How quickly can you change the color of a hydrangea?

TootsieK

Does anyone know how long it takes to change the color of hydrangea blooms?

We put in a Shamrock hydrangea last year because I thought it was red (it WAS red at the time).  I didn't realize it was one of those that's sensitive to soil pH and ours is pretty acidic.   So now it's blooming blue, and we already have plenty of blue in the garden.  If I add lime or epsom salts now, will it change the color of blooms this year? 

dirtyred

Probably not.  You should have your soil tested so you can see your starting pH and get some idea of how much stuff you're going to have to add to get the pH in the range you want.

~NB~

No matter what you do, you may never achieve this objective. Once the plant is in the ground, you can add all kinds of stuff, but you can't take anything away, which may be what makes the difference in bloom color.

If it's THAT important to you, you should keep it in a container, where you can more easily control the soil pH.

kastle

~NB~:

No matter what you do, you may never achieve this objective. Once the plant is in the ground, you can add all kinds of stuff, but you can't take anything away, which may be what makes the difference in bloom color.

If it's THAT important to you, you should keep it in a container, where you can more easily control the soil pH.

...or choose a cultivar that isn't sensitive to pH

TootsieK

kastle:

~NB~:

No matter what you do, you may never achieve this objective. Once the plant is in the ground, you can add all kinds of stuff, but you can't take anything away, which may be what makes the difference in bloom color.

If it's THAT important to you, you should keep it in a container, where you can more easily control the soil pH.

...or choose a cultivar that isn't sensitive to pH

Yeah, that's what I thought this was until it bloomed this year!  I guess I'll live with the blue and find something else to add red to the garden.

 

kastle

TootsieK:

kastle:

~NB~:

No matter what you do, you may never achieve this objective. Once the plant is in the ground, you can add all kinds of stuff, but you can't take anything away, which may be what makes the difference in bloom color.

If it's THAT important to you, you should keep it in a container, where you can more easily control the soil pH.

...or choose a cultivar that isn't sensitive to pH

Yeah, that's what I thought this was until it bloomed this year!  I guess I'll live with the blue and find something else to add red to the garden.

 

where did you buy it? if it was labelled as insensitive to pH, I would take it back. The nursery may have mixed up the plants or gotten mislabelled plants from their vendor.