Why hydrangea does not grow

There are many varieties of hydrangea, it is grown both in the garden and at home as a houseplant. Contrary to popular belief, hydrangea is unpretentious. But in order for the plant to fully develop and bloom magnificently, it is necessary to choose the right place for it, correctly plant it and provide the hydrangea with the necessary care. This can hardly be called whims, since any garden culture requires good care. So if you have problems with your hydrangea, then the reason should be looked for precisely in caring for the plant or improper planting. This article will help you find answers to the question of why hydrangea growth and development slows down.

General information.

Today there are about eighty varieties of this beautiful plant. In the garden, you can grow paniculate, treelike or serrated hydrangeas, and compact dwarf varieties of large-leaved hydrangeas are most common as a houseplant.

In our country, deciduous varieties of hydrangeas are grown, most of them need shelter for the winter, as this is a heat-loving plant. Depending on the variety, inflorescences are formed on young branches or last year's shoots, it is important to find out this point when buying seedlings, since if you do not know, you can harm the plant by improper pruning.

The undoubted advantage of hydrangea over other plants is that it is extremely resistant to diseases and is sharply affected by harmful insects.

The color of hydrangea inflorescences is extremely diverse, you can observe white-cream flowers, different shades of blue, lilac and pink. The most interesting in this respect are some varieties of large-leaved hydrangea, since they are able to change the color of their flowers depending on the composition of the soil. If you plant this hydrangea in acidic soil with a high aluminum content, you will admire the blue-blue flowers. And if you regularly add alkaline additives under the bush, then over time, the color of the inflorescences will change to pink.

Propagation of hydrangea by dividing the bush, cuttings and layering.

Depending on the climate of the region in which you live, hydrangea can be planted in spring or autumn (the main thing is that the plant has time to root well before winter). The place for the plant must be chosen and prepared in advance, it must be protected from the wind and from direct sunlight during the day. But hydrangea will not grow in the shade either, so it is very important to choose a certain light regime for the plant: in the morning - the sun, in the afternoon light partial shade.

Hydrangea is propagated by dividing the bush, rooting cuttings or layering. You can also grow it from seeds, but since it will take at least two years to grow seedlings, this method is not particularly popular.

When planting, you need to dig a sufficiently large hole, lay drainage and a specially prepared mixture of sand, garden soil and peat in equal proportions with the addition of superphosphate at the bottom. Covering the seedling with soil, make sure that the root collar is a couple of centimeters above the soil level. The earth should be lightly tamped and the plant should be watered abundantly.

If you propagate a hydrangea by dividing a bush, then make sure that each part has healthy and strong roots, then the plant will take root faster in a new place.

Planting can be done both in spring and autumn.

If you have to root the cuttings, then in the fall you need to dig out the mother bush and transplant it into a container, place it in a cool room for the winter, water it moderately, and by the end of winter, start gradually raising the air temperature. When the hydrangea comes out of dormancy and begins to grow, then it is necessary to cut off the young apical shoots from it, cut off the leaves on them in half and plant them in nutritious soil, covered with a jar or a cut plastic bottle on top (it turns out an impromptu greenhouse). You will learn that rooting has taken place by the fresh leaves that have appeared, after which the greenhouse can be removed.
When rooting the cuttings, one branch must be buried in without cutting it off from the plant. After a few months, shoots will appear in this place, therefore, the hydrangea has taken root, you can cut off the shoot and transplant it to a new place. The best time to dig in a shoot is in the fall, when you prepare your hydrangea for winter.

Hydrangea care in the autumn-winter period.

Hydrangea is moisture-loving, but in the autumn it needs to be watered less, and if the autumn is rainy, then watering is completely unnecessary, you may even have to make a canopy over the bush to protect it from waterlogging. Carrying out the last top dressing in September-October, remove all weeds from the trunk circle, loosen the soil, add potash and phosphorus fertilizers under the hydrangea, then you need to spud the base of the bush with dry soil and thoroughly mulch the trunk circle. Experts do not recommend carrying out formative pruning of hydrangeas in the fall, but it is nevertheless necessary to remove all damaged shoots, remnants of leaves and faded inflorescences. When the first frost occurs, the hydrangea must be wrapped. If the branches are flexible enough, then they are laid on the ground, after placing boards or spruce branches, fastened, covered with dry leaves or the same spruce branches, and geotextiles are laid and fixed on top. If the branches of the hydrangea do not bend, then they are collected in a bunch and wrapped in several layers with old blankets, burlap or non-woven fabric. If the hydrangea is short, then you can cover it with a box or box, filling the inner space with dry foliage.

