Hydrangea: preparing for winter, pruning and sheltering

Top dressing

If the hydrangea was planted in fertilized soil, for two years in a row you can not worry about feeding. According to general rules, acidic dressings (potassium sulfate or ammonium sulfate) are introduced until July. Starting in July and ending in October, it is advisable to use potassium-phosphorus (this is superphosphate or bone meal).

The plant needs to be provided with nutrients so that it grows at a fast pace and pleases with its abundant flowering.

• Complex food for growth. Until mid-May, you can feed the hydrangea with fertilizer based on minerals: 25 to 35 g of mineral fertilizer are taken for a 10-liter bucket of water. Another option: 1 tbsp. urea + 2 tbsp. superphosphate + 1 tbsp. potassium sulfate. Mineral fertilizers are used in combination with organic ones. For example, an addition is effective: infusion of mullein or bird droppings in a ratio of 1:10. repeat feeding after 2 weeks.
• To improve flowering, it is worth using potassium-phosphorus fertilizing. 13-15 days before the hydrangea blooms (June 1-15), it is necessary to make a liquid top dressing. To do this, 75 g of superphosphate and 50 g of potassium sulfate are dissolved in a bucket of water. The bush is watered with the resulting solution.
• During the flowering period, it is advisable to feed the hydrangea. When the hydrangea blooms profusely, you need to feed it as described above. This must be done so that the flowering period is extended, as well as so that new flower buds are formed in the future.

Recommendations! ”] Wood ash is not suitable as a top dressing. Fertilizers that are used for rhododendron and heather species are perfect.

If the soil is oversaturated with nitrogen, this will lead to bad consequences: resistance to low temperatures will be reduced, flowering will not be so abundant, rot will be activated. Only during April - May this type of fertilizer should be applied.

It's worth remembering! ”] Too much fertilizer, especially organic fertilizers (mullein, droppings), can be harmful. Better, in this case, a lack of fertilizers than a surplus.

Transplanting hydrangea after winter to another place

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

• When the shrub has faded, collect the branches in a bunch, press them tightly together and tie them in a circle with a tight rope;
• A narrow ditch is dug to a depth of 20-30 cm around the trunk within a radius of 40-50 cm. You need to fill it with compost and fill it well with water. For large shrubs, a ditch is dug at a distance of 50-70 cm from the trunk;
• In the spring, the bush is dug out together with a large earthy clod so as not to damage the root system.

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

• A new place for the bush must be dug up and loosened, weeds and debris must be removed;
• The soil is mixed with organic substances such as coarse sand, peat, pine needles. For planting 1 shrub, you need from 3 to 5 kg of any of these components;
• The land must be fertilized with superphosphate or any mineral composition. During the winter, all additives will react with the ground; in early spring, the site will be ready for planting hydrangeas.

Note! A large shrub can be used for breeding. For this, the dug out bush is divided into several parts.

The roots must be washed; when dividing, they cannot be cut in half. All pieces are planted in different places.

How you can properly transplant a hydrangea, step by step instructions:

1. At the prepared place, dig a hole for planting, at least 50x50 cm in size, the same depth. The roots of the plant should be freely visited in it;
2. At the bottom of the pit, there should be a drainage layer of pebbles or brick chips;
3. Backfill soil should be composed of deciduous soil, coarse sand and humus in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. Filling is needed a little, since the bush is transplanted together 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 with your hands, knocking a little on the surface. 1-2 supports are necessarily installed, to which the bush is tied, otherwise it will collapse;
6. The ground around the shrub is mulched with sawdust, small branches or bark;
7. The transplanted shrub is watered every other day, regardless of the weather. 10-15 liters of settled water are poured onto 1 bush.

Note! Every 10 years, you need to transplant an adult shrub to a new place.

When and how to clean a shelter

After wintering, the hydrangea will be ready to remove the shelter after the night temperature has increased to +1 ° C. During this period, the growth of twigs and leaves on them is activated. In order not to “steam up” the plant in the shelter, it is worth keeping an eye on when the active growing season begins.

