Even with good care, your beloved hydrangea can sometimes have problems and be attacked by diseases or pests. Do your hydrangeas have brown leaves? What can be the cause and solution to the problem?
Sometimes it's hanging leaves, sometimes yellow, sometimes eaten or even a combination of several of these damage patterns. The reasons for plant problems of this type range from diseases and pests to the wrong location and even care errors.
If the hydrangeas have brown leaves, there can be various reasons
So, if hydrangeas have brown leaves, you need to find the reason and fix it.
Brown discolored hydrangea leaves due to pests
Did your hydrangeas initially have yellow leaves that then turned brown? It is most likely that certain pests are causing mischief. Sucking spider mites, for example, are not uncommon on these shrubs and cause such damage. The main problem with them is that they are usually only noticed late because they are so small that they are hardly noticeable. As the name suggests, these mites spin thin threads and it is these that indicate an infestation.
If hydrangeas have brown leaves due to this problem, take appropriate action against the pests. A tried and tested remedy is rapeseed oil, which is usually an ingredient in commercial sprays. Or tryour home remedies for spider mites. It is important that you do not forget the undersides of the leaves, as the mites also like to live there.
Hydrangeas get brown leaves due to fungal diseases
A fungal attack also causes brown leaves on hydrangeas, only this time they don't turn yellow, but the leaf damage appears in the form of spots (e.g. leaf spot fungus). These are usually located in the middle of a leaf and cause the tissue to become increasingly thinner until it completely dissolves.
Act quickly to avoid spread. To do this, the affected leaves should be cut off and disposed of (in household waste and never in the compost). It is then recommended to treat the plant with a suitable fungicide to kill any remaining fungal spores.
If you care for the bushes incorrectly
Also atLack of waterit comes withthe thirsty plantto brown leaves that are also dry. But to be fair, it has to be said that it takes a while for such symptoms to appear. If there is insufficient water, the plant first draws attention to itself by letting its leaves droop. At this stage you actually still have enough time to water and water the hydrangea leaves. Brown leaves on hydrangeas due to this problem only occur when you have neglected them quite a bit. Do the following:
- Water the plant as quickly as possible. In hot weather even twice a day.
- Low-lime water, for example rainwater, is recommended. Tap water is best filtered.
- Remove dried leaves.
- Avoid waterlogging.
Or maybe you have tooincorrectly fertilized? There shouldn't be too much of a good thing, as this will result in brown-colored leaves. In contrast to the lack of water, the leaf does not dry out completely, but initially at the edges until the leaf is completely dry and falls off. So there are dry, brown leaf edgesOverfertilizationthere. Act as follows:
- Repot the plant and use fresh hydrangea soil.
- For bedding plants, you can use Epsom salt to help.
- Use iron fertilizer (for flowering plants!) and compost (leaves and needles).
- Water with lime-free water.
For freshly purchased young plants: planting out too early
Especially if you bought your shrubs in early spring, you can assume that they were grown in a greenhouse where they were cozy and warm and therefore developed flowers quite early. The whole thing makes the plants more sensitive, so that problems can quickly arise even when the location changes, and brown leaves are particularly common here.
In this case, you can rest assured that the problem will resolve itself once the plant gets used to its new environment. Nevertheless, in the future you can remember to gradually acclimate them to the new location before planting them in the garden. If you want to cultivate the hydrangea as a container plant, also get it used to the new location outside.
The wrong location for hydrangeas leads to sunburn
Plants of all kinds get light brown leaves if they cannot tolerate the blazing sun or have not had time to get used to the sunny location. In the case of hydrangeas, the reason is simply that it is too sunny for themShe prefers partial shade. Therefore you should:
- Choose another locationor
- Put up an awning or other sun protection.
- Shade under trees is also good, as is an east or west facing location.
Lack of frost protection
In general, hydrangea bushes benefit from winter protection as they are only partially hardy.Especially potted plantsneed winter quarters or plant fleece. But you can go back outside quite early, namely as soon as they sprout again. However, frost protection is still necessary afterwards, because late frost can damage the new leaves, which is shown by brown leaves. In the event of frost damage, the affected parts of the plant are cut off.
