Are Eggshells Good for Hydrangeas?

As a gardener, are you always searching for different methods to improve your plant’s health and energy?

But, what if I say you can use kitchen leftovers to enrich the growing soil?

It’s interesting, isn’t it?

In this write-up you’ll learn benefits of using eggshells for hydrangeas.

Hydrangeas are beautiful flowers that come in different colors, such as pink, blue, and purple.

We have collected all the information you will need, so you will need to make a decision for your garden.

Are Eggshells Good for Hydrangeas?

Eggshells include nutrients like nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, along with calcium carbonate. However, they need to be decomposed to enrich the soil.

For it to happen, you must powder eggshells after washing and drying them under sunlight.

Hydrangeas plants grown better when the soil pH is from 5.2 to 5.5.

Calcium carbonate in eggshell powder can make the soil alkaline. So, test the soil pH before using eggshells and limit its use.

When and How Often Should I Fertilize Hydrangeas?

are eggshells good for hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are famous shrubs that are seen all over North America. They have huge, green leaves and colorful flowers.

Use a balanced fertilizer with 10-20-10 NPK ratio once in the growing season. This will allow the hydrangeas to bloom extensively.

Phosphorus in fertilizer will boost blossoms in this flowering plant. Eggshells has 0.38 percent of phosphorus in it, which can be obtained for your plant after decomposition.

For a few of you, you will need to apply fertilizer during the month of May. While leaves were dropping.

Again, you will need to feed them during the season of growing that will be around July.

The second time you will need to feed is during the summer season.

It is essential to understand and keep this as a reminder of when you should stop fertilization. You should not apply fertilizer after August.

How to Use Eggshells for Hydrangeas?

You are committing a huge blunder if you are using eggshells that are not crushed.

A huge eggshell can get back into shape and not get spoilt for years, so one of the advantages is to mix the powder.

It is easy to decompose the powder when compare to small pieces.

Note: Adding eggshells will improve pH up-to 6.8, after that it will have no impact on soil pH.

Also Read: Should I Use Coffee Ground for Calla Lilies?

How to make eggshell powder?

Wash eggshells, dry them under sun for couple of days and then grind them into fine powder.

For making the powder, you will have to keep at least ten of the shells. Afterward, you will have to wash it with fresh water and leave it to dry.

Then keep the eggshells in the oven to bake for a while. This will help to kill all the unnecessary bacteria.

The oven should be about 212 F (100 C), which will hold the eggshells for 1-2 minutes.

If you keep the eggshells for more time, they can get burned, and you will not be able to do anything after that.

Therefore, the bacteria can be dangerous; if you do not kill them, they can go all over your garden.

The other step is to grind the eggshells. You can use a mixer or a coffee grinder for this.

One of the best is a mortar and pestle, which will be perfect for making herbs. Hence, you will need to do a lot of work to get an accurate answer.

You will need to grind the eggshell very thin. The particles will then dissolve soon, and the soil will get better.

After finishing, transfer it into a plastic container and keep it in a dry place.

The correct time to apply eggshell powder is in the spring.

During this time, the heat is so intense that the pieces will be washed away by the water around the plants.

Therefore, the hydrangea will then start to grow during this time, and it will take time to form.

You will need to put 3 to 7 ounces of the powder right below the roots. It will be more than enough.

For the plant’s healthy growth, you will need to apply a dressing every year.

There will be no sense in putting on powder during the summer.

Also Read: Can Angel Wing Begonias Grow Outside?

Add Powdered Eggshells to Compost

But, limit the use of pulverized eggshells less than 5 percent of total compost.

With the eggshells, you can apply them to the humus. Obviously, you will have to bake them and make them into powder.

For the humus, you will need to select the broken plants from the young trees. The raw material has a few vitamins for the plants.

There are so many younger plants that are falling ill, so there will be fewer bacteria in them.

Also, you can put the extra items—for example, the unwanted kitchen items—in the humus.

You will need to add the eggshell powder to the humus. It should not go beyond 5-10%.

You will need to mix it all at once.

Keep the humus for a year for it to dissolve. It should not stock so much. The layer should go into the air.

If there is no air, the fermentation process will start, and the humus will be right below, containing dangerous products that will harm the plants.

