Rooting Hydrangeas

Post date: Jul 19, 2020 11:52:39 PM

By Uma Shashikant

This is the time to root hydrangeas. Here is a video is what I did today. Will post notes at the blog.

All done. Four types of hydrangea - oak leaf, Anne belle, pink and blue. 30 cuttings in all.

These will remain open tonight to settle in. And then will be sealed tomorrow to be opened after 15 days.

The trick is to seal the moisture without getting fungal attacks. The medium is absolutely loose saw dust and vermicompost. I would have used sand, but I had treated saw dust that won’t decompose and decided to experiment with it.

Rooting must happen before Sep 21 when day length shortens. And must be done when night temps don’t drop below 70.

The upcoming full moon day early August and the week after is ideal.

For normal blue and pink hydrangeas , You deadhead the flowers once they are done. Late summer. The buds for the next season form soon after in the branches as nodes that will overwinter. Trim those branches and nodes and you have no flowers next season.

For annebelle, the flowers form on new growth. You can prune the plant down in winter. Ours is primed early Spring and it flowers in every new branch.

There is no thinning out - but I would reach in and clear all dead growth in early spring when the plant springs back to life with many new branches.