Gardening Questions and Answers

A new gardening question of the day appears every day of the year on the front page of Almanac.com. Below is the answer to one of the questions from our Gardening Questions and Answers Archive where you can find over 400 more gardening questions (with answers!).

Question:

How do I change the pH in my soil to change the color of my hydrangeas?

Answer:

It's easy to modify your soil's pH. Start with the Hydrangea macrophylla variety. Soil that is on the acid side (pH between 4.5 and 5.5) will produce blue hydrangeas. Once established, you must fertilize them yearly with an acid fertilizer according to the package directions. When you plant initially, modify the soil with two pounds of sulfur and peat moss. If you want pink to light red hydrangeas, the soil needs to be neutral to alkaline, with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Add ground limestone only around the plant to make the blossoms pink. A pH above 7.5 will result in poor growth.

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