Hydrangea bloom not coloring

[scfundogs]

I have a Nikko hydrangea, planted a couple of months ago, that has grown
quite a bit and looks very healthy. I purchased it from a nursery with one
mophead already on it but it was still green. The mophead has also grown
but hasn't colored at all.

Another mophead is forming but is white. Its planted in shade with patchy
morning sunlight for a few hours and has been kept well-watered. My other
hydrangeas (not Nikkos) are blooming away beautifully. Any guesses as to
why the flowers aren't coloring?

--
Tara

[scfundogs]

Oops, I'm in lower zone 8

--
Tara

[Elaine]

Hon sounds like it was mis-labeled at the nursery.
It should be either blue or pink depending on soil pH.
Preferably Blue for a Nikko. Sorry. Take it back.

Elaine in Ga
Zone 7b
"scfundogs" > wrote in message
...
>I have a Nikko hydrangea, planted a couple of months ago, that has grown
>quite a bit and looks very healthy. I purchased it from a nursery with one
>mophead already on it but it was still green. The mophead has also grown
>but hasn't colored at all.
>
> Another mophead is forming but is white. Its planted in shade with patchy
> morning sunlight for a few hours and has been kept well-watered. My other
> hydrangeas (not Nikkos) are blooming away beautifully. Any guesses as to
> why the flowers aren't coloring?
>
> --
> Tara
>

[scfundogs]

"Elaine" > wrote in message
.. .
> Hon sounds like it was mis-labeled at the nursery.
> It should be either blue or pink depending on soil pH.
> Preferably Blue for a Nikko. Sorry. Take it back.

Thanks Elaine. I just went out and checked it again (I probably look in on
it 10x a day) and the new mophead that's trying to form is turning from
whitish-green to pink. The huge mophead that's been on the plant for months
is still green though, like the way they come in as new growth, before they
get their color.

I don't mind what color it ends up being as I have both blues and pinks but
I worry that a) the uncolored bloom is a dud and should be snipped and/or b)
the plant needs more sun.

I have found websites that say Nikkos like sun to partial shade and others
that say medium shade to little sun. My other hydrangeas wilted terribly
until I moved them to primary shade but maybe this one is different?

--
Tara

[Elaine]

Tara my Nikko is in mostly shade with some dappled sun in the morning. I
have a woodland garden. It is at the base of a pine tree.
Hope this helps. I would say medium shade to little sun. They don't like sun
for very long and lord knows it gets hot in GA.

Elaine in Ga
Zone 7b
"scfundogs" > wrote in message
...
> "Elaine" > wrote in message
> .. .
>> Hon sounds like it was mis-labeled at the nursery.
>> It should be either blue or pink depending on soil pH.
>> Preferably Blue for a Nikko. Sorry. Take it back.
>
> Thanks Elaine. I just went out and checked it again (I probably look in on
> it 10x a day) and the new mophead that's trying to form is turning from
> whitish-green to pink. The huge mophead that's been on the plant for
> months is still green though, like the way they come in as new growth,
> before they get their color.
>
> I don't mind what color it ends up being as I have both blues and pinks
> but I worry that a) the uncolored bloom is a dud and should be snipped
> and/or b) the plant needs more sun.
>
> I have found websites that say Nikkos like sun to partial shade and others
> that say medium shade to little sun. My other hydrangeas wilted terribly
> until I moved them to primary shade but maybe this one is different?
>
> --
> Tara
>

[John Savage]

"scfundogs" > writes:
>I have a Nikko hydrangea, planted a couple of months ago, that has grown
>quite a bit and looks very healthy. I purchased it from a nursery with one
>mophead already on it but it was still green. The mophead has also grown
>but hasn't colored at all.

The colour of the blooms is determined by the soil's pH or something,
and you can swap over their colour by adding the appropriate mineral to
the soil. The actual brilliance of the colour is determined largely by
the hydrangea's genes I guess.

So I'm wondering whether your new acquisition is planted in soil that
is different from what the others are growing in? Maybe there is a lot
of lime or cement waste or something in its soil? You haven't mentioned
adding blueing (or pinking) compound to its soil, have you tried that?
I think any mushroom compost added to the soil would have made it a bit
acid.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

[Elaine]

As I stated above soil pH determines the color. Alkaline for blue, acid for
pink but they start out green until they mature. The plant itself tends
to like acid soil which is what we have down here but my nikko (2yrs old)
still is blue so far just maybe not a brilliant blue. Hopefully that will
not change.

Elaine in Ga
Zone 7b
"John Savage" > wrote in message
om...
> "scfundogs" > writes:
>>I have a Nikko hydrangea, planted a couple of months ago, that has grown
>>quite a bit and looks very healthy. I purchased it from a nursery with
>>one
>>mophead already on it but it was still green. The mophead has also grown
>>but hasn't colored at all.
>
> The colour of the blooms is determined by the soil's pH or something,
> and you can swap over their colour by adding the appropriate mineral to
> the soil. The actual brilliance of the colour is determined largely by
> the hydrangea's genes I guess.
>
> So I'm wondering whether your new acquisition is planted in soil that
> is different from what the others are growing in? Maybe there is a lot
> of lime or cement waste or something in its soil? You haven't mentioned
> adding blueing (or pinking) compound to its soil, have you tried that?
> I think any mushroom compost added to the soil would have made it a bit
> acid.
> --
> John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

[John Savage]

"Elaine" > writes:
>As I stated above soil pH determines the color. Alkaline for blue, acid for
>pink but they start out green until they mature. The plant itself tends

Without consulting a reference, I'd say you have that 'round the wrong way.
I seem to remember hydrangeas being the opposite to litmus; hydrangeas are
blue in acid and pink in alkali I think.

