Hydrangea (Hydrangea) is a representative of the genus of flowering plants of the Hydrangea family. This genus unites about 80 species, while it is represented by shrubs and small trees. Under natural conditions, this plant is found in South and North America, Japan, China and other countries of South and East Asia. This plant was named after one of the princesses of the Holy Roman Empire. And botanists-taxonomists called it “hydrangea”, which translates from ancient Greek as “a vessel with water.” This is due to the fact that the plant is very moisture-loving.
In the indoor culture of European countries, hydrangea appeared in 1820. Later, it began to be cultivated in the open field. As soon as flower growers and gardeners began to grow hydrangeas, specialists began to breed. Thanks to them, many varieties and varieties were born. Today, this flowering plant can be found not only in the garden, but also in a pot on a terrace, veranda or balcony.
Brief description of cultivation
- Flowering . It starts in April and ends in November.
- Illumination . The light should be bright, but diffused. To do this, it is enough to place a bush not far from a south-facing window (at a distance of 200–300 cm).
- Temperature conditions . During the growing season – about 20 degrees, and during the dormant period – from 7 to 10 degrees.
- Watering . In the summer months, the bushes need abundant, frequent watering. In the spring and autumn, they are watered more rarely and in moderation. During the dormant period, the soil is rarely and scarcely moistened.
- Humidity . Requires high humidity. On hot days, the bush should be moistened as often as possible from a spray bottle.
- Fertilizer . Top dressing is carried out in the period – February – October. To do this, use a mineral complex for flowering plants (heathers, azaleas and rhododendrons), and fertilize the soil twice a month. In winter, the plant does not need fertilization.
- The rest period . Observed in December and January.
- Transfer . It is carried out only for indoor hydrangea every year, while its life expectancy is 3 to 4 years.
- Trimming . In the autumn, when the bushes have faded, weakened stems must be cut off, and powerful shoots are shortened by ½ part of the length. With the onset of spring, cut out any weak stems that are strongly elongated during the dormant period.
- Reproduction … Cutting, dividing the bush and seed method.
- vermin . Spider mites and aphids.
- disease . Peronosporosis and gray rot.
Features of home hydrangea
Home hydrangea is a perennial shrub. Its large, opposite leaf plates have an ovoid shape and a serrated edge. Their length is 10-15 centimeters. Quite large spherical inflorescences in diameter can reach about 35 centimeters. They have the shape of a shield, an umbrella or a brush, while they contain flowers of two types: in the center are small fertile ones, and at the edges there are larger sterile ones. The uniqueness of this plant is that the color of its inflorescences is directly dependent on the pH of the land on which the bush grows:
- acidic soil – bluish color;
- neutral – cream or white;
- alkaline – pink or lilac.
At the same time, all the petals of flowers are colorless, but their sepals have a rich color, which makes the inflorescences decorative. The fruit is a polyspermous capsule. When grown indoors, the height of the bush can be up to 100 cm.
Hydrangea care at home
Hydrangea grown in room culture is able to please the grower with abundant and long flowering, but only if optimal conditions for growth are created for it.
Lighting
Hydrangeas need a lot of free space, but they also need quite a lot of light. However, the bush should not be exposed to direct sunlight. For example, it can be placed at a distance of 2-3 meters from a south-facing window.
Temperature conditions
The plant feels best at a temperature of about 20 degrees. Moreover, it must be protected from sudden changes in temperature and from drafts. When the shrub has faded, it will begin a dormant period. At this time, he is placed in a dark place where the air temperature is kept at 7-10 degrees. The bush should be there until the buds begin to awaken in February. After that, it is returned to its usual place. This wintering allows hydrangeas to quickly regain their strength. If the bush hibernates under normal conditions, then it will bloom again only after 1 year.
Watering
When growing hydrangeas, special attention should be paid to watering it. It should be systematic and abundant, since this plant is very moisture-loving. In the summer, the soil mixture in the pot is moistened abundantly and quite often, and in the spring and autumn, moderately. With a cool, dark wintering, the bush is watered only in order to prevent the earthen coma from completely drying out.
