Why are my Hydrangea leaves wilting and turning brown?

Last updated on March 1st, 2022

If your Hydrangea leaves have started to wilt it is usually an environmental problem, for example, too much sun exposure as they prefer a shady position or not enough water, especially when grown in containers. Applying too much fertiliser can also cause the leaves and flowers to wilt.

It is incredibly frustrating to work very hard in cultivating your Hydrangeas only to see its leaves drooping, wilting or turning brown. Newly planted Hydrangeas can quickly wilt from lack of water because they have very restricted roots balls, however, fungus and pests can also be a cause. Below we will go over this in more detail as well as going discussing a few other reasons this might be happening and how to overcome the problem.

Hydrangea leaves turning brown

Lack of water – especially on newly planted shrubs

One reason the leaves on your Hydrangea might be turning brown is because of an issue during transplantation. If you recently transplanted your Hydrangea to a new spot, whether from an existing area in your garden or from a nursery, it could simply be turning brown because it doesn’t have enough water.

This is especially common when you purchase a Hydrangea from a nursery or garden centre because the potting soil that they use in nurseries is typically very high in peat moss and this means it dries out quickly, so if you see that the roots are compact and woven together, you want to try and loosen them before you plant your Hydrangea. If you didn’t do that before you planted, don’t panic. You just need to make sure that you keep the soil uniformly moist from that point onward until it takes and has got some new roots out.

You can learn more about growing Hydrangeas by clicking here.

Consider setting up an automatic watering system

Fungus – black spots on the leaves – provide good air circulation

Another reason that the leaves on your Hydrangea are turning brown could be a fungal infection. There are different types of fungus that target the Hydrangea and the results you see are brown spots on the leaves. The first step you want to do is avoid watering the leaves and water specifically at the base because any excess water could leave the plants succeptable.

Simultaneously you want to choose to water in the morning or evening rather than in the afternoon when the sun is at its highest. Remove any leaves that have these brown spots and any debris that has been dropped underneath the Hydrangea. Fungus needs a dark, moist area in which to thrive so don’t provide an environment for them.

If you are going to remove any part of the Hydrangea make sure you disinfect your pruners before doing so because this will prevent you from accidentally transferring infection from one branch or leaf to another. If you have enough space in your garden, make sure that you give 2 metres of space in between one Hydrangea and the next to improve air circulation because this also helps reduce fungus.

Recommended fungicide

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Hydrangea leaves wilting

If the leaves on your Hydrangea are wilting, and in some cases turning brown concurrently, this could be indicative of toxicity poisoning. If you use too much fertiliser it could cause these symptoms, and as a direct result increase the susceptibility your plants have to infection. It is recommended that you do not use more than two cups of a 10-10-10 fertiliser for every 9.2 square metres. So if you are using fertiliser in a smaller area where you have Hydrangeas in pots you might actually be using too much. There is a significantly high risk for toxicity during the summer when your Hydrangeas are exposed to sunlight. In general, applying a general fertiliser in spring, in measurement as stated on the box, is often more than enough for Hydrangeas.

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Hydrangea leaves drooping – caused by pests

If you notice your Hydrangea leaves are drooping, shrivelling up and turning brown, you might have a pest problem, you may also notice a sticky substance known as honeydew. This is indicative of scale insects, also known as Hydrangea scale or aphids, and the solution is to clean off every pest with either a direct stream of water or a mixture of water and dish soap.

If you are using water to remove them physically, be aware of the power of the stream you use. If you spray water at full power it could damage the leaves in the process.

If you use an insecticide be aware of the fact that it could kill the insects but scorch leaves as well, so pay particular attention to the ingredients and instructions and never spray in bright sunshine.

Recommended bug killer

If you grow Hydrangea in pots, it’s often easier to care for them. Learn more about growing Hydrangeas in pots here.

Last update on 2024-12-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API