Hydrangeas can be overwatered, and they do not want to be in soil that is too wet. Hydrangeas require moist soil, but if the soil is too wet, the plant may suffer from root rot. Overwatering a Hydrangea can also stunt its growth, slow down its production of blooms, and eventually lead to its death.
Yellow or Brown Leaves
When a hydrangea has been overwatered, one of the most obvious signs is yellow or brown mushy leaves. Touch your hydrangea's leaves just to make sure – dry leaves can be a sign of underwatering, so feeling them will help you tell the difference.
Water your hydrangeas in the morning before the heat of the sun is strong enough to quickly evaporate soil moisture. Try to avoid watering at night, which can encourage mold and mildew as the moisture sits through the cool night. Water your hydrangeas through the growing season as well as in late fall.
Most common hydrangeas prefer a partial sun location - ideally receiving sun in the morning hours and shade in the afternoon. The reblooming Endless Summer® Hydrangea series prefers part shade.
Too much sun exposure can cause your hydrangea shrubs to burn on its leaves and blooms. Also, be sure to put your fingers in the soil to see if it needs watering. We do recommend a soak versus light watering each day, but you should be sure that the soil is always moist – not wet – by sticking your fingers in the dirt.
Mulch the plant to retain moisture. If the leaves are drooping, it is time to water the plant. If the leaves are yellowing and turning brown, check for standing water or a clogged drainage hole.
Wilting or mushy leaves: overwatered hydrangea leaves are heavy and drooping. They may be mushy or pulpy to the touch because their cells are flooded. Underwatered plants, on the other hand, will have dry and crispy leaves.
For hydrangeas planted in ground.
For optimal growth, bloom production, and quality, fertilize three times: In early spring when plants are just leafing out. In early May to boost their flower production for summer. In late June/early July to help your plants finish the summer strong.
Water at a rate of 1 inch per week throughout the growing season. Deeply water 3 times a week to encourage root growth. Bigleaf and smooth hydrangeas require more water, but all varieties benefit from consistent moisture.
The goal is to have them last about two to three weeks! If they start to droop after a few days, cut the stem again and change the old water out to hot water once or twice a week. You can also mist the blooms daily – hydrangeas are one of the very few flowers that can actually drink water from their blooms!
Hydrangeas should be planted in moist, rich soil. In soil that drains quickly, such as sandy soil, wilting occurs much faster than in soil rich in organic matter with better water-holding ability. Shallow watering can also cause wilt.
You might be able to revive less-wilted blooms in just an hour or two, so check on them a few times while they soak to see if they're back to looking their best. If you notice they still look wilted after a few hours, leave them to soak overnight to see if that does the trick.
Can't seem to keep your cut hydrangeas looking full and alive for long? Get ready for the easiest solution to your flower struggle: All you need to do is place the flowers face down in a bowl of water overnight, and they'll look as though they just bloomed.
If the soil is wet, it's overwatered - if it's dry, it's underwatered. Browning edges: Another symptom that can go both ways. Determine which by feeling the leaf showing browning: if it feels crispy and light, it is underwatered. If it feels soft and limp, it is overwatered.
Brown, tan, yellowish or black spots on hydrangea leaves may be anthracnose. You can also identify it by cankers that form on stems and branches. Anthracnose can be fatal to hydrangeas, so prune out dead or diseased plant parts and destroy them.
Symptoms of overwatered hydrangeas may include brown and wilted leaves, yellow leaves that will drop from the plant, and stunted growth. Signs of root rot may present themselves as well. This could appear that half of your plant is dead, and you may see white fungus near the crown of the hydrangea.
It's also an increasingly common practice to grow hydrangeas indoors. While being relatively easy to take care of, overwatering can cause severe damage and may even kill the plant. A single overwatering can be treated by simply not watering the plant until the soil has time to dry out partially.
Revive Hydrangeas With Warm Water
According to Stembel, hydrangeas are one of the rare flowers that absorb a portion of their water intake through their petals. "This is why a tired-looking bloom can be revived with a quick dunk in warm water," she says.
Hydrangeas are one of those florals that take almost no effort to preserve—they dry in about two weeks' time and can last for up to a year.
There's no way around it: Hydrangeas in pots will have to be watered more frequently than those in the ground. Because it's living in a smaller space, you can expect this space to dry out more quickly than the ground will. To keep your potted hydrangea happy, try watering it every other day in the summertime.
Some gardeners report success in turning their hydrangeas blue by applying coffee grounds to the soil. The coffee grounds make the soil more acidic, allowing the hydrangea to more easily absorb aluminum. In addition, fruit peels, lawn clippings, peat moss and pine needles, are thought to have a similar effect.