Key Points of Summer Management for European Hydrangea
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In the past two years, European hydrangea has been very popular among flower enthusiasts. There are flowering hydrangea and European hydrangea, with the flowering hydrangea having larger blooms but expensive seedlings and slower growth. On the other hand, European hydrangea has smaller flowers but faster growth and more affordable seedlings. However, if you want European hydrangea to bloom more in spring, summer management is very important.
Key Points of Summer Management for European Hydrangea
European hydrangea is generally easy to care for, but many flower enthusiasts find that their plants often have crispy leaves in summer or very few flowers. In fact, most of these problems are due to poor summer management. When managing European hydrangea in summer, be sure to focus on the following three points.
1. -- Provide Appropriate Shade --
European hydrangea is heat and sun-resistant. If planted in the ground, it does not need shade in summer, but it is important to keep the soil moist and avoid drought. Sufficient sunlight in summer is beneficial for the plant to grow strong and promote bud differentiation. Even if some leaves get sunburned or curly, it won't affect the plant.
However, for potted European hydrangea, it is recommended to provide shade in summer. The environment of potted plants is different from that of ground plants. The potting soil can become very hot in the sun, easily causing root damage and drought. That's why many flower enthusiasts find that potted European hydrangea often has dry leaves when exposed to direct sunlight in summer.
While potted European hydrangea needs shade, it also requires some sunlight and should not be completely shaded, as this can affect bud differentiation. If the branches are too green in spring, there won't be any flowers.
I recommend placing the potted European hydrangea in a semi-shaded area in the morning to receive the relatively gentle sunlight and then shading the pot or using a larger pot for insulation. Even if there is some leaf sunburn, it won't affect the plant.
2. -- Avoid Pruning --
European hydrangea blooms on old branches, and bud differentiation starts in August. Therefore, pruning should be avoided in summer unless it's to remove very weak or unnecessary branches. Otherwise, it is not recommended to prune in summer.
Pruning of European hydrangea is usually done after flowering. If pruning is done too late, it may cut off the flower buds, affecting spring blooming.
3. -- Supplement Phosphorus and Potassium Fertilizer --
If you want European hydrangea to have more and larger flowers, it is necessary to supplement sufficient fertilizer and water during the bud differentiation period. After flowering, the plant will produce new branches, and a general growth fertilizer should be applied. In midsummer, European hydrangea may experience a brief growth停滞, and at this time, fertilizing can be stopped. Since it is particularly hot in summer, it's a good opportunity to take a break.
In late August, you can apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to the European hydrangea to strengthen the roots and promote bud differentiation. It is important to note that European hydrangea needs to experience 5 degrees Celsius of low temperature for about 40 days for the buds to grow and bloom normally. Therefore, it is not recommended to plant in areas without low temperatures.
The above are the detailed introductions to the key points of summer management for European hydrangea and the three key points for summer maintenance. Have you understood them?