Do you want to buy the best fertilizer for transplanted hydrangeas or aim for large and beautiful flowers? The different fertilizers with different nutrients can meet different needs. Check the top list of the best fertilizer for hydrangeas below to see which one is the best for you:
Here are the best fertilizers for hydrangeas you can buy in 2024:
- Best For Transplanting: Dr. Earth Fertilizer
- Best For Lush Foliage: Miracle-Gro Fertilizer
- Best For Large Blooms: EZ-GRO Fertilizer
- Best For Beautiful Blooms: ENVY Fertilizer
- Best For Strong Root Development: CountryMax Fertilizer
- Fast Dissolving: JR Peters Fertilizer
| 6 Best Fertilizers For Hydrangeas | ||
|---|---|---|
Best For Transplanting | Dr. Earth Fertilizer | |
Best For Lush Foliage | Miracle-Gro Fertilizer | |
Best For Large Blooms | EZ-GRO Fertilizer | |
Best For Beautiful Blooms | ENVY Fertilizer | |
Best For Strong Root Development | CountryMax Fertilizer | |
Fast Dissolving | JR Peters Fertilizer | |
Best For Transplanting: Dr. Earth Fertilizer
- Easy to use
- Good for flowering
- Not cheap
Transplanting seems simple to you, but this process can cause your hydrangeas stressed from the move. If you leave this bad condition too long, your plants can’t survive in a new environment conveniently.
Thus, when transplanting, you should apply Dr. Earth fertilizer to minimize transplant shock and stress. This slow-release fertilizer has a low content of nitrogen which won’t harm the root development and encourages the excessive growth of flowers and leaves, harming the growth of the root system.
Its probiotic beneficial soil microbes and mycorrhizae help your hydrangeas draw more water and nutrients from the soil for better growth. Plus, they raise tolerance to a new environment’s stresses.
The fertilizer’s broad spectrum biological inoculant also plays a vital role in helping your transplanted hydrangeas adapt better.
| Dr. Earth Fertilizer Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 12 lbs |
Coverage Area | 165 square feet |
Fertilizer Analysis | 3-4-3 |
Highlight Features | Non-GMO Project Verified - Certified Organic Feeds up to 2 months |
Dr. Earth fertilizer provides your hydrangeas with valuable features for convenient transplantation.
Best For Lush Foliage: Miracle-Gro Fertilizer
- Easy to mix and apply
- Possible to make heavy clay lighter
- Expensive
With N-P-K (30-30-10), Miracle-Gro fertilizer is formulated for the healthy growth of foliage. 30 N (Nitrogen) makes a great contribution in producing chlorophyll through photosynthesis to stimulate the development of green leaves. Meanwhile, 10 K (Potassium) is a must for photosynthesis.
| Miracle-Gro Fertilizer Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 1.5 lb |
Coverage Area | 600 sq. ft. |
Fertilizer Analysis | 30-30-10 |
Highlight Features | Work well for acid-loving plants Feed every 1-2 weeks |
Miracle-Gro fertilizer gives you a hydrangea garden of lush foliage and beautiful flowers.
Best For Large Blooms: EZ-GRO Fertilizer
- Easy to apply and use
- Quick to see the result
- Pretty expensive
The EZ-GRO fertilizer can help you grow large blooms of hydrangeas thanks to its micronutrient that boosts the overall plant health and growth. These micronutrients will promote necessary plant processes and development to produce nutrient-high food.
Specifically, this micronutrient package has beneficial ingredients for your hydrangea growth. They include zinc, molybdenum, manganese, iron, copper, chlorine, and boron.
| EZ-GRO Fertilizer Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 32 fl oz |
Fertilizer Analysis | 21-7-7 |
Highlight Features | It has a lot of micronutrients Good for acid-loving plants |
EZ-GRO fertilizer provides your plants with enough essential nutrients for complete growth.
