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chilltocam
LIF Adult
Member since 11/11 9141 total posts
Name:
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Hydrangeas
About a month ago we planted 2 new hydrangea bushes in front of our house. They seem to be doing well - they have bloomed and the leaves are green ant healthy looking. But the branches on the bottom are drooping - basically, they are laying on the ground. Anyone know why this is? Could it be that the blooms are too heavy (although the branches that are higher up are not drooping), too much or not enough water? Anything else?
Thanks!
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Posted 6/25/13 10:38 AM  |
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cindy104
This is my "Baby"
Member since 6/08 1522 total posts
Name:
Cindy
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Re: Hydrangeas
At the end of each blooming season, do you cut the stems down real low? This always helped for me and also got more blooms and even bigger this way too!
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| Posted 6/25/13 11:01 AM |
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SusiBee
. . . . .
Member since 3/09 8268 total posts
Name:
S
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Re: Hydrangeas
Could be the heat.
Hydrangeas react to heat and not enough water by drooping.
If they are in the shade, give them some water to see if they perk up. If they are in the sun, wait until tonight to water.
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| Posted 6/25/13 11:04 AM |
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chilltocam
LIF Adult
Member since 11/11 9141 total posts
Name:
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Re: Hydrangeas
Posted by cindy104
At the end of each blooming season, do you cut the stems down real low? This always helped for me and also got more blooms and even bigger this way too!
We just planted them a month ago, and they are in bloom now, but will do this at the end of the season. Or should I do this now?
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| Posted 6/25/13 11:22 AM |
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chilltocam
LIF Adult
Member since 11/11 9141 total posts
Name:
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Re: Hydrangeas
Posted by SusiBee
Could be the heat.
Hydrangeas react to heat and not enough water by drooping.
If they are in the shade, give them some water to see if they perk up. If they are in the sun, wait until tonight to water.
I tried giving them extra water on Sunday - didn't seem to help. They get watered early in the morning (about 7:30) by the sprinkler system. Should we change the timing? When we first planted them the whole plant looked like it needed more water so we increased the amount of time they get watered and that helped. Now, the plant looks healthy, but the lower branches are just laying on the ground
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| Posted 6/25/13 11:26 AM |
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cindy104
This is my "Baby"
Member since 6/08 1522 total posts
Name:
Cindy
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Re: Hydrangeas
Posted by chilltocam
Posted by cindy104
At the end of each blooming season, do you cut the stems down real low? This always helped for me and also got more blooms and even bigger this way too!
We just planted them a month ago, and they are in bloom now, but will do this at the end of the season. Or should I do this now?
I wouldn't do it now...I always wait until the "off season" when they "die" off.
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| Posted 6/25/13 11:53 AM |
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cityandbeachmom
Vineyard hopping time
Member since 6/10 1821 total posts
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Suffer the pain of discipline,
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Re: Hydrangeas
Extreme heat. Give more water. Ours dropped the other day.
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| Posted 6/26/13 12:17 AM |
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Hope2009
Thankful
Member since 1/09 4429 total posts
Name:
A
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Re: Hydrangeas
Have tired feeding them?
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| Posted 6/26/13 7:15 AM |
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SusiBee
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Member since 3/09 8268 total posts
Name:
S
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Re: Hydrangeas
Posted by Hope2009
Have tired feeding them?
Never feed plants when they are stressed. It actually harms them.
Could be that the lower branches might have been damaged during transplant.
But I would give it a couple of days for this heat wave to be over and see how the plants react.
If they start to look better, then you can give them a balanced fertilizer, I like the liquid feed by Miracle Gro. It feeds thru the leaves as well as thru the roots, and is gentle enough that it won't burn leaves or roots.
If you don't have that, then get the regular miracle gro powder that you mix with water and use a watering can.
Next year, put down slow release pellets and mix them into the soil. Osmocote is a good one.
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| Posted 6/26/13 8:41 AM |
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greenfreak
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Member since 9/06 11483 total posts
Name:
greenfreak
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Re: Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas wilt to protect themselves from the heat and sun. They also stop absorbing water to conserve energy so watering or fertilizing a plant in this state is not going to help them. Possibly the opposite.
I don't think they need fertilizer but they do love compost and lots of mulch around their roots to keep them cool and moist. 7:30am watering is perfect. You want a long watering so the water doesn't just soak into the top inch of the soil, but really penetrates down. That stimulates deeper root growth which means a healthier plant. Do long, less frequent waterings. That goes for pretty much everything including grass.
How many hours of morning sun vs afternoon sun do they get? I've always read that they prefer morning sun and afternoon shade. But the mophead Hydrangea I have gets sun all morning up to about 5pm and it thrives. I don't provide extra water unless we're in a drought.
They bloom on 2nd year wood and the buds start forming at the end of the summer. So if you're going to trim, wait until early September. If you trim later, it's ok, you just won't have that many flowers the next year. Although a lot of people do it in the winter, Hydrangeas don't really require trimming at all.
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| Posted 6/27/13 4:16 PM |
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