Have you planted a hydrangea in the open ground in the spring?
Hortense cannot be called unpretentious. Planting hydrangeas in the open ground in spring and the subsequent care of ornamental shrubs will require attention and diligence from the gardener. But when the summer resident manages to tame the obstinate nature of the beauty, the plant responds with a lush and incredibly spectacular flowering.
In the garden plots, several types of hydrangeas are grown, differing in the type of inflorescences, the size and shape of the leaves. However, all these plants share a love of warmth, sun, fertile, well-moisturized soil. For planting and caring for hydrangeas in the open field to be successful, these requirements must be taken into account.
Preparing for planting hydrangeas in open ground
The location of the planting pits is planned at a distance of 120–240 cm from the nearest bushes and trees. For a hedge, planting panicle hydrangea in open ground is carried out in a trench, while leaving 70–80 cm of free space between the bushes.
Hydrangeas have a widening root system, so holes for shrubs are dug 40-50 cm deep, and their width should be 10-20 cm wider.
In areas with flooding or stagnant moisture, the holes are deepened to make powerful drainage from sand, expanded clay or broken brick.
Planting hydrangeas in open ground
Whatever the soil on the site, for planting hydrangeas in open ground in the Moscow region or in another zone, they provide the most nutritious loose substrate that can well retain moisture. Soil mix for hydrangeas includes:
- 2 parts of humus;
- 2 pieces of garden land;
- 1 part sand;
- 1 part peat.
The optimum level of soil acidity is pH 5.2–6.0, so peat or rotted needles are mixed into the soil. If this is neglected, plants cease to absorb iron, become pale, growth and flowering rates decrease.
Add to the substrate:
- 25 grams of urea;
- 25 grams potassium salts;
- about 70 grams of superphosphate.
Pre-prepared soil is poured with a cone on the drainage layer. A shrub with an open root system is placed on the soil so that the roots of the plant are spread out, and its root collar is at the level or a couple of centimeters below the level of the backfill. After planting in the spring, care for hydrangeas in the open field begins with soil compaction and watering. Each seedling should have 8-10 liters of settled water. And then the trunks are mulched thickly with peat or sawdust.
Until complete rooting and the appearance of new shoots, the hydrangea needs protection from the wind and direct sunlight.
When to plant hydrangea outdoors
Ornamental and fruit shrubs are planted in early spring or autumn. In the first case, the plants acclimatize and start growing once. In the second, the hydrangea must have time to take root, and the growing season begins only in spring.
When to plant hydrangea outdoors? Specific dates depend on the climatic characteristics of the region. In the spring, the shrub is transferred to the garden, when the frost season has passed, the soil will completely thaw and warm up. In the middle lane, the best moment comes in early May. In autumn, planting is carried out in September. But the farther north, the less time the hydrangea has for autumn acclimatization. Therefore, in Siberia, planting hydrangeas in the ground in the spring gives better results than in the fall.
Outdoor garden hydrangea care
Large shrubs need time to accumulate strength and grow. Therefore, in the first two years after planting hydrangeas in open ground, in the spring, the removal of buds is included in the care of the plant. The inflorescences are pinched until their size does not exceed the size of a ruble coin.
In addition, hydrangea needs regular input, including:
- watering;
- loosening and clearing weeds from near-trunk circles;
- top dressing;
- sanitary and formative pruning;
- preparation for wintering.
In the spring, caring for the shrub begins with renewing the mulch under the hydrangea. A layer of peat, sawdust or wood chips up to 8 cm thick will protect the plantings from the spread of weeds and save soil moisture.
Outdoor hydrangea care necessarily includes summer watering... A plant that does not tolerate dry soil, in the heat and in the absence of natural precipitation, is watered at least 1 time a week. If the summer is humid, 4 - 5 waterings from spring until the plant closes for the winter is enough. For one watering, which is best done in the morning or in the evening, each bush should receive 15–20 liters of water.
As a preventive measure against rot, phytosporin, potassium permanganate or other similar preparation is periodically added to the irrigation water. Wet soil is loosened to a depth of 5 cm.
If the soil was fertilized in the spring, when planting hydrangeas in open ground, no feeding is included in the care for two years. Then they become regular:
- until July, plants are fertilized with nitrogen and potassium compounds, which stimulate the formation of greenery, the root system and the strengthening of the shrub;
- from the second half of summer to autumn, the hydrangea should receive potassium-phosphorus mixtures.
Fertilizers are applied every two weeks until October. The first spring feeding is carried out with nitrogen fertilizers, then this element is introduced very carefully. Its excess causes the growth of young shoots and does not allow the plant to prepare well for winter.
To maintain the increased acidity of the soil during dressing, you can use ready-made mixtures for azaleas, lemons and rhododendrons. And it is better to refuse wood ash, which gently deoxidizes the soil.
Preparing for the cold: caring for hydrangeas in the open field
When flowering ends, the bushes are pruned, removing the inflorescences that are no longer needed. Then the plants should be prepared for winter. Even with proper planting in open ground and care, hydrangeas in the Yaroslavl region, in the Moscow region and other regions of the middle lane suffer from winter frosts.
Most of all, the large-leaved variety of the plant freezes, which in the fall is better not to cover, but to move under the roof. The rest of the shrubs, especially young ones, must be protected with mulching or shelters.
Before the cold weather, all leaves are carefully removed from the shrub. Plant residues are carefully removed, and the trunk circle is covered with a thick layer of mulch, sprinkling the center of the bush. Shrub branches, depending on the variety and size of the plant:
- tilted to the ground and covered with spruce branches;
- tied to make it easier to put a frame cover over the bush and fill it with needles or foliage.
You need to tie the shoots with an elastic material that will not damage the crown in a few months. To prevent the elastic branches from rising in winter, they are pressed against the ground with metal brackets. Shelter films are used carefully because of the risk of wood decay and decay.
In the middle lane of the shelter is removed in the second decade of March.After 1-2 weeks, spruce branches are removed and leaves are raked off. In Siberia, in the North-West, in the Urals, hydrangea in the open field is often affected by spring chills. If this happens, the shrubbery over the summer can compensate for the damage, but it will not bloom. You can protect the hydrangea by keeping close at hand a dense non-woven material that can withstand low temperatures, burlap or film.