An easy way to change the color of your hydrangea to pink, blue and purple
Hydrangeas are very beautiful plants. One of the reasons they are so popular is because they have the unique ability to change color. Flowers on these bushy plants can take on a variety of shades of red, blue, pink, white. Today we want to tell you how to correctly change the color of hydrangea to the one you like: simple and so beautifu.
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Color change restrictions
If you want to change the color of a hydrangea, you must first become familiar with some of the natural restrictions:
- White hydrangeas cannot be exchanged for pink or blue. Sometimes white can turn pink or red with age, but this is not guaranteed and you cannot influence it in any way.
- It is almost impossible to change the color intensity of hydrangea blooms. You cannot change the brightness or shades of pink and blue. There are several reasons for this, such as plant heredity, weather conditions and plant health.
- If you live in a very hot climate, you will most likely never see deep shades of red. They just feel bad in very warm climates. You may be able to do this if you grow them in containers.
How to change the color of a hydrangea
It is important to know that hydrangeas can change color on their own depending on the conditions and the pH level of the soil in which they are planted. If you want color control, it is best if they are planted in pots. Under these conditions, it will be much easier for you to monitor the condition of the soil. This simplifies the color management process. However, this does not mean that you cannot change the color of the hydrangeas planted in the ground: it just takes more effort.
When hydrangeas are planted or transplanted, they often change color on their own because they adapt to the new environment. It may take a while to figure out what color they will acquire, as it takes time for them to fully adapt to the new soil.
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How to make hydrangeas blue
Hydrangeas turn blue depending on the pH of the soil they are in. A PH below 6.0 usually gives you blue or lavender flowers. When the pH is above 7.0 (alkaline), it gives pink and red hues. If you have a pink hydrangea and want it to be blue, you need to lower your soil pH. This can be done by adding sulfur or aluminum sulfate to the soil. Add about 1 tablespoon to 1 liter of water and water the base of the plant every 2-4 weeks.
How to make hydrangeas pink
As we said above, the color is determined by the pH level in the soil. To increase the pH of the soil, materials obtained from powdered limestone, or lime, are used. These can be purchased at any garden store. Also, acidity can be increased by adding organic fertilizers:
- For 1 m², add 4 kg of manure or 1 kg of sour peat.
- You can add urea, ammonium nitrate – 1 tsp each. for 1 m².
Any food acids can also help:
- Dissolve 5 g of acid in a bucket of water
- You can use acetic acid and malic acid – 100 ml per bucket of water.
You may have to do this several times to get the desired pH range, and it may take several months for the flowers to change to the desired color. Plants have to adapt to new soil conditions, so this happens over time.
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How to make hydrangeas purple
As we found out earlier, flowers turn blue in highly acidic soil (pH below 6). In alkaline soil (pH above 7), the flowers turn pink or even red. In slightly acidic or neutral soil (pH 6 to 7), you can get purple color or you can get blue and pink color on the same plant.
You will have to constantly experiment and measure the pH of the soil to keep it neutral, and sometimes finding the perfect balance can take a lot of time.
Then just give your flowers time to adjust to the change and you will see their colors change accordingly. Now that you have our helpful tips, you can figure out how to change the color of your hydrangeas. Try it yourself.
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