The reasons for the slowdown in the growth of hydrangea.

There are a number of reasons why hydrangea growth may slow down, the number of inflorescences may decrease, or flowering may not occur at all.
1. Improper preparation of the plant for winter. If you have not sheltered the hydrangea from the heavy autumn rains, then the root system could begin to rot in the winter. Shoots could freeze with insufficient quality shelter.
The root system of the hydrangea is shallow, so there is a risk of damaging it in the process of loosening the soil, this must be done very carefully.
Well, if you transplanted the hydrangea in the fall too late, then perhaps it did not have time to take root and froze in the winter.

2. As we have already said, the light regime is very important for the hydrangea; it will not bloom if planted in the shade of buildings or other taller plants. But even being in the sun all day, she will not feel comfortable, the inflorescences are crushed, and the foliage will lose a beautiful juicy green tint. Therefore, the place must be chosen so that in the hottest daytime the hydrangea is protected from the sun.
3. Insufficient watering or watering with too hard water can also cause stunted hydrangea growth. The plant is extremely hygrophilous, an adult bush needs about two buckets of water per week (it should be watered early in the morning or in the evening), and if the weather is dry, then the plants should be watered more often. Before watering, the water must be defended for several days, you can additionally acidify it with citric acid or vinegar.
In the first weeks after planting, hydrangea should be watered more often, as this contributes to early rooting.
But with all the hydrangea's love for water, it is very important not to allow the soil to become overmoistened, this can be as detrimental to the plant as a lack of moisture.
4. Hydrangea, unlike many other horticultural crops, prefers acidic soil. In an alkaline environment, she feels less comfortable, a lack of iron can lead to chlorosis of the plant. Before planting, it is necessary to find out the acidity of the soil, and if it turns out to be insufficiently suitable for hydrangeas, then the situation can be corrected with the help of ferrous sulfate, ammonium sulfate, as well as oxalic, citric or acetic acid.
5. Like any other plant, hydrangeas require additional nutrition. If fertilizers are not applied in a timely manner, then the plant experiences a deficiency of nutrients and its growth stops.

How to care for hydrangea in early spring.

In the spring, as soon as the snow melts, it is necessary to gradually unwrap the hydrangea so that it does not begin to grow under cover. First, remove the cover for the daytime, and then cover the hydrangea with geotextiles again at night. Then, with the onset of steadily warm weather, the shelter can be removed completely.

When watering for the first time, add a little potassium permanganate to the water to make a light pink solution, this way you will disinfect the soil. The same solution can be sprayed with hydrangea branches, this will make them more flexible.

The first feeding can be done after the hydrangea comes out of dormancy and the growth of shoots begins. Water the bush first, and then add complex fertilizer to the wet soil. In spring feeding, nitrogen should prevail so that the shrub quickly builds up its green mass.
Every time after watering, remember to loosen and then mulch the soil under the hydrangea. These procedures will provide air access to the roots and prevent rapid evaporation of moisture. As mulch, you can use bark, sawdust, coniferous litter or peat.

In the spring, before the sap flow begins, the hydrangea should be pruned, taking into account the characteristics of the variety. In any case, it is necessary to remove damaged and frostbitten shoots, if any.

What conditions are required for a large-leaved hydrangea for comfortable growth.

Of all the varieties, the most popular is the large-leaved hydrangea with its large, showy inflorescences that can change color.

It is recommended to plant large-leaved hydrangea in open ground in the spring, then it is guaranteed to adapt in a new place before the cold weather. The planting hole must be prepared large enough, drainage should be placed on the bottom, then the nutrient mixture, and then the seedling (when taking it out of the pot, try not to damage the earthen lump). Make sure the soil is acidic.

When choosing a place for a hydrangea, keep in mind that direct sunlight should hit the plant only in the morning or evening hours, larger plants should not be located nearby, which can deprive the hydrangea of ​​moisture and nutrients, and it is also desirable that there is protection from the wind.

Large-leaved hydrangea can not be cut unnecessarily (only in case of mechanical damage, disease or freezing), since flower buds are laid on the shoots of the last year.

At the beginning of autumn, apply the last dressing using potash-phosphorus fertilizers, then remove all lower leaves, mulch the soil in the near-trunk circle and bend the hydrangea to the ground for shelter. This process should be given special attention, because if the frost picks up shoots with flower buds, then flowering will not come next year.

All the reasons for the delay in the development of hydrangea are associated with improper care of the plant, which means that, having the necessary information, you can solve any problem, adjust the fertilization schedule, light regime, watering volume and return the flowering look to the shrub.