Planting and care rules
Hydrangea of this variety is very fond of light, but grows calmly in partial shade. It is difficult to tolerate drought, prefers moderately moist soil, therefore, a special place is given to the quality of irrigation. Before planting, the plant is kept at a temperature of 0 to three degrees Celsius.
- Do not deepen the root collar during planting.
- Thoroughly loosen and water the soil after planting.
- The first feeding should be done at the end of spring.
As an experienced gardener, I advise you to prune the shoots before the growing season. Such actions contribute to lush flowering.
It is necessary to plant panicle hydrangea in pits, the size of which should be at least 50X50X70 cm, after the night frosts have ended. If you bought your plant in a store with a closed rhizome, then you can plant it until the end of the summer period. In this case, the holes must be made deeper and wider.
Despite the love for moisture, it is not recommended to plant the plant in areas with groundwater. Moreover, its wintering directly depends on how much moisture the roots accumulate during the autumn months, the less, the better the bush will endure the winter cold.
The soil
The Diamond Rouge variety is very fond of nutritious soil, loose, containing organic matter, moist with a neutral or acidic pH. The presence of an acidic environment affects the color depth, and at low pH, flowers will have pale shades.
Any kind of hydrangea is contraindicated in soils containing sand and lime. You can make a nutrient medium for your hydrangea by pouring simple milk whey into the soil.
Fertilization and watering
Throughout the season, hydrangea in a personal plot is watered no more than once every 7 days. Only in hot weather, the frequency of watering can be increased up to 2 times. Also, plant care provides for feeding, which must be carried out 2 times a year:
- In late May-early June, when the budding phase begins, the hydrangea is fed with nitrogen fertilizers.
- In summer, the plant needs potassium, which must be added according to the instructions.
Do not pour ash under the bushes, it reduces the acidity of the soil!
Pruning bushes
When caring for bushes, pay special attention to their pruning, which must be done every spring. Many growers make one mistake - they cut the bushes very short, removing most of the buds.
Do not under any circumstances repeat this. In this matter, each plant must be approached individually.
Preparing panicle hydrangea for wintering
If you live in areas where winters are harsh and long, then the bushes must be insulated. To this end, you can use one of the following methods:
Cover the near-trunk zone with spruce branches. Bend all the branches, fix with staples, cover with spruce branches
Pour peat into the center of the bushes.
Tie the young bushes with a rope and carefully pull them to the ground, fixing them in this position. Top them with spruce branches and sawdust, cover with lutrasil or spunbond.
Tall bushes are wrapped in lutrasil, secured with tape
Install a metal mesh around, pour dry foliage inside the circle, cover with polyethylene.
Growing hydrangea, I noticed such a feature, every winter the plant gets stronger and its resistance to low temperatures increases. Therefore, in an area with moderate winter cold weather, you can completely abandon the shelter of bushes over time.
Landing
The advantage of the decorative variety of Pink Diamond hydrangea is its durability. There are known specimens that have lived in one place for about 60 years. A transplant for a mature hydrangea is undesirable, therefore, it is necessary to plan the size of the place for planting a bush taking into account the plant's ability to grow 2–2.5 m wide.
We advise you to learn more about the features of planting hydrangeas in open ground.
Place for hydrangea
"Pink diamond" is a light-loving plant, but exposure to direct sunlight is detrimental to it: growth and development slows down, inflorescences form small in size and lose their decorative effect, the bush becomes susceptible to disease.
The best option would be a place in partial shade. If the site is open, well-lit, then care must be taken to protect the plant from ultraviolet solar radiation at midday. The place should be free of drafts. Hydrangea is characterized by an increased need for moisture, therefore it is not recommended to plant a shrub near a fruitful tree or plant that absorbs water in large quantities. If Pink Diamond is already growing in such a place, then it should be watered more often.
Did you know? Name
«Hydrangea »from ancient Greek it is translated as "a vessel with water". This name of the hydrangea bush is associated with the shape of the fruit-box in the form of a jug and the moisture-loving nature of the plant.
