Hydrangeas come in a variety of shapes and sizes and produce abundant petals that are suitable for a variety of environments.
The characteristic blue and pink hues reflect the acidity of the soil in which the flowers are grown, with blue flowers growing in acidic soils and pink hues coming from alkaline soils.
Conversely, for gardeners who want their hydrangeas to turn a deep purple color, neutral soil is key.
Gardeners claim that some natural ingredients, such as coffee grounds, eggshells and vinegar, can change the color of hydrangeas with long-term use.
Hydrangea flowers come in a variety of colors, including blue and purple.
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“Some gardeners claim that adding coffee grounds to the soil will turn hydrangeas blue,” Budget Seeds gardening expert Craig Morley told GB News.
This is because coffee grounds increase the acidity of the soil, allowing the hydrangeas to absorb more aluminum from the soil.
The expert continued: “Reportedly, crushed eggshells can be used to turn hydrangeas pink. […] The shells slowly decompose, reducing soil acidity and making it harder for hydrangeas to access the aluminum present in the soil. ”
Craig says some gardeners claim that adding vinegar to the water used to water the soil will turn hydrangeas blue.
Patience is key with these methods, as it takes months for natural ingredients to change the soil's pH levels.
Craig explained: “It takes about three months, and sometimes up to 18 months, to change the pH level of your garden soil.
“Once the pH level increases or decreases enough for the hydrangeas to change color, you will need to continue applying what you were using to the soil to maintain that color.
“You can try mixing it into the soil when planting hydrangeas, but you won't see any color change until the following year.
“Certain varieties of hydrangea (great hydrangea and mountain hydrangea) can change color, which is thought to be related to the pH or level of aluminum in the soil.”
Traditional methods of changing soil pH levels included adding aluminum sulfate to the soil to maintain low levels of phosphorus, moderate nitrogen, and high levels of potassium.
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The color of hydrangea flowers is determined by the acidity of the soil.
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The recommended ingredient to give the sepals a pink color is garden lime, an active ingredient made primarily of calcium carbonate.
This comes as one expert recently spoke to GB News about the benefits of using molasses to promote prolific flowering in plants.
This sweetener is praised by many experts as a fertilizer because it contains many minerals essential for plant growth.
Additionally, its unique sticky texture helps the minerals cling to the plant and penetrate into the root system.
