My daughter gave me a pink hydrangea for my birthday. I want to plant it and keep the blooms pink as I have a Nikko blue. I believe I heard that lime in the soil is important, but my soil is really acidic.
Should I mix a lot of lime right in with the soil when I plant it? I wish I had some idea of the right amounts..
New to hydrangeas
Hello, woodspirit1. Consider growing the plant in a container because this will make forcing the change less of a chore. It is definitely easier to control the color in a pot than it is in the ground.
But if you plant in the ground, this is what I would try to do. Start by getting a soil test (it should be free in North Carolina) from an Agricultural Extension Service; if acidic, add dolomitic lime several times thru the year (March, April and May) and replace your fertilizer by a similar one that has high phosphorus levels. Always make additional soil tests in Spring & after the plant blooms and take appropriate action next Spring to adjust/tweak the color intensity.
How much lime? Well, try one cup of dolomitic lime per 10 square feet and water it into the soil. Or try one tablespoon of hydrated lime in a gallon of water but avoid splashing on leaves, bark, face or skin as it can burn.
Notes:
1. in the NPK Ratio shown in fertilizer labels, phosphorus is the second number.
2. be aware that raising the Ph Level will be slower than lowering it so, if you had added lime this year before bloomage started, you would not notice changes until next year.
3. once you "get it right", you have to continue adding lime every year in order to maintain the current acidity level. Otherwise, the Ph Level will gradually change on its own.
4. if your hydrangea is a Florist Hydrangea, be aware that these are not strong varieties and may not withstand the winter in your zone. Florist hydrangeas are those that are sold in grocery stores with colorful aluminum foil in Easter or Mohter's Day.
If planting in a pot, use a soil-less mixture because it has no naturally occuring aluminum.
Good luck and post pictures when you get blooms,
Luis
This message was edited Jul 4, 2006 5:34 PM
Hey there,
Luis has probably provided the best advice, but thought I would share the advice given to me this spring. I purchased three beautiful hydrangeas from the Farmer's Market in Greensboro; 1 pink, 1 blue and 1 purple. The colors were glorious! She advised me to throw in a couple of old rusty nails when I planted the pink hydrangea and add broken egg shells to the blue and purple. They kept their blooms for quite a while and have now established themselves and giving new growth. I followed her advice and time will tell if she was right.
I'm not sure if those tricks work or not, but if they do I think she had them backwards...you would want the rusty nail in the blue and the egg shells in the pink.
yes, I heard the blue likes iron and gets that in the form of iron oxide from the nails. At one time, when girls then disease call "white ears" (low iron) a rusty nail would be stuck in an apple and left for a little while and then the girl would eat it to cure her iron deficiency.
Luis, I had already planted the hydrangea and added lime to the soil. But I think my daughter got it at the grocery store so we will see if it is hardy enough to make it through the winter.
I have had the soil tested and it is very acidic. Our soil here is also low in phosphates so I added some bone meal. I will add more lime after awhile and then again in the spring if it survives. Thanks for all the help.
I am knocking on wood for y'all! Good luck!
Hello, here is a website with a brief discussion on correcting your soil the natural way. http://www.thegardenhelper.com/acidsoil.html
Kevin
Oh, my goodness! Looks like I may be in for a surprise. Thanks for letting me know!