Fertilizing has been made a complex task these days by these internet gardening “gurus”. But, in reality, there’s nothing simpler than fertilizing your plants, especially if you have a passion for gardening.
When it comes to hydrangeas, they can be heavy feeders. I would go as far as saying that you can’t truly achieve the best results from your hydrangea shrubs without some fertilizer action, even if it’s just during the growing season.
Let’s go over everything you need to know about fertilizing hydrangeas and why it’s so beneficial for their growth. Stick around till the end because you’ll definitely learn a few tricks that may drastically improve your hydrangeas.
Why Fertilizing Hydrangeas Is Important
Fertilizing hydrangeas is important as it provides the shrub with the adequate essential nutrients it needs to produce healthy foliage and robust blooms. Your hydrangeas grow bushier and denser with fertilization.
In addition to that, well-fed hydrangeas are also quite resilient and can handle stress a lot better than those suffering from nutrient deficiencies.
When To Fertilize Hydrangeas Throughout The Year?
It’s a consensus among most experienced gardeners that spring is the ideal time to be fertilizing hydrangeas. It’s when the dormancy period ends and growth resumes that the hydrangeas can benefit the most from fertilization.
Many people, however, also like to fertilize hydrangeas mid-summer. And, although that may sound strange, it can actually encourage vibrant blooming and healthier root development in the shrubs.
4 Types Of Fertilizers To Use
A Balanced, Slow-Release Fertilizer:
As the name suggests, this kind of fertilizer contains a balanced blend of all essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, magnesium, etc. Its slow-release nature allows this fertilizer to provide a consistent supply of nutrients over longer periods of time.
For most hydrangea varieties, a balanced fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 10-10-10 is ideal.
Acidifying Fertilizer:
Acidifying fertilizers help hydrangea shrubs produce blue blooms. This type of fertilizer is perfect for varieties like Bigleaf and Mountain hydrangeas that inherently produce blue flowers, enhancing the blooms even further.
For these varieties, a fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 12-4-8 would encourage robust blooming and strong root development.
Alkaline Fertilizer:
If you’re looking for more pink hydrangea blooms, opt for an alkaline fertilizer that typically has added limestone for raised alkalinity. Panicle and Oakleaf are the two hydrangea varieties that will benefit from an alkaline fertilizer the most.
A 5-10-5 NPK ratio makes the most sense here.
Try Other Forms Of Soil Enrichment:
While fertilizers are time-proven and work incredibly well for promoting healthy growth and blooming, there are other organic fertilization options that can also help you enrich your garden soil.
How To Fertilize Hydrangeas? Here’s The Right Way
Step 1: Pick the ideal time to fertilize
For most hydrangea varieties, this should be around early to mid spring since it’s when the plant will be in its growth phase.
Step 2: Select the fertilizer of your choice
For overall hydrangea growth and blooming, go for a balanced, slow-release blend.
Step 3: Check the instructions
Follow the instructions on the package when applying the fertilizer and avoid using too much as it can burn the roots.
Step 4: watering
Once application is complete, water the fertilizer into the soil immediately and let your hydrangeas sit for a while.
Step 5: monitor your hydrangeas growth
Monitor your hydrangeas shrubs for the next few weeks, looking out for signs of yellowing or no change in the condition. If there was a nutrient deficiency and it hasn’t been fixed after fertilization, it probably means you used too little fertilizer or it got washed away due to rain.
Conclusion
Believe it or not, fertilizing garden plants is my favorite activity and I genuinely look forward to it every growing season. If you’ve got a passion for gardening like me, there’s no way any plant care task can ever feel like a chore or “job”.
The key is to shift your perspective. Rather than viewing fertilizer application as an incredibly boring yearly task, turn it into an enjoyable experience. If you have kids, get them involved and make it a fun activity that you actually look forward to.
Best of luck with your hydrangeas!
