Indoor hydrangea

Indoor hydrangea is a popular flowering plant from the Hydragenium family. The regions of Japan and China, as well as America, are considered the birthplace of a beautiful flower. There he prefers to grow in temperate latitudes in moist and light areas with nutritious soils.

Hydrangeas can include both large tree species and shrubs. Moreover, some of these plants are able to grow not only in gardens, but also at home. Such specimens do not exceed one meter and resemble a lush bush. The foliage of home hydrangeas has a jagged edge and an ovoid shape. Its size reaches 14 cm, but the main reason for growing hydrangeas is considered to be large inflorescences, which can be colored in tones of white, pink and blue. Most often, a large-leaved plant is chosen for pot growing.

Hydrangea is grown as a perennial, but renewed with cuttings every year if necessary. Its feature is considered to be very intensive growth - planted cuttings can begin flowering as early as next year. As a rule, it lasts from mid-spring to late autumn. Although this plant requires careful maintenance, it is quite popular due to its beauty.

The benefits of indoor hydrangea

Hydrangea foliage is capable of purifying the air, and flowers are pleasing to the eye, but the followers of ancient philosophies attribute a number of other, no less useful properties to the graceful plant. Widespread in East Asian countries, according to Feng Shui, hydrangea is considered a very valuable home flower. This plant has a calm and positive energy that can fill the house with a sense of serenity. A hydrangea bush will help smooth out conflict situations and promote mutual understanding. Admiring hydrangea helps to relax after a hard day or stressful situation, regain peace of mind, drive away depressing thoughts and improve mood.

It is assumed that the hydrangea bush is able not only to improve the home environment, but also serve as an indicator of the energy of the home. The better it is, the more magnificent and longer the bush will bloom.

Brief rules for growing room hydrangea

The table shows brief rules for caring for a room hydrangea at home.

When purchasing a bush of indoor hydrangea with flowers of an unusual color in the store, it is worth remembering that such artificial specimens do not live for a long time or will soon be reborn into an ordinary plant.

Home care for indoor hydrangea

In order for the indoor hydrangea to appear before the owners in all its glory, the flower will need to create certain conditions.

Lighting

Young bushes of indoor hydrangea can be exposed on the windowsill, and adults are usually kept not far from the window, at a distance of a couple of meters. In this case, burns will definitely not appear on the leaf blades. For hydrangeas, the east direction is best: this is where they receive a sufficient amount of light. Darker northern windows will require artificial lighting, while southern or western windows will require shading. Bushes can spend winter in a dark room.

Temperature

In order for the indoor hydrangea to remain healthy, it is necessary to maintain a certain temperature regime. Dry and hot weather can kill the plant, causing foliage to shed. Cold drafts and sudden temperature changes are also harmful to the flower. The optimum temperature for a bush during the growth period is considered to be no higher than +20 degrees.

After the end of flowering, the plant is moved to a cooler corner and the amount of watering is reduced. The bush should spend the rest period in a room where it keeps no more than +10 degrees. A warm wintering may end in the absence of flowering - it will move for a year.

Watering mode

For watering room hydrangeas, only soft water is used, melted or filtered water is considered ideal. To get melted water, you can freeze it in bottles and then wait for it to melt. To preserve the rich color of the inflorescences in spring and summer, when watering, you can add a couple of drops of lemon juice to it. The same measure serves to prevent yellowing of the foliage.

When indoor hydrangea grows, it must be kept in moist soil. Watering through a tray is preferable - once every two days, a pot with a bush is immersed in a container of water for about half an hour. Excess water is drained after it drains. In winter, watering is significantly reduced, moistening the soil only once a decade. Waterlogging during this period can cause root decay.

Air humidity

Bright sunlight is harmful to indoor hydrangeas in the same way as dry air near heating radiators. To moisten the space near the bush, it is recommended to spray it daily with filtered or boiled water. This will protect the foliage from the appearance of limescale. But when spraying, do not point the spray bottle at the inflorescences and buds.

The soil

In order for excess water not to stagnate in the soil, it must be light and allow air to pass through well. For this, the lower part of the pot is filled with expanded clay. The soil itself should include turf, humus, peat, sand, as well as perlite or vermiculite.

By changing the acidity of the soil, you can achieve a certain color of the inflorescences. So in alkaline flowers will be paler (pinkish, white or yellowish-cream), and in more acidic - blue, blue or purple. More accurate data depend on the specific variety.