Best For Beautiful Blooms: ENVY Fertilizer
- Easy to use
- Straightforward to understand instructions
- Fact to act
- Easy to be washed
Providing your plants with a low nitrogen content will cause the leaves to be stunted and yellow and flowers to be small and pale.
The ENVY fertilizer has an ideal N-P-K ratio for beautiful blooms. 21-7-7 means that this product reaches the highest number of nitrogen (21). This nutrient supports lush and green growth, which is so essential for chlorophyll production. Meanwhile, chlorophyll plays a vital role in the photosynthesis process to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars to feed your plants for more beautiful blooms.
| ENVY Fertilizer Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 3.0 lb |
Fertilizer Analysis | 21-7-7 |
Highlight Features | Feeds instantly Versatile formula 100% water soluble |
When applying ENVY fertilizer correctly on your hydrangeas, you will quickly have large blooms.
Best For Strong Root Development: CountryMax Fertilizer
- Quick to act
- Fast to promote major and beautiful blooms
- Natural ingredients
- Long-lasting
- Not have many particular customer reviews
The N-P-K rate of the CountryMax fertilizer is 4-5-4 with the highest content of Phosphorus (P). So, what are the benefits of phosphorus for your hydrangeas?
It is beneficial for the healthy growth of the root system. Roots are any plant’s foundation, so your plants can put up with stress on a new growing environment and harsh weather.
| CountryMax Fertilizer Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 20 Pounds |
Fertilizer Analysis | 4-5-4 |
Highlight Features | Instantly feeds acid-loving plants Natural ingredients Long-lasting |
CountryMax fertilizer provides your plants with strong root development to withstand any harsh conditions.
Fast Dissolving: JR Peters Fertilizer
- Abundant and beautiful blooms
- Easy to apply
- Not for people who love blue hydrangeas because it tends to turn the color into lavender
While the liquid fertilizer acts quickly to save hydrangeas with obvious nutrient deficiency, this granules fertilizer slowly feeds your plants for a long time, up to a few months. However, you can use the JR Peters fertilizer on both forms. It’s straightforward and quick to dissolve with water or a ready-to-use product.
| JR Peters Fertilizer Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 1.5 lb |
Fertilizer Analysis | 7-3-3 |
Highlight Features | Micronutrients Water-soluble plant food Aluminum sulfate |
It doesn’t take long to dissolve JR Peters fertilizer, so you can quickly apply it to your hydrangeas.
How To Choose The Best Fertilizer For Hydrangeas?
What Are The Types Of Fertilizer?
There are 3 types:
Liquid
This is a concentrate, so you will dilute it with water or a ready-to-use product before using it. Whether you spray on the foliage or pour around the base, your hydrangeas can quickly absorb this type of fertilizer to boost nutritional value for your plant instantly. However, this isn’t an ideal choice for rainy areas. It is easy to be washed due to overwatering or rainfall.
Granules
This is the most common choice because it’s effortless to use. You can dissolve in the water, pour on the soil or sprinkle around the base. Moreover, they are known as time-release granules. Thanks to the polymer coating, they slowly dissolve to feed your plant. Granular fertilizer is a long-term supply of nutrients.
Spike
Like granules, this is also a long-term investment because it’s compressed and shaped into hardened spikes, which will slowly dissolve to offer nutrients for your plants within 2-3 months.
Although it’s straightforward to apply - you just need to bury the spikes in the soil near the plant base; this type of fertilizer can’t boost your hydrangeas immediately.
Do You Need Organic Or Inorganic Fertilizer?
Inorganic Fertilizer
Inorganic fertilizer is a combination of chemical and synthetic nutrients. It is formulated to result in a specific growing outcome. For example, an inorganic fertilizer with an increased acidity level can produce more abundant or larger blooms. Some inorganic fertilizers have time-released ingredients to slowly dissolve and feed your plant up to a few weeks or months.
Organic Fertilizer
Most gardeners love this choice more because it contains natural ingredients such as compost, poultry manure, and earthworm without chemicals. Though it isn’t as strong as inorganic fertilizer, it can improve soil health and nutritional value. For instance, organic fertilizer can provide both soil health and help heavy clay drain better.
