Contents
Hydrangea grows poorly among gardeners, not only because of insufficient care, but also for other reasons. This is a whimsical garden and indoor culture that needs good care. The reason for poor growth may be a poor-quality seedling, adverse weather conditions, lack of top dressing, or diseases that have arisen.
Why does hydrangea grow poorly
There may be several reasons why culture does not grow well. The first and most important is planting a weak, off-grade flower. It is important for beginner flower growers to carefully choose planting material for their flower garden.
Modern varieties that are now presented in nurseries have different winter hardiness, bush sizes, shape and arrangement of inflorescences.
Climatic conditions play an important role in the intensity of growth of hydrangeas. Culture prefers the southern regions of Our Country, takes root well in the central ones. In areas with a frosty, little snowy winter, the flower does not grow, even with good shelter.
Dry, dense, low acidity soil is not suitable for these plants. The choice of a seat is important to carry out carefully, it is necessary to take into account all the needs of a whimsical plant.
Lack of fertilizer, untimely pruning and rare watering will not have the best effect on the growth of hydrangeas. With insufficient care, some of them not only slow down growth, but also die.
Reasons why garden hydrangea grows poorly
To create ideal conditions, it is important to take into account the factors that inhibit crop growth. Even the wrong planting technology (too deep) will slow down the growth of the seedling for several seasons. Often hydrangea does not grow in height for this very reason.
Wrong choice of seedling
Most often, gardeners choose hydrangeas impulsively, rooting shrubs according to aesthetic tastes. Before buying, it is important to find as much information as possible about the features of the variety you like. Winter hardiness is the main criterion by which this plant is chosen. Many varieties of flowering shrubs simply cannot stand the cold.
Dry regions where it is difficult to find water for irrigation are also not suitable for hydrangeas.
The flower loves abundant hydration of the root system, without stagnant moisture.
Improper care
The life of a hydrangea in a personal plot begins with a landing. This is an important stage for the rooting of the seedling. It is important to choose a well-lit or slightly sheltered place from direct sunlight. Planting is best done in the spring, so the culture will have time to take root and take root before the onset of frost. The soil should be well dug up and moistened.
This is a moisture-loving plant that does not tolerate drying out of the soil. At elevated air temperatures (above + 30 ᵒС) and the absence of moisture, large-leaved hydrangea does not grow.
In summer, watering of this type is carried out regularly, at least 3 times a week.
The lack of mineral and organic supplements leads to inhibition of the growth of hydrangeas older than 2 years. The first years after planting, the shrub absorbs those nutrients that were laid in the planting hole. Later, the plant is fertilized in the warm season at least 1 time per month. At the same time, mineral compositions alternate with organic matter, nutritious irrigation and spraying.
Loosening is carried out before or after watering. This is necessary to ensure air access to the rhizome, to facilitate its growth. It is enough to carry out the procedure 3 times in the summer. The earth is loosened carefully, without deepening too much, since there is a possibility of damage to the roots, they are located near the shrub almost on the surface of the soil.
Pruning is necessary for hydrangeas. Some varieties of shrubs are thinned out in the spring, while others in the fall. For example, panicle hydrangea does not grow after autumn pruning.
The paniculate view is pruned only in the spring, before the start of budding.
Radical pruning of serrated, large-leaved and prickly hydrangeas in the fall will slow down their growth. These varieties lay buds on the shoots of the previous year, shortening the stems leads to the cessation of growth and flowering.
Adverse weather conditions
Insufficiently warm summer with winds, frequent rains and temperature changes negatively affects the growth of hydrangeas. Wintering is especially important for flowering shrubs. Any hypothermia is fraught with the death of the plant.
In rainy summers, watering should be stopped. An excess of moisture and its stagnation at the root leads to the death of the shrub.
Diseases and pests
The attacks of harmful insects and the appearance of diseases lead to the fact that hydrangeas do not grow. In advanced cases, the culture may disappear altogether.
Dangerous fungal diseases:
- gray rot;
Damaged plant tissues soften, become watery, in dry weather they can dry out.
- septoria;
Small rusty spots form on the surface of the leaf, as they grow, the leaves fly around, the culture loses its decorative qualities, does not grow
- chlorosis;
The disease occurs due to a lack of iron in the soil, and, as a result, metabolic disorders begin, the flower does not grow
- mučnistaâ rosa.
The disease affects young, immature plants, occurs from an excess of nitrogenous fertilizers and with a lack of moisture.
Fungicide preparations will help protect the culture from the fungus: Fundazol, Ferovit, Topaz, Skor.
For garden hydrangeas, slugs and snails are dangerous, they are selected manually.
Pests occur during thickened plantings of hydrangeas, slugs and snails destroy the green part of the shrub, after which it does not grow
To combat garden pests, insecticides are used: Decis, Actellik, Kleschevit. The preparations are also effective against worms, ticks, flying harmful insects.
