Hydrangea does not bloom: what is the reason, what to do

The decorative hydrangea flower belongs to capricious cultures. Not everyone succeeds in getting lush bright buds. Hydrangea usually does not bloom for several reasons: improper care, poorly tolerated winter, insufficient soil acidity. There are other factors that affect the laying of flower stalks.

Features of flowering hydrangea

This shrub culture blooms annually with proper care. The formation of buds lasts the entire warm period of the year. In Our Country, deciduous varieties of hydrangeas are grown with paniculate, spherical or corymbose inflorescences.

Mostly the flowers of the shrub are white

The color depends on the level of acid in the soil, for example, if pink hydrangea does not bloom, a small amount of alkali is added to the soil.

In soils that are neutral in composition, the buds of the culture will be beige or cream

If the blue hydrangea does not bloom, the soil lacks aluminum, which the plant absorbs easily.

The acidity of the soil is increased to color the hydrangea blue.

In order for the culture to release buds, they have grown lush and large, a number of rules should be followed when rooting a seedling. The main thing is that the planting material is of high quality, varietal, obtained from a healthy mother bush.

Other conditions for flowering shrubs:

• the right place for landing;
• regular watering;
• fertilizing;
• frost protection.

With proper and high-quality care, you can accelerate the growth of the shrub, stimulate the formation of buds.

When Should Hydrangeas Bloom?

Culture blooms in early June. The budding period lasts until the onset of the first cold weather, this is the beginning or middle of September. If the large-leaved hydrangea does not bloom during the specified period, then the technology for its cultivation has been violated.

From frequent top dressing, the foliage of the culture grows, but it will not release buds.

Poor and irregular watering also reduces the likelihood that the hydrangea will bloom in the summer.

Why garden hydrangeas do not bloom

In the garden, varietal hydrangeas often do not bloom after transplanting in the next season. These capricious plants should successfully endure the winter period. You can not wait for the air temperature to drop to 0 ᵒС, in this case the flower buds freeze, the buds will not form in the next season.

Immediately after shedding, the hydrangea is cut and wrapped for the winter.

Flowers growing in the garden in tubs or pots are transferred to the basement; indoors, the hydrangea will easily withstand the winter. This is the main condition for abundant budding next year.

Hydrangeas are also pruned in the spring.

If you do not get rid of old, dry, damaged stems, the plant will weaken, and it will not have the strength to form buds.

Well-developed, green shoots of the last season cannot be cut. It is at their ends that the buds are laid.

An excess of fertilizers in garden soil leads to the growth of green mass, and the formation of flower stalks stops. For the same reason, at the end of summer and autumn, it is not recommended to apply nitrogen fertilizers to the soil. By winter, all biological processes of the plant should stop; during the cold period, the flower enters a state of rest.

For different types of garden hydrangeas, there are objective reasons for the lack of buds. Some of these shrubs are hardy, but other factors also affect their growth.

Paniculata hydrangea does not bloom well due to the poor composition of the soil.

This culture requires soil half mixed with clay, its acidity should be minimal.

The species is resistant to frost, so the cold does not affect the laying of buds. And irregular, poor feeding leads to the fact that the flowers become small and pale.

Hydrangea tree in the garden does not bloom due to lack of moisture. In summer, it should be regular, abundant watering. The culture tolerates cold well, but it needs to be wrapped up for the winter, since the buds of the plant die at the first frost.

Regular top dressing is necessary for a tree culture. In early spring, fertilizers are applied to form green mass, at the end of May – to stimulate the formation of buds.

If the tree hydrangea is not fed and watered regularly, you will get a large green shrub that does not bloom.

Hydrangea serrata does not bloom in the garden due to the weak acidity of the soil. This factor is the most important for the formation of buds. Also, this culture does not tolerate stagnant water in the soil. Regular loosening of the soil will help prevent root rot. In the northern regions of Our Country, the culture does not bloom, as it does not tolerate cold at all.

The species is recommended to be planted in the southern and central parts of the country.

Climbing (curly) hydrangea does not bloom in cold regions. This species is intended for cultivation in the south.

You can not plant a flower in the sun, he prefers partial shade

Lime soil should be avoided, the culture prefers acidic, loose soil. Spring pruning is also important for her, they stimulate the growth of shoots on which flower stalks are formed.

Petiole hydrangea does not bloom if planted in the shade or against the wall of the house, the culture develops well in full sunlight.

The first flowers appear on this plant 5 years after planting.

To stimulate flower stalks, the level of soil acidity is increased to 4-6,5 units.

How to make hydrangea bloom

If the large-leaved (broad-leaved) garden hydrangea does not bloom, this is a reaction to improper care or planting. You can correct the situation if you provide the plant with all the necessary conditions for growth.

Trimming

For hydrangeas, autumn and spring pruning is important. As soon as the plant fades, preparations for winter begin. At this stage, it is important to properly shorten the shoots in order to stimulate the growth of new ones next spring.

First, cut off the remains of dried buds

Then wilted or damaged stems are removed. They also shorten the shoots growing inside the crown, thickening it. Strong young stems, at the ends of which young buds form in autumn, are not pruned.

