Hydrangea pleases gardeners with amazing lush flowering throughout the summer. But to achieve active growth of the seedling and the appearance of many buds is not easy. To eliminate problems when growing a flower, it is worthwhile to understand why hydrangea slowly grows after planting and does not form flowers.
How quickly paniculate, tree-like and large-leaved hydrangeas grow after planting
The seedling growth rate depends on several factors:
- fertility and proper acidity of the soil;
- lighting;
- comfortable temperature of air and soil.
In favorable conditions, hydrangea blooms lushly
If all conditions are met, hydrangea takes root after planting and increases in size very quickly. Annual growth is from 15 to 25 cm. On average, to reach a height of 1.5-2 m, the plant will need 10-11 years.
The growth rate also depends on the type of hydrangea. The most unpretentious and fast-growing - panicled variety. Planted in fertile and moist soil, it survives well. The plant reaches a standard height of 1-1.5 m by 4 years. The bush begins to bloom by the age of 5.
Tree hydrangea is more capricious, but over the year it increases by an average of 30 cm. The shrub needs a lacy shade, moderate soil moisture.
Large-leaved hydrangeas do not tolerate frosty winters of Russia. A significant impact on their growth and flowering has a successful wintering. Last year’s growth often freezes, and the bush loses its flower buds. Gardeners solve the problem by providing reliable shelters for the plant.
Why garden hydrangea grows poorly
Why is hydrangea not growing if it has been planted according to all the rules? This is most often due to improper care or inappropriate climate.
Bad wintering
All varieties of shrubs in the Russian climate need warming. As a rule, the base of the trunk is spudded to a height of 25-30 cm with earth or sawdust. The shoots are carefully tied into bundles and wrapped in burlap, lutrasil, wrapped with spruce branches.
Important! You can not bend the branches to the ground, they can break.
In special cases, a wooden box is made around the bush. The space inside it is completely covered with sawdust or polystyrene foam.
It’s dry and warm inside such a shelter
Due to improper shelter, hydrangea can freeze and get wet (if the bush was insulated with polyethylene).
Incorrect pruning
Hydrangea can grow slowly due to improper pruning. Annual haircut stimulates the growth of new shoots and increases the splendor of the bush. Basic pruning rules:
- Cut all branches older than 6 years of age.
- In autumn, shorten the shoots on which there were flowers by 20 cm.
- Thin out the crown, removing weak and unhealthy twigs.
Important! Shortening of last year's shoots from large-flowered (garden) hydrangea is excluded. In this species, buds appear on last year's growths, and pruning deprives the bush of future flowering.
Depleted soil
Fertilizers introduced when planting a seedling last for 1 year. Then the bush needs to be fed. A signal about a lack of nutrition is a change in the color of the leaves (they become pale) and the growth of the seedling is stopped.
They feed the shrub with courses, using special mineral fertilizers for rhododendrons and hydrangeas: Fertiku, Agricola, Pokon. In the spring, it is effective to mulch the soil around the plant with humus, vermicompost, peat. At the time of flowering, hydrangea is treated with mineral complexes.
Attention! In summer, foliar top dressing with low concentration solutions is effective.
Diseases and Pests
Although the plant as a whole is resistant to disease, it can suffer from rot, downy mildew, fusariosis, and viral infections. You can determine the presence of an ailment by the following signs:
- a seedling stops growing;
- gray or white plaque appears on leaves and stems;
- foliage is covered with yellow, brown and brown spots;
- the roots of a dug plant on the cut are brown, not white.
For treatment and prevention, drugs are used: Fundazole, Skor, Alirin.
The reason for the slow growth of hydrangea in the garden may be the invasion of pests (aphids, spider mites, leaf beetles). Insects destroy foliage and shoots of the plant, sucking juices. Get rid of them with the help of Actara, Akarin, Inta Vira.
Alkaline soil
One of the reasons why hydrangea does not grow is the lack of acidity of the soil. For a plant, it should be in the range of 4.5-6.5 pH. Check the acidity of the soil on the site using test strips, which can be bought at a garden store.
They increase soil acidity in the following ways:
- use acid peat and coniferous sawdust;
- make potassium nitrate (1 tbsp. l. in a bucket of water);
- water hydrangeas with water with the addition of citric or oxalic acid (1 tsp per bucket).
Attention! It is useful to bring aluminum alum (30-40 g per 1 sq. M.) Into the near-trunk zone of the shrub and pour it with a solution of succinic acid.
Watering errors
When growing hydrangeas, special attention is paid to regular watering. The soil should not completely dry out. Drought is a common cause of stunting. Watering regimen in the summer - 2 times a week. But waterlogging should not be. When planting a plant, a drainage layer is laid in the pit so that the water does not stagnate.
Damage to the root system during planting or during loosening
Careless planting of hydrangea leads to separation of some roots. Because of this, the nutrition of the shrub is disturbed, hydrangea stops growing and can die. When planting, the roots should be spread carefully, without jerking.
Loosening the soil is carried out to a depth of 3-5 cm. This operation can be excluded if the trunk circle is sawdusted with sawdust, wood chips, and grass.
Little sun
Most varieties of hydrangeas do not tolerate direct sunlight. Inflorescences quickly burn out, the leaves turn yellow. But even in a dull shadow, the bush grows slowly.
Seedlings are placed in a lace shade or on a site that is open to the sun in the afternoon.
Shade from the crown of the tree reliably protects hydrangea from burns
Why hydrangea does not take root in the garden
A bush, planted according to all the rules in suitable soil, can also grow poorly.
Wrong seedling selection
Inexperienced gardeners often make mistakes at the stage of choosing a hydrangea seedling. The most common mistakes:
- Select a species that grows poorly in a given climate. Panicled and tree-like hydrangeas take root well in most regions of Russia, right up to the latitude of the Leningrad Region. A large-leaved species, striking in its abundant flowering, grows without problems only in the south. In the middle lane it is customary to plant it as an indoor (greenhouse) plant.
- Buying seedlings in natural markets. Buying a plant "with hands", the buyer can not know about the conditions in which the seedling grew, whether he is healthy. Official nurseries and shops provide documents on the seedling's compliance with the standard.
Incorrect landing site
Hydrangea is placed in a lace shade, in a place protected from draft. The close occurrence of groundwater is not a hindrance, but a long stagnation of melt water can destroy the plant.
Hydrangea grows badly - what to do
In such a situation, in order to save the seedling, you need to act like this:
- Inspect the bush for evidence of diseases and pests.
- Measure soil acidity.
- To feed.
- Transplant the plant to the right place.
Important! When transplanting, inspect the roots. If there is rot on them, the seedling cannot be saved. It is disposed of so as not to spread the infection.
Healthy roots juicy and light
Fertilizers and fertilizers that accelerate the growth of hydrangeas
When growing shrubs in home and garden conditions, use the following fertilizers:
- vermicompost infusion, urea, ammonium sulfate - in the spring;
- complex preparations Pokon, Fertika, Agricola, Compo - in the summer;
- potassium sulfate and vitriol - in the fall.
Growing hydrangeas requires strict adherence to recommendations for choosing a place and soil. Proper care will allow the shrub to grow quickly and delight owners with abundant flowering.