Water suitable for wetting the substrate should be filtered, well-settled or thawed. You can also use rainwater, but only if you live in an ecologically clean place. Do not forget to water the bush with water mixed with lemon juice 1 time in 30 days (5 drops of juice per 1 liter of water).
Air humidity
The plant needs high humidity. Therefore, a place is chosen for it, located away from working heating appliances, and it must also be systematically moistened from a spray bottle.
Additional fertilizing
During the growing season, hydrangea must be fed with a frequency of 1 time in 15 days. For this, mineral complexes for flowering plants (rhododendrons, heather and azaleas) are used. The first feeding is carried out in February, after young shoots appear on the bush. In winter, it is impossible to fertilize the substrate.
In order for the bush to be multi-colored in one pot, flower growers on one side of the container add a little lime to the soil mixture, which makes the inflorescences lilac or pink, and on the other – potassium-ammonium alum (4-5 alum per 1 liter of water) or iron salts, then the bracts will be colored in a bluish tint. At the same time, remember that in a neutral substrate, bracts grow creamy or white.
Trimming
Pruning homemade hydrangea is a must. A similar procedure is carried out twice a year. In autumn, all weakened stems are cut out at the root of a faded bush, while powerful shoots should be shortened by ½ part of their length. In spring, all elongated weak stems are cut out from the bush.
Hydrangea transplant
At home, a hydrangea can live no more than three or four years, after which a new bush will have to be planted. Moreover, she needs a regular transplant, which is carried out once a year.
The substrate must be saturated with nutrients. Its approximate composition: sand, sod and leafy soil (1: 3: 3). The container for planting should be taken large and wide, the fact is that the root system of this culture is horizontal.
In order for the hydrangea to experience minimal stress during transplanting, it is recommended to carry it out using the transshipment method. Also, when preparing the container, be sure to make a good drainage layer on its bottom. When the bush is transferred to a new pot, it is necessary to carefully fill all existing voids with new soil mixture. Make sure that after transplanting, the root collar of the bush is flush with the surface of the substrate.
The transplanted bush is watered, and when moisture is absorbed into the substrate, it is recommended to mulch its surface with peat. This will help to avoid excessively rapid evaporation of moisture from the soil mixture.
Methods of reproduction
Cutting
Propagation of indoor hydrangea by cuttings is the simplest and most effective method of all. That is why this breeding method is most popular among flower growers. The optimal time for grafting is January or February. If you root the cutting during this period, then next fall it will form a multi-stem bush, consisting of three or four stems. If the stalk is planted for rooting in March or April, then a single-stem bush will form.
For harvesting cuttings, it is recommended to use basal shoots. The length of the segment should be 70–80 mm, and there can be up to 3 internodes on it. Remove all leaf plates from the bottom of the line. And the leaves in the upper part are shortened by ½ part, if they are large, and by 1/3, if small.
The lower part of the segment is treated with a root growth stimulating agent. Then it is planted for rooting in a mixture of sand and peat. In order for rooting to be successful, the cutting is placed in a well-lit place, the air humidity should be from 75 to 80%, and the temperature should be from 18 to 20 degrees. To maintain the required microclimate, cover the section from above with a transparent cap (for example, a glass jar). Remember to open your shelter for a while every day. Make sure that the soil mixture is always slightly damp. The cut should give roots after 20-30 days. After that, it is planted in a permanent pot, reaching from 70 to 90 mm in diameter.
Cultivation from seeds
Hydrangea, if desired, can be grown from seeds, and they should be sown in the last days of February. Take a bowl and fill it with a soil mixture of the following composition: peat, sand, humus, turf and leafy soil (1: 1: 2: 2: 2). Level the surface of the soil mixture, moisten it and evenly distribute the hydrangea seeds, which are small in size, over it. It is not necessary to sprinkle the seeds on top with the substrate. Cover the crops with foil or glass on top. Remember that crops need daily ventilation, and also timely moistening from a spray bottle (the substrate should not dry out).
После появления сеянцев укрытие необходимо снять совсем. Пикировку в более глубокий ящичек проводят только после того, как у кустиков сформируется по паре настоящих листовых пластин. Субстрат в этом случае используют тот же, что и для посева. Подросшие сеянцы пересаживают в горшки, в поперечнике достигающие 70 мм.
