Hydrangea: what seeds look like, photo, how to grow from seedlings

Hydrangea rightfully belongs to one of the favorite perennial flower growers. A distinctive feature of this plant is that it can be propagated without loss of quality not only by the vegetative, but also by the seed method. Growing hydrangeas from seeds is not at all difficult, and many gardeners do it with success.

Is it possible to grow hydrangea from seeds

In order to successfully grow hydrangea from seeds, you need to know some of the features of this plant. Not all of its flowers form fruits, some varieties have only large beautiful sterile inflorescences that do not create seeds.

Hydrangea bushes look very decorative

In most varieties, there are also fertile flowers, at the end of which flowering seeds ripen. They are quite small, located in the center of the inflorescences. It is at the end of their flowering that the seed material is collected, which is later used for planting.

What do hydrangea seeds look like?

In autumn, in place of fertile hydrangea flowers, boxes ripen, inside of which there are seeds. They are medium-sized, usually dark brown, brown or black, oblong, with a bumpy surface. In appearance, the seeds vaguely resemble a cross between small watermelon pits and raisins.

Hydrangea seeds can be harvested by yourself

Seeds are light, rather hard to the touch.

How to collect hydrangea seeds

Seed material is harvested in the pre-winter period, after the flowers have completely withered. The collection of boxes with seeds is carried out in dry weather. At the same time, light-colored seeds found in the process are immediately subject to culling as unripe. And also specimens with mechanical damage, signs of rot, mold are not suitable for storage. The seeds selected after culling are dried and stored before sowing in paper bags or in clean linen bags, in dark, well-ventilated rooms at a temperature of + 10-15 ° C.

When to plant hydrangea seeds for seedlings

Hydrangea seeds can be sown immediately in open ground, but more often flower growers use the seedling method. It allows you to get good strong seedlings at home, and then, after the seedlings reach the age of 2 years, transplant the plants to a permanent place. Planting seeds for seedlings is usually carried out in late February or early March. Sowing hydrangea paniculate seeds can be carried out in the fall, immediately after harvest. However, this is impractical, as it will require additional care for the seedlings during several winter months.

How to plant hydrangea seeds at home

Hydrangea seeds can be collected independently if the plant is already grown, taken from friends or purchased at a specialized store. At the same time, it is imperative to clarify the parameters of the variety, compare the existing growing conditions with the recommended ones. Before planting, the seeds must be carefully examined once again and, if deficiencies are found, they should be culled.

Preparation of planting containers and soil

Any wide shallow containers, containers, pots, plastic cups, standard seedling cassettes are suitable for planting seeds and growing seedlings. They are filled with special soil for or homemade soil mixture, which includes leafy soil, peat and sand, mixed in a ratio of 4: 2: 1. Before use, the substrate must be disinfected by calcining it in the oven or steaming it in a water bath.

Soil disinfection is the key to the health of seedlings

And it is also possible, for prevention, to pre-treat the nutrient soil with a solution of potassium permanganate, diluted to a pink color.

Seed preparation

There are 2 ways to prepare hydrangea seeds before planting seedlings:

1. Planting with dry seeds. With this method, planting material is disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate for several hours. Then the seeds are immersed for 12-15 hours in a solution of Epin (root formation stimulator). After that, they are ready to land.
2. Planting with germinated seeds. For germination, selected hydrangea seeds are placed between 2 wet cotton pads, layers of gauze, or simply soaked in warm water in a saucer. It is necessary to constantly ensure that the seeds are in a humid environment. After the appearance of small white roots, the seeds are planted in the soil.

Hydrangea seeds can be germinated on wet gauze or cotton pad

Rules for planting hydrangeas from seeds

After preparing the containers, soil substrate and planting material, they proceed directly to the planting procedure. Seeds are laid out on the surface of the soil, keeping an interval between them of at least 1 cm, and slightly sunk. Then they are sprinkled on top with a thin layer of sand and sprayed with water from a spray bottle.

It is convenient to moisten the container with seedlings with water from a spray bottle

The container is covered with glass or film.

When do hydrangea seeds germinate?

Hydrangea rises rather slowly and unevenly. It takes at least 2 weeks for seeds to germinate, but often the process can drag on for a month or even a month and a half. All this time, it is necessary to open the shelter daily for ventilation, as well as to control soil moisture. It should not be allowed to dry out, however, excessive watering is also unacceptable.

As a mini-greenhouse, you can use correx from under the cake or cookies

How to germinate hydrangea from seeds

Further care for young seedlings will be to create comfortable conditions for them to grow over the next 2 years. During this time, the plants dive several times into larger containers so as not to restrain the growth of the root system. It is also necessary to maintain certain microclimate parameters when growing them.

