Recommended Application of Aluminum Sulfate for 'Nikko Blue'

18 years ago

My soil here is heavy clay, and I compensate for it the best that I can. Left alone, my "Nikko Blue" spring blooms are a very faint pink.

Last fall I transplanted and applied liberal amounts of Aluminum Sulfate in the process. This year I had wonderful blue blooms for the first time.

What is the recommended application of Aluminum Sulfate once the transplant process has been completed?

Thanks.

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Comments (5)

luis_pr
18 years ago
You may want to read the information on color changes found in the HydrangeasHydrangeas Website. Always remember to keep aluminum sulfate away from azaleas/rhodos since it kills them. Luis

Here is a link that might be useful: Color Change Information
bogturtle
18 years ago
I am trying to get my 'Nicco Blue' to be just that. It has always bloomed pink. The product I bought says one teaspoonful per gallon and I am supposed to start very early in Spring when new growth starts. Cannot stick to this simple schedule. Very unusual that I cannot get blue, as my soil is naturally very acid. This product has Aluminum Sulfate in it. Have enough to try again next Spring. Am now seeing pink buds.
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Is there enough space for the NB to grow to maturity without cramping the other plants? Remember that it can grow 5x5 or more. Your winter protection techniques may be ok. Perhaps what happened is that over time, leaves tend to degrade and move around such that a pile of leaves originally 4' may have shrunk, exposing the ends of the stems to winter temperatures and drying winds. Some people keep excess leaves in a pile for use during mid winter; like for when you notice that leaves have settled. You may also want to make sure that the protection extends several inches away from the longest stem. The more, the better (3-6"?). Prune the stems in late June if you notice one or more stems are much larger than the others. LIR needs winter protection where you live so just try again and check how things are going about once every two weeks or more. If you notice you need to tweak the pile of leaves, you should now have more available from the pile of excess or leftover leaves.
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I guess I have a similar question - not sure if there's a black and white answer. Novice gardener, moved into my house over 6 years ago. About 5 hydrangeas in one bed in the backyard, gets late afternoon sun, which causes foliage wilt, from which they recover nicely. Watering is inconsistent. They bloomed the first couple years, but not in the past 4 (maybe just a bloom or two). Not sure of the variety, and I've cut back in the fall and not cut back at all. Having left the old growth on for the past two seasons and not seeing blooms, I'm starting to think that I need to protect them in winter to avoid frozen buds on the old growth. I will give this a go in the fall. (I can't recall the weather conditions for the past several years, except for our first growing season in the house (2000), when we had a very mild winter. So I don't know if the rest of the time has been weather related bud kill.) The opposing opinion: My bf thinks that they were doing well during the first couple years in the house because he would dump the ash from our charcoal grill in the bed (and we had nicely colored blooms too). We stopped dumping the ash in the beds when we adopted a dog 3 years ago who would munch on the remnants of charcoal briquets that smelled like bbq steak, and now that we use a gas grill, spreading ash is not likely to happen. So, in addition to protecting in the fall/winter, I'd like to try soil amendment right now. I didn't catch this in the responses above - does composted manure smell? If so, I don't want to use that. Alternately - what should I use to fertilize my hydrangeas right now to perhaps get them to bloom this season?? Sorry if the answers are elsewhere in the forum. I'll try to do a search on fertilization, feeding, amending?? Any key words you recommend? Thanks, Laura
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orchids41
18 years ago
I'd like to know the brand name of the aluminum sulfate product you used and where I might purchase it. My Nikko Blues, fertilized with an azalea/rhododendron food, are a beautiful shade of Forget-Me-Not Blue, but I'd like them to be even bluer/darker. I just returned from a trip to SC where theirs are blooming a gorgeous shade of cobalt blue. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, huh? BTW, I'm just north of Orlando.
luis_pr
18 years ago
Aluminum Sulfate is a chemical name. It is -what I call- a commodity product... like oil, gas or gold. Any brand name from a trusted local nursery (not HD or Lowe's) should do. A common brand here is HiYield.
matt_in_mi
18 years ago
I have an endless summer that I planted last spring. It had blue blooms when I bought it, from grower/nursrey manipulation. Late last summer, the reblooms were have blue, half pink. I wanted them blue again, so I have been giving it a gallon of water with 1.5 tablespoons of Alum.Sulf. every couple weeks. I have been doing this since first growth this spring. The blooms are just starting to develop, but they definately have a pink hue to them again, certainly not blue. What am I doing wrong? My natural soil ph is just above 7. I fertalized with Mir-acid in the spring. I watered with alum sulf every couple weeks. I spread about 50# of peat humus around the base this spring. Maybe I just needed to water with the Alum. Sulfate every week instead of every couple weeks.
any suggestions?

Recommended Application of Aluminum Sulfate for 'Nikko Blue'

Comments (5)

luis_pr

bogturtle

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