Breed division multiplication
The hydrangea is most quickly and easily propagated by dividing the bush. However, in this case, you need to act very carefully, and you will also need a certain skill. During the spring transplant, divide the bush into several parts. It should be borne in mind that each section should have a growth point and well-developed roots. Carry out the shortening of the stems and roots of the cuttings, after which they are planted in individual containers, while the surface of the substrate is covered with a layer of peat. If you divide the bush in the spring, then in the fall all its parts will root well.
Possible problems
Pests and diseases
If the humidity is excessively high, it can lead to gray mold damage to the home hydrangea. To save the plant, spray it with a bordeaux mixture solution. Also, high humidity can cause the development of downy mildew. In this case, the bush is treated with a solution of a fungicidal or copper-containing agent.
If the air in the room is too dry, aphids or spider mites can settle on the plant. To get rid of them, the bush is sprayed 2 times with a solution of Actellik or soap with a break of 7 days.
Hydrangea turns yellow
Hydrangea foliage may start to turn yellow for the following reasons:
- poor or rare watering;
- the plant needs nitrogen;
- the bush is affected by chlorosis (this is due to too alkaline substrate in the container).
To save the shrub, simply correct the existing care errors.
Hydrangea dries
Sometimes flower growers are faced with the fact that the plant begins to dry out. This can happen due to:
- violations of the irrigation regime;
- not enough frequent humidification from a spray bottle;
- untimely feeding;
- trauma to the root system during the transplantation.
Hydrangea falls
Most often, the leaves begin to fly around after they dry out. Remember that this is a moisture-loving plant, and therefore you need to water and moisturize it from a spray bottle regularly.
Hydrangea does not bloom
Most often this is due to a warm wintering. A bush exhausted after an abundant long flowering cannot recover its strength in a warm and bright place. He needs coolness and darkness during the rest period. In such a place, the hydrangea should stay from 70 to 80 days. For wintering, a basement or a dark room is suitable for the bush. Cut off all the foliage from it, shorten the powerful stems by ½ part, and cut the weak ones at the root. The prepared bush together with the pot is transferred to a cool place and laid on its side. The culture is sent for wintering in December, and in February it already begins to revive. If everything is done correctly, then the bush will bloom magnificently and for a long time every year.
Types of home hydrangea with photo
Indoors, only large-leaved hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla), which is also called garden hydrangea, is grown. And also for this, many of its varieties are used (more than a hundred).
Varieties with cream and white inflorescences:
- Mme E. Mouillere . Inflorescences reach 18 to 20 centimeters across, and flowers 20–60 mm. This plant differs from other varieties in narrower foliage.
- Souer Tharese . An early flowering low-growing bush reaches a height of 35 to 40 centimeters. The inflorescences consist of regular-shaped flowers, and in diameter they reach from 15 to 17 centimeters.
Varieties with pink inflorescences:
- Goliaf . A late-flowering plant reaches a height of 0.6 to 0.7 m. Deep pink large inflorescences reach about 30 centimeters in diameter. The edge of the sepals is deeply cut.
- Hamburg . The plant has a height of 0.35–0.4 m. In diameter, the inflorescences reach 16–18 centimeters, while they consist of pink flowers with a diameter of 40–50 mm.
- Europe . The height of the lush flowering bush is 0.4–0.5 m. The diameter of the inflorescences is 20–25 centimeters, and the diameter of the flowers is about 60 millimeters.
Varieties with red inflorescences:
- Red sensation . Inflorescences are reddish-claret. If you add iron salts to the substrate, then they will turn into a burgundy-purple hue.
- Prima . This plant belongs to mid-flowering varieties, while its height is from 20 to 25 centimeters. Small flowers in diameter, reaching 35 mm, are collected in small inflorescences (15-18 centimeters in diameter).
Varieties with blue inflorescences:
- Earley Blue . This vigorous plant is adorned with deep blue inflorescences.
- Ramars Mars . In a compact bush, the inflorescences reach up to 20 centimeters across. Gradually, the edges of the petals are painted in a greenish tint.
