Here are some reasons for why your hydrangeas are wilting and how to fix them.
Lack of Water
It does not take a heat wave or drought for hydrangeas to wilt.
Insufficient water is the most common cause for the leaves, flowers, and stems of hydrangeas to wilt.
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The name Hydrangea, stems from the Greek word hydros which means water.
When its fibrous roots dont find enough water to take up, the hydrangea loses its turgidity.
The leaves start drooping and the stems aren’t able to support the heavy flowerheads.
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Hydrangeas should be planted in moist, rich soil.
Shallow watering can also cause wilt.
Rain showers and superficial watering with a can or garden hose arent enough to saturate the root zone.
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In the absence of precipitation, hydrangeas need to be watered deeply, ideally with drip watering.
Slow watering is crucial, especially when the soil is dry, so the water can penetrate deeply.
you could check the moisture level by poking a screwdriver into the soil.
Addorganic matterto the soil to improve moisture retention.
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Annual mulching in the spring is equally important.
Apply 3 to 5 inches of mulch around the plant.
Water a potted plant daily in hot weather until water seeps out of the drainage holes.
Amend the potting mix with a few handfuls of organic matter to improve moisture retention.
This often becomes more apparent during bloom when unhealthy stems cannot support the larger flower heads.
Excess nitrogen can also damage the roots and hinder the plants water absorption.
Keeping the hydrangea well-watered can dilute some of the excess nitrogen.
There are also steps you might take tofix an over-fertilized lawn.
Other than that, you just need to give the fertilizer time to wash out from the soil.
If it is indeed lacking nutrients, use abalanced slow-release fertilizer.
The best way to prevent fertilizer run-off from your lawn is to go easy on the fertilizer.
Transplant Shock
The hydrangea drooping after planting or transplanting is common.
Even if you carefully dig out the entire root ball, damaging some of the fine roots is inevitable.
Also, the plant needs time to adapt to the new soil conditions.
Also mulch around the plant to preserve soil moisture.
Otherwise, give it time to recover.
By no means should you fertilize it, or prune any wilted plant parts.
Both will do more damage to an already stressed plant.
