Hydrangeas must have been one of the plants that gardeners who love flowers want to have in their garden. Their flowers are not only beautiful but also colorful. In addition, growing and caring for hydrangeas are not too difficult for new gardeners.
Although it is easy to grow hydrangeas, sometimes, they still get sick. Like other plants, there are things that you need to pay attention to when growing hydrangeas that if you don’t know, you may have to say goodbye to them. The plant will wither and die over time.
If one day when you wake up, your plants are moody, don’t worry. This article will help you analyze the causes and how to revive wilted hydrangeas plants.
How To Revive Wilted Hydrangea Plant?
The success of reviving a dying hydrangea plant hinges on correctly recognizing the problem and correcting the condition. Five common causes that can make your hydrangeas wilted include overwatering, under watering, extreme temperature, transplanting shock, and too much fertilizer.
1. Overwatering
A plant’s life depends on its ability to absorb water. It is required for a variety of physiological processes to occur. Any plant will perish if it is not given enough water.
It’s also possible to have too much of it, which can result in the same outcome. Overwatering causes the plant to consume more water than it can handle.
Potted hydrangeas have a more limited ability to absorb water than those planted directly in the ground. When you give your plants too much water, the majority of it will stay in the pot, drowning the roots. Roots that are submerged in the water eventually decay.
When roots stop working properly, the plant as a whole suffers from a lack of nutrients and water from the soil. This causes the plant to wilt, finally resulting in the plant’s death.
Hydrangeas that have been overwatered appear limp but are mushy when touched. Check the water input first the next time you notice your hydrangea is drooping.
Water is a tough thing to work with, but once you get the hang of it, your hydrangea will thrive.
How to revive?
Remove any stagnant water from the pot: The water will usually stay there if your pot has a coaster underneath it. We sometimes water the pots and forget to completely drain them before putting them in place.
If there are no holes in the pot, carefully turn it upside down until excess water drips off. Just be careful to avoid harming the plant. Allow more sunlight to reach the plant so that the water in the soil evaporates faster.
The plant should be replanted. Occasionally, removing excess water is insufficient. To determine the true condition of the roots beneath the soil, you must dig deeper.
Gently loosen the soil around the hydrangea and remove it from its pot. Check if the roots have signs of damage, then remove any parts that have already begun to rot. As new media, use well-draining soil.
Withhold water for a long time. There’s no need to add more water if it already has enough. You can skip the remaining two if you water your hydrangea at least three times per week.
This will give the plant enough time to consume the water that has been held by the soil. Allow it to dry completely before watering again.
2. Underwatering
Under watering, like overwatering, makes the hydrangeas appear limp. The difference is that the plant is crisp to the touch due to its dehydrated state.
When cells are not adequately watered, they shrink because all of the water stored in the cell’s vacuoles is consumed.
Water scarcity forces the roots to work harder to absorb water from the soil. As a result, roots are stressed, impairing their ability to function normally.
When exposed to prolonged drought conditions, the plant limps and may die.
How to revive?
Increase the amount of water gradually over time. Your plant is constantly undergoing growth and development. If you give hydrangea the same amount of water it did when it was younger, it will suffer.
Hydrangeas require slightly more water than other houseplants. Make sure to provide an amount that is proportionate to the needs of your plant.
On hotter days, increase the amount of water. Plants need more water in hot weather than in cold weather. Ensure to give the hydrangea more water as needed. However, ensure that all water drains from the pot.
Water is lost by plants through transpiration. The rate of transpiration increases when the surrounding environment is hot. Add plenty of water to compensate for faster moisture loss.
Water frequently. It is critical to developing a watering schedule for the hydrangea. This is to ensure that it receives the water it requires on time.
Set aside a week for you to kick the bucket. This will also assist you in developing a routine for watering your hydrangea. You won’t miss out this way.
3. Extreme Temperature
While you can control how much water you give hydrangea, controlling the temperature is more difficult.
Both too hot and too cold environments are harmful to the plant’s health. When there is too much heat, hydrangea leaves transpire more water.
Because water is required to aid such processes, rapid moisture loss will have an impact on the plant’s internal processes.
When the temperature drops below freezing, the water inside the plant starts to freeze. This results in cell bursting. Ruptured cells will no longer be able to transport water. This is why your hydrangea begins to wilt after the winter.
How to revive?
When it is overly hot: Locate a suitable location. When it gets too hot, move the potted hydrangea to a much cooler location. To avoid sunburn, avoid places with prolonged and direct sunlight exposure.
Turn on the air conditioner to lower the temperature inside your home. The cooling effect reduces moisture loss in the plant. Your hydrangea will undoubtedly appreciate the additional coolness.
Give your hydrangea more water. This will compensate for the rapid loss of water on hot days. Do not dehydrate the plant for an extended a long time.
When the weather is too cold: Insulate your plant, especially if the temperature inside is extremely cold.
Set up an additional light source to provide extra warmth to the plants. It also assists the leaves in capturing additional energy for photosynthetic activity, especially during the winter.
4. Transplanting Shock
Newly transplanted hydrangeas normally appear limp in their first week. It will take time for the roots to get used and establish themselves in the soil.
After being transplanted, the roots of your hydrangea can be stressed. As a result, water and nutrient transport is inefficient. The hydrangea begins to wilt as less water is transported from the soil to the various parts of the plant. However, wilting as a result of transplant shock is not a cause for concern. Hydrangeas usually recover on their own.
How to revive?
When transplanting, use extra caution. When removing the roots from the soil, take care not to damage them. Remove excess soil by gently shaking it off. Trim any overgrown or damaged roots as needed.
Place the newly transplanted hydrangea in a shady location. Too much heat or sunlight will only exacerbate the stress caused by the transplant.
Water the plant as needed. Water supply should be plentiful to relieve the roots of excessive stress while absorbing water from the soil
5. Fertilizer Problems
Overfertilized hydrangeas will show wilting of their lower leaves. This is primarily due to the presence of too many soluble salts in the soil, which impedes water passage to the roots. Too much salt from overfertilization raises the pH of the soil, killing some beneficial microorganisms.
Pathogens, in turn, have the opportunity to grow and cause diseases in your hydrangea. This can also cause the plant to wilt.
How to revive?
Remove any visible fertilizer with your hands. Remove as much fertilizer from the soil as possible.
Pour in water and allow the excess fertilizer to drain completely from the pot.
Reapply fertilizer only when you see fit. There is no need to supplement the plant with fast-release fertilizers if it is doing well and appears healthy.
So now, note down the tips to know how to treat your hydrangeas appropriately when they appear to wilt.
Conclusion
Hydrangeas can wilt for a variety of reasons. So you need to determine the exact cause of wilting hydrangeas to have the best care method.
Usually, hydrangea wilting is associated with too much or too little watering in extreme temperatures. Therefore, you need to check the moisture in the soil, especially if you grow it in a pot because the soil can quickly dry out or become waterlogged.
To learn more about how to grow hydrangeas, don’t miss the detailed articles in the hydrangea category.