The name hydrangea comes from the Greek "hydor," meaning water, and "angos," meaning jar or vessel. This roughly translates to "water barrel," referring to the hydrangea's need for plenty of water. Because of this the hydrangea needs extra water to prevent wilting during transport and in the shop. A well-suited pot size is very important to store enough water in the growing medium/soil. To give you an idea of how much water the hydrangea needs: it uses between 40 and 50 ml of water per day in standard conditions.
To help you prolong the selling period and improve display quality and appearance there are two easy solutions that can help you. First up is the Aquastick which works by supplying your plants with water from a reservoir. The larger your reservoir the longer your plant will be able to survive on that reservoir without the need for topping up.
It is important to note that when using the Aquastick to display your hydrangeas you must ensure that a suitable outer pot is used so that the grower's pot is above the water reservoir and the Aquastick is inserted correctly. Plants can then draw water as and when they need it which keeps plants turgid and healthy during the display period as well as making it much easier for the consumer to keep the plant watered without under or over watering.
Second, there is the Chrysal Aqua Pad which is basically a natural wood fibre mat that is placed between the outer ceramic and the grower's pot. The Aqua Pad comes in a variety of sizes to suit the display pot size and with the hydrangea being such a thirsty plant it obviously performs better in bigger pots. If a 12cm pot is used this requires a 9cm Aqua Pad that can hold 110 to 130 ml of additional water which can prolong hydrangea shelf life an extra 1 to 3 days.
For more information:
Chrysal
Wendy Metselaar
wendy.metselaar@chrysal.nl
www.chrysal.com