The humus will be a bit acidic during the decomposition procedure, which will be helpful to melt the eggshell powder.

The final answer will be that you will get amazing herbal fertilizer for the hydrangeas.

Do Eggshells Decompose in Soil?

The powder from the eggshells can change the soil if only the soil is acidic. There will be a few that can melt the calcium that is only in the shells.

Whenever you add the correct amount of eggshell powder to the acidic soil, you will see that it becomes the same.

As soon as it reaches 6.8, the powder will no longer be dangerous to the soil’s acidity.

Gardeners will need to search for a change in the acidity of the soil to get the correct color of flowers.

Whenever you pour the powder in the mud, you will have to make it even; for example, the color of the followers will turn purple.

For it to change color, you will have to add more products into the soil.

Eggshells will not dissolve as they will not spoil; hence, they will have the risk of containing salmonella in the compost.

Gardening Myths about Eggshells:

Here are the myths about eggshells:

  • Eggshells stop slugs and snails. Never: whenever you keep down an eggshell, it will not have any problem.
  • Eggshells break rapidly in compost bins and will add calcium to your compost. Eggshells are made of calcium carbonate. It will not prove that it will work even if you do not have the eggshell.
  • Eggshells prevent shiny end rot in tomatoes, aborigines, and peppers. Is that true? I promised you that the business of tomato, pepper, and aboriginal farmer would come to know first.
  • Eggshells feed the soil: This is one thing I can totally rely on: It’s not only the, but the brains that have got lines in the shell. Do you agree?
  • Eggshells must be clean, dried in the oven, and crushed. Before they were added to the compost lots: By crushing it, it is not going to make any difference in the compost lots, which are so small that it’s difficult to see a difference. That’s what I have heard, and it is a weird reason.
  • Eggshells will make a great plant. Mulch suppresses weeds, is that it? They weigh 5 grams per egg, and how many will I need to cover the deep weeds?
  • Eggshells will make a great organic fertilizer. Not at all. It is not unless the calcium of eggshells is around 600C, and it can also apply in liquid, which is around 517mg/l.

A lot more myths are there to make you understand.

Important Tips for Growing Hydrangea Plants:

How can you not share any tips on growing hydrangeas? Okay, you can’t, so let’s chat about how to grow hydrangeas!

Welcome to summer after a long winter.

So here are the tips for growing hydrangeas in your garden:

  • Give them Tasty Soil: You must have heard that you can get more colorful and light hydrangeas even when you feed them vitamin-rich soil.
  • Check the PH level of the soil. When it comes to hydrangeas, it is essential to check the PH of the soil.
  • Change the soil: If you want to make your hydrangeas so happy, then think about using best potting soil, which means by pouring herbal fertilizer that includes dressing the soil.
  • Know the depth and width of the plant. It is essential to understand and keep in mind how to grow hydrangeas.
  • You should begin the plant in a healthy way by changing the soil to organic.
  • Plant a bit on the top so that they are not kept like in the nursery container.
  • The holes should be 2 to 3 times larger than the root ball to give more space.
  • Slowly make the pot bound loose much before planting.
  • By stocking and changing the soil and using fresh water every time.
  • Whenever you are planting in a group, then distance them at least 3 feet apart (if you are planting in a variety).
  • You can also use Epsom salt to improve blooming and make the plant bushier.

They love the morning sun. Who will love the morning sun? You can also plant in the morning and see the shade.

Also Read: How much light does calla lily needs to grow?

Don’t overcrowd them: Hydrangeas love their own space. Don’t overcrowd them, or else they could be dangerous to each other.

It is not important to have a fertilizer. When you use fertilizer, your plants will get a bigger boost.

Conclusion

Are eggshells good for hydrangeas?

Yes, you can use this kitchen leftover to enrich your flowering plant. But, don’t rely on eggshell nutrients to fertilize your hydrangeas.

As mentioned, eggshell powder release nutrients slowly and that too has little impact on the plant.

If you’re not a big fan of using leftovers, then avoid using eggshells.

Instead you can use liquid fertilizers that are rich in phosphorus to have a blooming hydrangea plant.

The reason why I recommend adding eggshells to compost bin, it will reduce environmental waste and it’s fun to make own organic fertilizer at home.

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