Optimal conditions for growing hydrangeas from seeds

Young hydrangeas are sensitive to various changes in external conditions. They do not tolerate sharp fluctuations in temperature, low and high humidity, and direct sunlight is unacceptable for them. For proper cultivation, the microclimate parameters should be as follows:

1. Lighting. Hydrangea loves light, but it should be soft, diffused. It is unacceptable to stay seedlings in direct sunlight. If containers with hydrangea seedlings are installed on the windowsill on the south side of the house, then they must be moved to the depth of the room. When growing seedlings on a windowsill on the north side, plants will need additional lighting.
2. Temperature regime. The optimum temperature is in the room within + 15-20 °C. Sharp fluctuations are unacceptable. For this reason, hydrangea seedlings must be protected from drafts during cultivation, especially in winter.
3. Air humidity. The optimal value of this parameter is 70%. In a room with artificial heating, especially in winter, the air is usually very dry. In such conditions, it is recommended to maintain the set humidity parameters by periodically spraying the seedlings with clean warm water from a spray bottle. In addition, a saucer of water can be placed next to young seedlings.

Watering and top dressing

It is necessary to control the condition of the topsoil daily. It must not be allowed to dry out. Hydrangea seedlings are watered with soft settled water at room temperature, the optimal time for this procedure is morning. Do not use tap or artesian water for irrigation when growing hydrangeas. As a rule, it contains a lot of dissolved salts of calcium and magnesium. Getting into the soil, they reduce its acidity, which is unacceptable for this plant. For irrigation, it is best to use rainwater.

For irrigation use warm rainwater.

For feeding seedlings, specialized flower fertilizers are used, designed for growing hydrangeas and rhododendrons. Such compositions contain the full range of substances necessary for the development of young seedlings. These fertilizers can be bought in specialized flower shops, they are sold under the brand names Green Wood, Pokon, Fertika and others. They are used in accordance with the instructions, for example, Fertika-Lux is used for top dressing when growing seedlings 1 time in 2 weeks.

Picks

During the time that hydrangea seedlings grow at home, the plants dive several times. For the first time, picking from a group container in individual pots or cells of a seedling cassette is carried out after the plant has two cotyledon leaves. Seedlings dive again at the end of May, by this time the plants reach a height of 8-10 cm. If the hydrangea grows strongly, in the fall it can also be transferred to larger pots. By the time of planting in open ground, the height of the plant reaches 30-35 cm, and the capacity for it should be proportionate.

The container for seedlings must be proportionate

Topping

Many growers prefer not to prune hydrangeas until they are 4 years old. However, until this time, you can also engage in the formation of a young plant. At this time, it is recommended to pinch the apical shoots. Such an operation stimulates lateral branching and increases the splendor of the hydrangea bush.

When to plant hydrangea outdoors

The first 2 years from the moment of planting the hydrangea seeds are grown as a pot plant. After that, young seedlings are planted in open ground. Do this in the spring, after the soil warms up well. A place for planting hydrangeas must be chosen in advance. The site should be well lit, but direct sunlight has a bad effect on the flowers, they burn out and become faded. Lighting should be diffused, so the best place for hydrangeas will be the east or west side of the house.

The soil for planting and growing young seedlings should be loose, well-fertilized and moderately moist. A prerequisite is that the earth should have a slightly increased acidity. You can raise this figure by adding high-moor peat or citric acid to the soil. Fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate or potassium sulfate increase the acidity. Well suited for growing hydrangeas is the top layer of soil taken from a coniferous forest, it is usually mixed with coniferous litter.

Planted hydrangea along with a clod of earth

Planting young hydrangea seedlings is usually not difficult. Planting pits are placed in a row, maintaining an interval between them from 1 to 1,5 m. Their depth and diameter depend on the size of the container in which the seedlings grow, the hole should be at least twice as large. For backfilling, a soil mixture is prepared from an equal amount of humus, soddy soil and peat. The seedlings are carefully removed from the container, placed in the center of the planting hole and filled in without deepening the root collar. Then the planted plant is watered with about 10 liters of water and the top layer is mulched with the bark of coniferous trees.

What year does hydrangea bloom from seeds

If everything is done correctly, the site and the soil are suitable for hydrangeas, then young bushes grown from seeds bloom 3 years after planting. Buds may appear earlier, but the first 2 years they must be cut off. If this is not done, then the plant will lose a lot of strength, which is better directed to the development of the root part and the growth of shoots.

A video about growing hydrangeas from seeds can be viewed at the link:

Conclusion

It takes a lot of time and effort to grow hydrangeas from seeds. Nevertheless, this method is quite real, and this can be done both at home and in the open field. Despite this, most flower growers use vegetative methods, since they can propagate hydrangeas much faster than seeds.