Signs of an Overwatered Hydrangea (Ways to Save Hydrangea)

My Hydrangea plant was blooming beautifully. I chose to grow them because they are easy to care for, but I didn’t consider the risks of overwatering. However, I was watering them whenever it came to my mind, which led to them suffering from overwatering.

Hydrangea plants can be a bit tricky when it comes to watering. In short, they don’t thrive in drought conditions but also dislike being in waterlogged soil. I think now you have an idea why I am here.

If you’re worried about your hydrangeas getting too much water, you’ve come to the right place. Here are seven common signs of an overwatered hydrangea and ways to save them from dying. Let’s rescue our plants

Quick takeaways:

  • Hydrangea is considered a well-loved landscape plant due to its size, shape, and billowy blossoms.
  • If Hydrangea is overwatered it will have disappointing blooms looking dull in the garden
  • Just remember a plant may be showing more than one of these symptoms at a time. 

7 Signs of an overwatered hydrangea:

Here are some common signs of an overwatered hydrangea plant which is like sending SOS for emergencies to help them

Disappointing Blooms:

  • An overwatered hydrangea will have wilted brown flowers, fewer flower buds, and deformation.
  • The hydrangea is famous for its flowers and it is more depressing or frustrating to see hydrangea not blooming as expected which is a straight signal of overwatering that is messing with blossoms.
  • In the case of having hydrangea it is already in full bloom but still appearing wilted due to overwatering.
  • The petals of the flower will be soft and will turn brown very rapidly. 
  • The flower bud production also gets affected due to overwatering.
  • If the hydrangea roots are suffocated by water, they will not produce a good amount of flowers when in normal conditions.
  • There might be conditions when it doesn’t have any flowers and overwatering will create deformed flowers. 
  • When the flower got hit at this level it had a rare chance of reviving the hydrangeas.
  • You need to first understand the watering needs and then prepare a watering schedule.
Signs of an Overwatered Hydrangea (Ways to Save Hydrangea)

Discolored Leaves:

  • When the plant starts turning the leaves to yellow which is because of overwatering.
  • However, it can also be because of being underwater so before leading to a conclusion, you need to figure it out, what’s the main reason for the discoloration.
  • There will be a time when the leaves begin to turn yellow within the plant where the veins of the leaves will remain green, but the rest of the leaves will turn yellow.
  • If the leaves are getting wilted after turning yellow and are crispy or dry it is because of the underwatering. Although it can be wilted because of over-watering, it will not dry.
  • having any symptoms of overly moist soil, then you need to quickly change the watering schedule.
  • In the rainy summer, don’t water the plant often.
  • Well, hydrangeas don’t like the dry soil but they also don’t like sitting in the wet soil.
  • In case of having a few yellow leaves on the plant, you need to pick them off using your hands.

Wilted or Squishy Leaves:

  • With the plant having leaf discoloration, there will be signs of the leaves starting to wilt.
  • It is not like a crispy wilting when the plant gets dry out. it will be soft and squishy while wilting due to overwatered hydrangea.
  • The wilting and discoloration go hand-in-hand when the plant is over water.
  • The best step to be taken here is to hold up the watering unless the symptoms get resolved.

Drooping or Falling Leaves:

  • When the leaves of the plant are yellow and wilted the only thing left is to fall off of the hydrangea plant.
  • In case the hydrangea plant reaches this point because of overwatering that indicates the plant is in trouble. 
  • The dropping of leaves is because of root problems that are mostly due to root rot issues.

Presence of Fungus or Root Rot:

  • When the hydrangea plant is overwatered the only way to check the issue is by sticking a finger down into the soil to check the moisture level.
  • Finding fungus on the soil surface near the hydrangea is a sure sign of a lot of moisture in the soil and low air circulation. 
  • Here check out the roots of the plant, and if you find it, the roots are bright, white, and firm to touch, which means the plant is in good condition. If the roots are brown or black and soft, it means the plant is in trouble. All these do indicate root rot which results in the killing of the shrubs.
  • To cure the plant, you need to dig up the whole plant and cut off the diseased part of the root system, after which transplant the plant into a better drain soil blend.

