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amandaksailer

Help please! Hydrangea macrophylla 'Schneeball' Dying??

9 years ago

Hello.

My employer bought this Schneeball Hydrangea and it wilted while they were away for the weekend. They were going to toss it but I took it thinking it would live with a good watering and larger pot.

In the photos below, you can see that I cut off the dead blooms. I also snipped the branches/stems back to the first pair of leaves. Do I remove all the leaves as well? Should I cut the stems back further?? (There is old wood at the base from which the green stems sprouted, if this makes a difference...)

I potted the hydrangea in a pot with about 8cm/2in larger diameter. It was in a 1 liter pot and is now in a 2 liter one. I didn't want to increase the pot size too dramatically at first. The potting soil I used is acidic soil for hydrangeas and rhododendrons.

I don't know what to do now! The pot is in morning sun and afternoon shade on my terrace (not where you see it in the photos.) I've haven't let it dry out again but I don't see much improvement. Some of the stems are starting to turn brown, working their way down to the old wood. I think I am making it sicker!

How can I save this once beautiful plant???

Thank you and please do not hesitate to ask questions!

P.S. The straight sticks you see in there were put there by the florist or nursery. They run along each of the branches, I think to make sure it branched nicely.

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