The whole algorithm of preparation for wintering

A well-organized shelter for wintering will protect the aerial part and the root system of the plant from freezing. First you need to prepare the hydrangea: prune, cultivate the land near the bush. If everything is done correctly, then the flower will normally endure even severe frosts and will quickly recover after wintering.

Hydrangea - planting and care in the open field

So, it's time to plant the hydrangea outdoors. To do this, carefully remove the seedling from the pot along with the earthen clod and place it in the hole. If the seedling is without a pot: spread the roots and also place in the center of the hole. Sprinkle with the nutrient mixture so that the root collar is at ground level, tamp the soil. After that, water the bush abundantly (8-12 liters of water) and mulch the soil with needles or peat in a layer of 4-7 cm. This way the soil will stay moist longer and weeds will not appear on it.

In order for the hydrangea to take root faster, it needs care at first. Water the bush with soft rainwater or standing tap water. You can slightly acidify it with citric acid (20-25 g per 10 liters of water) or vinegar (1 tablespoon per bucket of water). After each watering, loosen the soil, and to strengthen the shoots and protect against fungal infections, periodically spill it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

When the hydrangea takes root and new shoots appear, prepare the bush for winter

This is especially important for nursery plants or unhardened seedlings. Before how to cover hydrangea, remove the remnants of leaves and inflorescences from the shoots so that they do not rot

If the seedling is 3-4 years old, do a little pruning. You will learn how to prune a hydrangea from our material.

Pruning hydrangeas in the fall: detailed instructions for beginners
How to properly prune a hydrangea in the fall and should it be done? Let's figure it out together!

To prevent young plants from freezing in winter, after the first small frosts (in the middle lane they usually occur in November), the center of each bush must be filled with pieces of dry sphagnum to a height of 20-30 cm.If there is no sphagnum, cover the bases of the bushes with a layer of sawdust, earth, leaf humus , chopped bark, chopped straw, etc. Also, it will not be superfluous to pour mulching material into the trunk circles (the larger the mulch particles, the thicker its layer should be). Then tie the plants with twine and wrap with spunbond, burlap or spruce branches.

In the spring, the layer of winter mulch must be removed so that the hydrangea does not die from damping, and sprinkle the tree circle with fresh mulch with a layer of 8-10 cm. In the first few years, the bush grows green mass, so it is better to remove the inflorescences.

Outdoor care for hydrangeas is easy, so take a closer look at this plant and try planting it in your area. In the articles below, you will find many secrets and tips to help you grow healthy flowering bushes.

Watering hydrangeas for the winter

Given the high moisture needs of Hydrangea and not discounting the autumn moisture charging of the root system of this culture, growers should not stop regularly watering it during this period. Until the onset of stable frosts, the root system of Hortense continues to store up moisture and nutrients for safe wintering, for the reason that during the period of rapid summer flowering, it has significantly depleted its vegetative capabilities and needs to be restored.

I have no doubt that many, especially not experienced in caring for Hortensia, flower growers, felt their mistake in weakening the care of this crop in the fall.

It is important to note that waterlogging of the Hydrangea bushes is extremely undesirable and threatens with rotting of its roots. All autumn miscalculations can affect the summer flowering of this culture, for which we especially appreciate it.

How to properly regulate hydrangea watering in the fall

All activities with watering Hydrangea should be correlated with the autumn weather. There is little natural rainfall and the soil around the bushes is clearly drying up - time for moderate watering. It is necessary to regularly monitor the condition of the root soil so that it is constantly wet.

• In addition, you need to be guided by the indications of a street thermometer: when lowering warm degrees Celsius to 5 and 7 units, reduce the irrigation intensity. 0 С at night - a signal to stop watering.
• For your information! For flower growers and lovers of Hydrangea in the northern regions, a variety of this culture, called Arboresenz, has been developed, which can endure in winter for a long time up to -30 C.

During a rainy autumn, watering, of course, is not only completely eliminated, but also to protect Hortense from waterlogging, which threatens winter freezing of its root system. To do this, provide the flower garden with drainage capabilities and cover the planting with a moisture-proof film.

