How To Change Colour Of Hydrangea

If you're looking for a garden flower with show appeal, hydrangea flowers are truly stunning. The hydrangea flower blooms seen in the yard next door is always the color you want but do not have. Do not worry! It is possible to change the color of hydrangea flowers. By changing the soil’s pH, you can manipulate the color of a big leaf hydrangea, but only if they were pink or blue to start with. White hydrangeas will always be white. If you have been wondering, how to change the color of a hydrangea, keep following these steps and you will have an amazing array of colorful blooms.

BEFORE WE BEGIN

Be careful when messing around with soil pH. Many plants are particularly sensitive to pH changes. If the wrong pH can inhibit nutrient uptake and cause plant stress. This is especially true with edibles. Most vegetable gardens do best with a neutral pH.

WHY DO HYDRANGEA CHANGE COLOUR

It might seem unbelievable, but it’s science! The change in hue happens in response to chemical composition of the soil it is planted in. These gorgeous flowering plants are like pH alarms for the garden. Planting them near pH-sensitive plants allows gardeners to keep tabs on soil pH levels.

Blooms typically blue if the soil is high in aluminum and has a low pH. In acidic soils, aluminum is readily available and a hydrangea’s roots can absorb this mineral. But in alkaline soils, plants are inhibited from drawing the element into their roots. While pink or reddish flowers signify pH that’s alkaline (above 7.0). A pH between 6 and 7 will be purple or pinkish-blue blooms. If the soil has either a high pH or is low on aluminum, the hydrangea flower color will be pink.

HOW TO MAKE HYDRANGEA CHANGE COLOR TO BLUE

If your hydrangea flowers are pink and you want them to be blue, you have one of two issues to fix. Either your soil is lacking in aluminum or your soil’s pH is too high and the plant can’t take up the aluminum that is in the soil. To lower the pH of the soil and achieve bluer-toned flowers, use sulfur or aluminum sulfate (both are readily available at garden centers and nurseries) but do so in small amounts through the season, as this can burn the roots. Natural options for increasing acidity and lowering pH include adding coffee grounds or citrus peels to the soil.

HOW TO MAKE HYDRANGEA CHANGE COLOR TO PINK

To raise the pH of the soil and get pink or reddish flowers, apply ground lime or a high phosphorus fertilizer (also readily available at garden centers and nurseries). Careful. Too much can cause leaf yellowing. Make sure to water well after applying lime. Another natural way to prevent aluminum uptake is to put crushed eggshells around the base of hydrangea plants. The shells slow the absorption of the element and prevent plants from turning blue.

TREAT SOIL EVERY 2 TO 4 WEEKS, STARTING IN EARLY SPRING OR LATE AUTUMN

It might be necessary to reapply products several times and keep in mind that changes in hue may take months to appear. Also, keep in mind that raising pH is generally easier than lowering it. Making a drastic color change requires a bit of upkeep. Even after you apply products like aluminum sulfate or lime, the soil eventually will return to its original pH levels. Regular treatments with pH-adjusting products are required to maintain a specific pH level. Additionally, some varieties might not change color as readily as others.

Gardeners who crave colors from the cool side of the color wheel, such as pink, purple, white, and blue, will delight in the mix of color hues that are available, sometimes multiple colors on a single shrub. Growing hydrangeas is easy, as is the care of hydrangeas. These beautiful bushes reward you each year with magnificent blooms that will instantly take you back to those fond childhood days.