Mathilda Gutches

I have six of these growing in large pots but they need to be put in the ground which I plan on doing soon, I want to plant some of them next to the slab of my husbands workshop but I want them to stay blue. I know to add aluminum sulfate but how much to each planting hole also I have a biostack full of compost which I have been saving since the first of the year, should I use that or not. I do not want pink blooms as I do not like the color pink. Any help you can give would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Hello, stetchworth. I suggest you read/follow the instructions on your a/s container. Mine says to add 1 tbsp per gallon of water so after you have planted the shrubs, water each one of them with 1g of the solution/mixture. Repeat per label directions too. The cement slab may leech lime and force you to do this often. Alkaline levels in your water supply may also do the same. Note that it will be more difficult to control the acidity (soil pH) when planted in the ground than when planted in pots.

Compost is a great thing to add to hydrangeas or most any other bush for that matter. But do not overdo it; they do not respond to fertilizers with lots of growth in the amount that roses do. If you want to, you could also wait until Spring to add the compost. It is late in the season to add fertilizers; cold weather could suddenly come by in Nov-Dec, catch the plant in full growth mode and zap tender new growth.

MG is a nice hydrangea. Enziandom has nice blues too. Do you have any pictures of your shrubs that you can share?

H luis, thank you for answering my questions I will follow your directions when I plant them, I got these in the spring and did not take any pictures of the blooms but they were a nice blue so hopefully I will have the blues again next year and I will post pictures then.

The leaves on these hydrangea's are the darkest green I have ever seen on a hydrangea plant, I hope they stay that color when in the ground.

Thank you.

I have to amend my alkaline soil once or twice a year to keep the leaves that dark green color that you are taking about. Right now, one part of one of my shrubs is recovering from a small case of iron chlorosis. It is common this time of the year due to lots of rains though.