#Droppy balls full

What this does is keeps the soil cooler, helping it to retain moisture for longer. There aren’t any feeder roots within that area as the root balls are flat and compact so the mulch only needs to be a few inches around the plant base. To prevent any fungal problems arising, make a hole a few inches away from the stems. Three to four inches of organic mulch is all that’s required. If you find that your hydrangea is drooping in the afternoon when you want to be enjoying them in your garden, you can mulch around the shrub to protect the soil from drying out too fast. But, if that is the only cause, they will perk up by the evening. Generally, when the temperatures rise to over 86 oF, hydrangeas will wilt. The summer is the most common time of year that gardeners have trouble with hydrangea plants drooping and that’s because of the higher temperatures. In the early stages of growth, if the branches are bowing under the weight of the flowerheads, it’s likely needing pruned back for the branches to be strengthened. You’ll find within one or two growth seasons the plant will have sturdier branches to support the weight of larger flowers, and that’s when you can fertilize to encourage blooming.

#Droppy balls full

In the early stage of hydrangea growth, it’s beneficial to focus on growing sturdy branches so they can support the weight of full bloom flower heads in later years. When the new wood stems start to come through in growing season, pinch them back to 12 to 24 inches tall, so not to ground level. What you want to do instead of fertilizing early in the Spring is to remove the dead wood from the base of the plant and prune it back to the first pair of flower buds. Until the plant can support large flower heads, year-after-year, you’ll face the same challenges. If you’ve given your hydrangea plant a little too much feeding with fertilizer, it can lead to the growth of large flowerheads that are too heavy to be supported by the stems.įor established hydrangea plants that are bowing under the weight of the flowerhead, the trick is to focus on strengthening the stems instead of fertilizing to encourage blooming. Gardeners feed their plants with the best intentions however, done too early, the stems of hydrangea can’t support the weight of heavy flower heads. Over fertilizing hydrangea plants can lead to sporadic growth.