Why don't hydrangeas give flowers

Hydrangeas are very pretty shrubs. They have large leaves with a serrated margin that make them serve to decorate any place at any time of the year. But let's not fool ourselves: its main attraction is its flowers. Grouped in rounded inflorescences, they are truly spectacular. So when our plants stop flowering we worry.

If that's your case, it's time to know why hydrangeas do not give flowers and what can we do to help them to produce beautiful petals again.

What to do to make hydrangeas bloom?

For them to bloom again we have to do the following:

• Water them several times a weekEspecially in summer, which is when the land dries up quickly, using rainwater or water poor in lime.
• Fertilize them during spring and summer with a specific fertilizer for hydrangeas (on sale here), or for acid plants. We also recommend guano (for sale here), which is a very fast-effective natural fertilizer. Of course, the instructions on the container must be followed.
• If they are in pots, we have to transplant them to larger ones approximately every 3 years. In this way, we will get them to grow more and, therefore, have enough energy to flourish. It is necessary to put substrate for acidophilic plants (for sale here), or a universal one that has a low pH, 5 to 6 (such as this).
• In case they have pests, we can treat them with diatomaceous earth, which is an effective natural insecticide against mealybugs, aphids, red spider, whitefly, ants, and I would dare to say that against any type of small insect. You can buy it No products found..
• Remove dry branches in late summer or early fall, when it starts to cool.

What are the causes of hydrangeas stop blooming?

Una hydrangea healthy will bloom every year. This is something we have to keep in mind, since when it does not it is because there is something that is not working well. Perhaps it is watered too much, or it has run out of space, or the soil it has is not suitable for it. You may even have pest problems. Therefore, we are going to know the causes of it to stop blooming:

It is not the flowering season

The least worrisome reason is simply that we are in a season when our hydrangeas are not comfortable enough to bloom. And, in order for them to do so, they need the minimum temperature to be 15ºC, so it is normal that in autumn and winter we see them without flowers.

You are experiencing irrigation related problems

Irrigation is a task that we have to do frequently, since hydrangea resistance to drought is very low, one could say almost nil. It is not one of those that have to have the roots wet every day, but as soon as the earth dries up the leaves are "hanging". But you can also suffer from overwatering:

Excess irrigation

Although it is true that they are plants that, especially during the summer, appreciate being watered quite frequently, they should not be treated as if they were aquatic, since otherwise its leaves will yellow and fall.

To avoid this, it is important to water 3-4 times a week during the hottest season and every 3-5 days the rest of the year. If we have watered more, we will remove the hydrangeas from the pots, we will wrap the earth bread with kitchen paper and we will leave them like that for at least 24 hours. The next day we will remove the paper, we will re-plant them in the containers and we will not water for a couple of days.

Lack of irrigation

Hydrangeas that don't have enough water readily available we will see that the leaves dry very quickly, starting with the tips. If they have flower buds, they will abort them and drop them.

To avoid this, and as we said in the previous point, you have to water frequently. If the soil is very, very dry, we will take the pot and put it in a basin of water for an hour approximately, until it is well soaked.

Inadequate irrigation water

We may be watering with the correct frequency, but the type of water we use will make the difference between having healthy hydrangeas and diseased ones. It is very important to note that they are acidophilic plants, that is they need both soil and water to be acidic, with a pH between 4 and 6. If we use a water with a lot of lime, its leaves will turn yellow, leaving the nerves very visible.

To avoid it, I recommend pouring the juice of half a lemon in a liter of water and using this to water. Another option, which can be a bit cheaper if we have a lot of hydrangeas or a few lemons, is to add 1 or 2 tablespoons of vinegar to 5 liters of water.

The pot is too small for them

You may have heard someone say that a pot that is in a small pot will bloom more than one that has the right pot. Well, he is right, but the explanation you may not like: a plant that does not have enough room to grow can certainly produce flowers, but it will do so in an attempt to produce seed and thus create a new generation. In other words: he will not do it because it is his time or because he is healthy, but because he has no other choice if he wants to leave his genetic mark before dying.

Of course, it does not have to have that ending, but I think it is not sensible to force it to produce flowers in a small container. In fact, the most normal thing is that we get them to bloom once in those conditions. Next year they won't. For this reason, I recommend changing the pot to the plant shortly after buying it, and again approximately every 3 years.

It grows in a land that is not suitable

Hydrangea is an acid plant, this means that it grows in soils whose pH is low, between 4 and 6. Thus, when we grow it we have to make sure that the soil in which we want to have it has a low pH. To do this, we can use a pH meter, which we can buy from here. We introduce it into the ground and voila, we will immediately know which one it has. But if we are going to grow it in a pot, we will only have to buy substrates for acidic plants.

But What if the pH is higher? That the leaves become chlorotic. We will begin to see that the natural green color first turns yellowish green as the nerves remain greenish. Over time, the leaves will become more and more yellow, until they will finally fall without being autumn (which is the season in which they normally fall since the plant is resting until spring). To correct this, iron chelate must be applied with the irrigation water, as well as using water with a low pH.

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In order to grow, and also bloom, hydrangeas need a more or less constant supply of compost, otherwise they most likely will not bloom or their blooms will be very poor as time goes by.

To avoid it, from the beginning of spring to the end of summer we must pay them with a liquid fertilizer for acid plants, following the indications specified on the product packaging.

You are being the victim of some plague

Although it is not usual to see the hydrangea with some, in especially dry environments it can have mealybugs, which are sap-sucking parasites that will greatly weaken it. Luckily, they are easily seen on the stems, since they can be like cotton balls or limpets (you have more information about mealybugs here). You can remove them with water and diluted neutral soap, or if you prefer with diatomaceous earth.

But when do hydrangeas bloom?

We have talked about the measures we have to take to get them to produce their flowers again, and the causes that make them stop blooming, but… when do they bloom? Well then, the flowering season of these plants begins in spring and ends in summer. The exact start and end time will depend a lot on the weather, as they need heat to flourish. But also, if the winter has been especially cold and / or windy, it will take longer to enjoy its inflorescences.

For example, in my area the normal thing is that they start to bloom around March, but in case there has been a cold wave in February (which would cause frosts of up to -1,5ºC where I live) then they will take longer in doing it. Anyway, It is not really important when they start to bloom but that they do it, and they will do that if they receive the necessary care and they protect themselves from extreme frosts (as I said, they resist weak and occasional frosts of up to -1,5ºC, but it would not be appropriate to leave them out if it drops below -2ºC).

With these tips, you will surely be able to enjoy your flowers again soon.