Farmer's hydrangeas with their large flower balls are often grown in the greenhouse and come on sale in early spring as decorative room decorations. You can find out how to care for the hydrangea in the pot in this article.
How do you properly care for hydrangeas in a pot?
In order to optimally care for hydrangeas in pots, they need a partially shaded location, loose and acidic substrate, regular watering and fertilization and repotting every two years. Watch out for possible pests and overwinter the plant indoors for the first few years.
The right location
Hydrangeas are not sun worshipers and prefer partially shaded or shady locations. The hydrangea feels extremely comfortable on a north, east or west balcony or in the entrance area of the house. In your room, you should place hydrangea in a sunny location near a bright window.
The perfect substrate
The hydrangea needs a loose, permeable and slightly acidic substrate that can store a lot of water. Special hydrangea or rhododendron soil is ideal.
Watering and fertilizing regularly
If you care for a hydrangea in a pot, you will quickly notice that the plant is extremely thirsty. Water the hydrangea whenever the top few inches of the substrate feel dry. On hot summer days it may be necessary to water the hydrangea twice a day. Since the hydrangea is very sensitive to waterlogging, you should pour away excess water in the saucer even on very warm days.
Since the soil in the pot can only store a limited amount of nutrients, you need to fertilize the hydrangea every 14 days during the growing season. Use special hydrangea, azalea or rhododendron fertilizer.
Repotting
Pott hydrangea in fresh substrate about every two years. The planter should be slightly larger than the one previously used so that the sensitive roots have enough space.
Propagate
You can easily propagate hydrangeas in pots using cuttings. To do this, cut off a shoot with two pairs of leaves and shorten the leaves by half. When placed in potting soil, the seedling quickly grows new roots.
Pests and diseases
With good care, hydrangeas are not very susceptible to plant diseases and pests. Occasionally the hydrangea is attacked by spider mites or aphids. These pests can be easily controlled with insecticides from garden shops. You can prevent chlorosis (iron deficiency), which occasionally occurs in red and pink hydrangeas, by using an appropriate fertilizer with iron content.
Wintering
If you care for a hydrangea in a pot, you should overwinter the plant indoors for the first few years. A cool basement room or the stairwell is well suited. The room temperature should not exceed ten degrees. Remember to ventilate daily to prevent rot.
