{"id":14733,"date":"2021-05-19T22:54:01","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T02:54:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/?p=14733"},"modified":"2022-12-25T03:31:42","modified_gmt":"2022-12-25T08:31:42","slug":"coloring-hydrangeas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/coloring-hydrangeas\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Hydrangeas: The Right Fertilizer And Tips For Coloring"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Which fertilizer is suitable for blue hydrangeas? How to dye hydrangeas blue and keep the color Our tips for the correct handling of blue-colored hydrangeas. Farm hydrangeas ( <em>Hydrangea macrophylla<\/em> ) are special in terms of their flower color because this does not only depend on the hydrangea variety, but also the soil conditions.<\/p>\n<p>Garden hydrangeas and plate hydrangeas of the species <em>H. macrophylla<\/em>, which are grouped under the name of farmer&#8217;s hydrangeas, bloom in pink, red, purple, white, or blue. But blue and purple hydrangeas quickly lose their extravagant color and turn red or pink &#8211; we explain how you can avoid this. In the following, we show the conditions under which hydrangeas bloom blue and what the soil conditions have to do with it. You will also find instructions on how to color your hydrangeas blue yourself.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_makes_pink_hydrangeas_blue\"><\/span>What makes pink hydrangeas blue?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6616f41477688\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6616f41477688\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/coloring-hydrangeas\/#What_makes_pink_hydrangeas_blue\" title=\"What makes pink hydrangeas blue?\">What makes pink hydrangeas blue?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/coloring-hydrangeas\/#Heres_how_to_test_the_pH_for_blue_hydrangeas\" title=\"Here&#8217;s how to test the pH for blue hydrangeas\">Here&#8217;s how to test the pH for blue hydrangeas<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/coloring-hydrangeas\/#Coloring_hydrangeas_blue_instructions_and_the_right_fertilizer\" title=\"Coloring hydrangeas blue: instructions and the right fertilizer\">Coloring hydrangeas blue: instructions and the right fertilizer<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/coloring-hydrangeas\/#How_to_color_pink_hydrangeas_blue\" title=\"How to color pink hydrangeas blue\">How to color pink hydrangeas blue<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/coloring-hydrangeas\/#Are_there_home_remedies_for_coloring_hydrangeas_blue\" title=\"Are there home remedies for coloring hydrangeas blue?\">Are there home remedies for coloring hydrangeas blue?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/coloring-hydrangeas\/#This_is_how_you_can_keep_hydrangeas_blue\" title=\"This is how you can keep hydrangeas blue\">This is how you can keep hydrangeas blue<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>The reason for the change in color of the hydrangea flowers of pink and red varieties lies in the flower color of the plant. The red or blue dye is called delphinidin and belongs to the anthocyanin group. This color molecule changes its structure with the help of metal ions (aluminum, iron) and forms so-called chelate complexes. These give the hydrangea flowers an intense blue color.<\/p>\n<p>To color a hydrangea blue, the flower must ideally be pink first. If their color is too red, the combination with blue delphinidin tends to result in a purple hue. Since white hydrangeas do not contain any delphinidin at all, they cannot be colored blue.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-14858\" src=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Hydrangeas-of-the-species-H.-macrophylla-with-pink-flowers-are-best-colored-blue.jpg\" alt=\"Hydrangeas of the species H. macrophylla with pink flowers are best-colored blue\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Hydrangeas-of-the-species-H.-macrophylla-with-pink-flowers-are-best-colored-blue.jpg 750w, https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Hydrangeas-of-the-species-H.-macrophylla-with-pink-flowers-are-best-colored-blue-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Hydrangeas-of-the-species-H.-macrophylla-with-pink-flowers-are-best-colored-blue-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Requirements for dyeing hydrangeas blue:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hydrangeas need acidic soil. This is characterized by a pH value below 6. Hydrangeas preferably have a pH value around 4.5, they are ideally adapted to these acidic soil conditions. If the pH value is too high (&gt; 4.5), the iron and aluminum ions that are important for the blue color are no longer readily available in the soil and their uptake by the hydrangea roots is severely restricted.<\/p>\n<p>Another basic requirement for successful blue dyeing is that the plant to be colored is a hydrangea of the right species. In addition to white varieties of the species <em>H. macrophylla<\/em>, other hydrangea species such as velvet hydrangeas ( <em>Hydrangea Aspera<\/em> ssp <em>. Sargentiana<\/em> ), climbing hydrangeas ( <em>Hydrangea petiolaris<\/em> ) and panicle hydrangeas ( <em>Hydrangea parniculata<\/em> ) cannot be colored blue. <a href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/hydrangea-macrophylla\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Only farmer hydrangeas<\/strong><\/a> with violet and pink flower colors can produce this shade.