The grass is always greener on the other side. It your Hydrangea is blue, you would prefer it to be pink, and if it were pink you would prefer for it to be blue. Thankfully, you are able to make the changes your heart desires. The ability for Hydrangeas to change their colors, with the exception of white Hydrangeas, is based on the presence or absence of aluminum in your soil. If your Hydrangea is receiving a generous amount of aluminum then your bush will produce blue flowers, if your bush is lacking aluminum it will flower pink.
So how do you go about giving or taking aluminum away from your Hydrangea? If you are hoping for blue flowers, then you are in luck! It is much easier to supply a plant with aluminum than it is to keep a plant from receiving aluminum from your soil. If your Hydrangea is in a pot then the process will be relatively easy. Douglas A. Bailey from the Department of Horticulture at the University of Georgia suggests that if you would like to have pink flowers you, “Avoid supplying aluminum to plants; do not use mineral soil in the substrate and use fertilizers that do not contain aluminum. Use relatively high levels of phosphorus in the fertilizer program.” (Bailey) Bailey also suggests the use of Phosphoric acid for your Hydrangea.
If you prefer blue flowers, Bailey advises, “Start drenching with aluminum sulfate immediately after transplanting. Apply 8 fl oz of drench per 6 inch pot using 10 lb aluminum sulfate per 100 gallons of water. Drenches should be applied to moist substrates only as drenching dry soil will result in damaged roots. Make applications at 10 to 14 day intervals. About 10 days after each application, measure the pH of the substrate.
If the pH is higher than 5.6, another application of aluminum sulfate should be made.”(Bailey)
Please, make sure that in your concern for the color of your plant, you also remember to supply your Hydrangea with plenty of water. The first part of this beautiful plant’s name comes from the Greek word “hydor”, which means water.
The grass is always greener on the other side. It your Hydrangea is blue, you would prefer it to be pink, and if it were pink you would prefer for it to be blue. Thankfully, you are able to make the changes your heart desires. The ability for Hydrangeas to change their colors, with the exception of white Hydrangeas, is based on the presence or absence of aluminum in your soil. If your Hydrangea is receiving a generous amount of aluminum then your bush will produce blue flowers, if your bush is lacking aluminum it will flower pink.
So how do you go about giving or taking aluminum away from your Hydrangea? If you are hoping for blue flowers, then you are in luck! It is much easier to supply a plant with aluminum than it is to keep a plant from receiving aluminum from your soil. If your Hydrangea is in a pot then the process will be relatively easy. Douglas A. Bailey from the Department of Horticulture at the University of Georgia suggests that if you would like to have pink flowers you, “Avoid supplying aluminum to plants; do not use mineral soil in the substrate and use fertilizers that do not contain aluminum. Use relatively high levels of phosphorus in the fertilizer program.” (Bailey) Bailey also suggests the use of Phosphoric acid for your Hydrangea.
If you prefer blue flowers, Bailey advises, “Start drenching with aluminum sulfate immediately after transplanting. Apply 8 fl oz of drench per 6 inch pot using 10 lb aluminum sulfate per 100 gallons of water. Drenches should be applied to moist substrates only as drenching dry soil will result in damaged roots. Make applications at 10 to 14 day intervals. About 10 days after each application, measure the pH of the substrate.
If the pH is higher than 5.6, another application of aluminum sulfate should be made.”(Bailey)
Please, make sure that in your concern for the color of your plant, you also remember to supply your Hydrangea with plenty of water. The first part of this beautiful plant’s name comes from the Greek word “hydor”, which means water.