My soil is acid, so my hydrangeas have lavender-blue flowers. However, I just bought an Endless Summer hydrangea in a 5-gallon container, and I'd like it to have pink flowers. I bought some lime, thinking that would make the soil more alkaline, but I have no idea if that's the best substance to use to make the soil more alkaline, nor do I know how much to add to the planting hole. The nursery person suggested adding 2 cups, but she was guessing. (The box of lime suggests how much to use for every 100 square feet of garden, but those kind of instructions just confuse me when I'm dealing with a small area.) All I want to do is de-acidify the soil around that one hydrangea.
Is lime the best thing to use? If so, how much should I add to the planting hole? And how often should I reapply it to ensure that the flowers are always pink?
Thanks for your help.
Terri
turning hydrangeas pink in acid soil
The enclosed link may help. It's usually not a good idea to put the lime directly in the planting hole. Spreading a little over 1-1/2 ounces per square foot, a 12" X 12" area) on top of the soil. I have blue hydrangeas next to pink ones because my soil varies from place to place. I've tried changing the color of mine because I like the blue and have ended up with purplish looking ones. A good pH meter might be helpful. Another alternative is to put your hydrangea in a pot.
BettyDee
http://www.hydrangeasplus.com/customer/pages.php?pageid=3
In soil that is close to neutral/slightly acid, I have used up to a cup of lime and still don't necessarily get pink. obviously, a soil test would help. Just thought i would put in my two cents!
Peter
Terri, I purchased a pink Merrit hy a couple years ago. My soil is very acidic. I used lime time and again and ended up with a purple pinkish blueish bloom that was really neat or really ugly depending on your point of view. I too purchased Endless Summer last year and plan to just let it be blue. If I ever feel that I MUST have pink blooms I will keep the plant in a pot. For me, it turned out to be too big a hassle but if you decide to try, I do wish you luck. :)
charlotte
Update on my original post: I decided not to use lime this year, so I can see what color the "unadulterated" hydrangea flowers are in my particular soil. They're sort of lavender/pink with some bluish highlights, which I think I rather like. So far I'm impressed with this Endless Summer hydrangea -- I just need to see if it really does keep blooming "endlessly" throughout the summer. If I'm still impressed in the fall, I plan to get another one and plant it in a container along with some lime (as many of you suggested) to see if it'll turn pink. Even if it doesn't turn pink, it's an attractive plant. Thanks to all of you who replied, and thanks to bettydee for the helpful link re lime. Happy gardening!
i have a nikko blue i got from a wonderful person here on daves. well i potted it because it was so small in sta green potting mix.
its pink and i havent added any kind of stuff to it yet to make it blue as i kinda like the pink. hehe
if i know i am getting a different color then blue its in a pot .
Bettydee, you took the words right out of mouth, when it comes to the hydrangeasplus.com link. I was up at their nursery this spring and they have about a 3 week period when they sell retail and after my daughter and I made some purchases they gave us a catalog and I was really impressed with all the great information that they packed into their catalog.