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-14859\" src=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blue-colored-farm-hydrangeas-have-a-special-charm.jpg\" alt=\"Blue-colored farm hydrangeas have a special charm\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blue-colored-farm-hydrangeas-have-a-special-charm.jpg 750w, https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blue-colored-farm-hydrangeas-have-a-special-charm-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blue-colored-farm-hydrangeas-have-a-special-charm-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the hydrangea must be healthy and sufficiently supplied with nutrients and water. To ensure a needs-based supply of nutrients, hydrangeas should be fertilized annually with a suitable fertilizer such as our Plantura hydrangea fertilizer.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Heres_how_to_test_the_pH_for_blue_hydrangeas\"><\/span>Here&#8217;s how to test the pH for blue hydrangeas<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>An acidic soil (soil pH &lt;5) is one of the basic requirements for blue hydrangea flowers. How to Test Your Soil&#8217;s pH:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Put about 100 g of your soil in a mason jar.<\/li>\n<li>Add 100 ml (distilled) water and mix everything thoroughly.<\/li>\n<li>After 10 minutes, you can dip a pH test strip into the solution and read the result on a color scale (you can get the pH paper in hardware stores or pharmacies, for example).<\/li>\n<li>However, the result obtained in this way is not exact: the actual pH value is about 0.5 points lower than indicated.<\/li>\n<li>You can obtain a more precise and faster measurement result with a special measuring device, a so-called soil pH meter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>You might so like<\/strong>: <a class=\"yoast-link-suggestion__value\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/fertilize-magnolia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fertilize Magnolia: When, How And Which Fertilizer?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>If your pH value is above 5 according to the measurement, you should acidify it as described below in the article.<br \/>\nThe lower the pH, the more noticeable the blue color of the hydrangeas:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Weakly acidic soil (pH value around 5.5): The blue color no longer forms and the blue or purple hydrangeas turn pink or red again.<\/li>\n<li>Strongly acidic soil (pH value around 4): the blue hydrangeas keep their blue color, pink hydrangeas turn blue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Coloring_hydrangeas_blue_instructions_and_the_right_fertilizer\"><\/span>Coloring hydrangeas blue: instructions and the right fertilizer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To achieve the color change of the hydrangea flowers from pink to the popular hydrangea blue, essentially two steps are important. The first thing to do is to acidify the soil in which the hydrangea grows. A low pH value is a prerequisite for the uptake of aluminum and iron ions, which can be supplied secondly by adding alum dissolved in water. Finally, maintaining the acidic soil pH is important to avoid back discoloration.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-14860\" src=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/In-order-for-your-hydrangeas-to-turn-beautifully-blue-two-conditions-must-be-met.jpg\" alt=\"In order for your hydrangeas to turn beautifully blue, two conditions must be met\" width=\"750\" height=\"498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/In-order-for-your-hydrangeas-to-turn-beautifully-blue-two-conditions-must-be-met.jpg 750w, https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/In-order-for-your-hydrangeas-to-turn-beautifully-blue-two-conditions-must-be-met-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_color_pink_hydrangeas_blue\"><\/span>How to color pink hydrangeas blue<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>To lower the pH value directly when planting, you can either use special (usually peat-containing) hydrangea or rhododendron soil or mix your garden soil directly with peat. Since hydrangeas and other bog plants can no longer efficiently absorb essential iron when the pH value is too high, this measure is necessary in any case to prevent hydrangeas from iron deficiency. The acidic pH makes the aluminum in the soil available and the hydrangeas turn blue.<\/li>\n<li>To achieve a faster and more intensive color change in the hydrangea flowers, aluminum can also be added artificially to the soil. More precisely, one uses potassium aluminum sulfate (alum) or aluminum sulfate. You can even get these aluminum compounds in pharmacies.<br \/>\nTo get a blue color right from the start, water the hydrangea with a solution of three to four grams of alum in one liter of water during the phase of sprouting, or until the beginning of June. You should repeat this about four to five times with an interval of 7 days.<\/li>\n<li>You can get &#8220;Blue Hydrangeas&#8221; from garden shops. These agents lower the pH value for a short time and the aluminum turns the hydrangeas blue. &#8220;Hydrangea blue&#8221; unfortunately does not keep the flowers permanently blue, but acidifying the soil has a lasting effect. Please do not confuse hydrangea blue with blue grain. Blue grain is a universal fertilizer that got its name because of its own color.