What Is The N-p-k Ratio?
Any commercial fertilizer is labeled this ratio: N (nitrogen), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).
You should invest in an all-purpose and balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10 (N-P-K) for hydrangeas because it contains an equal amount of nutrients. This is useful for the healthy development of foliage and bountiful blooms.
The different needs can make these numbers change. It’s better to buy a hydrangea fertilizer with an NPK ratio based on the nutrient deficiency of the soil:
Yellowing and wilting are the signs of lacking nitrogen. If your plant shows these features, it might require a high content of nitrogen. In this case, when choosing your fertilizer, make sure that N in NPK is the highest number.
High phosphorus content can boost the blooms of hydrangeas, while potassium develops roots and stems for your robust and vibrant hydrangeas.
A high concentration of phosphorus like (10-20-10) can raise the bloom’s quality and size.
What Is The Best Soil Type?
Hydrangeas work well in light soil because it provides your plant with better drainage. If you grow your hydrangeas in heavy or clay-like soil, organic fertilizers can help you improve this condition.
Which Brands Make The Best Fertilizer For Hydrangeas?
Green Guardian & Neptune’s Harvest
Although Green Guardian specializes in fertilizers, even some kill weeds, all products are 100% organic. In particular, the company said that their fertilizer products are edible, which is ideal for families owning pets. Neptune’s Harvest is also one of the brands that provide 100%-organic fertilizers.
LESCO
This brand produces and sells professional fertilizers that are usually used to maintain the turf on golf courses, but it’s not easy to find and buy them at local garden centers.
Andersons
This brand is famous for phosphorus-free fertilizers. They are applied in some areas of the United States with high-in-phosphorus soil, such as areas near lakes and streams.
Nature’s Touch & Dr. Earth
Nature’s Touch specializes in producing organic-based fertilizers, which have both organic ingredients and chemical components. This is better than commercial fertilizers that are just made from chemical ingredients. Dr. Earth brand also offers organic-based and blended fertilizers.
Scotts
Many of you might have heard of this famous brand in the United States. Their reputation comes from not only product quality but also their customer service. Thus, you can trust this large brand with fertilizers for different types of plants and flowers.
FAQs
How do you fertilize hydrangeas?
What is the best time to fertilize hydrangeas?
You should fertilize most hydrangeas twice per year: in the early spring (May) and early summer (July). However, some types of hydrangeas have some special requirements as follows:
- Bigleaf hydrangeas require you to apply light fertilizer a few times during March, May, and June.
- Oakleaf and Panicle hydrangeas need to be fertilized twice: April and June.
- For smooth hydrangeas, you just need to fertilize once in late winter.
Should you fertilize newly planted hydrangeas?
You don’t have to fertilize newly planted hydrangeas for the first year.
Is Miracle Grow good for hydrangeas?
Yes.
How do I increase hydrangea blooms?
Grow your hydrangeas in a place where they can get as much sunlight as they can tolerate getting more blooms.
Water your hydrangeas every one or two weeks, depending on the weather condition.
Apply and spread a 3-inch layer of mulch on the soil to maintain moisture and keep the root cool. This way is helpful with some hydrangeas, such as Hydrangea arborescens and smooth hydrangea.
Fertilize your hydrangea in the early spring when it is foliage production.
Use a pair of sharp pruning shears to deadhead a hydrangea throughout the flowering season as long as you don’t hurt the stems. If you don’t cut the dead flowers, they will go to seed.
Carefully prune the hydrangea for the next good season’s flowers. Just cut the flowers blooming on last year’s wood. Don’t prune in the late summer because you just remove buds at this time.
Conclusion
The best fertilizer for hydrangeas helps your plants develop entirely. Some nutrients help you transplant your hydrangeas to a new growing environment safely and conveniently, while others promote the development of roots, leaves, and flowers.