Pruning hydrangea after flowering

In addition to regular watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil, it is required to prune this ornamental shrub over time. Less experienced gardeners and flower lovers mistakenly believe that, like lilacs, hydrangeas must be constantly pruned. Such measures may only be suitable for certain varieties. The large-leaved hydrangea does not need pruning and blooms with the shoots that have grown in the past year. In this regard, young annual shoots need to be preserved for the winter so that they can bloom profusely next summer. Shrubs with snow-white inflorescences can form on young shoots. After pruning, new branches appear on the shrub, which will bring a large number of flowers. Pruning is recommended in early spring or autumn.

It must be done with great care so as not to damage the whole bush.

All types of hydrangeas are divided into several categories according to the pruning method. The first of them includes large-leaved, serrate, prickly, oak-leaved and liana-shaped hydrangea. They differ from other species in that they can form inflorescences on old shoots. It is necessary to prune these varieties as follows: remove old inflorescences to the first healthy buds.

Another category of plants includes species that can form buds on young stems.These include the main most common varieties of hydrangeas: paniculate and tree-like, which are pruned in the spring before flowering. In hydrangea paniculata, skeletal branches and shoots growing outward are left. Treelike hydrangea is pruned only after it reaches four years of age. Otherwise, the plant will gradually begin to dry out, and over time it may die altogether. This probably won't happen if you prune your shrub in the fall.

Adult plants with a developed branch system are cut to the root, leaving about 10 cm from each shoot. For large and mature plants, this rejuvenation procedure is best done gradually so that the root system can fully recover.

Gardeners advise to do autumn pruning of shrubs, as it is better tolerated by the plant. Abundant flowering can be observed next year. In hydrangeas belonging to the second category, the inflorescences are cut off. This must be done in the absence of any shelter so that the graceful branches of the bush do not break in winter due to the weight of the snow cover. In hydrangea tree-like, thick shoots are removed, and in paniculate hydrangea, thin ones. The branches that have grown this season are shortened by several buds.

Transplanting and planting hydrangeas in the fall

The operation can be carried out with all plants, except for the garden hydrangea (large-leaved). This species is thermophilic and capricious, does not tolerate winter cold and does not have time to take root before frost.

• Large-leaved hydrangea is planted only in spring.
• The paniculate and tree-like varieties root well, planted 1-1.5 months before frosty weather sets in.

A site for planting plants is chosen in the lace shade of trees, on the eastern slope of a hill or near a building so that the hydrangea is in the shade during the day. The foliage and flowers of the shrub in the bright midday sun quickly fade and lose their attractiveness. The bush will have to be watered more often.

The soil should be fertile, water-absorbing (but without stagnant water!) And loose. Hydrangea is a plant of acidic soils, neutral and alkaline soils are acidified by introducing peat and compost from spruce needles.
The compost of spruce or pine needles is prepared as follows: the needles are stored in a shady place, compactly tamped and watered. Compost is ready for use 2 years after setting.
A pit for planting a young hydrangea seedling is prepared 50 by 50 cm in size and about 40 cm deep.It is filled with the mixture:

• turf land 2 parts;
• humus 2 parts;
• coarse sand 1 part;
• peat 1 part.

Fertilizers are added to each bucket of such a mixture: 60 g of superphosphate, 20 g of sulfuric potassium.

A hydrangea seedling is placed in the center of the pit and covered with soil so that the root collar is on the surface of the ground. After planting, the bush is abundantly watered and mulched with peat, pine needles or bark.

If an adult hydrangea plant is transplanted, it is dug up along with a clod of earth, trying not to damage the roots. A pit for planting is dug so that the earthen lump is placed in it entirely and there is still a free space of 2-4 cm to the walls of the pit. This space is filled with the above nutrient mixture. It is immersed in the planting hole without burying it in the soil.

Care for paniculate, tree and large-leaved hydrangea in autumn

In autumn, flower growers need to observe the correct watering regime, carry out preventive treatment against diseases and pests, top dressing, pruning according to the correct scheme.

Feeding hydrangeas

In the fall, it is very important to feed the hydrangeas outdoors so that they can recuperate and be nourished. In general, top dressing improves the winter hardiness of the shrub and resistance to adverse environmental factors, helps to achieve more lush and beautiful flowering in the next season.

