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Whole hydrangeas turning brown

10 years ago

I planted 5 little lime hydrangeas in June. They were doing fine, until about a month ago and 1 turned brown. Monday another one turned brown and last night another one. The leaves are still on them and they were blooming. I am afraid I am going to lose them. I water every 3 days from the ground. Have I overwatered? I cannot find anything wrong. Do I need to dig them up and replant with fresh soil? This is my initial reaction. I have never experienced this. We are in a drought in my county.

I found an empty and a live little white 1/4inch seashell on one.. In all of my years of gardening I have never seen any on plants. I do not see any scales on the branches. There are not not any holes in the leaves or curling. Please help. The ones that are still living have beautiful blooms. I posted this first in the wrong forum.

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Comments (8)

calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
10 years ago
Where do you live and how much sun are they getting? Of all the plants in my garden the Hydrangeas are the first to react to not enough water or too much sun. Al
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
10 years ago
Every third day is probably not enough water for new plants in a droughty area. How long and deeply do you water when you do? What is your soil like?

FWIW, improper watering is the primary cause of new plant failure.
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Couple of thoughts.......avoid any overhead watering. When you need to water, do so at the root zone and do so thoroughly. Excessive water on foliage can lead to fungal diseases and leaf spotting. Second, you may have over-amended. Soil conditions radically different from those the plant was grown in can lead to shock. Ideally, if amending is required, it should be done over the largest possible area, never just the planting hole. And never a good idea to fertilize immediately on planting - the plant can't metabolize it. The good news is there is nothing wrong with your plants. The purple-brown coloration is just a reaction to cold, common to many plants, especially if not acclimated to the area or with more foliage than established inground plants may have. The spotting may be just a touch of leaf spot but nothing to get concerned about. Just change your watering methods and pray for warmer weather :-))
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Thank you both tsugajunkie and ken_adrian. Good advice. I knew that it is not a house plant, but I was concerned about "drying out so quickly" even in a shady area (actually I don't have any true shady area but slight morning sun with afternoon shades). I was thinking to plant it outdoor once Fall arrives. Now, the best way is to plant it outdoor then.... Thank you again
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Not sure if you were talking about leaf buds or flower buds. Late frosts could have killed either of those buds. Or yes, you could be under watering. Test the soil to determine that. Insert a finger into the ground to a depth of 4" and water if it feels dry or almost dry. No need to prune until you see stems that do not leaf out by the end of May.
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hokierustywilliamsbu
10 years ago
Sounds like too much or not enough-do you water deeply?
sow1
Original Author
10 years ago
I live in south central Arkansas. We are in a drought. I bought 6 and 3 look great blooming, but 3(in the middle) turned brown, the last one was full of blooms. All of my other plants are growing blooming including a little lamb hydrangea. I do have oyster scale. Never had this before, but an horticulturist told me they should not be dead. They are not dead dead. I am treating with Bayer insecticide systemic and spray. Picking off scales as I see them, even in the dirt. I do water deeply, they thought I might need to water daily too. This is the first time I have not made my own soil when I transplanted them from pots. The scale did get on my eastern snowball viburnum, too. I do need a permanent solution before it gets to my other plants and trees. Thank you.
sow1
Original Author
10 years ago
An update; I have dug up the 3 and the others so far are doing well.
jean001a
10 years ago
"Water deeply" doesn't work with recently installed plants.
The reason: The roots are limited to the rootball.

Check the moisture content of the original soil. Likely they went too dry.
calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
10 years ago
jean001a makes a point that needs reinforcing. When you plant a new container grown plant, ALL the feeder roots are in the root ball. It takes a month or two to grow into the garden soil, even when the ball is loosened when planting. For the first month the water must be applied DIRECTLY to the root ball. Many plants are lost by watering the soil around the plant, which never gets where it is needed. Al
sow1
Original Author
10 years ago
If it is a water issue, I would say too much, but the others are doing fine. I am not use to losing plants to water issues or planting in the heat of the summer. July is when I usually go to KY, take care of my aunt's flower beds, bring home what she does not want, and buy the half dead ones from the garden centers. This is the first time I have used an irrigation line instead of carrying a water hose around. That may be a big issue. But my Little Lamb Hydrangea that is 3 yrs. old is absolutely beautiful. One flower head is over 14 inches long. They are turning pink now. I would recommend it to anyone.

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