Home hydrangea is a semi-shrub plant with medium branching. Large, lush inflorescences crowning shoots with oppositely arranged, serrated leaf plates, captivated the hearts of flower growers as early as the 18th century, when the flower was brought from Asia.

Home hydrangea: types and varieties

The species diversity of hydrangea includes 80 species that can be found in the natural environment in the Americas, as well as in Southeast Asia. However, hydrangea in a pot is represented by only one species - large-leaved hydrangea, it is also garden.

Growing hydrangea as a pot culture served as an impetus for the active work of breeders, who currently have bred more than 100 varieties:

  • White and cream varieties - among the representatives of hydrangeas with inflorescences of similar flowers, M-me E. Mouillere with narrowed leaves and the early flowering Soeur Therese stand out.
  • Varieties of pink tones - the large-flowered Goliath, the compact Hamburg and the abundantly blooming Europe are especially popular.
  • Varieties with red inflorescences - “Red Sensation” is often found on sale, the color of which varies depending on the concentration of iron in the soil, and the medium-blooming “Prima”.
  • Varieties painted in blue - the tall Airlie Blue with contrasting inflorescences, compact Ramars Mars deserve special attention.

Indoor care

In order to witness a long and lush flowering, it is necessary to create appropriate conditions of detention in accordance with the preferences of the flower and agricultural technical requirements for care.

Lighting and placement

The plant needs a large amount of scattered light, which the flower can receive when it is on the southern windowsill with curtains that protect it from direct rays. Throughout the year, daylight hours should not change significantly. To avoid a shortage of light in winter, an artificial light source should be used using a phytolamp.

Advice! To maintain decorativeness over a long period, you should regularly ventilate the room where the flower is contained, or take it out to fresh air.

Temperature

During the growing season for hydrangea, the temperature regime is maintained within 18-22 ° C. With the arrival of winter colds, the flower moves to a cooler place, where the temperature is 7-9 ° C.

Substrate and pot requirements

The horizontal root system requires, when choosing a pot, to focus on wide, spacious containers. A pot for room hydrangea is filled with a nutrient substrate with good aeration, consisting of sod and leaf soils, as well as sand in a ratio of 3: 3: 1.

Watering the plants and humidity

One of the main components of a comprehensive hydrangea care is watering, the frequency and volume of which depends on the development phase:

  • At the beginning and end of active growth, moderate hydration is carried out.
  • During flowering, frequent and plentiful irrigation.
  • With the onset of the dormant phase, watering is reduced to a minimum.

Watering the flower is carried out with standing water at room temperature, to which 5 drops of lemon juice are added once a month.

Important! For full development, hydrangea needs a high level of humidity, which is ensured by regular spraying.

Fertilizer and fertilizer

During the period of intensive development, the flower requires the organization of additional nutrition, which includes:

  • in early spring - nitrogen, which is responsible for the rate of growth of green mass;
  • in late spring and early summer - phosphorus and potassium, contributing to the formation of flowers and providing continuous flowering.

Important! Thanks to the introduction of micro- and macroelements, you can get a plant that blooms in several colors: when iron is added to the substrate on one side and lime on the other, the hydrangea blooms in blue and pink at the same time.

Pruning

Hydrangea is trimmed twice a year to maintain a decorative look and overall health:

  • In the spring, weak shoots shortened over the winter period are shortened.
  • In autumn, the purpose of cutting is to remove injured, diseased shoots and shorten all branches by half.

Flower transplant

The life expectancy of room hydrangea is not more than 4 years, during which an annual transplant is performed.

After completion of the rest period:

  • A pot is prepared, on the bottom of which a drainage layer of expanded clay is placed.
  • A plant with an earthen lump moves to the tank by transshipment to reduce the negative impact of the procedure.
  • The resulting voids are filled with a fertile soil mixture.
  • The soil is compacted, moistened and mulched with peat to prevent the rapid evaporation of moisture.

How to care in autumn, winter?

After flowering is complete, dried inflorescences are removed. Before the arrival of winter, the deciduous plant completely discards the foliage and the shoots are shortened by half. The flower moves to a cool place where top dressing is not carried out, and watering is extremely rare.

Protection against diseases and pests

In case of violation of the care regulations, the plant may be affected by the following malicious objects:

  • Gray rot and powdery mildew appear with excessively high humidity.Copper-containing preparations are used to combat diseases.
  • Aphids and spider mites populate the flower with a lack of moisture. As a protective measure, a two-stage insecticidal treatment with an interval of 10 days is provided.

Propagation of home hydrangea

There are three possible ways of cultivating a crop: propagation of hydrangea by cuttings, seeds, and division of the bush.

Cuttings

Cuttings of hydrangea in the fall is a reliable method of reproduction, in which the next fall the gardener will become the owner of a bush of 3-4 stems.

For this:

  1. Cuttings are prepared from root shoots 8 cm long with three internodes.
  2. Small leaf plates on the cuttings are cut into a third, and large ones by half.
  3. Planting material is placed in a moistened substrate of peat and sand and covered with glass.
  4. After 3-4 weeks of storage in a bright, warm room, the cuttings form roots and take root in separate pots.

Seeds

Hydrangea from seeds is grown as follows:

  1. A container for seedlings is filled with a substrate for hydrangea.
  2. Seeds are distributed on the surface of the moistened soil and are crushed by the ground.
  3. Crops are covered with glass and moved to a bright room with high temperature.
  4. After emergence, the glass is removed, and after the pair of real leaves is formed on the seedlings, they dive into a deeper container.
  5. When the seedlings are sufficiently strong, the seedlings are planted in pots with a diameter of 7-9 cm.

Dividing the bush

The simplest technique that can be carried out at the next annual transplant:

  1. The bush is divided into equal parts, each of which should have several roots and growth points.
  2. Delenki sit in separate pots after shortening the shoots and roots.
  3. By the fall, new specimens are completely rooted.

The main problems when growing in a pot

The cultivation of home hydrangea is associated with certain difficulties, which, as a rule, arise due to non-compliance with agrotechnical requirements for the content of pot culture:

  • Yellowing of a flower - a color change is caused by a lack of water, a deficiency of such micro and macro elements in a substrate as nitrogen and iron.
  • Drying - plant shoots can dry out due to lack of watering for some time, lack of nutrients or damage to the root system during the transplant.
  • Fall of foliage is the next stage after drying, which can be prevented with regular moistening of the soil and air.
  • Lack of flowers - the problem is due to non-observance of the rules for the care of hydrangea in winter: the flower should necessarily organize a dormant period with movement to a cool place.

So, strict observance of all the rules for the content of hydrangea will make it possible to enjoy abundant flowering for a long period and save the grower from the problems associated with the cultivation of a flower.

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