Pruning hydrangea in autumn is considered a mandatory annual procedure, as it stimulates flowering and forms the crown of a bush. Therefore, for those who are interested in growing flowers, you need to know the basic subtleties and rules.
Genus characterization
Hydrangea is a plant that belongs to the Hortense family, it consists of approximately 70–80 species. Most of them live in East Asia. Shrubs grow up to 3 meters and are considered the most common representatives of their kind, others look like small trees, and all the rest are vines that climb along trunks and reach a height of up to 30 meters. Plants are both deciduous and evergreen. Often the first species are cultivated.
Flowering occurs in the spring and lasts until late autumn. At the end of the stem, the flowers are collected in spherical inflorescences, have a corymbose or paniculate shape.
In most varieties, heads are present in which 2 types of flowers are collected, in the middle small and fruitful, and large but barren at the edges. And you can also find plants in which all links are the same and are considered fruiting. The color of flowering will depend on the species. White, is the most common, you can see blue, pink, purple, red and yellow.
Watering
Pruning and caring for hydrangea in autumn is a very important step in growing a healthy and beautiful plant, so you need to know that the flower is hygrophilous and you need to set the watering regime. In dry periods, shrubs need to be poured 2 times, and in rainy 1 time per week. It is important to prevent stagnation of moisture so as not to harm the root system. For the procedure, it is better to choose the settled water. Under an adult bush, an average of about 40-50 liters is poured at a time. As a prophylaxis, citric acid or vinegar is sometimes added to the water.
Top dressing
In early September, it is required to carry out the main dressing of the plant for the current year. The composition of the selected fertilizers should include a phosphorus-potassium complex. Nitrogen components in this period are not required, they are perfect in early spring, when the plant begins its active growth.
Treatment for diseases and pests in the fall
During this period, treatment is considered more preventive than curative and is carried out in order to destroy pests and ailments that are collected in the soil or in the bark of a tree for wintering. One of the most popular drugs are Abiga-Peak and 1% Bordeaux fluid. Similar events are carried out after the leaf fall ends.
Why trim?
The volume and method of pruning depends on the varietal and species characteristics of the plant. This procedure can not be done at all, but then the foliage will become too thick, and the inflorescences will be smaller and smaller after each year, as a result, the bush will form untidy.
You need to know for beginners, pruning hydrangeas in the fall is carried out for the following purposes:
- the formation of larger inflorescences;
- the formation of the required crown for landscaping the decorative area;
- prevention of breakdowns from a load of snow in the winter;
- removal of weak and old branches;
- "Rejuvenation" of the bush.
Basically, all species, with the exception of large-leaved and groundcover hydrangeas, are trimmed the same way as panicled.
At the end of the procedure, the flowers are necessarily fed with fertilizers, and a mulching of the root zone is also formed. To do this, it is best to choose a layer of compost or humus 5–7 cm thick. Top dressing will actively stimulate the formation of fresh shoots and growth.
Timing
Trimming panicled hydrangeas in autumn is very common, but you need to remember that the temperature for these purposes should not be higher than +5 to +10. And also such a procedure is done at the end of winter, immediately before the buds or in early spring (main) before the leaves bloom.
In the autumn period, they often cut off faded inflorescences, while reducing the breaking of branches. Sometimes part of the main pruning is carried over to this period, if you want to obtain specimens on stronger shoots, but the flowers in this case will be less.
rules
It is very important to systematically and accurately trim all types of hydrangeas. Of course, they will grow perfectly without it, but the bushes will begin to thicken and lose their decorative appeal, and the inflorescences will fade over time.
The main pruning is usually done in the spring, but many gardeners very often do this before the frost, to strengthen the plant and it has become stronger.
Pruning of hydrangea in the fall is performed like a typical shrub. After the sanitation of the branches that have faded, go to the obsolete and remove them to the base. This is done in order to strengthen the formation of young shoots. After thinning out small thickening branches on the main bush. Last year's epaulettes are cut off in half, they need to leave only a few buds, from which young and strong shoots with large inflorescences will start to grow.
