Hydrangea is an ornamental shrub whose inflorescences resemble lush caps and come in various shades. Belongs to the genus flowering, family Hortensian. An unusual plant is grown in open ground and at home, providing proper care.
Ability to change color
Hydrangea attracts attention by the fact that the color of the inflorescence can be changed. They can be pink, blue, have a crimson, purple hue. Two-tone hydrangeas are found. But not all plants change their color. There are many types, for example:
- tree-like;
- large-leaved;
- panicled;
- ashen;
- rough.
Hydrangea
Only one of them is famous for its ability to acquire a new shade. This is large-leaf hydrangea. In height, it reaches four meters, the diameter of the inflorescences is about 13 centimeters. The leaves are egg-shaped, bright green.
Tree hydrangea is also in demand among gardeners. It is a more compact shrub, one to two meters high. His flowers are snow-white, pinkish or pale green, depending on the variety.
Color Factors
The color of the inflorescences is determined by:
- a variety of hydrangea;
- composition and acidity of the soil.
To affect the shade and know how to change the color of hydrangea, you need to deal with processing immediately after planting. Then the color of the buds will be brighter and more saturated. In this case, red and purple buds appear.
Soil composition and acidity can be changed independently, using various additives and referring to alternative methods.
The effect of soil acidity
Soil is characterized by a reaction when it interacts with water or saline solutions. It is determined by the presence of hydrogen ions in the soil and can be:
- neutral
- acid;
- alkaline.
Note! With an acid reaction, hydrangea flowers turn blue. Depending on the concentration, the shade changes. Inflorescences can even be bright blue. If the reaction is alkaline, hydrangea will turn pink.
Determination of soil acidity
You can determine the acidity using special instruments or test strips. Their color changes upon contact with the soil, depending on its reaction.
Means for changing acidity
There are mini testers that will help determine the acidity when immersed in the soil. Usually they are equipped with a scale with values from 4 to 8. The neutral reaction preserves the Ph value 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 used for complete soil analysis. They contain the liquid reagents needed for the tests and detailed instructions.
Acidity is determined using litmus paper. It is placed in a container of water and a sample of soil. They are taken in a ratio of 1: 1. By color change, acidity is judged.
Folk ways
There are folk methods for determining acidity using available tools:
- You need to take a soil sample and put it in a jar. Pour vinegar or hydrogen peroxide on top. If a reaction appears, in the form of foam or hiss, then the soil is alkaline. The absence of changes indicates an increased acidity of the soil;
- Grind blackcurrant leaves and put them in a jar of hot water. After a few minutes, place a soil sample inside. Water will change color. When a pink hue 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 - alkaline.
Color Changing Irrigation Products
Soil in the middle lane in garden areas is usually neutral or slightly acidic. It is suitable for most plants, as well as for pink hydrangea. For a blue flower, the use of additional funds is necessary to maintain color. Otherwise, it will turn pink or dirty raspberry.
Important! To obtain the blue pigment, it is necessary that the soil contains aluminum in a soluble form. When the soil is characterized by low acidity, the flower cannot receive an important element from it. Therefore, its additional introduction is required.
Apply aluminum sulfate at the rate of: 500 grams per 1 square meter. You can purchase special aluminum sulfate, designed to dissolve in water. Each time when watering, it is added to the tank.
Color changing technology
Process start
Before you start staining hydrangeas, you need to determine the acidity of the soil. To do this, use special tools or turn to folk methods. If you want to have hydrangeas of different shades, experienced gardeners recommend growing them in different containers. It is easier to maintain the soil acidity necessary for each color.
Potted hydrangeas
Soil testing
Sometimes the soil does not have to be tested. Appearance will tell about its properties:
- red shades on the surface, resembling rust, indicate that it is strongly acidic;
- after watering on the water, a film forms which shimmers in the sun, which means 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. In the absence of additional funds:
- pH about 7.5 - inflorescences are bright pink;
- pH less than 4.5 - the blue tint will remain or appear;
- pH ranging from 5.5 to 6.5 - the flowers will acquire a purple color or will be pink and blue on the same shrub at the same time, you get color hydrangea.
The introduction of drugs
You can change the soil acidity in several ways:
- To add acid peat, for example, coniferous bark, when planting in the upper layer;
- Feed with special fertilizers, acidifying the soil;
- Mulch with peat and needles. This means that you need to add these materials to the soil surface 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
For hydrangea to acquire a blue tint, it must have access to aluminum. In this case, the soil should have an acid reaction. If the pH 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 hydrangea blue:
- Acidify the soil with peat or agricultural sulfur;
- Water the shrub with a solution of aluminum sulfate. It is important to moisten the soil first. Dry use of aluminum is not recommended, 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 products that contain large amounts of phosphorus and potassium.
Important! If the soil contains a lot of building materials of an alkaline nature, then by no means watering hydrangea to change color, this will not help. It is better to transplant a bush. The color is affected by lime, which enters 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.
Change color to pink
Some gardeners, when discussing how to water hydrangea so that it changes color, recall potassium permanganate. Indeed, a weak solution will help the flowers acquire a pinkish tint. But this is a temporary phenomenon. Such processing should be done constantly, when watering ceases, the action will stop. It is important that the crystals of the substance are completely dissolved in water.
How to make hydrangea pink if pH below 6.5:
- Reduce soil acidity by liming. To do this, use slaked lime, dolomite flour, chalk, ash. 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;
- Fertilize with a high content of nitrogen and phosphorus, a small amount of potassium;
- Use a universal substrate, peat composition is suitable. A change of position and placement in a separate container will speed up the process.
Additional Information. Hydrangea is a moisture-loving plant. Care for the bush requires abundant watering twice a week. The exception is rainy weather and soil with a high peat content. It retains moisture for a long time.
Blue hydrangea in the garden
How to color hydrangea so that the blue flower acquires a rich blue hue:
- It is necessary to look after creating comfortable conditions. The intensity of the color is affected by the temperature, humidity and general condition of the plant;
- Regular top dressing and maintaining the required level of acidity 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 conditions of irrigation and lighting, feed during the flowering period.
Pink hydrangea from white
From white hydrangea you can get pink, if you reduce the acidity of the soil. But this process is not always successful. It’s much easier to change the hue from pink to blue and back. In addition to the use of potassium permanganate, they turn to vinegar. 100 milliliters of acid are taken in a bucket of water. Shrubs are treated every 14 days using a maximum of 10 such doses.
Pink hydrangea
A greenish hydrangea does not change its color under any conditions, despite the additions and efforts. White shade of the shrub is found in a neutral environment, with a change in soil acidity, pink or blue color can be obtained.
Note! Color changes only in large-leaved hydrangeas, also known as garden hydrangeas. The color of panicled and tree-like shrubs remains the same. They will bloom always the same.
Hydrangea is an attractive garden flower that can change depending on 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 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 shrubs in specialized stores.
