Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
ibanez540r

Newly Planted Pinky Winky

ibanez540r
11 years ago

Just planted this pinky winky Thursday. It's been in the upper 80s the past couple days and the first day it wilted pretty good, so I watered it and by evening it came back fine. Saturday it looked OK I guess. This afternoon it was wilted real bad so I watered again (is on a drip system to water every three days and not sure when it is due to go on, may have already)but doesn't seem to be coming back like it did Friday.

This look like normal acceptable transplant shock? Too much water? To little?

Comments (9)

  • luis_pr
    11 years ago

    Perhaps a little of everything (except too much water). Summer is a difficult/stressful time to be planting just about anything.

    Suggestions: I noticed that you do not have much mulch so I would suggest maintaining 3-4" of mulch thru the drip line, year around, so the soil moisture does not easily evaporate during the day and night. Let the drip irrigation run long enough to give the plant about 1 gallon of water; the amount of time needed to do that differs from one drip system to another but, in my drip system, I have to turn on the station for 1 hour to give it 1 gallon of water. Also, I find that the small surface roots in the top 4" do not get much water from a drip system so, during the worst of the summer, I water with a regular hose once a week to complement the drip system. That and the mulch helps greatly.

    Be aware that this wilting behaviour is common during the Summer and during the first few years. At the same time, it is also common for hydrangeas to recuperate on their own by the next morning. So when I see them wilting, I leave them alone if the soil feels moist. Generally speaking, if the wilting episode looks extreme or if the soil is dry when you see the plant wilting, give it 1 gallon of water right away.

  • Peony5
    11 years ago

    If you remove the flowers that can also result in less stress to the newly planted hydrangea.

  • ibanez540r
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Luis - the picture may be deceiving, but if you look at the lower fence, there is actually 4" of mulch.

    The hydrangea is also on a 1 GPH emitter. How many times a week do you run yours at 1 hour?

  • October_Gardens
    11 years ago

    Hand-water one gallon every couple of days if no rain has occurred, especially if newly planted. Mist the leaves and flowers. My new limelight tree is sucking up water like nobody's business!

  • greenhavenrdgarden
    11 years ago

    This post made me laugh. Not because of your poor stressed plant but because I did the same exact thing last week. I bought 2 pinky Winkys in full bloom to replace 2 that were sold to me as PW but in reality are Little Lambs. Anyways, bc it was hot I had every intention of waiting til fall to plant. The OWNER of the nursery insisted I plant right away and against better judgement I did.
    Immediately the plant started drooping. Within a couple days the leaves started to yellow and drop (more so than the usual yellowing/dropping that occurs with freshly planted Paniculatas).
    What I did was cut off all of the flowers and babied it. (kept it well watered, misted leaves, lots of mulch, etc). Just today I noticed some new leaves forming so I think it's going to make it.
    Here's a pic of mine the day after planting. Looks familiar huh? This is why I chuckled :)
    {{gwi:1017974}}
    I love that whenever I'm having an issue in my garden I can come to gardenweb and find someone else in my shoes too and great advice.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    11 years ago

    In your area with this year's heat and drought, I would be watering any newly planted hydrangea on a daily basis. This plant is suffering drought stress in a big way. Wilting may be common but it is not natural and it's not helpful to the establishment of the plant to go through it on a routinely cyclical nature.

    It may be helpful to know that "hydrangea" translates from the Greek to "water vessel"......indicating this plant's love of consistantly moist conditions. As long as you have very good drainage, I don't think it's possible to overwater them.

  • Nicholas Smith
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    We bought one for zone 7 in late June, and was told they thrive in full sun. We're getting sunburned leaves, and the panicles are drooping to the point where it looks like the branches might snap in two. They get about 8 hours of intense Oklahoma sun. Will it survive and recuperate? So far, it looks fairly healthy since it gets watered 15 minutes a day. We just hate seeing leaves burn to a crisp, not to mention the trunk is super thin and brittle looking.

  • luis_pr
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Well, they do fine in full sun but down here in the summer, the leaves take a beating so in the extreme hot South, I would consider some afternoon respite or the leaves may be in bad shape come the Fall.

    Of course, you planted in the middle of the summer so they will be very stressed by transplant shock and by heat stress. While it is possible to plant them, I never plant anything once temperatures get to the 90s in May. Spring or Fall planting times would end up producing better results as the plants may require less monitoring if allowed.

    When to water: water if the soil feels dry if you insert a finger to a depth of 4" (2-3" if potted).

    Water amounts suggestions: In the Spring, you can water about 1 gallon per plant. After temperatures typically reach or exceed 85F, use 1.5 to 2 gallons per plant. After temperatures typically reach or exceed 95F, use 2 gallons per plant and add manual waterings on an as needed basis. When temperatures recede, reverse this process. After temperatures typically stay below 95F, use 1.5 to 2 gallons per plant with no extra hand watering. After temperatures typically stay below 85F, use 1 gallon per plant. Once the plant goes dormant in the Fall, water once a week or twice a week depending on local rains. Once the ground freezes, you can stop watering but begin watering 1 gallon per plant once you see leaf out in the Spring. Feel free to tweak these amounts for factors like sandy soil, plant size, soil types, etc. if not enough at 8" down.

    How to tell if you are watering enough: water as usual and wait a while. Then insert a finger into several watered spots to a depth of 8". If the soil feels dry or almost dry then use more water.

    Water early in the mornings (6-8am) from the crown (where the stems originate from) outwards in all directions. Never water the leaves in order to minimize the chances of getting fungal leaf infections like powdery mildew or leaf spots. Use soaker hoses or drip irrigation. If you have a sprinkler system, set the station to water close to sunrise (6-8am) so the leaves will not stay wet for long periods of time.

    Feel free to provide temporary, additional shade in its first summer. I have used outdoor chairs, umbrellas, cardboard, etc. and once even decided to cut off the blooms. While a second watering during the day is not recommended, it may be unavoidable on 100F+ days (or you could just let the plant remain wilted since it will perk up at night on its own if the soil is moist enough). The risk from doing that is it promotes root rot when the plant stays in wet soil for too long of a time period. Established plants will usually perform better but will always suffer somewhat in the worst in the summer. Hint: check hydrangeas in the morning during the summer months and, if the plant is wilted early in the morning, water the plant.