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ladybugsmom192

my poor babies... what do you think?

ladybugsmom192
12 years ago

hiya!

i'm in the east bay (ccc-hercules) and we've been having some really nice weather - great for my veggie garden, but it's hard on my poor mac's. last week we have several days of temps over 100, then dropped to a hi's of 68-72, now we're heading back for a warm streak - today was 82.

i have 2 macs that i got them last year, but late, so didn't bother to plant them. i checked they're roots and were in good shape, so i cleaned them up, added more dirt and left them in the rather large container they came in. spring sprung and they came back beautifully! so i transplanted them - one facing north getting great morning sun, the other gets shade most of the day with afternoon sun.

so with this heat, i fear both may not bud and ultimately bloom. the first one is looking quite haggardly now, but it was leafy and green with buds coming before the heat. the second one is gorgeously lush, just some of the young leaves burned/wilted (i took them all off), but i'm worried that the heat may have damaged my chances for blooming??

i've done basic fertilizing with an all purpose one for azaeleas. any thoughts would be most welcomed!

~ angela :)

Comment (1)

  • luis_pr
    12 years ago

    Hello, angela. It sounds like the plants are getting the Texas treatment. We too have had daily 100s for several weeks and this can make the hydrangeas suffer. Some wilt. Other can get browned out blooms. Leaves brown out from the edges.

    Keep them well muclhed (about 3-4" of any type of mulch). Maintain the soil moist as best as you can to reduce browning of leaves as this indicates insufficient moisture. In other words, try to prevent period of moist soil followed by periods of dry soil.

    I am not sure just how much afternoon sun they get or just how hot it is. So try to reduce the exposure to hot afternoon suns if you can. Some people add shade cloth for example. How do you know if they are getting too much sun? Look for leaves in dicrect contact with the sun that turn all yellowish or whiteish, including the leaf veins.

    You can use the finger method to determine when to water. Insert a finger into the soil to a depth of 4" and water only if it feels dry or almost dry.

    Flower buds for Spring 2012 will develop starting around July so it is important to treat the plants well starting from July and all the way until blooming time (Spring 2012). That includes watering during dry winters.

    Hydrangeas are not heavy feeders so a fertilizer application in May and July should be all they need for the year. If stressed though, it may be best not to fertilize. If you have to skip fertilizing, do not worry. Unless your soil is deficient in minerals, the shrubs should be able to get what they need from your garden soil.

    Recommended fertilizers for hydrangeas include compost, composted manure or cottonseed meal (1/2 to 1 cup for newly planted hydrangeas). You can also use a slow-release general-purpose chemical fertilizer like Osmocote; apply it according to label directions in May and July only.

    On top of all this, your plants are suffering from transplant shock. They should be established in 1-2 years and will be able to overcome summer's temperatures better then. For now, let them concentrate all energies in building a good root system.

    Luis