I'm soooo frustrated. I just moved into my home and have had to start from scratch with the jungle yard that was created before we came along. I have always loved the look of Hydrangeas, so I broke down and bought 5 of them. They are called the Kalidescope? Supposedly they bloom different for different seasons. I got them all in the ground. Most of them in partial sun and one in mostly shade. All of them shriveled up and died except one that is in partial shade. It has held on for dear life for a month and a half now. However, it now looks like a naked plant. The leaves are curling at the ends and turning brown. The stems are not the lush green anymore and are more brownish (there are still some that are green). I want these to live sooo bad. What and I doing wrong? I watered for the first 3 weeks almost dailey. They get miracle grow once a week and I try to give her little pep talks to get her to snap out of it. lol. Not working.
PLEASEEEEE any advise...... Im in Utah and maybe they just dont like it here. I really dont see many of them grow here. In fact rarely at all. Is there some kind of something that I can add to the soil? Boy I am just stumped.
Sickly Hydrangea
As a general rule I don't fertilize any trees,shrubs,perennials that are new or transplated for at least a year after planting.
Phytopthrera(butched it) - root rot may be a possiblity from overwatering.
Al
Do you have a picture of the one that's still hanging on? Like Al suggested, it could be root rot from too much water or it could also be fertilizer burn (once a week MG may be too much even if the plant were established, but definitely for something that's newly planted I would not fertilize at all right away). Summer's also really not the best time to plant things, I've lost a number of things because of that which probably would have survived if I'd planted them at a more appropriate time of year. It's just so hard to balance enough water but not too much, plus the stress of heat and just having been planted.
The store had already stressed them or they wouldn't have been priced at $4.00. When I buy reduced price plants, I leave them in the pots they came in unless they are root bound (they usually are), then I pot them up a size and help them regenerate. I agree with Bigcityal on the fertilizing. They are already stressed, fertilizer further stresses them. I hate to disagree with a well-intentioned gardner, but no Hydrangea needs miracle gro once a week. Dirr suggests 4 ounces of 10-10-10 spread around the base of the plant in early spring - the miracle-gro could be as high as 20-20-20 (check your container). I grow many Hydrangeas, but of course, I live in Central Alabama, not Utah.:)) Root rot is a real possibility. Hang in there! As a general rule, benign neglect will produce more positive results than overcare, which most of us gardeners do. Please ignore my ignorant comment about $4.00 plants, I confused this thread with another one. I apologize. Jeez, I gotta give this stuff a break! Edited for ignorance.
This message was edited Jun 28, 2006 1:50 PM
Sorry to hear about your Kaleidoscopes. I hope you can salvage the remaining one. These are my suggestions from a Texas perspective; I hope they help you.
Location/sun - make sure that the ones in partial shade are really getting a few hours of morning sun only. Six hours of sun is called Full Sun so, make sure they get less than four or so. On summer days that I do not water, there will be wilting starting between 12pm-2pm on some plants. But it is a little and the plants quickly recover. After all, the temps get to the 100s here so some suffering is expected.
Soil - If your soil is clay then the soil needs to be ammended so you get good drainage. Otherwise all this watering that you are doing can cause root rot. Prior to planting (too late for you, I know), see if the plant is root bound or pot bound.
Water - New plants will demand water more often than established plants. A hydrangea will be established in about a year or so. The last month and a half has been very dry in your area and the forecast looks like more of the same so keep the hose handy. Make sure that you have between 2-3 inches of mulch past the drip line and water when the soil feels dry. Insert a finger to a depth of 2 inches and see. If it feels dry, water. The best time to water is early in the morning: water around the drip line, water the root ball and never water the leaves. If the soil feels moist, take no action. If it feels wet, you are watering too much so pull back on watering.
Wilting will be a chore during the summer. But a hydrangea that is properly watered should perk up after the sun goes down. And it definitely should be fine by next morning; if not, water. And if you see extreme wilting, immediately water since it is hard to tell when a hydrangea will call it quits due to lack of water. Consider moving to a more shaded location if the plant remains wilted by next morning on a regular basis.