Fertilizers

For the full development of the indoor hydrangea, it is necessary to periodically feed it. Liquid solutions for flowers that love acidic soil - rhododendrons or azaleas are well suited as fertilizers. Top dressing begins to be applied from the moment when new buds begin to appear on the stems. Sometimes they are replaced with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.When the plant fades, they stop feeding it.

Transfer

A healthy bush of indoor hydrangea can live at home for about 4 years. During this time, it is moved several times into slightly larger containers with fresh nutrient soil. For hydrangeas, choose a wide container. There must be large holes at the bottom of the selected pot. Expanded clay is poured at the bottom, then soil, and then a bush is transplanted there, sprinkling the roots and ramming the earth with your hands. Transplanted plants will need particularly abundant watering.

Pruning

Indoor specimens are pruned in the fall, after flowering ends. For this, dried or weak branches are removed using a sharp and sterilized secateurs. At the same time, you can shorten excessively long shoots out of the total mass or remove the top of the bush to form a beautiful crown.

Bloom

Home hydrangea begins to bloom in mid-spring, but for this the plant needs a sufficient rest period - it lasts from October to February. At this time, the bush is kept in a cooler room. With the beginning of spring, the temperature in the room is gradually raised. The optimal level is +20 degrees. Together with this, the plant begins to be watered more often, as well as fertilize and increase the humidity of the air. All these actions will help wake up the hydrangea and stimulate the onset of bud formation.

With proper care, the flowering of indoor hydrangea should last until the end of autumn. In this case, the shape of the inflorescences depends on the specific variety. They can be shaped like a ball, umbrella or brush. The flowers inside each inflorescence may differ in size: smaller ones are collected closer to the center, and the largest ones bloom at the edges.

It is not recommended to move or rotate the pot with a bush during flowering.

Reproduction methods room hydrangea

Due to the fact that the indoor hydrangea bush lives for a relatively short time, it should be propagated before it grows old. There are three main breeding methods:

Cuttings

During fall pruning, excess healthy branches can be used as cuttings. Their optimal length is about 6-10 cm. Each cutting should have several buds. Before planting, its base is treated with a rooting stimulator, the lower foliage is removed, and the upper one is cut for less moisture evaporation. Prepared cuttings are planted in peat or sand and covered with a transparent jar that creates a greenhouse effect. With the appearance of fresh foliage, they begin to remove it for a couple of hours a day, and by the spring they are completely removed.

Dividing the bush

This method is suitable for mature plants at least 3 years old. When transplanting a bush, it is divided into parts, as much as possible trying not to damage the fragile roots. Each cut is treated with "Kornevin" and planted in a separate container. This breeding method is considered the fastest and easiest.

Growing from seeds

You can also grow indoor hydrangea from seeds. The acquired seed is spread on the surface of moist fertile soil with a large amount of peat. At the same time, the water for irrigation must be warm. Seedlings are placed under glass or foil and try to maintain constant soil moisture: drying out can lead to the fact that the seeds will not sprout.

With the appearance of the first shoots, the film is removed. As soon as the seedlings have real leaves, they dive.

Pests and diseases

Diseases of indoor hydrangea are usually caused by high dryness of the air, waterlogging, or proximity to diseased plants. Bordeaux liquid will help to cure small foci of gray rot. If the foliage of the bush is affected by chlorosis, it is watered with a solution of ferrous sulfate (for 1 liter of 10 g of the product). Green soap with the addition of copper sulfate (150 g of sulfate per 1 liter of water) will help with powdery mildew. Pests can also appear on the bushes. As soon as signs of a spider mite, aphids or thrips appear on the foliage, the bush must be immediately treated with a specialized preparation.

To understand the cause of other problems with flowers, you need to evaluate its appearance:

• Foliage dries out at the edges due to low humidity or insufficient watering.
• Leaf wilting can also be caused by dryness of the earthy coma.
• Light spots on the leaf blades are, on the contrary, a sign of excess moisture in the soil.

The main varieties of indoor hydrangea

Indoor hydrangea varieties differ in color, as well as in the shape and size of the inflorescences.

Red sensation

A well-known variety. The petals are painted in a bright red-pink hue. In this case, the size of the inflorescences can reach 20 cm.

Goliath

It has spectacular spherical inflorescences of white or pink (in neutral soil) color. Adult bushes grow up to 70 cm.

Europe

Abundantly flowering variety, forms medium-sized bushes. Inflorescences are very large (up to 25 cm), colored to pink.

Earley Blue

Popular blue variety. It forms 1 meter bushes and needs frequent feeding, while being adapted for growing in an apartment. With proper care, it has a long flowering period.