Saving hydrangeas - how to save them from death

Help - my hydrangea is dying, how can I save it?

Why does the hydrangea care?

If the hydrangea does not thrive properly, there can be several causes:

Pests
Fungal diseases
Waterlogging
dryness

also read

How can I save my dried up hydrangea?
Help, my hydrangea is dying! What can I do?
Help, my hydrangea is wilting

First, examine the plant thoroughly for bugs. If spider mites or lice have settled, these deprive the plant of the essential nutrients and it wither away. Heavy fungal attack can also be the cause of poor growth.

remedy

Both pests and fungi can be controlled well with commercially available agents.

Root rot due to waterlogging

If your hydrangea is wilting after being watered regularly, you probably meant it too well. Even though the hydrangea needs a lot of water, it is very sensitive to constant waterlogging of the root ball. If the hydrangea is too wet, this leads to a lack of oxygen and fungi settle in the root area, which destroy the roots. The fine lifelines can no longer absorb water and the hydrangea withers.

remedy

Carefully remove the hydrangea from its pot and examine the roots. Healthy roots look white and feel crisp. Roots affected by rot, on the other hand, are mushy and brown.

Carefully remove the no longer viable roots so as not to damage the healthy root system.
Place the hydrangea in a new planter with a large water drainage hole, which you cover with a pottery shard.
First fill the pot with a drainage layer made of expanded clay (€ 17.50 on Amazon *) so that excess water is absorbed and drained off.
Plant the hydrangea in fresh substrate, preferably rhododendron soil.
In future, only water when the top centimeters of the soil feel dry and pour away excess water in the saucer after 15 minutes.

The hydrangea usually recovers quickly from this water stress and sprouts again after one to two weeks.

The hydrangea has dried up

If the earth feels bone dry and the hydrangea lets the leaves hang limply, it suffers from a lack of water. If this continues over a longer period of time, the leaves dry out completely and fall off.

remedy

If the leaves are completely dried up, the hydrangea must be cut back into the lush wood.
Place potted plants in a bucket filled with water and immerse until no more air bubbles rise.
Flood free-range hydrangeas.

If the hydrangea had to be shortened severely, you will probably have to forego flowers this season. However, the plants usually recover quickly, the foliage looks fresh and green again and the hydrangea sprouts again.