Slow Growth:

  • The plant might have a slow or stunted growth when it is overwatered.
  • The slow growth affects the varieties that produce wood each year such as panicle hydrangeas.
  • The plant having roots gets declined and is not able to have the energy to produce new growth as it used to.

Pooling in Soil:

  • Hydrangea plants are used to grow best in well-draining soil.
  • A well-drained soil means where the soil retains moisture, but water does not flow on the surface.
  • It is possible to amend the soil by slowly incorporating compost or using other organic material, which will take time but is long-lasting.
  • The best way to solve the problem is to stop watering plants for some time. It will give the soil time to get dry with this, keep an eye on the plant for noticing any other symptoms.
  • If the soil gets dried out completely you can resume watering the plant. 

Ways to Save Overwatered Hydrangeas:

If you don’t know the proper watering techniques then it’s easy to overwater the plant. Here are some information about the symptoms of severe overwatering, how to save the plant, and ways to avoid overwatering in the future with some better ways. 

Unless you’re using the proper watering techniques, it’s easy to overwater a plant accidentally.

Identifying An Overwatered Hydrangea:

  • The hydrangea plant is used to give signs of any distress and has several visible symptoms.
  • The signs plant showing also indicate other issues so you need to check the list.
  • Don’t wait to have additional signs, if it’s possible to treat the plant with the presence of symptoms.
  • The overwatered hydrangea will have some common signs that will appear on hydrangeas:
  1. Brown edges on the leaves
  2. Edema
  3. Leaf drop
  4. Mold or fungus in the soil or on the plant
  5. The presence of fungus gnats indicates to have fungus in the soil. 
  6. Stunted growth
  7. Yellowing leaves
  8. Detached leaves from stem
  9. Mushy or brown leaves

The overwater hydrangea roots can’t transport nutrients from the soil which causes chlorotic leaves. This will help to encourage fungi to thrive, resulting in the spreading of unwanted fungal diseases.

Treating A Severely Overwatered Hydrangea:

With more signs of overwatering, the more likely plant has developed root rot condition. But the good news is that treating an overwatered hydrangea takes just a few simple steps.

Unless more than 75% percent of the plant is severely damaged and dying, your plant will likely make a full recovery.

In cases where the damage is too expansive because of too much water, you may have to obtain cuttings from the healthiest portions of the plant for propagation and discard the rest.

Pruning And Uprooting:

  • The first step to take is to prune away all the worst damaged leaves using scissors or pruning shears which include brown or blackening leaves and deadheading any wilting or faded blooms.
  • Make sure to remove yellowing leaves but don’t remove brown leaves which are caused by of inability to produce chlorophyll, and affected hydrangea leaves.
  • After removing any severe damage, this is the time to uproot the plant which is possible by slipping the plant from the pot for potted plants. There are some steps you should follow for having hydrangeas in the garden.

Here are some steps you need to follow for pruning and uprooting:

  1. You need to have a shovel or garden fork and insert it straight into the soil all around the hydrangea plant which will help ensure to get the entire root ball.
  2. Continue to make vertical incisions all around the plant, after which use the tool to gently pry the hydrangea out.
  3. When the roots get exposed, you need to remove as much soil as possible by using your bare hands.
  4. You need to check or examine the roots of the plant, to find any dark brown to black roots, mushiness, or a foul odor.
  5. The plant having such signs of root rot means the soil needs to be discarded due to contamination.
  6. In case of plant does not have any signs of root rot, you can move on to the replant phase. 

Treating Root Rot:

Here are some steps to fix overwatered hydrangea:

  • Always use a sharp, sterile knife or shears to remove every root that are having signs of root rot.
  • Remember to sterilize between each cut.
  • The fungus or bacteria causes root rot so to save them, the best way is to soak them which will kill both.
  • The most common method you can is to soak the root ball in a solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water for 30 minutes.

Final Thoughts:

After finding hydrangeas are well grown then you need to have one inch of water per week. Remember to grow in well-draining soil which will allow excess water to drain away from the root zone of the plant. 

The hydrangeas plants are good for giving signs indicating something is wrong. All the warning signs that help to find what happening with the hydrangea plant are mentioned above. 

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