I've read on these forums a lot of people saying that if the fertilizer has a lot of nitrogen in it, it keeps the plant in "growth" mode instead of going into bloom mode. I don't have any personal experience with it though.

I've just been giving it Miracid. Maybe OI'll try something else. Maybe a does of Super/Triple phosphate will work.

Thanks for the reply.

Miracid is 30% nitrogen, very high. Imagine applying this often and you can figure out how saturated the soil can become. Normally, a single fertilizer application is enough for the whole year. You can use a general purpose, slow release fertilizer like Osmocote 10-10-10 or you can give ES 1/2 cup to 1 cup of cottonseed meal, compost or composted manure in the Spring. If you feel like adding more, use weak fertilizers like coffee grounds, liquid seaweed or liquid fish thru the end of June. Fertilizing after June is not recommended for the northern climates because you want the hydrangea to go dormant on time and it will resist dormancy if given a lot of nitrogen.

Kathieo, did you say you prune them after the leaves appear? You mean you prune them in the spring? When you do that, you're essentially cutting off the bloom heads.

They're supposed to also bloom on new wood, but your season might be too short. Your hydrangea is probably busy putting on new green growth after spring pruning, and then there isn't enough time for the new blooms to form.

ES should be pruned if necessary after the first flush of blooms. Not in the Spring-you cut off the blooms!!!

I only pruned off the last years wood that didn't have any leaves on it. Essentially the sticks that are left from the previous year. When the leaves appeared they did not go to the end of the stick, so I cut the stick just above the first leaf. Maybe next year I will just leave the thing alone and hope the leaves cover the bear sticks and see what happens.

Thank you all for your replies. I'll try Luis' fertilizer suggestions as well. Hopefully I'll get a flush of blooms!