RE: Hydrangia "Nikko Blue"

O.K.  That makes more sense.  Thanks for filling in  the blanks, Chris!  I
only have four hydrangea at present and none that have bloomed yet as they
are very young.  (DH accidentally "mowed" over a small one I got last year,
but it is fighting back by producing a nice set of leaves anyway.)  Two are
very young/small, and the other two are 4-5 years old now and have never
offered to bring me blossoms.  I also picked up a climbing hydrangea last
year.  I'm not sure what to expect as far as blooms or bloom time for it
either.  

For me, I'd just be tickled if any of them bloomed at all and I'm not at all
worried about color.  Most of our soil is slightly alkaline or neutral, so I
imagine whatever I get would be leaning toward the pink range.  LOL!!!

Blessings,
Bonnie (SW OH - zone 5) 

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-gardenchat@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On Behalf
Of Christopher P. Lindsey
Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2006 3:57 PM
To: gardenchat@hort.net
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Hydrangia "Nikko Blue"

> Chris, could that be why people use the rusty nails?  If they have 
> soil that is borderline alkaline, could the iron from the rusty nails 
> enable the plant to take up that micronutrient?  Just wondering.

Hi Bonnie,

  The iron *is* the micronutrient, so it could just be that the nails are
  providing iron in an iron-poor soil.

  I really don't see any way that iron could change the pH of the soil,
  but hydrangea color *has* been linked to iron.  And rust forms in more
  acidic environments, so if you put iron nails in soil with a pH of less
  than 8.2 (I think) it might make the iron easier to absorb once it
  oxidizes.

  So...  I'd try the nails *with* sulfur, or fertilize your plants with
  Osmocote professional + micros (which will release copper, iron, etc.
  into the soils).

  I use sulfur, Osmocote pro with micros, 10-10-10, 42-0-0, and super-
  absorbents as additives in my soilless mix for plants.

Chris

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