Panicled hydrangea can be called one of the most popular plants in the garden. This flowering species is unpretentious, and is also able to give truly spectacular inflorescences. However, quite often, beginning gardeners have a lot of problems with hydrangea flowering. The article discusses in detail their main causes, as well as the most effective solutions.
Reasons why hydrangea blooms poorly or does not bloom
Lack of flowering is one of the main problems that most people face.. Despite the almost complete perfection of modern varieties and species, quite often an abundance of elegant flowers hydrangea pleases only experienced gardeners. In most cases, the main reason for this can be called all sorts of violations of the agricultural technology of growing crops, which cause a variety of metabolic disorders in the plant body.
Did you know? According to one legend, hydrangea was presented to a man by the gods on the birthday of Buddha (473 BC). That is why the flower is considered sacred in Buddhism and is grown in many temples dedicated to this religious movement.
Landing place
As practice shows, the best place for growing panicle hydrangeas are considered to be territories located in a well-lit place with diffused light. At the same time, a flower bed with a flower must be protected from drafts, sudden gusts of wind. Growing in the sun or in the shade leads not only to inhibition of flowering and shredding of flowers, but also to dropping foliage. In this case, even strict adherence to any care procedures becomes meaningless.
Also negatively affects the appearance and increased soil moisture. Growing a bush in a lowland or in areas with high-lying groundwater leads to damage to the root system by rot. Moreover, in addition to the lack of flowering, this phenomenon often leads to slow death of the plant.
Freezing flower buds
Almost every novice gardener meets this problem, who does not have the necessary level of knowledge in the features of the growth and development of hydrangea. Unlike most other plants, in this species, buds for future flowering are laid in the fall, before winter cold. That is why even a slight freezing of the bush leads to the fact that in the future it is not possible for it to bloom fully, even with an optimal microclimate throughout the growing season.
Unsuccessful pruning
With unskilled pruning, the plant also often stops flowering, with only a few know why this happens. In fact, to explain the decrease in the number of full-fledged flowers is quite simple. During the shortening of the shoots, many tend to cut off the tops of the longest shoots, however, flower buds are located on them. In this case, the procedure leads to their complete or partial removal, without which it is impossible to form hydrangea inflorescences worthy.
Did you know? Hydrangea got its modern name in the second half of the 18th century, thanks to the famous French botanist Fliber Commerson. It was chosen for a reason, because "Hydrangea" at that time was one of the most popular female names.
Incorrect soil composition
Few people face this problem, however it is the unfavorable composition of the soil that can lead to the absence of flowers on the bush throughout the life of the plant. The fact is that hydrangea most actively grows and metabolizes exclusively on acidic substrates. During cultivation on neutral, and especially alkaline soils, the activity of many processes slows down. The first of these often affects those that provide the formation and further development of flower buds.
Lack of moisture
Insufficient soil moisture is also no less harmful than its overmoistening. Wherein the most dangerous drying of the soil during the period of active growth of buds, as well as at the time of their blooming. The plant in this case is trying to reduce moisture consumption before a more favorable period. As a result of this, there is a complete or partial absence of inflorescences, as part of the buds and flower buds of the bush forcibly introduces into suspended animation.
Choosing the wrong fertilizer
The lack of timely top dressing and the required amount of nutrients is the most common cause of poor flowering not only in hydrangeas, but also in any other garden or indoor species. The deficiency of certain components in the soil creates artificial conditions for inhibition of metabolism, since the plant organism simply does not have the source of the necessary substances for building cells, tissues and various appendages. In this case, a special role is played by the lack of necessary elements in a certain phase. That is why all kinds of top dressing should be strictly synchronized with the stages of bush development.
Video: Feeding hydrangeas before flowering
Solution methods
Before you throw all your energy into activating flowering panicled hydrangea, every gardener must always remember that make the bush throw buds by any intensive methods - forbidden. This can only aggravate the whole situation and lead to the death of the plant. In addition, in most cases it is too late to do this, since the necessary time to eliminate all kinds of negative factors has long been lost.
Important! If hydrangeas cannot fully bloom due to the climatic characteristics of the growing region, it is recommended to accelerate the activity of its growth. To do this, along with the main fertilizers should be used preparations "Agricola", "Crystal", "Flower Paradise", "Pokon" or "Green Boom".
It is also necessary to analyze the whole situation and identify the main cause of inhibition of flowering bush. This will help to decorate the entire site with elegant inflorescences already next season.
The main methodology for dealing with this problem is closely dependent on the identified cause:
- If the bush refuses to throw buds due to the selection of an unfavorable place for growth, it is recommended to transplant it to a new site. This is also required if hydrangea is planted in areas with a high level of groundwater occurrence. At the same time, a drainage layer with a thickness of at least 10 cm (of fine gravel, broken brick, gravel, etc.) must be equipped at a new location in the hole.
- In case of excessive drying of the soil the frequency of watering should be increased to at least 2-3 procedures per week. To ensure the necessary microclimate, the soil on the site must be mulched.
- When identifying problems with feeding General fertilizer application should be adjusted. Before flowering, hydrangea is fertilized with complex mineral mixtures based on phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and zinc. In this case, organic compounds are introduced by mulching the bush with peat, humus, compost or rotted manure. During flowering and in the summer, any phosphorus-potassium compounds are used for fertilizer. In autumn, top dressing with superphosphate is considered the most acceptable, and it is permissible to fertilize the bush with rotted manure once (1-2 kg / plant) once. Introduce the main nutrient mixture regularly every 7-10 days.
- When hydrangea suffers from leaching of the substrateIt is recommended to acidify it. You need to do this with citric acid solutions (2 tbsp. / 10 l of water / m² flower beds).
- High-quality shelter for the winter will help protect against freezing bush. The soil should be mulched (sawdust, pine needles, peat, humus, etc.), and the branches should be pressed to the ground and covered with hay, straw, spruce or pine lapnik, dense burlap, spanbond, etc.
Important! To cover the bush, use ordinary plastic films — prohibited. This will lead to the plant's aging and damage to all kinds of putrefactive bacteria and fungi.
It is also necessary to take care of the correct pruning of hydrangeas.. During the procedure, only broken and dry shoots are removed, as well as those that grow inside the crown. Extremely weak and thin branches, which failed to form flower buds, are subjected to shortening. In this case, adult shoots cannot be cut off before drying.
Why panicle hydrangea blooms late
If hydrangea, after several years of successful growth, began to bloom later than other varieties, this phenomenon should not be ignored either. This, first of all, is a consequence of the deterioration of the overall microclimate, as well as the conditions for growth, which in just 1–2 seasons can lead to the death of the plant.
Today, botanists and professional flower growers identify the following causes of late blooming hydrangea:
- decrease in substrate fertility;
- soil leaching;
- change in the mechanical composition of the soil (weighting);
- increased humidity of the air or substrate;
- damage to the bush by pests or specific infections.
Panicled hydrangea is considered a moderately capricious and fairly frost-resistant plant, however, problems with its flowering in open soil are not uncommon. Often the main reason for this is the deterioration of the overall microclimate in the growth zone due to inadequate observance of cultivation farming techniques. That is why, in the case of problems with bud growth, first of all, you should analyze the flower care scheme and bring it to the appropriate requirements.
