Eunicorn
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2012 11:25 pm
Location: Wisconsin

New Hydrangea

We had a couple Hydrangea Trees planted this summer. Due to a severe drought we watered very regularly. They looked good all summer, but now the leaves are drooping and looks sad. Is this normal in fall? Or am I not watering enough? I have cut down since the temperatures are dropping.

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30504
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Drooping and looking sad doesn't quite sound right. I'm pretty sure tree hydrangea leaves have nice purplish fall color and then they drop leaves and go dormant for the winter....

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

Hydrangeas, whether they are the standard form (trees) or not, usually have a rough time during the first two summers. Afterwards, they handle summer better but always up to a point. Here in Texas, I always expect some wilting or drooping as our temperatures begin hitting the 100s from July thru September.

The good news is that, provided the soil remains moist, they will recover on their own by next morning. IF your trees remain always wilted however, that could be a sign of oxyden defficiency or worse, root rot for which there is no cure. IF you experience wilting at all times, you may be better off moving them into a pot, pruning roots that smell rotten or look bad since soil moisture tends to be easier to control in pots. You can replant back in the Spring. IF the plant wilt, recover and wilt again, that is ok and happens often in until the shrubs have become established.

Wilting occurs when the leaves loose moisture faster than the roots can absorb it. So anything you can do to keep the soil moist helps. Keeping the plant well mulched (3-4" up to the drip line or more) year around is an example. Water (1 gallon per watering) when a finger inserted into the soil to a depth of 4" feels almost dry or dry. Always try to water early in the mornings and water the soil never the leaves as moisture in the leaves can cause fungal issues. Because lots of wind can also cause this problem, consider watering the night before the weather service issues a wind alert. Consider transplanting elsewhere only if the location is very windy (or temporarily add something to block the wind).

Hydrangea trees have a limited root system and absorb water thru the small roots near the top 4". In the worst of the summer, I water using drip irrigation but I augment that with a weekly hose watering. That seems to provide an extra dose to the limited area that drip irrigation covers. You may want to water them extra in their first year if wilting occurs daily (and they recover at night). As long as the soil drains well, some extra water will not be harmful. If the soil does not drain well, that is another problem.

Regarding fall color, not all hydrangea leaves will turn purple in the Fall. I have yet to see Macrophyllas, Arborescens, Oakleafs or Paniculatas do that here. It seems to be more common on s-o-m-e oakleaf varieties and selected macrophyllas and require weather & other conditions in order for it to occur reliably. Even then, take advertising with a grain of salt. For example, Lady In Red is advertised as turning nice purple colors in the Fall but lots of people have complained that it does not do that to them. The most they see is a darkening of the leaves but it still is green. I asked/emailed about that to their contact email address but got no reply.

Bottom line - if the problem self corrects overnight but happens again, maintain 3-4" of mulch, water at least 1 gallon of water per watering early in the mornings and use the finger method to regularly check the soil of moisture content.

The plants are stressed and your growing season is almost over so do not fertilize now. You can give them 1 cup of compost, composted manure, cottonseed meal or you can use a general purpose slow-release fertilizer in June of every year (that will last all year). You can use weak fertilizers like coffee grounds and liquid seaweed during the growing season but stop all fertilizers by the end of June so the fertilizers will not prevent the trees from going dormant in the Fall. By the way, the trees should already have some of those round fertilizer pellets in the potting soil.

Luis



Return to “Hydrangea Forum”