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Large cap-like inflorescences of hydrangeas do not leave anyone indifferent, both beginners and experienced flower growers strive to grow it. However, this garden plant may not always feel good on the site, which can be immediately noticed by some external signs. If the hydrangea leaves dry around the edges, dark spots appear on them or yellowness appears, then urgent rescue measures must be taken.
Why do hydrangea leaf tips dry?
Changes in the color or structure of hydrangea leaf plates are associated with various factors:
- Water imbalance (excess or lack of moisture, unsuitable water for irrigation).
- Lack of nutrition or deficiency of any specific trace elements in the soil.
- Change in soil acidity.
- Reaction to solar activity.
- Sudden changes in air temperature, drafts.
- Mechanical damage to the plant.
- Disease or the appearance of pests.
Drying of the edges of the leaves of hydrangea is a very common phenomenon.
Before taking any action, it is necessary to correctly assess all the factors that led to a discoloration or drying of the edges of hydrangea leaves. After that, you can carry out a set of special care measures in order to normalize the situation. If this is not done, then the consequences for the plant can be the most sad.
Why do the leaves of home hydrangea dry
Indoor hydrangea is grown as a pot plant without transplanting it into open ground. However, it must be transplanted into another container annually. It is the consequences of this procedure that will become one of the reasons for the drying of the leaves at the edges. This can be acclimatization in a new environment or mechanical damage received during work. An unsuitable pot or soil that does not correspond to the necessary properties can also affect the well-being of the hydrangea.
You can increase air humidity by spraying from a spray bottle
The reason for the drying of the edges of the leaves in the hydrangea growing indoors is often inappropriate climatic conditions. These could be the following factors:
- Humidity too low... It is corrected by daily spraying of plants with water from a spray bottle.
- Changing the properties and parameters of the soil... Excessive alkalization is removed by watering with a weak solution of citric acid, and the lack of nutrients is removed by feeding.
- Insufficient watering... The rate of moisture application must be increased.
- Too bright sunlight... In this case, the flower pot must be removed to a shaded area.
Why do the leaves of a garden hydrangea dry
For hydrangea grown in the open field, all the same reasons for the drying of the leaves at the edges or their fall are characteristic as for the house plant. Here is some of them:
- An error with the place of disembarkation or transfer. If the new location is in direct sunlight, the plant may get burned.
- Damage to the root system during transplantation. In this case, the normal appearance of the hydrangea will be restored in 2-3 months.
- Soil alkalization.Over time, the acidity of the soil gradually decreases. This is mainly due to watering the bushes with tap or artesian water, which is characterized by increased hardness. Dissolved salts gradually react with the acid in the soil, and it becomes more and more alkaline, which is unacceptable for hydrangeas.
Lack of watering is a common cause of dry leaf edges in hydrangeas.
The most common cause of leaf margins drying out is insufficient watering. In this case, the water regime for the bushes must be reviewed and corrected.
Causes of drying hydrangea leaves
Most often, there are several reasons for the drying of leaves along the edges in large-leaved and many other types of hydrangeas, since all the factors leading to this phenomenon have a noticeable effect on each other. Therefore, it is necessary to consider this problem in a complex, weighing and excluding one by one possible mistakes in care.
Wrong choice of seedling
Mistakes in choosing a hydrangea variety for planting can also cause the plant to wither prematurely. First of all, for this reason, the leaves of the most thermophilic species of this plant, the large-leaved hydrangea, dry out. In regions with severe winters, it is recommended to grow it only as a tub plant, without transplanting it into open ground. Treelike and paniculate varieties are more winter-hardy. In these hydrangeas, leaf wilting is most often associated with a seasonal factor, since it is still a deciduous shrub.
Improper care
Improper care can be understood as any erroneous or insufficient actions of the grower, starting from the moment of planting the hydrangea. First of all, these are various violations of the irrigation regime:
- The use of poor quality water.
- Too abundant or, conversely, insufficient watering.
- Sprinkling during periods of high solar activity, leading to burns.
Untimely or improper feeding, excessive pruning can lead to wilting of the leaves of these flowers.
Transplanting errors can lead to drying of the edges of the leaves of hydrangeas.
For home-grown hydrangeas, risk factors are transplanting errors, improper placement in the room, due to which the flowers receive too much direct sunlight, insufficient air humidity, and unsuitable soil for growing.
Unfavorable weather conditions
Heat-loving hydrangeas do not always thrive in areas with cool climates and variable weather. The following factors most often lead to the drying of the edges of the leaves in plants growing in open ground:
- Heavy rainfall.
- Prolonged drought.
- Constant cold wind.
- Sharp temperature fluctuations.
Diseases and pests
One of the most common diseases of hydrangeas is chlorosis. It can be determined by the change in the color of the leaves, they become light green, with well-visible dark veins. Chlorosis is caused by a deficiency of iron in the soil or a decrease in the plant's ability to absorb this trace element. Favors the development of this malaise and too low acidity of the soil. To get rid of chlorosis, hydrangea is sprayed with a solution of ferrous sulfate and citric acid (2 and 4 g of each of the components, respectively, dilute in 1 liter of water). The same preparation can be used to water the plant at the root.
