydrangea likes, you need to carefully study the basics of agricultural technology of this culture. For most varieties, a fairly loose and moist soil with a certain level of acidity is suitable.
What soil does hydrangea like: basic indicators of soil
Before planting, you need to choose a suitable place and prepare the soil for hydrangea. It must meet the following criteria:
- to be nutritious;
- have sufficient lightness;
- good moisture permeation;
- have a certain acidity.
Flower transplant
If the earth does not meet all the requirements, hydrangea will develop poorly or simply die.
Important! The fact that the soil is not good enough, the plant will tell itself. There will be few flowers on it, and those that bloom will quickly fade. In addition, twisting and falling of leaves is possible.
In order to correctly read the signals supplied by hydrangea, the grower must monitor its condition and periodically inspect the bushes.
In order to learn more about what soil is needed for hydrangea, you should study all the requirements for it.
Acidity
First of all, for normal growth it is necessary that the soil has an average acid level (pH 5.5). If this indicator is too low, the color of the leaves will change in the plant. In this case, additional acidification may be required. But, not knowing the acidity that this composition of the soil has, it is better to abandon the introduction of lime and other ingredients that affect this indicator.
Soil preparation
After conducting a special test and identifying a problem, it is recommended to use ready-made solutions of organic origin or a home acidifier composed of food acids such as citric, malic, or acetic acid to normalize the level of acidity.
You can prepare an acidic solution by mixing the selected component with water in the proportion: 1 tablespoon of the active substance in a bucket of water.
To measure the acidity of the soil, you can use a special device, which is sold in gardening stores.
Lightweight and breathable
First of all, the soil for hydrangea should have sufficient lightness to provide air access to the roots of the plant. For this purpose, chernozem having a high density structure will not work.
For reference! Making the soil easier can be done by adding sand, sheet substrate, or fine gravel to it.
Humidity
Good water permeability of the soil layer provides lush flowering of the bush. Hydrangea is very fond of moisture and the area where it is planted should not be arid.
To maintain the desired level of humidity during the growth of the crop, the soil is mulched in a perimeter close to the stem. This is recommended to be done immediately after landing in the ground.
Nutritional value
It is equally important that the hydrangea land is nutritious.
To increase the fertility of the soil, mineral and organic compounds are used that are made by oneself or purchased in specialized stores. Ready-made fertilizers are good in that in addition to ensuring normal nutrition, they are able to regulate the acidity of the soil layer.
Important! It should be remembered that the high acidity of the soil will affect the hydrangea inflorescences with a bluish tint. If the medium is neutral, then the petals will have a yellowish color. An increased alkaline background will give a pink glow. Many owners use this property to periodically change the color of hydrangea.
How to prepare the soil for hydrangea: soil composition and proportions
Soil requirements vary depending on where hydrangea grows. If it is a garden, it will be important to consider light exposure, moisture availability and other factors. Indoor flower to a lesser extent depends on the surrounding microclimate. The needs of such plantings for moisture and fertilizing are much easier to satisfy.
In this regard, ready-made soil for room hydrangea can be used. This option will avoid errors if there is not enough experience in the manufacture of soil mixture. To create the substrate yourself, you need to know which ingredients and in what ratio you need to mix. You need to cook the following components:
- well-rotted peat;
- leaf mix or turf;
- coarse sand.
Nutrient for home growing
The ratio of the components is affected by the size and age of the flower - young plants need more humus, older sand.
The bottom of the tank is filled with a drainage layer to prevent moisture stagnation and ensure the removal of its excess.
When creating a mixture, most often, two parts of sand and three parts of humus or turf are taken on one part of peat.
Attention! The prepared mixture is poured with boiling water or heated in the oven. This will get rid of pests and pathogenic bacteria.
You need to warm up for 180 hours in an hour or 10 minutes if the oven is hot to 200 degrees Celsius. The disadvantage of this method is that in addition to harmful substances, most of the useful ones are destroyed.
The soil required for garden hydrangea has its own characteristics. It should not contain a large amount of organic matter. In addition, watering is carried out with hard water, which is harmful for ornamental plants.
The composition of the soil for growing hydrangea in the garden should include:
- black earth;
- turf;
- peat;
- decayed foliage;
- coarse sand.
But it’s not enough to know how to prepare the soil for planting hydrangeas. It is important to consider a whole range of factors that can affect the development of the plant.
It is required to provide good illumination of the bushes. This will allow him to bloom long and magnificent. It is better to plant hydrangea in a place protected from strong winds.
Preparing soil for planting hydrangea in the garden
For the soil, equal proportions of the components are taken. Drainage is placed in the hole prepared in advance, and then the soil mixture is poured. The depth of the hole depends on the size of the plant.
Special fertilizer for hydrangeas
Landing is carried out according to this scheme:
- The site is carefully dug up and then fertilized with self-prepared or purchased compounds. Experts advise using superphosphate.
- About forty centimeters deep, a drainage is placed. Layer thickness - more than five centimeters. It can be small crushed stone or broken brick.
- Then the fertile soil composition made in advance is poured.
- After thorough watering, you need to wait a few days for the soil to compress a little.
- Then the soil acidity level is determined, and, if necessary, measures are taken to optimize it.
At the end, the root zone is mulched. For this purpose, needles, sawdust or peat are used, for hydrangea it does not matter which one to choose. The main thing is that the plant will receive the necessary nutrients and retain moisture.
Important! From time to time, the mulch layer needs to be renewed, as the plant sucks all the nutrients out of it.
What to do so that there are no problems with the soil
It is possible to ensure the normal growth of hydrangea bushes if you follow the rules for caring for the plant. They are as follows:
- Timely feeding. For this, it is better to use complex formulations containing such important elements as potassium, iron, zinc and others.
- During the flowering period, you need to feed twice a month. An exception is too hot days.
- Periodic loosening of the earth around a hydrangea bush. This will allow the roots to receive the oxygen necessary for development.
- Watering after drying of the topsoil.
In the gardens of the middle strip, not all plant species can take root. This must be taken into account when deciding which soil and method of cultivation for hydrangea to choose. Because if the variety is not suitable, no nutrient soil will help.
Important! It is strictly forbidden to use fresh organics for feeding - this will inhibit the flowering process.
Tree-like, paniculate, large-leaved and other varieties have their own growing characteristics and not all of them can survive difficult climatic conditions. Therefore, you need to help the plantations adapt to new conditions, protecting them from heat and extreme cold.
The most popular are panicled varieties. Therefore, for many gardeners it is of interest what soil panicle hydrangea loves. With normal care, such a bush is able to develop a powerful root system. But even this rather unpretentious flower may not bloom due to illness, improper watering and too alkaline soil. If all these negative factors are eliminated, then the flowering will be magnificent and long.
The soil chosen for planting hydrangea must meet certain criteria. If they are not taken into account, the plant will hurt and grow poorly. Many gardeners choose a ready-made substrate, depending on what soil the cultivated hydrangea cultivar may prefer. But most make it themselves from peat, sand and rotted leaves. If you add the right care, top dressing and watering, the plant will thank you with a beautiful and lush flowering.
