Hydrangea care in spring - how to transplant hydrangea

Hydrangea is a flowering shrub that belongs to the Hortensian family. The plant is native to Southeast Asia, has taken root in the gardens of the Moscow region, some varieties are successfully grown even in Siberia. Hydrangea is grown as a houseplant, but large outdoor shrubs are more popular.

Spring Hydrangea Care

When choosing plants for planting in the country, experienced gardeners give their preference to hydrangeas. In the flowering season, the bush is covered with large inflorescences that smell pleasantly. Proper care of the plant in the spring will provide abundant flowering until the fall.

Spring care for the bush begins in late March, in the northern regions, this period moves to April-May. The main condition is that during the day and night the positive temperature is maintained without frost. Care for the shrub requires accuracy, you need to know how to feed, how much to water and when to transplant hydrangea.

Lilac and pink inflorescences

Watering

If the winter was dry and frosty, without thaws, the plant does not have enough moisture. Immediately after wintering, hydrangea needs watering. In order for the flower to start growing faster after hibernation, it needs to be “woken up”.

Rules for hydrangea watering in early spring:

• One adult bush needs about 12-15 liters of water;
• You can not fill the plant with chlorinated water, before irrigation, water from the tap should be left to stand in open containers for 2-3 days;
• In the prepared water for irrigation, you need to add potassium permanganate, the finished liquid should be a pale pink color. The solution will help protect the plant from diseases;
• You can not water hydrangea with ice water, before watering it must be heated to 30-35 ° C;
• Watering with a solution is carried out once a week, if the weather is warm without rain. If the spring is rainy and cool, the bush is watered every 10 days;
• You need to water the plant with a solution of manganese 3 times, after which the watering continues with plain water. The solution is poured under the root, it is necessary to process the crown - this will help protect the leaves from diseases.

What color should be the solution

Top dressing

In early spring, hydrangeas form leaves and buds, at which time it requires top dressing. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers are used to accelerate growth. Feeding is carried out in 2 stages:

1. At the beginning of leaf formation, a mixture of water, potassium sulfate and urea is used. In 5 l of water you need to dilute 1 tsp. each component, this is enough to feed 1 adult bush;
2. When buds begin to form, the composition of the fertilizer changes. For a large number of inflorescences and magnificent growth, mineral mixtures are used, in which there is phosphorus and potassium. Often use superphosphate, it is enough to dilute 1-2 tbsp. l powder in 10 l of water. Under the root of 1 bush, 5 liters of solution are poured. You can use any complex fertilizer in accordance with the instructions on the package.

Soil cultivation and mulching

In early spring, it is necessary to pay attention to the soil in which hydrangea grows. Tips for what to do:

• After winter, hydrangeas are removed from the shelter, in the area around the bush it is necessary to immediately clean. The land is cleaned of dry leaves, branches, dried weeds are removed;
• The soil in a radius of 1 m around the trunk is loosened to a depth of 5-10 cm to saturate with air;
• The ground around the trunk is covered with wood shavings, peat or bark to prevent evaporation of moisture. Fir branches and sawdust will do.

Pinching, nipping and spring pruning

To make the bush look neat, cut old and dry branches in early spring. Serious spring pruning is carried out only a year after planting, always before the formation of new shoots. Then, each spring, pruning is carried out, which includes the following procedures:

• Pinch. For magnificent growth and the correct form, all hydrangea shoots need to be pinched - cut ends. Pinching does not allow the shrub to greatly increase in size. Shoots cease to grow in length, begin to grow densely on the sides. The procedure is carried out in May;
• Pasynkovka - removal of excess lateral processes. It is carried out in order to provide volume flowering and a large size of inflorescences. Shoots that do not bloom partially take away the nutrition that the shrub receives from the soil. If they are removed, flowering branches will receive more minerals and will bloom more magnificent;
• Sanitary pruning is a seasonal procedure during which spoiled, dried and frozen branches, dry inflorescences are removed;
• Anti-aging pruning. After the procedure, 6 to 9 major strong shoots remain, all weak branches and processes are cut off. Be sure to remove shoots older than 4 years;
• Thinning pruning - removal of excess branches that interfere, get confused or grow inside the crown.

There are several groups of shrubs, each species needs to be looked after differently.

