Hydrangea is one of those plants that many people love to grow indoors or in the front yard. The beauty of this plant is its large-sized flowers with colorful colors such as pink, white, purple, yellow, blue, etc. I am sure that anyone will be attracted by the beauty of a hydrangea fence on your doorstep.
Hydrangeas can be grown in pots indoors or in front or garden areas. However, the difference between indoor and outdoor hydrangea is also one of the issues that you need to pay attention to take care of this plant best. Let’s learn the important notes when growing hydrangeas indoors and outside.
Difference Between Indoor And Outdoor Hydrangea
Any plant that you grow indoors or outdoors will have differences in light, temperature, or water availability. The reason is that indoor and outdoor environments always have a relatively large difference in humidity and light intensity. So, when you grow hydrangeas indoors or outdoors, you also need to learn some important information to give the most reasonable care depending on the state of the environment. Here are some basic differences when you grow hydrangeas indoors and outdoors.
How Long Does The Hydrangea Flower Last?
Hydrangeas that you buy in a pot or are given as a gift usually have a shorter lifespan than those grown outside in soil. Most potted hydrangeas will be stimulated to flower in a greenhouse environment. Therefore, the lifetime of hydrangeas will be much shorter than those of flowers in the natural environment.
What’s more, hydrangeas grown outside in the natural environment will have a normal development process including a dormant period and re-growth in the spring of next year. It is a natural movement process of any plant.
However, potted hydrangeas will usually flower only once and are unlikely to continue to flower the following year because they are stimulated to flower earlier than the species’ usual growing period. this plant. In addition, indoor living conditions that may lack sunlight or metabolism will also make the life expectancy of indoor hydrangeas lower than that of hydrangeas grown outside in the natural soil environment.
Different Indoor And Outdoor Lighting
Hydrangeas prefer warm sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. So, if you plant your hydrangeas outside with too much sun, the hydrangeas tend to burn out. However, if they get enough sun they will have more vibrant colors than indoor hydrangeas. This is because hydrangeas will have a lighter color if they do not receive enough sunlight for a long time. Photosynthesis and pigment changes in the petals will also be disrupted if they do not receive enough sunlight each day.
Hydrangeas grown in pots and in a dark space will usually flower with a smaller size and lighter color. The number of hydrangeas will also be less when you plant them outdoors in full sun conditions. Therefore, it is important to stimulate indoor and outdoor plant growth to ensure the most ideal natural habitat.
So even if you grow hydrangeas indoors or outdoors, you need to pay attention to their placement. If you grow this plant indoors, place it about a meter away from a window and cover it with curtains to keep out direct sunlight. Choose a location that gets sunlight in the morning and shade in the afternoon.
If you grow hydrangeas outside, you need to use curtains in the afternoon to limit the burning of petals due to intense sunlight. You also need to account for changes in wind direction or areas with high winds because hydrangeas are very fragile. These flowers can be dropped or crushed when exposed to strong winds or heavy rain.
The Health Of Hydrangeas In Winter
Hydrangeas can’t tolerate frost in winter, so you need to take extra plant protection measures outside in the winter. Potted hydrangeas will have better health than hydrangeas outside. The reason is that indoor hydrangeas will grow more stably without the negative effects of weather. Meanwhile, the hydrangeas outside will have to withstand the effects of weather such as heavy rain, wind, and frost.
For hydrangeas grown outside in the winter, you need to cover them with a layer of straw or pergolas to keep the plants warm. Coatings and pergolas will work to maintain a stable temperature and limit rain, high winds, and frost. It is important that you take steps to keep the plants warm and maintain the same temperature as the room.
The mulch should be at least 4 inches thick to keep the base of the hydrangea warm. To prevent frost, you need to use wooden stakes to fix the stem of the hydrangea. The wooden stakes will help the plant’s stem to be fixed and not break when encountering strong winds or heavy rain.
Possibility Of Flowering In The Second Season
Indoor and outdoor potted hydrangeas will have different flowering times during the next growing season. Usually, indoor potted hydrangeas are more difficult to flower the next growing season than outdoor hydrangeas. Most potted hydrangeas have a short growth period but already have large flowers. The reason is that growers have used stimulant drugs to shorten the flowering time. The first flowers are all good quality like the hydrangeas outside. However, they will hardly flower or grow as well as outside hydrangeas in the next growing season.
In addition, indoor and outdoor temperatures will also affect the growth and flowering rate of hydrangeas. Indoor and outdoor temperatures that are too hot or too cold will also affect the health of hydrangeas. Try to maintain the ideal temperature and humidity to stimulate the hydrangea to flower to a large size.
How To Stimulate Flowering Hydrangea When Growing Indoors?
After your hydrangea has flowered after the first growing season, you need proper care to stimulate the plant to flower the next growing season. Here are some tips that you need to take to maintain the health of your plants.
- When the plant stops flowering, you need to prune the leaves and stem of the hydrangea. Cut a 45-degree angle at the stem to increase water absorption by plants.
- Replace with a new pot that is 2-4 inches larger to enhance root system growth.
- Improve the soil mix with peat moss, organic matter, or perlite to promote metabolism and air exchange.
- When repotting a new pot, you need to remove the air spaces in the soil by using your hands to press the layers of soil together.
- To enhance water retention, you can cover the surface of the pot with leaf litter.
- Place the potted plant in the south-facing position with warm sunlight in the morning and shade in the afternoon, or use artificial light from lamps.
- In spring or summer, you should put the potted plant outside for a while to absorb natural sunlight.
- Water it properly and fertilize it periodically to maintain the health of your hydrangea.
- In the fall, you should create the ideal space to stimulate the plants to hibernate as is the process in nature. So the plants will repeat the growth and flowering in the next season.
Conclude
Indoor and outdoor hydrangeas will have differences in the duration, size, and color of the flowers. This is due to the difference in the amount of light, temperature, and humidity inside and outside. Potted hydrangeas usually have a shorter lifespan than hydrangeas outside in the wild. The first flower quality is the same but indoor hydrangeas will be harder to flower the next season.
To grow hydrangeas indoors or outside, you also need to learn detailed information about factors such as temperature, humidity, light, or water volume. Make sure the indoor and outdoor environments are ideal for stimulating hydrangea growth.