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Why Are My Hydrangeas Wilting? (7 Reasons & Cure)
Do you notice your lovely yard hydrangeas wilting and drooping? Check out this tutorial to identify the causes of hydrangea withering once and for all.
One of the most beautiful flowers to include in any garden are hydrangeas. They add a striking splash of color and life to any green scene with their enormous globes of beautiful and vibrant flowers.
However, if you don’t use the proper gardening techniques, your hydrangeas can wilt continuously. This does not imply, however, that you are incapable of caring for these flowering deciduous shrubs due to a lack of specialized gardening skills.
However, it’s possible that you’re only making simple errors that have a big impact on their development, sprouting, and daily flourishing.
So, in order to assist you in maintaining a spotless garden with thriving hydrangeas full of life, below is a list of the most likely causes of your hydrangeas wilting. In order to assist you in resolving and minimizing these issues in the future, we have provided shared solutions.
Why Do Hydrangeas Flowers Wilt?
When hydrangeas are subjected to the incorrect environmental conditions, they primarily wilt. Typically, excessive sunshine exposure and water stress can cause flowers to wilt and droop, turning their vibrant petals and lush leaves into a dismal, dry look.
However, while a lack of water and intense sunlight may be the two factors that hydrangeas wilt the most frequently, they are not the only ones.
It’s crucial to remember that this flowering deciduous plant will likely be one of the most delicate in your yard.
Therefore, a number of other “mistakes” could easily result in the flowers drooping and dying. The issue could ultimately result in the flowers irreversibly dying if it is not resolved.
In order to save your hydrangeas from fully dying out, we’ve included additional significant causes to assist you in comprehending why they wilt.
7 Reasons Why Your Hydrangeas Are Wilting and How To Fix Them
As a result, if you see them wilt or drool, it’s likely that they are protesting the environment. We’ve listed 7 typical environmental factors connected to why your hydrangeas are wilting below.
1. Little Water
The most common cause of hydrangeas to wilt is dehydration. These water-loving floral plants often wilt when their watering frequency is reduced, despite how much they enjoy it. While hydrangeas can experience this issue in any situation.
Because there is less room for water circulation in plants that are grown in pots, it is more common in these plants. When a plant wilts, the leaves start to droop, and the topsoil and first few centimeters are entirely dry, you may tell that it is dehydrated.
Solution: In many circumstances, watering hydrangeas frequently with the appropriate amount of water will rapidly reverse the wilting that dehydration causes. During the hot and dry summer months, you should ideally water hydrangea flowering plants for up to 10 minutes.
Don’t forget to regularly sprinkle the petals when watering your plants, especially if you live in a dry, warm area.
At least three times every week, do this to counteract the effects of dehydration. After all, the roots, stems, and flower petals of hydrangea flowering plants allow for water absorption.
Simply giving your plants a whole 15–20 minute soak should revive them if they have been wilting for some time due to lack of watering.
If you have hydrangeas in pots, you should give them a deeper soak more frequently to make sure they get enough water.
You should water hydrangeas much more frequently if you reside in a hot, dry region.
2. Dry Soil
While sporadic watering leads to withering, the dry soil in their pot or in your garden can also cause hydrangeas to wilt. Even if you give your plants a lot of water, the soil may still become dry.
Any number of things, such as poorly draining soil, extreme heat, or growing the plant near invasive plants, might contribute to this.
Sandy soil is typically the main culprit when it comes to soil that doesn’t drain well. The hydrangea’s tissues shrink as a result of poor water circulation, and its root hairs deteriorate.
The stalks can no longer sustain the flowers, and the leaves eventually start to droop. The leaves and petals fall off as well as losing their color.
Solution: The first step in solving this issue is to plant your hydrangeas in an area that has enough drainage. For the best results, you should ideally choose rich, well-drained loam soils. In order to add beneficial bacteria to the soil, you can also add organic compost or manure.
In addition, you should move them to a shaded spot to protect them from the sun’s rays and avoid growing them close to unknown plants because they may be invasive.
3. Too Much Sunlight
Hydrangeas can wilt as a result of excessive sunshine. After all, the plant and the water in the soil can both be swiftly dried by direct sunlight. Furthermore, the hydrangea plant’s flowers and foliage are susceptible to harm from direct sunshine.
Solution: Water the plant first, spending a few minutes with the hose at the base of the plant to let it rehydrate. The most straightforward solution to this issue is to plant or relocate hydrangea planters to a shaded location.
You can apply 2 to 5 inches of organic mulch on top of the topsoil to help trap moisture and water in the soil because too much heat inhibits water retention.
Since there are more days with overcast skies and cool temperatures in cooler climates, you can grow hydrangeas in full sun without running the risk of causing too much damage.
If you live in a hot region, on the other hand, you should grow hydrangeas in shady areas because they are most vulnerable during the day when it’s too hot and sunny.
4. Over Fertilizing
Our hydrangea flowering plant needs aged manure or organic compost for successful and healthy growth. However, excessive fertilizer will harm the plant rather than aid in its growth. In general, hydrangeas are sensitive to nitrogen in the soil in which they are grown.
Therefore, when there is too much nitrogen in the soil, plants start to wilt and grow droopy leaves. The plant’s stem becomes frail over time, making it impossible for it to support the blossoms.