Soil preparation
Hydrangea Pink Diamond is able to adapt well to soils with different granulometric composition and acidity. The presence of lime, ash, chalk, dolomite flour and other deoxidizers in the soil negatively affects the development of the plant. The bush will grow well on fertilized, drained, fertile, loose, moist soil, the acidity (pH) of which should be 4–6.5 units.
If the soil is alkaline, then it is acidified with peat, leaf compost, or using rotted fallen needles. For this purpose, chemical agents are also used: ammonium nitrate or 5 g of citric acid per bucket of water. Before planting, the site is dug up, fertilized, and weeds are removed.
Landing dates
In the northern latitudes of the country, young plants are planted in open ground in the spring. During the summer period, the seedlings will have time to take root and gradually adapt to the approach of winter. An additional shelter will provide additional protection for a young plant in the cold season. To the south, you can plant in the fall.
Find out also about the peculiarities of planting hydrangeas in the fall.
Planting process
After purchasing a seedling with an open root system, it is advisable to plant it immediately. In the absence of such an opportunity, the bush must be stored in a dark, cool room. Preparing a seedling for planting consists in removing dry or elongated roots and cutting 3-4 buds on annual growths. If the procedure is carried out in the fall, then it is undesirable to shorten the shoots. It is recommended to dip the roots of the bush in a liquid with the addition of a growth stimulant, for example, "Heteroauxin", for 5–20 hours. This technique prevents stress in the seedling and increases the likelihood of its quick survival.
Then a landing pit is prepared. The recommended dimensions of the recess are 30 × 30 × 30 cm. The bottom of the pit is covered with any available drainage. Humus, leafy soil, peat and sand are introduced into the depression in a ratio of 2: 2: 1: 1. At the next stage, you should form a small hill, moisten it a little, place the root of a young plant on top and cover it with earth, compacting it so that there are no voids. The root collar is not buried; it should be located at the level of the soil after the soil subsides. After planting a plant, it must be watered with soft water.
Important! The optimal distance between two bushes should be equal to the width of an adult plant, i.e.
2
–2.5 m.
How to plant?
Planting hydrangeas is one of the most important factors in the proper growth and development of a plant. If you choose the wrong place, time and method of planting, you can cripple the bush without waiting for the manifestation of its decorative properties. Planting a pink hydrangea outdoors depends on several factors.
Planting time is early spring. The ideal time is the beginning of the growing season, when the buds have not yet begun to grow. That is, the ground has thawed, and the average daily temperature has not yet reached 10 degrees.Less often, hydrangea is planted in the fall, at the beginning of September, when there is no way to plant a plant in the spring.
The place is fairly lit and humid. Constant bright lighting will negatively affect the flowers: they will become smaller. On the street, you can choose a light, but shaded corner near the house or a gazebo or a large tree
Adequate moisture is also very important for hydrangeas, so planting it in slightly low places is encouraged. The superficial root system of hydrangea suggests that neighboring plants must have taproots, otherwise the rivalry will destroy the flowering bush.
Soil - fertilized and without lime
Although pink hydrangea loves moisture, it is imperative to drain the planting site. Stagnant water will destroy the roots of the bush and cause rot. Before planting, the soil mixture must be fertilized, added peat, humus and river sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 2. Such proportions are optimal for a given tree-like bush.
The landing pit is wide and shallow. The root system of the plant grows slightly in depth, but it grows quite extensively in width. This feature must be taken into account when digging a planting hole. After planting, the roots should not break off and bend. At the bottom of the planting pit, it is necessary to lay out drainage - expanded clay or broken brick.
Root soaking is an important planting element. Before planting, spread the roots and soak them in a bucket of water. This procedure must be completed approximately two hours before planting.
Neat planting without burying the root collar. Do not bury the hydrangea root collar, as it quickly begins to rot. After planting the plant, the trunk circle must be tamped well.
Abundant watering after planting. After planting a pink hydrangea in the garden, it must be watered abundantly at the rate of two buckets of water per bush.
