How To Change Hydrangea Colors – Pink, Blue & Purple
You want a specific flower color on your hydrangeas. Do you have to buy them that way, or can you change them yourself? Learn how to change hydrangea colors: easy yet so gorgeous!!!
Hydrangeas are a very beautiful plant and one reason they are so popular in gardens is that they have the unique ability to change a variety of colors. The color of the flowers that bloom on these bushy plants can take on many shades of red, blue, pink, purple, white, and more.
First, it’s important to know that hydrangeas can change color on their own, based on the conditions and pH levels of the soil they are planted in.
If you really want to control the color of yours, you will do better if they are planted in pots. When you have container hydrangeas, you have much more control over the condition of the soil. This makes it easier to control the colors. It doesn’t mean you can’t change the color of hydrangeas that are planted in the ground; it just means it can take more work.
When hydrangeas are planted or transplanted, they will often…
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When hydrangeas are planted or transplanted,
they will often change colors on their own. This is because they are adjusting to their new environment. It can take some time to see what color they will settle in with and keep because it takes time for them to fully adjust to new soil.
Limitations on Color Changes
Some things to note when you are just getting started: while it is possible to change the colors of your hydrangeas, you have to work with what nature has given you. This means that there are some limitations. If you want to change the color of the hydrangea blooms,
you must first be familiar with these limitations…
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1-You cannot change white hydrangeas to pink or blue.
Sometimes white can become pink or red as they age, but it’s not guaranteed and there’s nothing you can do to really influence this.
2- It’s difficult to change the intensity of the color of a hydrangea bloom. This means that while you can get it to turn blue or pink, you can’t change the brightness or shades of pink and blue. You have to just let the blooms do this on their own and accept what nature gives you. There are several reasons for this, such as the heredity of the plant, the weather conditions, and the health of the plant.
3- If you live in a very hot climate, you will likely never see deep shades of red. They just don’t do well in the very warm climates. You can get a dark pink, but people in the south usually don’t see a true red. You might be able to do so if you’re raising them in containers.
Now that you know the limitations on color changes, let’s take a look at how you can get your hydrangeas to change to some of the common popular colors…
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How to Make Hydrangeas Blue
Hydrangeas turn blue based on the pH of the soil they are in. A pH lower than 6.0 will typically give you blue or lavender-hued flowers. When the pH is above 7.0 (alkaline), it gives pinks and reds. If you have a pink hydrangea and you want it to be blue, you need to bring those pH levels down in the soil. You can do this by adding sulfur or aluminum sulfate to the soil itself.
If your blooms are currently pink, that means your soil is naturally alkaline. You can turn them blue by adjusting this and making the soil acidic. Using an aluminum sulfate to keep them blue? Add about 4 tablespoons of it to a gallon of water and drench the base of the plant about every 2 to 4 weeks.
How to Make Hydrangeas Pink…
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How to Make Hydrangeas Pink
As we said above, the color is determined by the pH levels in the soil. If the flowers are pink, it means they are taking up aluminum from the soil, but if they are blue, it means they are not. If you want to make them pink, you need to ensure they are getting aluminum from the soil. To check the pH levels of the soil, get a testing kit. You can also take a soil sample to a county extension office for testing. Most people prefer to get kits and do it at home, so they have more control over testing and working with the colors.
You can raise the pH levels by adding lime to your soil. If you want to try it, just follow the instructions on the product you buy. When you’re done, use your testing kit to check the level of the soil again. You may have to do this several times to get the level range you want, and it might still take several months for the flowers to change to the colors you want. This will require patience. The plants have to adjust to their new soil conditions, so this takes place over time. If it happened rapidly, they’d probably just die.
How to Make Hydrangeas Purple…
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How to Make Hydrangeas Purple
If you keep these plants, you may already know that they can also turn purple. Or maybe you’ve seen them in a beautiful purple color and you want to know how to achieve that for yourself. Well, in strong acidic soil (pH below 6), flowers turn blue. In alkaline soil (pH above 7), flowers turn pink or even red. In slightly acidic or neutral soil (pH 6 to 7), you may get a purple color, or you could get blue and pink in the same bloom. If you want to try this, you’ll need to shoot for a very neutral soil and sometimes finding that perfect balance can take some time. but you must…
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Keep testing your soil until you achieve that neutral range of pH 6 to 7. You may need to add more of one ingredient or the other until you get consistent results right where you want them. Then, just give your blooms time to adjust to the changes and you should start seeing their colors change accordingly.