While hydrangeas are easy to cultivate and tolerate almost any type of soil, to maintain these gorgeous flowers and get the biggest blooms, it’s important to fertilise them regularly and with the right nutrient balance. While gardeners can buy fertilisers, there are some natural alternatives gardeners can opt for instead, according to one gardening pro.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Angela Slater, gardening expert at Hayes Garden World explained that there are certain natural ways to improve soil structure when it comes to growing hydrangeas.
One of the first, yet quite unusual ways of fertilising these gorgeous plants is to use worms.
Angela explained: “Worms in the soil add fertiliser and micro-nutrients so maintaining a good, healthy soil structure will result in more worms and healthier plants.
“Worms also maintain an open structure to the soil which enables the hydrangea roots to penetrate more easily and therefore access more nutrients.”
Soils with high amounts of organic content generally have a healthy soil ecosystem with beneficial bacteria, fungi and earthworms which all contribute to increasing the nutrient availability in the soil.
Earthworms in particular feed on the decaying organic matter and produce worm casts which is a concentrated form of nutrients that is very easy for the plant to uptake.
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Worms will also create channels in the soil as they work their way through, which creates space for roots to grow and alleviates compaction in heavy soils.
This will also increase drainage and draw pockets of air into the soil which in turn fuels the beneficial bacteria and benefits the roots.
Therefore healthy soil with lots of worms will equate to a healthy hydrangea that should (as long as other conditions are suitable) produce lots of flowers and healthy foliage.
Gardeners can also add humus, in the form of well-rotted farmyard manure to the soil, as a mulch in spring or autumn.
The expert instructed: “Just spread a thick layer around the plant, about two to four inches, and the worms will pull it down into the soil.
“If planting a new hydrangea, add a good forkful to the bottom of the planting hole.
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“It is important that the manure is at least two years old, otherwise it will burn the plant’s roots, which will result in you losing the plant.”
As mentioned earlier, hydrangeas are known for their colouring and pale pink and blue hydrangeas react to different pH levels in the soil.
Acidic soils produce blue flowers and alkaline soils produce pink.
Angela explained: “If you want to maintain the pink colouring, spent mushroom compost added to the soil will add structure and nutrients.
“It is slightly alkaline so will enhance the pink colouring but will reduce the colour of blue flowers, often leaving these with a pink tinge.”
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Hydrangea leaves can often turn yellow as a result of “potassium deficiency” and two ways to “easily” remedy this is by singing either banana skins or a light dusting of wood ash, according to the gardening expert.
However, Angela warned: “Make sure the ash doesn’t contain any coal dust and only use a very small amount.”
Potassium is an essential nutrient as it helps the plant’s overall immune system, which in turn helps to fight off any diseases.
Peels are also a great source of calcium, magnesium, phosphates and sulphur.
The gardening pro also highlighted eggshells as a great fertiliser for hydrangeas.
She said: “Crushed eggshells, lightly forked into the soil around your hydrangea, will help maintain a good pink colour as they are slightly alkaline.
“If you add them to soil around a blue hydrangea, the flowers will take on a pinkish hue.”
The expert also noted Epsom salts as beneficial for hydrangeas to develop a “healthy” root system.
Angela advised: “Dissolve Epsom salts in water, a tablespoon to a gallon, and apply to the roots of the hydrangea to help it develop a healthy root and stem system.
“They also help to maintain good flower and leaf colour but won’t change the colour of the flowers.”