What to do if the hydrangea does not grow
If, after planting, the shrub retains its original size for a long time, you need to pay attention to the composition of the soil and the abundance of sunlight. To accelerate the growth of hydrangeas, fertilizers with iron, nitrogen are applied to the soil, before flowering – mineral complexes.
Sunlight is also important for the growth of hydrangeas of any variety. Each of them develops well in partial shade, and petiolate hydrangea does not grow in the sun. It prefers completely shaded, windless areas with acidic, loose, humus-rich soil.
The first few years, even with a successful planting, petiole hydrangea grows slowly
In calcareous soils with insufficient acidity, any variety will not grow. Also, chernozems, soil fertilized with manure or humus are detrimental to the culture.
Watering is especially important for the growth of hydrangea – this culture quickly dies during drought. Moisten the shrub with a watering can. Water must be dispersed so as not to expose the surface roots of the plant. The liquid is preliminarily defended, it should not be cold.
Watering is carried out only in the early morning or evening, after sunset. It is impossible to allow exposure to sunlight on a whimsical culture after moistening. An adult shrub needs 1-2 buckets of water per procedure. In the hot summer, watering is carried out every other day or 2 times a week. Only with abundant moisture does the shrub grow well.
If gray, whitish or rusty spots appear on the leaves of the hydrangea, this is a fungal disease. Because of this, the shrub grows weakly and ceases to bloom. The bush is sprayed with fungicides 1-2 times a week until the signs of the disease disappear completely.
Garlic-soap solution will relieve the plant of any pests. Prepare it like this: 0,5 kg of garlic is peeled, the cloves are crushed with a blender. The resulting slurry is poured into 2 liters of water, insisted for 2 days. After that, a bar of laundry soap is rubbed on a grater, combined with infused and filtered garlic water. Garden plants are sprayed with liquid, cleaning them from slugs, snails, leafworms, and spider mites.
The hydrangea leaves affected by the mite dry out and fall off, after which the culture does not grow.
Also, insecticides “Fufan” or “Teofos” are used to control the pest.
In the spring, it is important to prune hydrangeas in order to accelerate the growth of young shoots. In autumn, it is better not to remove the branches of the current year, since it is on them that the flower buds of the next season are laid.
Hydrangea serrate, oak-leaved, prickly pruned minimally (only the tips of old shoots). Heavy pruning can stunt the growth of these types of hydrangeas.
Timely shelter of hydrangeas for the winter will preserve the integrity of the shoots and flower buds. In the new season, such a flower will grow well, releasing leaves when the first rays of the sun appear.
Tree-like and paniculate hydrangeas are characterized by increased frost resistance; in the southern and central regions of Our Country they are not wrapped up. For a successful wintering of these crops, it is enough to mulch the trunk circle well.
From above, the mulch is covered with a thick layer of dry fallen leaves.
All other types of hydrangeas need a multi-layer shelter for the winter. If the culture successfully winters and does not freeze, in the spring it will grow well and bloom early.
How to feed a hydrangea if it does not grow
Lack or excess of fertilizers negatively affects the growth of shrubs. After planting, for the first 2 years, he does not need top dressing, they are enough introduced into the hole, the culture is actively growing.
Mature plants older than 2 years do not grow well due to lack of nutrition.
The lack of nutrients can be determined by thin shoots, pale and sluggish leaves, and the absence of buds.
Nitrogen fertilizers applied under the bush in early spring, before flowering, will help accelerate growth. As soon as the budding begins, the hydrangea is watered with complex mineral fertilizers. Their composition should contain a large amount of potassium and phosphorus (a mixture of potassium sulfate and urea), and nitrogen – a small part.
Large-leaved and paniculate hydrangeas develop well on acidic soils. To do this, the soil is shed once a month with a slightly acidic solution of vinegar or lemon.
You can make hydrangea grow even in unsuitable soil composition if you water it several times during the season with copper sulphate. To do this, 6 g of the substance is diluted in a bucket of water.
Tips from experienced gardeners
Good care and a properly selected hydrangea variety in accordance with climatic conditions is the key to rapid growth and lush flowering of an ornamental shrub. These rules work if you take into account the recommendations of experienced flower growers.
Hydrangea grows poorly if:
- heat-loving variety cultivated in regions with cold and short summers;
- when planting, the root processes were cut off, the soil was shaken off them;
- the planting hole is not made deep, the moisture evaporates quickly, and the flower lacks it;
- the flower is grown in open areas, under the scorching sun;
- the shrub was planted in the thick of other crops, it does not have enough space for growth;
- during the flowering period, hydrangea is fertilized with organic matter;
- the shrub is not pruned in early spring.
Hydrangea is hard to tolerate transplants, after a long time it gets sick and does not grow. In vain to disturb the plant is not worth it.
Conclusion
It is difficult for inexperienced flower growers to figure out why hydrangea does not grow well. There are many reasons for this. It is important to seriously study the conditions for good growth and flowering of this crop. It is whimsical, subject to the influence of many adverse factors. But the result is worth such trouble, because the hydrangea in bloom will not leave anyone indifferent.