(Free) Hydrangea Soil Ph Color

Full sun or partial shade.

Hydrangea soil ph color. A fertilizer low in phosphorus and high in potassium is helpful in producing a good blue color. Require moist well drained soil the ph level of the soil will affect the colour of the flowers although white and green flowering cultivars will remain the same. The more alkaline the soil the pinker the flowers. Most varieties of hydrangea including the ones mentioned above are hardy deciduous shrubs. Hydrangeas change color except for the white ones based on the ph level of their soil. The quintessential blooms however are the bright pink purple and blue varieties of bigleaf hydrangeas. In other words acidic soils with a ph of less than 5 5 produce blue flowers.

Conditions for blue hydrangeas. For purple blooms or a mix of blue and pink flowers on the same plant the ph of the soil must be 5 5 and ph 6 5. Late spring to early autumn. If the soil naturally contains aluminum and is acid low ph the color of the hydrangea will automatically tend toward shades of blue and or purple. For pink flowers the plants need neutral to alkaline soils ph 6 5 and higher. Soil chemistry and color the most commonly grown varieties of hydrangeas are the bigleaf varieties. You see for most french hydrangeas hydrangea macrophylla the flower color indicates the ph of the soil.

The choice of fertilzer will also affect the color change. Acid soil with a ph of 5 5 to 5 yields blue or purple hydrangeas. If the soil naturally contains aluminum and is acid low ph the color of the hydrangea will automatically tend toward shades of blue and or purple. Soils with a ph greater than 5 5 produce pink flowers. White hydrangea color is not affected by the soil ph. If your soil is more alkaline you can lower the ph by applying soil acidifier at the rate specified on the package. In strongly acid soil ph below 6 flowers turn blue.

Soil ph determines the color of pink and blue hydrangeas. Extra information and ideas the choice of fertilzer will also affect the color change. To encourage blue hydrangea flowers grow the plant in soil that has a ph of 5 2 5 5. A fertilizer low in phosphorus and high in potassium is helpful in producing a good blue color 25 5 30 is good. Soil ph can also be lowered more gradually by applying an acidic organic mulch such as pine needles or pine bark. To make pink hydrangeas turn blue or to keep your blue ones from turning pink increase the acidity of soil. If the soil ph is between 5 5 and 6 the blooms tend to turn less desirable shades of mauve.

In alkaline soil ph above 7 flowers turn pink or even red. The white flowers stay white color can never be changed and usually prefer the same conditions as the pinks and reds. There are others which produce white flowers or white going on pink blooms. Slightly acid to slightly alkaline soils with a ph of 6 to 7 5 will result in pink flowers.