hydrangea's
Bridget2
Posts: 31
My friend has an hydrangea that has gone pink how can she get it to go back to white or blue.My dad used to put rusty nsils among the roots. I have a sophora prostrata and this year had some seed from it any info please on when and how to grow them ,also can I take cuttings that will root? Any help will be grateful thank you.
0
Posts
Hi. Hydrangeas are very easy to take a cutting from,just select a none flowering stem,strip off the leaves leaving just a couple toward the tip.Make a cutt just below a node,dip the cutting ito rooting powder and shake off the excess,plant into a good gritty mixed compost and watch it grow.Very easy realy bridget.
Dave.
You can buy blueing agent (it contains aluminium sulphate) for hydrangeas in any good garden centre. Follow the advice on the packet/tin.
This colour change is due to the soil pH which affects aluminium availability. Those with blue or pink flowers tend to be blue in acid soil conditions (high available aluminium levels), mauve in acid to neutral soil conditions, and pink in alkaline conditions. To get the best flower colour, choose cultivars that give the best colours for the pH in question.
White flowers, and also green-flowered cultivars, remain white or green regardless of soil pH.
Try to use rainwater to water hydrangeas, since mains hard water can affect the flower colour, turning blue flowers mauve or pink.
Cultivars with blue flowers can be kept blue by growing the plants in acidic soil (pH 4.5-5), or by using hydrangea blueing compounds according to the manufacturer???s instructions. These compounds contain aluminium sulphate and are available from most garden centres. If the soil is very alkaline, or if there is any obvious chalk in the soil, this treatment will not work, but can be very effective for container-grown plants.
If you wish to enhance red or pink flowers, apply a dressing of ground limestone or chalk at a rate of 75-100g per sq m (2-3oz sq yd) in winter.