Answer: Determining whether the soil is excessively nitrogen-saturated is not difficult. To determine how saturated the soil is and how to rebalance it by adding potassium and phosphorus, you can use a soil pH testing kit.
While fertilizer is beneficial for your plants, it is crucial to keep in mind that hydrangeas don’t require much. Test the soil to see whether it contains enough fertilizer before planting your hydrangea. If not, add enough organic compost to the soil and cover it with pine straw, leaf mulch, or both each year.
In order to keep the soil moist during spring and insulate the plan during the chilly winter, you should ideally mulch the soil in the spring. You don’t absolutely need to add fertilizer for weekly upkeep. All you need for the plant to keep growing and thriving is adequate soil moisture.
5. Flower Growth
Additionally, vigorous flower growth can cause the entire plant to wilt and bend tender branches. This may occur for no apparent reason, as a result of merely heavy flowers, or as a result of exposure to extreme weather.
Pruning is the simplest solution to this issue. Several flower buds can also be cut off before they bloom early in the season.
This enables the plant to internally thin for improved growth. However, if the issue has already become more severe, you might stake your hydrangea plant with a companion plant, such as peonies, to provide additional core support. Simply secure the two plants with a fence post and knot them together.
6. Transplanting Them
Wilting can also result from transplanting recently planted hydrangeas. The term “transplanting” describes moving plants from one location to another, usually from a planter, pot, or other small container used for propagation to your garden or a larger pit.
The plant’s delicate roots could mistakenly be destroyed while transplanting, which would hinder its ability to adequately absorb water.
Other factors that could contribute to hydrangeas wilting while being transported include the varying soil types and moisture contents of the smaller container and the larger pot/garden.
Solution: If you believe your roots are injured, keep watering them deeply to compensate for their inefficient water absorption and to gradually encourage the emergence of new roots.
You should take extra precautions during the transplanting procedure and try to maintain the roots as moist and wet as you can in order to prevent root damage.
After all, when they are the driest during transplanting, roots are often harmed. Before moving the hydrangeas to the new place, you should also examine the soil’s pH, moisture content, and soil type.
The ideal growing conditions for your plant include loamy, rich soils with good drainage, enough manure (but not too high nitrogen levels), and sufficient rainfall. Additionally, give the hydrangea plant a good soak of water right after after transplanting.
7. Inadequate Growing Conditions
Hydrangea withering can also be caused by unfavorable growing circumstances. Hydrangea plants, for instance, adore water! Therefore, planting plants in small pots is not really a smart idea because the water in those pots tends to dry out rather quickly. This may even explain why your plant keeps wilting after constant watering.
Your hydrangeas may wilt if the location where you put them restricts their access to water and nutrients.
Replace a tiny pot with a bigger one that has a minimum diameter of 16 inches so it can hold more moisture and water. Additionally, check to see if the pots have holes for the best soil and root aeration.
Stalling the water can really cause more harm to the plants than good. Avoid growing your plant close to invasive species or bigger trees that might compete for water, moisture, and nutrients in the soil if you want to be sure it has access to enough water and nutrients.
FAQs
How do you revive wilted hydrangeas?
By initially making a modest 45-degree cut at the ends of the stem on a cutting board, you may easily resuscitate wilted hydrangeas. Next, slit the newly-trimmed stem vertically, and put it in a vase with water for at least an hour. You should see the blooms return back to life.
Use a hose to completely submerge any hydrangeas in a pot or garden if you want to bring them back to life. Then, let them submerged for a couple of hours to allow them to rehydrate. They will ultimately start to return to life again.
Why is my newly planted hydrangea wilting?
The most frequent reason for a newly planted hydrangea to wilt is improper handling during the transplanting procedure, which results in harm to the roots (which absorb water). The new planting area’s uneven soil composition can be a result of additional factors.
But occasionally, the newly planted region may also have soil that has been excessively wet for an extended length of time, leading to the rot of the newly planted hydrangeas’ roots and the subsequent wilting of the plant.
Why is my hydrangea wilting and dying?
Lack of moisture around the roots, leaves, and blossoms is the most frequent cause of hydrangea wilting and death.
Additionally, excessive fertilizer, increasing soil nitrogen levels, too much sunlight, and too much wind (which dries out the leaves’ moisture) all contribute to the withering and death of hydrangeas.
How do I know if my hydrangea is overwatered?
You may detect if you are overwatering your hydrangea by a number of indicators. The most typical symptom is the yellowing of the leaves, which eventually drop off. Additionally, the flowers on your plant will have an uneven form and grow more slowly. Browning of the leaf margins and the development of mold or fungi on the plant or in the soil are additional warning indicators.
Why did my hydrangea wilt overnight?
Due to the insufficient water and moisture availability, your hydrangea will normally wilt overnight. Therefore, you should make sure that your plant receives adequate watering, especially during those hot, dry nights. Keep your hydrangeas away from heat sources like your space heater if you have them inside your house.
Why are my cut hydrangeas wilting?
Due to the sticky substance on the stems that clogs them and prevents moisture uptake to the top of the stem, cutting hydrangeas can cause them to instantly wilt.
Cut the stems at the very top to stop this from happening, and immediately submerge them in warm water for at least 24 hours to stop wilting.
Conclusion
Unbalanced soil composition and a lack of shade are two additional significant causes.
So, regardless of the environment, you will enjoy lovely, healthy, and eye-catching blooms if these three factors are properly balanced.