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"su-note\"  style=\"border-color:#e4e4ca;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#fefee4;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">Tip: Always use rainwater or tap water acidified with peat to fertilize with alum, to prevent the pH value from increasing through the hard, hard tap water.<\/div><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_there_home_remedies_for_coloring_hydrangeas_blue\"><\/span>Are there home remedies for coloring hydrangeas blue?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If you don&#8217;t want to buy environmentally harmful peat and hydrangea blue or alum, you can try using home remedies to turn the hydrangea flowers blue. Grape marc (a by-product of winemaking), the needles of conifers, or acidic primary rock flour (basalt, granite) are suitable for lowering the pH value of the soil. Iron and aluminum ions are present in sufficient quantities in most natural soils and do not have to be supplied.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You might so like<\/strong>: <a class=\"yoast-link-suggestion__value\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/fertilizing-rhubarb\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fertilizing Rhubarb: When, How And With Which Fertilizer?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>With potted plants, you should therefore mix in a good amount of garden soil to bring in iron and aluminum. The acid bog soil, of all things, which is present on former, drained bog areas, is an exception here &#8211; it is very poor in iron.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"This_is_how_you_can_keep_hydrangeas_blue\"><\/span>This is how you can keep hydrangeas blue<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>When planting or transplanting blue hydrangeas, the most important thing is choosing the right substrate. The pH value of the soil must then be kept permanently low to avoid discoloration. You can obtain acidic soil with a pH value of 4.5, among other things, by using only low-lime rainwater for watering, which is acidified by peat, vinegar, or bark mulch.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-14861\" src=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Acidified-rainwater-should-always-be-used-for-watering.jpg\" alt=\"Acidified rainwater should always be used for watering\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Acidified-rainwater-should-always-be-used-for-watering.jpg 750w, https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Acidified-rainwater-should-always-be-used-for-watering-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Acidified-rainwater-should-always-be-used-for-watering-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In addition, you should regularly mulch with leaf compost, lawn clippings, or needle litter, as the organic material releases acids into the soil, which have a pH-lowering effect. Regular use of grape marc and sour rock flour also helps keep the soil acidic.<\/p>\n<p>With a soil pH meter, you can check the pH value of the substrate to be able to react in good time to an increase in pH value.<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\"  style=\"border-color:#e4e4ca;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#fefee4;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><strong>Tip<\/strong>: If other plants in the bed should not be disturbed by the low pH value, you can also grow your blue hydrangeas in the tub. The smaller soil volume there makes it easier to keep the soil acidic anyway. Alternatively, it is a good idea to create a \u201cbog bed\u201d in which only acid-tolerant plants grow. These include species such as the beautiful berry ( Gaultheria procombens ) or the lavender heather ( Pieris japonica ) as well as numerous grasses and the beautiful skimmia ( Skimmia japonica ).<\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong>Summary of coloring hydrangeas blue<\/strong> :<\/p>\n<p>Two conditions must be met for your hydrangeas to turn beautiful blue:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Only pink or red hydrangeas of the species <em>Hydrangea macrophylla<\/em> can be colored blue or dark purple.<\/li>\n<li>The soil must be acidic, i.e. the pH value must be around 4.5 and kept low: For this purpose, mulch regularly with acidic material and water with acidified rainwater.<\/li>\n<li>The blue color is easier to achieve in the bucket than in the garden soil due to the smaller volume of soil.<\/li>\n<li>Aluminum ions must be available in the substrate: The hydrangeas can be poured with aluminum sulfate (alum solution or special fertilizer), but aluminum is usually present in natural soils.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Which fertilizer is suitable for blue hydrangeas? How to dye hydrangeas blue and keep the color Our tips for the correct handling of blue-colored hydrangeas. Farm hydrangeas ( Hydrangea macrophylla ) are special in terms of their flower color because this does not only depend on the hydrangea variety, but also the soil conditions. Garden&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":14734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14733"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14733"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27357,"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14733\/revisions\/27357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}