Hydrangeas are a wonderful plant for your garden. With their many different colors from pink to blue to purple to bright white, they make a great addition to any garden and are easy to care for with the right tools and knowledge. Like all other plants, hydrangeas need water. Although this shrub can tolerate more moisture than other related shrubs, overwatering can cause the entire plant to wilt and eventually die. If your hydrangea has been overwatered, discover tips on how to save it here!
Water requirements of hydrangeas
Hydrangeas thrive in a partially shaded area with cool, moist, well-drained soil. They are sensitive to water problems, but primarily it is lack of water and not overwatering. These bushesbelong to the plants, which are the quickest to show signs of underwatering, such as wilting during the hottest time of day. The soil in which they are planted should remain moist, but never become too waterlogged or have so much water that it stagnates. Maintaining this delicate moisture balance will allow your hydrangeas to thrive.
Hydrangea too much water: visible symptoms
Root rot as a result of overwatering
This symptom is not as noticeable as the others because the roots are hidden underground. It would be difficult to tell if the roots are rotting until you see other symptoms on the surface. However, the first part of the hydrangea to suffer from overwatering is the roots. Root rot is a common result. Drowned roots are brown and slimy when touched. Plus they smell terrible.
Browning and wilting of leaves
Color changes in the foliage are also associated with the problem of root rot. Plants that have received too much water in particular tend to developbrown leaves, which become mushy when touched. This is caused by too much water in the plant cells.
Yellowing of leaves
Another consequence of overwatering is the yellowing of hydrangea leaves.Yellow leavesare caused by a lack of essential nutrients such as iron that are available to the plant. There are many factors that can cause this problem, but one of them is damage to the roots.
Falling of leaves
One sign that your hydrangea has received too much water is the leaves falling off. In this case, both the old and new leaves fall off the stems. Too much water causes the plant cells to burst and die and the petioles to lose their strength. As a result, the leaves begin to separate from the trunk. If you notice that your hydrangea's leaves look limp and weak, it is likely overwatered.
Hydrangea too much water: mold as a result
Wet conditions encourage the activity of pathogens in the soil, which then trigger a fungal infection in one part of the plant that spreads to the other parts.
Hydrangea watered too much: what to do?
If not more than 75% of thePlant strongare damaged and die, the plant is likely to fully recover. In cases where the damage is too extensive, you may need to take cuttings from the healthiest parts of the plant for propagation and discard the rest.
Pruning and uprooting if overwatered
The first thing you need to do is remove the worst of the visible damage. This includes brown or blackish leaves and removing wilted or faded flowers. You do not need to remove yellowed but not brown leaves as this is often due to the inability to produce chlorophyll and the affected leaves usually recover. Once you've dealt with any serious damage, it's time to uproot the plant. For potted plants, this can be done by pulling out thePlant out of the pothappen. However, hydrangeas in the garden require a little more work.
This is what you have to do:
Take a shovel or garden fork and stick it straight into the soil around the plant so that the handle of the tool does not press into the plant. This way you can make sure you get the entire root ball. Continue making these vertical cuts around the plant and lifting theHortensiethen carefully remove the tool from the ground.
Once the roots are exposed, you should remove as much soil as possible by gently rinsing or brushing with your bare hands. Inspect the roots and look for dark brown to black roots, mushy spots, or afoul smell. These are signs of root rot, meaning the soil (and any containers the plant may have been in) needs to be completely discarded due to contamination. If you find no signs of root rot, you can proceed with transplanting.
If hydrangea gets too much water: Treat root rot
Use a sharp, sterile knife or scissors to remove any root with clear signs of root rot. Be careful betweenthe individual cutsto sterilize. Since either fungi or bacteria can cause root rot, it is best to use a watering solution that can kill both. The most common method is to soak the root ball in a solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water for 30 minutes.
Regardless of whether you had to combat root rot, you should allow the plant to air dry for 2 to 3 days and protect it from direct sunlight.
