siren1024
Full Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2009 2:42 pm
Location: Tennesee Valley, AL

What is wrong with my ES hydrangea?

Everybody else in the area has difficulty controlling them, and I can't seem to get mine established. My house faces west, and I was bummed because it wouldn't do well where I wanted to put it. I ended up putting it on the south side of the house so it could still be seen from the road, where it got only part sun, but it was afternoon sun. I knew it didn't like it there because it was growing crooked, towards the east, like it was running from the sun. I watered it every day, but it still seemed to scorch. The leaves were browning and curling no matter how much water I gave them. I finally gave in and moved it to the back side of the house, which faces due east and will give it plenty of afternoon shade, from about 12:30 on.

Besides that, however, since right after I planted it the first time, it has developed brownish gray spots on the tops of the leaves and rust colored spots on the underside of some leaves. I spray it with an organic 3 in 1 fungicide miticide insecticide, which seems to be doing perfectly for my knock out roses.

My Grandmother just planted a cutting that she was given as a gift that came from a bush that came from HER mother's house. It was at least a 35 year old plant. She said hers is blooming and thriving and she hasn't even had to put anything on hers, it's been amazingly hardy. So what's wrong with mine? It was in great shape when I bought it. You know, sometimes you see them at the big retailers and they look terrible, but I got mine from a local nursery, and it looked great until I planted it.

[img]https://i822.photobucket.com/albums/zz141/siren1024/1245912911.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i822.photobucket.com/albums/zz141/siren1024/1245912818.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i822.photobucket.com/albums/zz141/siren1024/1245913225.jpg[/img]

siren1024
Full Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2009 2:42 pm
Location: Tennesee Valley, AL

Does anyone know anything? Since I moved them, the affected leaves look much worse, almost entirely brown and curling. I am still getting new growth at the top, however, and the plant has stopped growing at a 45 degree angle like it's trying to run from the sun. Is it just going to be a case of recovery from the scorching and transplant? The area I have it in now is on the east side of the house, a healthy dose of sun til 12 or 1 and shaded the rest of the afternoon. It is also retaining water much better than the other spot, probably because it doesn't evaporate so quickly.

I'm concerned about the round spots on the leaves. They looked greyish for a little while, but now that are dark and whole leaves are turning brown. What kind of disease could this be? I have been using organic
fungicide/miticide/insecticed since I first got the plant. Should I remove the affected areas and just treat the new growth?

I'll put some more pics in a sec. I really need someones help! I don't want to kill this plant. (Hydrangeas aren't cheap!!)

siren1024
Full Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2009 2:42 pm
Location: Tennesee Valley, AL

[img]https://i822.photobucket.com/albums/zz141/siren1024/1246060986.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i822.photobucket.com/albums/zz141/siren1024/1246061082.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i822.photobucket.com/albums/zz141/siren1024/1246061204.jpg[/img]

The new growth at the top of the plant seems okay....

elabird
Newly Registered
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2009 10:28 am
Location: Northeast IL

how often are you spraying it with the fungicide?

elabird
Newly Registered
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2009 10:28 am
Location: Northeast IL

"There are several fungal leaf spot organisms that attack Hydrangea. Leaves develop brown to gray lesions surrounded by purple halos (see image at left). These leaf spots are most common in late summer and early fall, and seem to be more common among plants grown in sunny locations. Again, plants are rarely killed, but severe infestation can be very unattractive. All the cultivated species of Hydrangea are susceptible to one or more of these leaf spots."

https://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/hydrangeafaq2.html
Scroll down to "Are hydrangeas bothered by any diseases or insects?"

luis_pr
Greener Thumb
Posts: 824
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:31 am
Location: Hurst, TX USA Zone 7b/8a

Sorry to hear of these problems, siren124. Here are some comments and recommendations. I hope they help the plant recover.

Pictures 1, 3 and 4 show signs of powdery mildew, a fungus common in high humidity areas. The second picture shows signs of wilting. The others photos appear to show leaf spots and fungal infections sometimes caused by overhead watering or local humidity. The browning of leaves suggests moisture issues. Lack of water causes the plant to wilt first and, if the problem persists for a while, the leaf edges turn brown and the leaf eventually dries out (if the problem is not corrected). Examples of this are pictures 4 and 5. As the leaves brown out, you may suddenly notice leaf spots that may have been "invisible" or not obvious before (pictures 4 and 5).

Wilting occurs before the leaf starts to brown out and gives you the look shown in picture #2. Wilting is very normal in recently planted (or transplanted) hydrangeas. It is common in large-leaf plants whose roots cannot absorb moisture as fast as the leaves loose it. Although scary looking, it is a self-defense mechanism since it prevents sunlight from striking the whole surface of the leaves and making the problem worse. These wilting episodes are especially obvious during periods of hot weather, during windy days, when the plant is not getting enough moisture from the soil or when the plant suffers from root rot. When most wilting episodes happen, you have to do nothing because hydrangeas should be able to recover by next morning on their own.