Chlorosis is a common iron deficiency disease
Fungal diseases appear on hydrangeas relatively rarely. Here are the main ones:
- Septoria... This disease can be recognized by small brown spots on the leaves. If the disease is not treated, hydrangea leaves begin to brown, dry and fly around. At the first signs of septoria, the affected parts of the plant must be cut off and burned, and then the bushes must be treated with preparations containing copper: Bordeaux liquid, copper oxychloride or copper sulfate.
Hydrangea leaf affected by septoria
- Powdery mildew... Often appears on the leaves in the form of a light ash bloom. Affected shoots wither rapidly, deform and, as a rule, die in winter. They fight this disease by treating the bushes with various fungicides: Topaz, Purest flowers, Fitosporin.
Light gray bloom on the leaves is a sign of powdery mildew.
- White rot... A sign of the appearance of this disease is the darkening of the shoots, the presence of rot on their lower part, while a white fluffy bloom becomes noticeable on the leaves. In most cases, the plant cannot be saved, so many growers, when white rot appears, destroy the hydrangea bush immediately, without waiting for the disease to spread to neighboring plantings. If it can be recognized at an early stage, then the affected parts of the shrub are removed, the sections are burned with potassium permanganate, and then the plantings are treated with fungicides or special means for white rot.
White rot is a dangerous fungal disease
Of the insect pests, the danger to hydrangeas is the following:
- Aphid... In small quantities, this small sucking insect is not dangerous, but its large colonies can seriously weaken or even kill the plant. The situation is aggravated by the fact that aphids multiply very quickly, therefore, its number in a short time can increase tens and hundreds of times. Due to the loss of nutrients, hydrangea leaves darken and dry, shoots wither. They fight aphids by treating the bushes with various insecticides, but if you notice small foci of insects in time, you can simply wash them off with soapy water.
Aphids are dangerous in their number
- Spider mite... Refers to sucking parasitic insects that suck juices from leaves and young shoots. It is found not only on hydrangeas, but also on many other garden plants. The appearance of this insect can be recognized by the presence of a thin cobweb entangling the nests with the pest. In this case, the affected leaves curl up and dry out. The fight against this pest is carried out by treating plants with special means - acaricides. If the lesion is not massive, then the spider nests are cut off and burned, and the leaves are washed with soapy water.
A thin cobweb entangling the leaves is a sign of the appearance of a spider mite
- Gall nematode... This insect lives in the ground and is a microscopic worm that can live both in the roots and in the stem of a plant, gradually poisoning it with its waste products. The presence of the parasite can be determined by the characteristic reddish swellings at the base of the stem - galls. In these places, the process of decay gradually begins, because of which the plant dies. To prevent the appearance of nematodes, the soil is treated with Aktofit or Fitoverm before planting hydrangeas.
A plant infected with root knot nematode usually dies
What to do if hydrangea leaves edges dry
Before you start taking any action to remedy the situation, you need to determine the cause of its occurrence. First of all, you need to carefully examine the plant, identify changes that have occurred with the leaves or shoots, determine if there are signs of diseases and pests on the hydrangea. After that, it is advisable to do a chemical analysis of the soil to determine its acidity, restore the water balance, and feed.
Soil acidity control is an important part of hydrangea care
It is very important to evaluate the parameters of the microclimate: measure the temperature and humidity of the air, control the level of illumination. If you bring the values of all these values in accordance with the recommended ones, then, most likely, the hydrangea will recover very soon.
How to feed hydrangea when the leaves dry
If the hydrangeas were fed regularly, in the right volumes and within the recommended time frame, then additional stimulation is unlikely to improve their well-being. Fertilization is indicated if there is a clear lag in shoot growth, pale foliage. In this case, it is more advisable to use special fertilizers for hydrangeas, azaleas and rhododendrons.
Many complex fertilizers have been developed specifically for hydrangeas.
They contain a complete set of trace elements required by the plant. Apply them in accordance with the instructions.
Experienced gardening tips
Here are some tips from experienced gardeners on how to care for hydrangeas when the edges of the leaves dry:
- When transplanting hydrangeas, you can use the Zircon preparation together with watering. Thanks to him, the plant adapts faster to a new place.
- In extreme heat, even with intensive watering and mulching, hydrangeas may lack moisture, which leads to yellowing and drying of the leaves at the edges. It is possible to increase the immunity of a plant if it is treated with a solution of a mixture of Epin and Cytovit preparations.
- You can not use artesian and tap water for watering hydrangeas without special softening. It contains a large amount of magnesium and calcium salts, which, with each watering, will decrease the acidity of the soil more and more. Watering hydrangeas is only necessary with settled rainwater.
A short video on this topic can be viewed at the link below.
Conclusion
If the hydrangea leaves dry around the edges, then this is not a reason to panic. In many cases, an unpleasant phenomenon occurs due to the vagaries of the weather. For example, prolonged heat in July can cause hydrangea leaves to dry out in August. In this case, a natural regulation of the plant occurs, the root system of which cannot cope with the nutrition and water supply of a large amount of green mass. In addition, there may be several reasons, each of them needs to be dealt with in detail, and the sooner the better.
