Soil for Hydrangea
The key to success in hydrangea cultivation is choosing right variety, not so sunny place and of course good soil. Wrong soil have significant impact on apperance and health of a plant. What is the best soil for Hydrangea?
How to prepare soil for Hydrangea?
Hydrangeas should grow in light, fertile, rich in humus and nutrients. Also soil for Hydrangea should be all time moist, permeable and well drained.
The best soil for Hydrangea is sandy loam soil. They will not accumulate excess water and are airy.
On non-permeable or clay soil water stays in Hydrangea root system. That leads to root rot and death of a whole bush. On the other side if water drain too quick it will not be accessible for Hydrangea root system.
However, you need to know that Hydrangea soil requirements vary between variety. Above requirements are valid for garden Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) and Serrated Hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata). They are very sensitive for heavy or light soil. The most tolerant Hydrangea variety is Hydrangea arborescens – it will grow in every soil.
Everyone knows that ideal soil conditions for hydrangea doesn’t exist in every garden. That’s why you will have to prepare it before planting.
Compact soils will need to be loosened with gravel, peat or pine bark, and too light and poor in nutrients – to be enriched with compost or manure.
An easier solution is to use a substrate for heather plants. This substrate also meets the requirements for hydrangeas. You can use soil for azaleas or rhododendrons.
What pH soil for hydrangeas ?
Hydrangeas grow best in acidic or slightly acidic soils, i.e. with a pH in the range 4.5 – 6.5. Within these ranges, hydrangeas grow and develop normally.
In soils with a pH of 6.5 and above you will witness yellowing (chlorosis), drying out and falling leaves.
This is because under such conditions plants are unable to absorb iron, manganese and aluminum from the substrate.
If you want to have exact flower color then you must keep soil at required pH level.
Varieties with pink and red flowers should have pH between 5.5 – 6.0 and varieties with blue flowers pH between 4.5 – 5.0.
Before planting – If soil pH is too high you will have to bring it down to optimal level. For this puropose you could use composted pine bark, high peat, sawdust. Acidic fertilizers like ammonium sulphate, potassium sulphate and urea would work too.
The amount of fertilizer that you need to lower pH depends on initial soil pH and composition. You can check soil pH with a electronic meter. If you require more accurate result – it would be good idea to send soil sample to specialized laboratory.
What soil for hydrangea in pot ?
The soil requirements for hydrangeas in a pot do not differ significantly from those that grow in garden.
The best substrate for hydrangeas in a pot is a peat substrate mix with pine bark in a 1: 1 ratio. It can be enriched with multi-component, long-acting mineral fertilizer or compost.
The soil requirements of hydrangeas grown in containers will also be perfectly met by a specialized substrate for heather plants.
It is good idea to add TerraCottem to the soil in the pot (it contains a hydrogel that prevents the soil from drying out quickly). As a result, hydrangeas will not experience a lack of water during periods of drought or too little watering.