You can use moisture meters to determine how moist the soil is but nothing beats a "manual check". If your soil is sandy, you will have to water even more than "normal". Windy weather or windy locations will require a little bit more water than usual.
Fertilizer - I discourage use of chemical fertilizers during the first month due to transplant shock and the possibility of feeding too much too soon. MG for Azaleas Camellias Rhododendrons, for example, can actually have a NPK Ratio as high as 30-10-10. Instead of that, try a 10-10-10 chemical fertilizer, cottonseed meal and even composted cow manure, which hydrangeas "love".
In my area, I fertilize in May and mid-June with cottonseed meal or composted cow manure. Unfortunately, my pooches want me to fertilize more often as they also like cottonseed meal. Oh well.... what can I do....
Lastly, never fertilize a recently planted bush, a plant that is wilted or a plant that looks sick. The only exception to the rule is Liquid Seaweed. I drench the soil in Liquid Seaweed either (a) prior to putting the plant in the ground or (b) if I suspect the soil in the pot has lost some/most of the minerals because the plant has been in the pot too long (I tend to rescue plants being sold at cheap prices; those plants tend to have those kinds of issues).
Now is a critical time for hydrangeas as they are forming flower buds for next Spring and creating a root system that will help them thru the cold winter months. Minimize attention on bloomage for the rest of the year and keep a contant eye on soil moisture.
I hope your plant makes it! Luis
Thank you so much you guys. I really appreciate all the great advise. I did get a picture but will have to download it later today. Maybe you will be able to see if it is salvageable.
If there is green somewhere, you can "take it to your Home's E.R. and baby it." If you cannot see any green, cut stems with pruners and see if they look green/greenish. Start at the end of the stem, cut, check for green and repeat a few inches lower. Stop when you find green or when you conclude the stem is dead. Repeat on the other stems. Remember to just feed the plant things like water, Liquid Seaweed and/or root stimulator (for transplant shock) for now. And water only when the soil feels dry. I hope you find some green! Let us know. Luis
Luis, Great comments. Aw, shucks, I can't leave this stuff alone.
Okay, so there is green. I took a picture and my battery went dead, of coarse i cant find my charger. But the leafs on the plant are still halfway green but curling. Some of the stems are green and some brown. Should I cut the ones that are brown? Someone told me to put groud coffee around it. Does that really help? Well I'll have to go buy liquid seedweed. I've never used it before. Thanks you guys for all your great advise. I really hate the first year of growing. I look around with envy of all the mature plants and wish mine were all thick, green and full. This obsession with plants is bad...:)
That's sounding a bit like fertilizer burn. I'm thinking you should definitely leave it alone except for watering. If possible, dig out the soil around the roots without disturbing the plant, or, if it isn't even rooted in place yet, dig another hole for it close by and replant it in the cool of the evening. This is to get it away from the over-fertilized soil around the roots. Too many fertilizer salts make hydrangeas very unhappy. Amend your soil with peatmoss and compost when you replant. The peat will help the soil remain moist, which it needs, especially in the heat of the summer. The compost will add organic matter and enhance drainage. Then water it only when the soil is dry and the leaves droop in the evening. It's true that hydrangeas will droop a bit in the afternoon and that well established plants will perk up toward evening, but your plant is not well established so you'll need to baby it. Don't let the soil totally dry out like you can with an established plant.
On the ones that look dead,, scape a little bark away from the stem toward the bottom of the plant and see if you have any green. If you too, pop those babies back in pots where you can keep a closer eye on them for the rest of the summer. Keep the soil moist, but not overly wet. don't fertilize them except possibly with some B1 water to reduce stress. Then wait. You might get your plants back. sometimes they can lose leaves due to stress, especially when planted in the summer. It's a water saving device,, so to speak.
Buy your liquid seaweed (REALLY great stuff) but don't use it until your shrub begins to put on new growth.
Hang in there!
Thanks so much. I'll let you know how it goes.