Looking for a few simple things you can for your hydrangeas this spring to get them to bloom bigger and better than ever?
When it comes to spring hydrangea care, what you do and don’t do in the early months of the growing season can have a big impact on the health of your plants – and for helping your hydrangeas bud and flower stronger.
As beautiful and interesting as hydrangeas can be, they can be frustrating at times for gardeners. Especially when they fail to flower to their full potential – or fail to bloom at all!
The good news is that diagnosing and solving a hydrangea’s blooming problem isn’t as difficult as a gardener might think. In fact, most flowering issues for hydrangeas revolve around just 3 simple factors – pruning, fertilizing and mulching.
Luckily, all three can be addressed early in the growing season with ease. Here’s a look at what you should be doing – and not doing for your hydrangeas this spring – and how to get them to bloom bigger and brighter than ever this summer!
3 Simple Things To Do To Hydrangeas In The Spring
1. Fertilizing Hydrangeas In The Spring
Fertilizing is truly one of the most important tasks for creating a strong bloom cycle. But when and how you apply it is the real secret to success.
There are two important times that a hydrangea bush needs power. The first is when it begins to grow in the spring. The second is just before it begins to flower in early summer or late fall, depending on the variety.
Early in the spring, either right before or just as the plant is coming out of its dormancy stage, it’s important to apply an all-purpose, slow release granular fertilizer at the base of the plant. Affiliate Link: Southern Ag All Purpose Granular Fertilizer 10-10-10
As a general rule of thumb, use a balanced fertilizer that is in the 5-5-5 to 10-10-10 nutrient range. The 3 sets of numbers refer to the nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) levels in the fertilizer.
Nitrogen helps promote good growth and plant color. Phosphorus, meanwhile, helps a plant fruit and flower strong. Potassium is important as well, as it promotes strong stems and branches, and helps the plant continue to grow.
By giving them a balance of each nutrient early in the spring, you are helping with all 3 phases in equal portions. This will supply a slow release of nutrients to the plant, helping it to develop strong, healthy foliage as it draws closer to its blooming cycle.
A Second Dose Of Power
The time to apply the second dose of fertilizer to your hydrangea is right before it begins to bloom. This dose of nutrients is for one purpose and one purpose only – to power up your blooms!
Because of this, it is best to use a liquid fertilizer for this application. Why? because liquid fertilizers deliver nutrients in a fast, easy to consume manner. And that is exactly what your hydrangea needs for power as it puts forth its bloom cycle.
Although a balanced liquid fertilizer will do the job, look for a fertilizer that is a bit higher in phosphorus for this application. Why? Because the plants will use the phosphorus for bigger, brighter and more prolific blooms. Product Link : Espoma Organic Bloom Booster
To help summer blooming hydrangeas flower, the second fertilizing should take place in late spring or early summer. For fall blooming varieties, wait until late summer.
2. What To Do With Hydrangeas In The Spring When It Comes To Pruning
Believe it or not, a large portion of hydrangea blooming issues have more to do with improper pruning than actual plant health.
For many gardeners, late fall or spring pruning is a ritual to keep foliage and plants in check for their perennials. But for a large portion of hydrangeas, late fall or early spring pruning can spell disaster for blooms. As in eliminating most or all of them!
Early summer blooming hydrangeas such as Oakleaf, Bigleaf, Climbing and Mountain varieties should never be pruned in the early spring, winter, or late fall. Unfortunately, summer blooming varieties produce the following year’s bloom on old wood. By waiting until late fall or early spring to cut them back, you are removing all of the plant’s future blooms.
Instead, early summer blooming hydrangeas should be pruned back right after they complete their bloom cycle in the early summer. This allows new growth and new bloom buds to form. And by the following spring, they are ready to start powering up for big blooms.
An Exception To The No Prune Rule
There is an exception to the early spring / late fall “no-pruning” rule. And that exception has to do with Smooth and Panicle hydrangea varieties.
Unlike Oakleaf, Climbing and Bigleaf hydrangeas, these two types produce their blooms in late summer to early fall. In fact, the easiest way to tell if you have either of these two varieties of hydrangeas is if they bloom late in the growing season.
Since these hydrangeas bloom so late, they do not produce their blooms until the following spring on new growth wood. This means you can prune back your plants in late winter or early spring, or as long as the plant has not started to bud and grow.
If the plant does shoot forth new growth before you can prune, simply let it go until the following year. Once growing occurs, you risk removing new blooms for the upcoming season.
3. The Importance Of Mulching Hydrangeas
Last but not least, don’t forget the mulch! Mulching your hydrangeas early in the spring is extremely important, and for several reasons.
First, it helps regulate the soil temperature, which keeps roots comfortable and strong. A heavy application of mulch also helps keep competing weeds at bay, which can steal valuable energy and moisture from the soil.
Last – and certainly not least, mulch helps to conserve moisture in the soil. Moisture that the roots need to absorb and soak in the nutrients that will provide power to the blooms.
As for the best mulches to use, hardwood bark, shredded hardwood, and even pine needles are all good choices. The real key is to get the mulch down early in the spring to start providing your hydrangea with protection.
Here is to knowing what to do to your hydrangeas this spring – and to getting them to flower like never before! Happy Gardening, Jim & Mary.
Old World Garden Farms
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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