(Actually it's not that straightforward, as I recall a science teacher
winning a science award for determining what it *really* is that changes
the hydrangea's colour from pink to blue or back again, but roughly
speaking using pH is good enough, but you probably know that.)
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

[Stephen Henning]

John Savage > wrote:

> Without consulting a reference, I'd say you have that 'round the wrong way.
> I seem to remember hydrangeas being the opposite to litmus; hydrangeas are
> blue in acid and pink in alkali I think.
>
> (Actually it's not that straightforward, as I recall a science teacher
> winning a science award for determining what it *really* is that changes
> the hydrangea's colour from pink to blue or back again, but roughly
> speaking using pH is good enough, but you probably know that.)

The acidic soil permits the aluminum in the soil to be taken up which is
what makes the flowers blue. Maybe with acidic soil and no aluminum
they would be white, I don' t know.

Aluminum is toxic to many plants such as azaleas and rhododendrons, so
don't think that aluminum sulfate is good for acidifying the soil for
all plants. But, it will make most mophead hydrangeas bloom blue.
--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
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Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhodybooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA Zone 6

[Elaine]

http://www.flowersbulbs.com/manipulatecolor.cfm

Here is a reference for pH and coloring. I did have it backwards.
Sorry, thanks John.

pH of 4.5-----deep blue----acid

pH of 7.0----deep pink----alkaline

Aluminum in the soil is the element responsible.

*note that white hydrangeas are not altered at all. white stays white.

Elaine in Ga
Zone 7b


"John Savage" > wrote in message
om...
> "Elaine" > writes:
>>As I stated above soil pH determines the color. Alkaline for blue, acid
>>for
>>pink but they start out green until they mature. The plant itself tends
>
> Without consulting a reference, I'd say you have that 'round the wrong
> way.
> I seem to remember hydrangeas being the opposite to litmus; hydrangeas are
> blue in acid and pink in alkali I think.
>
> (Actually it's not that straightforward, as I recall a science teacher
> winning a science award for determining what it *really* is that changes
> the hydrangea's colour from pink to blue or back again, but roughly
> speaking using pH is good enough, but you probably know that.)
> --
> John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

[Stephen Henning]

"Elaine" > wrote:

> http://www.flowersbulbs.com/manipulatecolor.cfm
> Here is a reference for pH and coloring. I did have it backwards.
> Sorry, thanks John.
> pH of 4.5-----deep blue----acid
> pH of 7.0----deep pink----alkaline

Actually a pH of 7 is neutral, perfectly neutral.
--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhody.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhodybooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA Zone 6

[Elaine]

In the hydrangea "world" a pH of 7 is enough Alkaline for pink.
Nickpicker
"Stephen Henning" > wrote in message
...
> "Elaine" > wrote:
>
>> http://www.flowersbulbs.com/manipulatecolor.cfm
>> Here is a reference for pH and coloring. I did have it backwards.
>> Sorry, thanks John.
>> pH of 4.5-----deep blue----acid
>> pH of 7.0----deep pink----alkaline
>
> Actually a pH of 7 is neutral, perfectly neutral.
> --
> Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
> Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
> http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhody.html
> Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
> http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhodybooks.html
> Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA Zone 6

[Ann]

"Elaine" > expounded:

>In the hydrangea "world" a pH of 7 is enough Alkaline for pink.
>Nickpicker

No, not a nitpicker, he's correct. 7 is not alkaline at all. Look it
up.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

[Elaine]

Yes Ann theoretically 7 is neutral. In this discussion however, if you will
read from the beginning, is in regards to the proper pH for the color of
hydrangeas. 7 is the proper pH for pink and is considered alkaline enough to
produce that color. See the link I provided on the subject.
http://www.flowersbulbs.com/manipulatecolor.cfm

"Ann" > wrote in message
...
> "Elaine" > expounded:
>
>>In the hydrangea "world" a pH of 7 is enough Alkaline for pink.
>>Nickpicker
>
> No, not a nitpicker, he's correct. 7 is not alkaline at all. Look it
> up.
> --
> Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
> South of Boston, Massachusetts
> e-mail address is not checked
> ******************************

[Stephen Henning]

"Elaine" > wrote:

> In the hydrangea "world" a pH of 7 is enough Alkaline for pink.

In the hydrangea "world" a pH of 7 is neutral enough for pink.

Just as rain water is not weak lemonade, a pH of 7 is not alkaline.

> Yes Ann theoretically 7 is neutral.

Not theoretically, by definition. By definition alkaline means:

"Having the properties of an alkali; having a pH greater than 7."

Obviously a pH of 7 doesn't qualify. The website you are quoting is
making a common mistake of equating less acidic with more alkaline and
that is not true.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

[Ann]

"Elaine" > expounded:

>
>Yes Ann theoretically 7 is neutral. In this discussion however, if you will
>read from the beginning, is in regards to the proper pH for the color of
>hydrangeas. 7 is the proper pH for pink and is considered alkaline enough to
>produce that color. See the link I provided on the subject.
>http://www.flowersbulbs.com/manipulatecolor.cfm

What Stephen said. Not encouraging a misconception is all that's
being avoided here.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************