Trimming large leaf, serrate and prickly hydrangeas

There are several types of shrubs, in the first group are hydrangea large-leaved, serrate and prickly. What unites these shrubs is that new inflorescences are formed on the shoots of last year.

Serrated hydrangea

These shrubs cannot be heavily pruned; only last year's inflorescences need to be removed on fertile shoots. They are trimmed carefully, without touching the new kidneys.

The ideal time for pruning plants of the 1st group is early spring, when the buds begin to swell, or the first leaves come out. In early spring, the shrubs of the first group thin out, clean dried and frozen branches. Serious pruning is not recommended, it will not hurt the shrub, but it will bloom only after a year.

Trimming tree and panicled hydrangea

The second group of plants includes shrubs paniculata and tree hydrangeas. Their inflorescences are formed on new shoots formed this year.

It is better not to tighten the pruning, otherwise the bush will bloom late. In March, as soon as the winter shelter is removed, last year's shoots must be cut. Pruning is done before the kidneys swell. Features for different varieties:

• In tree hydrangea, the shoots are shortened, leaving 2-3 buds. On an adult shrub, you can leave 1 bud. If this is not done, the branches will grow densely, and the flowers become smaller every year;
• Branches of panicled hydrangea are cut to 1/3 of the length. A thick crown is thinned out, twisted and weak branches are removed.

Pruning old inflorescences

Hydrangea transplant after winter to another place

Hydrangea transplantation to another place is carried out in the spring, until the flowering season has begun. The optimal time is from late March to early April. At this time, the soil may not warm up enough and be hard, so you need to prepare for the spring planting in the fall. Before transplanting hydrangea, you need to prepare a bush:

• When the bush fades, collect the branches in a bunch, press them tightly against each other and tie a tight rope around the circle;
• Around the trunk in a radius of 40-50 cm, a narrow moat is dug to a depth of 20-30 cm. You need to pour compost into it and pour it well with water. For large shrubs, a ditch is dug at a distance of 50-70 cm from the trunk;
• In the spring, a bush is dug up together with a large lump of land so as not to damage the root system.

In the fall, you need to prepare a new place for landing. The new site should be no worse than the previous one, otherwise the plant will not take root. How to properly prepare the ground:

• Dig a new place for the shrub and loosen it, remove weeds and garbage;
• The soil is mixed with organic substances such as coarse sand, peat, needles. For planting 1 shrub, you need from 3 to 5 kg of any of these components;
• The earth must be fertilized with superphosphate or any mineral composition. During the winter, all additives will react with the ground, in early spring the plot will be ready for hydrangea planting.

How to transplant hydrangea correctly, step-by-step instructions:

1. At the prepared site, dig a hole for landing, at least 50x50 cm in size, the same depth. The roots of the plant should be freely visited;
2. At the bottom of the pit should be a drainage layer of pebbles or brick chips;
3. The land for backfilling should consist of deciduous soil, coarse sand and humus in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. Backfill is needed a little, as the bush is replanted with a lump of earth;
4. A dug bush is carefully placed in the pit, the voids are filled with prepared backfill;
5. The soil must be compacted by hand, tapping on the surface a little. Be sure to install 1-2 supports, to which the bush is tied, otherwise it will fall over;
6. The land around the shrub is mulched with sawdust, small branches or bark;
7. The transplanted shrub is watered every other day, regardless of the weather. On 1 bush, 10-15 liters of settled water are poured.

Can hydrangea be transplanted in June

Experienced gardeners know when hydrangea can be transplanted safely. In June, the flowering season begins, and the bush is covered with large caps of inflorescences. At this time, you can not disturb him and prune, the more you can not transplant the bush. Inflorescences can be damaged and fall, the next year after transplanting, hydrangea will bloom smaller or not bloom at all.

White inflorescence

An exception may be the northern regions, for example, Siberia or the Urals. In these places, warming occurs much later than in the south. You cannot set the exact date for hydrangea transplant, which is suitable for all regions. At the end of March, frosts and low temperatures are possible; at this time, the bush should not be replanted. Flowering begins in July, so at the beginning of June hydrangea can still be transplanted.

The real decoration of the garden is a flowering hydrangea, care for it begins in the spring, includes pruning, watering and top dressing. This shrub takes root in different climates, it can be found both in the north and in the south. A well-groomed plant every summer will delight with lush flowering and fragrant aroma.