In the spring, sanitary pruning of the plant is carried out, dry and broken branches are removed. Paniculate and tree hydrangeas are recommended to be cut in the spring, before flowering. Other species of this crop tolerate autumn pruning better.

Preparation for winter

In autumn, dried peduncles and lower leaves are removed from the hydrangea, the upper ones must be left. Then potash and phosphorus fertilizers are applied under the root. The plant is thoroughly watered, the soil is loosened.

In central Our Country, all types of hydrangeas need shelter for the winter. With the advent of the first cold weather, the culture may die.

Low shrubs up to 1 m are covered with peat, covered with a film on top, pressing down the covering material with boards or staples along the edges.

High bushes are tied with a rope and tilted to the ground. Boards are placed under the crown, into which nails are stuffed. A hydrangea is tied to them by the ends of the shoots. Sawdust or dry leaves are poured on top. You can fix the structure with roofing felt.

In regions with cold winters, hydrangea is covered more carefully. First, the bush is tied with a rope, the shoots are bent to the ground, securing them with metal brackets. The central part of the shrub is covered with peat, and the shoots are spruce.

From above, the structure is covered with a strong covering material, fixed with bricks or boards along the edges

Old shrubs, in which the stems are lignified, do not twist. They are wrapped with covering material, tied with a rope. Metal semicircular brackets are placed on top of the structure, dry foliage is poured inside the structure. From above, the hydrangea is covered with sheets of roofing material.

In the southern regions, hydrangeas are simply spudded in autumn. Young plants up to 2 years old are covered carefully. Shrubs 3 years and older are more resistant to frost.

Watering

The plant is watered only with settled water at room temperature. Do it regularly. For one shrub, 10 or more liters of water are needed, depending on the size of the rhizome.

In summer, in the heat, the bush is watered every 3 days. If the summer is cool, one watering per week is enough.

Water is poured only from a watering can with a spray, a hose is not suitable for these purposes, you can not expose the roots of the plant

Soil acidity

The composition of the soil mainly affects the flowering and color of the crop. Especially if the hydrangea has not bloomed for the second year, it is important to determine the acidity of the soil and, if necessary, increase it. For budding and abundant flowering, slightly acidic and medium acidic soils (4-6,5 pH) are required.

It is necessary to acidify the soil annually, since in the process of growth the hydrangea draws out nutrients, and the soil becomes depleted. In the spring, solutions of saltpeter and iron sulfate are added to it. A slightly acidic vinegar solution will also help raise the acidity of the soil. For the same purpose, citric acid is also used (2 tsp per bucket of water).

If the soil composition is optimal, the plant will release blue buds, when the acidity is insufficient, the flowers will be pink.

Additional fertilizing

From a lack of nutrients, hydrangea does not bloom. Top dressing is done, guided by the schedule for flowering crops:

1. In early spring, before the formation of peduncles, complex top dressings with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and zinc are applied every week.
2. Between mineral dressings, the plant is mulched or shed once a week with a solution of settled plant waste.
3. During the laying of buds and flowering, potash fertilizers are applied once every 1 days. Nitrogen is not needed during this period.
4. As soon as the hydrangea fades, in the fall it is fed with phosphorus. This will strengthen the plant and increase the winter hardiness of the buds.

At the same time, a solution of cow manure is used as a nutrient irrigation (a liter jar per bucket of water)

If the hydrangea does not bloom, the soil is regularly moistened, loosened, and its qualitative composition is improved.

Hydrangea Care Tips

If the hydrangea does not bloom, except for the basic care, apply the advice of experienced flower growers. Sometimes a little trick can make a capricious culture bloom as early as early May.

Secrets of abundant flowering:

1. If the large-leaved hydrangea does not bloom, it is not necessary to cut it in the fall. Peduncles are formed at the ends of the last year’s shoots.
2. In regions with cold winters, dried buds are not cut off in the fall, they provide additional protection to the emerging buds. You can clear the shrub from dry vegetation in the spring.
3. A good top dressing for hydrangeas that do not bloom is coffee grounds. It is mixed with the top layer of earth near the trunk circle.
4. To get blue buds, 1 g of aluminum alum or metal filings are added to 20 kg of soil near the shrub.
5. If the hydrangea, which hibernates in tubs in the basement, is occasionally watered, in February it will sprout new shoots, it’s time to move the flower to a brighter place.
6. After watering, it is better to mulch the near-stem circle, and not to loosen the ground.

When digging the soil, there is a chance of exposing the roots, and this should not be allowed.

Hydrangea is a thermophilic and light-loving culture. If it does not bloom, the plant may not have enough light and heat.

Conclusion

Hydrangea does not bloom in the garden if the climate or soil composition does not suit it. These are the main factors influencing the formation of buds. If the plant has enough heat and light, check the acidity of the soil. She must be high. By regularly watering and feeding this crop, providing it with a warm winter, in the spring they get a beautiful ornamental plant strewn with large, lush buds.