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Hydrangea can not be called unpretentious. Planting hydrangeas in the spring in the open ground and the subsequent care of ornamental shrubs will require attention and diligence from the gardener. But when the cottager manages to tame the obstinate temper 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, size and shape of the leaves. However, all these plants unite the love of heat, the sun, fertile, well-moistened soil. To planting hydrangeas and caring for them in the open field were successful, these requirements must be taken into account.
Preparing for planting hydrangeas in open ground
Hydrangea in the dacha is planted as a tapeworm in flower beds or as a hedge. For the light-loving plants are suitable sunny or located in the penumbra, protected from the wind places. Getting into the shade of trees or buildings, hydrangea forms fewer buds. But under direct sunlight shrub requires protection. The summer sun quickly dries inflorescences, inhibits the growth of shrubs.
The location of the landing pits is planned at a distance of 120-240 cm from the nearest shrubs and trees. For a hedge, planting a hydrangea in an open field is carried out in a trench, with between 70–80 cm of free space between the bushes.
The root system of expanding horns is in horns, so the holes for shrubs are 40–50 cm deep, and their width should be 10–20 cm larger.
In areas with flooding or stagnation of moisture, the wells are deepened to make a 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 another zone, they provide the most nutritious, loose substrate that can retain moisture well. The soil mixture for hydrangeas includes:
- 2 parts of humus;
- 2 pieces of garden land;
- 1 part of sand;
- 1 part peat.
The optimum level of soil acidity is pH 5.2–6.0, so peat or needles are added to the soil. If this is neglected, the plants cease to absorb iron, it becomes pale, the growth and flowering rates fall.
Add to the substrate:
- 25 grams of urea;
- 25 grams of potassium salts;
- about 70 grams of superphosphate.
A previously 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 flattened, and its root collar is at a level or a couple of centimeters below the level of backfill. Caring for hydrangea in the open ground after planting in the spring begins in soil compaction and watering. For each seedling should be 8-10 liters of distilled water. And then pristvolny circles thickly mulch with peat or sawdust.
Before full rooting and the emergence of new shoots, hydrangea needs protection from the wind and direct sunlight.
When planting hydrangea in open ground
Ornamental and fruit bushes are planted in early spring or autumn. In the first case, the plants are acclimatized and once come into growth. In the second, hydrangea should have time to take root, and the growing season begins only in spring.
When planting hydrangea in open ground? Specific dates depend on the climatic characteristics of the region. In the spring the shrub is transferred to the garden, when it is time for frosts, the soil will thaw out and warm up completely. In the middle lane, the best moment comes in early May. Autumn landing is carried out in September. But the north, the hydrangea has less time for autumn acclimatization. Therefore, in Siberia, planting hydrangeas in the ground in spring gives better results than in the fall.
Care for outdoor garden hydrangea
Large shrubs for the accumulation of strength and growth takes time. Therefore, in the first two years after planting hydrangeas in the open ground, in the spring in the care of the plant include the removal of buds. Inflorescences pinch until their size does not exceed the size of the ruble coin.
In addition, hydrangea needs regular input, including:
- irrigation;
- loosening and cleaning of tree trunks from weeds;
- top dressing;
- sanitary and formative pruning;
- winterization preparation.
Spring shrub care begins with the renewal of mulch under hydrangea. A layer of peat, sawdust or wood chips with a thickness of up to 8 cm will protect the planting from the spread of weeds and save soil moisture.
Care for hydrangea in the open field necessarily includes summer watering. A plant that does not tolerate dryness of the soil in the heat and in the absence of natural precipitation is watered at least once a week. If the summer is wet, 4–5 waterings from the spring to the closure of the plant for the winter are sufficient. 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 prophylaxis of rot, phytosporin, potassium permanganate or other similar preparations are periodically added to irrigation water. Wet soil is loosened to a depth of 5 cm.
If the soil was fertilized in spring, when planting hydrangeas in open ground, they do not include top dressing for two years. Then they become regular:
- until July plants fertilize with nitrogen and potassium compounds that stimulate the formation of greenery, the root system and the strengthening of the shrub;
- from the second half of the summer to the autumn hydrangea should receive potassium-phosphorus mixtures.
Fertilizers are applied every two weeks until October. The first spring dressing 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 from the wood ash, gently deoxidizing soil, it is better to give up.
Cold Preparation: Hydrangea Care in the Open Field
When flowering ends, the bushes are pruned, removing unnecessary inflorescences. Then the plants should be prepared for winter. Even with proper planting in open ground and the care of hydrangeas in the Yaroslavl region, in the Moscow region and other regions of the middle zone suffer from winter frosts.
Most large-leaved species of plants that freeze in the fall, rather than cover under the roof, freeze over them the most. The rest of the shrubs, especially young ones, must be protected with mulching or shelters.
Remove the leaves from the shrub until they get cold. Plant residues are carefully removed, and the near-stem circle is covered with a thick layer of mulch, sprinkling the center of the bush. The branches of the shrub, depending on the type and size of the plant:
- inclined to the ground and cover with spruce branches;
- is tied to make it easier to put a skeleton cover over the bush and cover it with pine needles or foliage.
Bind shoots need elastic material, which for several months will not damage the crown. To prevent elastic branches from rising in winter, they are pressed to the ground with metal clips. Sheeting film is used carefully because of the risk of rotting and rotting wood.
In the middle lane, shelters are removed in the second decade of March. After 1-2 weeks, spruce branches are removed and the leaves are raked off. In Siberia, in the North-West, in the Urals, hydrangea in the open field is often affected by the spring cold. If this happens, the bush over the summer can compensate for the damage, but will not bloom. You can protect the hydrangea by holding on hand a dense non-woven material that can withstand small subzero temperatures, burlap or film.