I am a little concerned though that all the watering that you have been doing could create root rot problems so I suggest going back to the basics.

Sun - in the South, they need morning sun and shade in the afternoon. For example, if my hydrangeas here in Texas get sun after 11am, the leaves show signs of sunbleach. So try to provide shade by 11am-12pm during the summer time.

Planting location and Improve the air flow between the hydrangea and any other plants by separating them from each other. Review the plant labels of all plants to see how big they all get a maturity. This improved air flow will help reduce fungal issues too. The soil pH should be acidic, neutral or slightly alkaline. If it starts getting too alkaline then your plant leaves will yellow out but the leaves’ veins will remain dark green. Regular amendments to the soil will help correct this. The soil should drain well; add compost or switch to growing in pots or in raised beds if otherwise. Hydrangeas will have a hard time growing in caliche soil.

Water/Fungal Issues - try to maintain the soil moist at all times. Hard to do, I understand, so use the finger method to help determine when to water. Check the soil daily for two weeks by inserting a finger into the soil to a depth of 4". If it feels almost dry or dry then water, about 1g. If it feels moist then do nothing. If it feels wet then take appropriate corrective action; it is ok if the sprinkler recently went off or if it rained but not otherwise. Each time that you water, make a note in a wall calendar. After 1-2 weeks, review the information in the wall calendar and determine how frequent your waterings are. Then set the sprinkler or drip irrigation to water 1g on the same frequency (every 2/3/4/etc days). If the temperatures vary by 10-15 degrees and stay there then recheck daily again using the finger method for a week or so.

When you see a very extreme wilting episode, water 1/2 g of water and "ask questions later". But otherwise, test the soil moisture with the finger method first. If the soil is moist or wet, do nothing and check it again in the morning. If it is feels dry or almost dry then water 1g. In the morning, add 1/2g if still wilted. Wilting episodes should be reduced once the plant becomes established in its new spot in your garden (about 1-2 years) but they never go away in the hottest part of the summer or on windy days. If I hear of wind advisories for tomorrow, I try to remember to set the sprinkler to go ‘on’ overnight.

Using the finger method, you maintain the soil moist often and prevent the occurrence of root rot. You will notice that you do not need to water daily this way. Root rot is a fungal infection of the roots that prevents the affected roots from providing water and nutrients to the plant growth above ground. Because of that, its symptoms resemble those of a plant that is not getting enough water because the part of the plant above the ground is really not getting enough water! It is difficult to combat so do your best not to end up with this issue.

When watering, water the soil (not the leaves) early in the mornings and never the leaves. This helps prevents development of leaf spots, powdery mildew, etc. Using drip irrigation achieves the same goal. Powdery mildew is also minimized if overhead watering is the source of the humidity.

Leaves/blooms that are currently having fungal infections should be thrown in the trash when they finally dry out in the Fall or Winter as the shrub goes dormant. Plant debris under the plant should also be thrown away in the trash. Use the compost pile when the fungal issues have gone away or have been minimized.

Monitor the plant and keep the soil watered, watering only when necessary. We are practically in August so the growing season is getting close to the end; I am not sure if you should go ahead and buy fungicides to treat for powdery mildew. The infection is not severe. You might get more from applying the above mentioned clean cultural practices. The water method will also reduce the humidity that makes fungi thrive. Unless there is another source of humidity, the problem should be self limiting during the hot summer months.

Fertilizer and when stressed, do not fertilize at all. Just maintain adequate moisture. When the plant is doing well, apply ½ to 1 cup of either cottonseed meal, compost, manure or a general-purpose slow-release chemical fertilizer in May and again in July. Less is more. These are not heavy feeders like roses so that should do fine for the whole year. During the growing season, you can also apply liquid seaweed, liquid fish and/or coffee grounds but stop all fertilizer by July-August to allow the plant to go dormant in time for winter. Your plant seems to be in the middle of the yard so be careful with lawn fertilizers; they are high in nitrogen and could keep the plant “awakeâ€

GeorgiaGirl
Senior Member
Posts: 228
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2009 2:08 pm
Location: Metro Atlanta, GA (zone 7)

I'm no help at all (in fact I read this thread because I'm about to plant three hydrangeas and knowing me and my brown shriveled thumb, the same thing will happen), but I had to pipe in and say "THANK YOU" to Luis for all that great info! Wow! That is super-helpful!

Siren, best of luck -- keep us posted on how they recover!

luis_pr
Greener Thumb
Posts: 824
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:31 am
Location: Hurst, TX USA Zone 7b/8a

You are welcome georgiagirl. You should do well in Atlanta by choosing a location that shields them from the afternoon summer sun. I saw plenty of hydrangeas when I lived in Atlanta.



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