How Much Lime for Hydrangeas to Turn Them Pink?
The color of a hydrangea can be misleading. Anyone who has ever planted a "blue" hydrangea and gotten pink blooms or planted a "pink" hydrangea and gotten purple blooms will tell you that the color of hydrangea blossoms can vary a great deal from what was advertised. The good news is that you can manipulate the color of hydrangeas by understanding what impacts its coloring, and you can learn how to get more pink blossoms on your hydrangeas. Does this Spark an idea?
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Changing Color
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Blue hydrangeas can be manipulated so that they become more pink and pink hydrangeas can be made a darker, pinkish-red. Either of these effects is achieved by adding lime to the soil. This is best accomplished with potted hydrangeas because you will have the best control over soil conditions. You can also achieve color changes in planted hydrangeas, though it will take more time. Note that white hydrangeas cannot be manipulated into turning pink, even if there are some natural pink tinges on the flowers.
Understanding the pH of the Soil
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The first step to manipulating the color of your hydrangea and to knowing how much lime you need to add is to test the existing pH of the soil. You can purchase soil testing kits at a garden or home supply store. The pH scale runs from 0 to 14, with lower numbers being more acidic and higher numbers being less acidic. Most garden soil will range from 4.5 to 7.5 on the pH scale. Test the soil in each location that you are growing hydrangeas because each soil location could be different. To make the flowers turn pink, you will need to raise the pH of your hydrangea.
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How Lime Affects the Color of Hydrangeas
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Lime does not directly change the color of a hydrangea. Instead, it impacts the soil conditions by raising the pH of the soil. This creates conditions in the soil such that the plant cannot take in aluminum, which would in turn lower the pH of the plant and turn the flowers blue. So, the reason for adding lime is that it helps keep any existing aluminum in the soil away from the hydrangea's roots.
Adding Lime
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Dolomitic lime should be added to the soil to raise the pH level, but it will take time to see the results. You will need to repeat the process over a period of several months until you get the pH level between 6.0 and 6.2, necessary for the blooms to achieve a pink color. Add 4 oz. lime at a time, directly to the base of the plant to raise the pH level one point, testing the soil again after a week or two. Keep adding the same amount until you achieve the pink shade desired. Be patient; it could take two growing seasons for you to get the pH to the desired level. You can also add fertilizers rich in phosphorous and nitrogen to help turn the plant a healthy, rich pink color.
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References
- Photo Credit hydrangea image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com