It is necessary to tell for beginners, pruning hydrangea panicled in autumn is performed like a tree. The skeletal branches and trunks of her are quite durable, therefore rejuvenation is performed by transferring epaulets to a young branch. Among the three shoots emerging from the same kidney, it is necessary to keep 1-2 directed outward. Extra branches need to be removed, and all last year's should be shortened and only a few pairs of buds left there. The thicker these shoots are, the more buds it is recommended not to cut.
Unlike past species, pruning garden hydrangea in autumn is performed differently. In large-leaved and similar types, last year's shoots cannot be shortened, since the main buds for flowering are concentrated at their ends. But this does not mean that such plants, in general, should not be cleaned. It is important for them to perform a rejuvenating procedure. Cutting to the base of old epaulettes, which prevent young animals from actively developing, is carried out. New sprouts will give full bloom next year. This procedure helps to achieve a balance between flowering and growing shoots, which ensures annual beauty.
Panicle hydrangea
Such varieties are good in that they can be used as a sprawling shrub, as well as a standard crown or a “bouquet on a twig”.
Most of the work is carried out in the spring, then in addition to the formation of the crown, frozen, damaged and dried branches are necessarily removed. These varieties give flowers only on young sprouts, so all procedures must be carried out before the movement of juice and the buds open. The best time is March or April. The stronger the cut shoots, the larger the inflorescences will become. In spring, remote branches can be used as planting material. To do this, you need to choose the optimal time, the kidneys should already swell a little on them.
The following information is suitable for beginners, hydrangea pruning is carried out carefully in the fall, since the plant has fragile wood, so it is necessary to remove only dried inflorescences to the buds. The accumulation of winter snow often leads to branches breaking or bending to the ground.
Plants that are young do not cut after planting, as foliage is needed for the growth and nutrition of the seedling. After several years, you can begin to form a bush.
Tree varieties
The technique of rejuvenation is similar to panicled species. The first few years only sanitation is carried out. Pruning hydrangea tree-like in the fall for beginners will not be difficult, since only the removal of dried flowers is performed. These varieties, as well as panicled ones, develop peduncles on new shoots that grow, therefore, deep cutting of the plant is required in order to stimulate the active formation of the crown. This species gives a lot of shoots growing from the basal zone. In the spring, they are often used for cuttings. Three types of pruning are most commonly used:
- Minimal - shortening is performed on several kidneys. In this embodiment, hydrangea is cultivated as a free-growing shrub. The flowers grow small, but there are a lot of them.
- Pruning “under flowering” - several internodes are left on the branches below. In this case, large but rare inflorescences are formed.
- Full "under the stump" - performed to rejuvenate the plant. It is done only for representatives older than 5-7 years. Branches are cut from the ground by 10-15 cm. Hydrangeas, which for 10 years are not recommended to be subjected to such a test, as they can die due to lack of nutrition.
Garden hydrangea
This species blooms on the upper branches of last year's growth. It is considered important information for beginners, pruning hydrangeas in the fall of these varieties is not performed, it is recommended only to clean their lower part. To do this, rely on the following rules:
- all dried inflorescences must be removed as they appear - this will give the opportunity to grow new branches;
- if the flowering is plentiful, only part of the young shoots that are formed deep in the bush are cut;
- too sick and old branches must be removed completely.
It is important to know that the milder the climate, the more carefully you need to trim. In cold regions such as the Urals, Siberia, and Northwest, garden hydrangea is cut to a minimum.
And also for all types there is another type of pruning - rejuvenation, intended for those specimens that are more than 7 years old. It is carried out the same way, shoots are cut to a height of 10-15 cm. With minimal intervention, it is recommended to leave just a few strong and outward growing branches.
Autumn hydrangea pruning for beginners
The garden beauty is sheared most often in the spring, but before the cold, it is imperative to remove the flower caps and cool shoots.
In the early stages, it is better not to touch the bush, wait until 3-4 years of age so that the plant grows stronger and stronger.
It is important for beginners to know that trimming hydrangeas in autumn, especially paniculata, undergoes thinning formation and removal of panicles, they perform sanitary cleaning and shorten the shoots.
Short pruning will help to get a tall bush with active flowering, but branches that reach more than 150 cm can break off if there is a strong wind, a thin shoot will not withstand gravity and will bend to the ground. It must be remembered that such a bush is difficult to wrap up for the winter. Therefore, this type of trimming is recommended to be used infrequently.