When is it better to feed hydrangea in the fall? The timing of the autumn care procedure is approximately in the second half of September, early October, the main thing is to have time to fertilize the bush before the cold snaps begin and the ground cools down, otherwise the nutrients will be poorly absorbed by the root system.

What is the best way to feed the plant, what fertilizers? During this period, plants need phosphorus and potassium. It is most convenient to use mineral phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, for example, superphosphate (50 grams per square meter) and potassium sulfate (25 grams per square meter). Or you can fertilize hydrangeas with a ready-made complex fertilizer for the autumn feeding of various horticultural crops.

Adherents of organic farming often use wood ash as an alternative to potash mineral fertilizers. However, ash cannot be used to feed hydrangeas, because it promotes alkalization of the soil, and this culture prefers acidic soil.

Preventive treatment against diseases and pests

An important point in caring for a shrub in the fall is preventive treatment against pests and diseases. Spraying the hydrangea in autumn will protect it from the invasion of unwanted guests when the heat comes in the spring. For the treatment of the bush for prevention purposes, spraying with 3% Bordeaux liquid can be carried out

At the same time, it is important to spray not only the bush itself, and the soil and around

Termination of watering

The plant belongs to moisture-loving crops, but in the fall it is necessary to completely stop applying moisture under the plant in the open field. However, if the autumn turned out to be very warm, dry, then you can water it a couple of times during the season.

Pruning hydrangeas in the fall

When is the best time to prune hydrangeas outdoors in the fall? The time for the care procedure depends on the type of plant: tree-like and paniculate species are best pruned in late autumn, with the first frost (approximately in the second half of October, at the beginning of November), but pruning large-leaved species is best done early, around the second half of September.

Pruning panicle hydrangea 

Panicle hydrangea blooms on the shoots of the current year, so in the fall you should not be afraid to prune for the winter.

Faded inflorescences, thin, weak, damaged, dried out shoots growing inside the bush are removed. You also need to cut off strong skeletal branches, leaving 1-3 pairs of buds.

Pruning a tree hydrangea

As well as in paniculata, in tree hydrangea flowering occurs on the shoots of this year, for this reason, you can safely prune. For this type of shrub, the care procedure is extremely important, because the plant grows quickly and strong thickening can lead to weak and poor flowering.

Pruning a tree hydrangea in the fall is done according to the following scheme:

• you need to remove dried and damaged shoots, leaves (except for the upper ones),
• all branches older than four years are completely cut off;
• thin zero shoots that have not bloomed are subject to removal;
• the shoots are cut off, which thickens the bush, grows inside the bush;
• cut the main branches to 2-3 pairs of well-developed buds (pruning for flowering).

Pruning large-leaved (garden) hydrangea

Cutting the large-leaved hydrangea (it is also called garden) should be done with extreme caution, because it blooms on the shoots of last year. If you carelessly carry out the care procedure, then you can lose the flowering of the garden hydrangea next year.

It is necessary to remove faded 2-year-old shoots. You should also trim the inflorescences to the first pair of buds at the end of the branch, you cannot touch these buds in any way (1.5-2 centimeters should remain to the buds). Damaged shoots, branches affected by diseases, thin shoots are subject to pruning.

Hydrangea - preparation for winter

If you do not take preliminary measures for pruning, reducing watering and other points of care, then the flowering of hydrangeas in the spring may not resume.

Pruning bushes

How to prepare a hydrangea bush for winter according to the rules:

• Sanitary pruning. It is necessary to remove all excess leaves that have already changed color to yellow. It is enough to leave the upper leaf plates, which remain green almost until the beginning of October. With this pruning, the stems begin to become tree-like.
• At the beginning of September, you need to make the last top dressing. Phosphate-potassium fertilizers should be applied. It is strictly forbidden to use fertilizing with nitrogen in the fall.
• It is worth reducing the watering of the plant. It is enough to moisten the soil only when it is completely dry. The exact watering schedule is determined by weather conditions.

If you properly prepare the flower for the time when covering is required, the plant will overwinter without problems.