I have a dozen hydrangeas in 15 gallon pots in my garden. They all get different amounts of sun, this one is in a sunnier location (5 hours direct). Two of them seem to be wilting. We have been watering them and watching to see if they come back and they don't seem to be recuperating. Any ideas of other things that could cause this wilt?
It could be water buildup in the containers- do you have a moisture meter? They are lifesavers with container growing. Something could have blocked the drainage holes-
Try shading them a bit more, perhaps drape a sheet over them. Prop it up off the plants with a stake or tomato cage.
If it is simply so hot they cannot move enough water, then that will help.
Moisture meter, that sounds like a good investment. My husband takes care of these and I keep asking him if he has gone over and stuck his finger in the soil or if he just keeps watering them from the deck. I think I'll get a moisture meter, I have hundreds of potted plants.
In the morning are they wilted before the sun and temperatures rise?
If it is due to heat they will recover over night if watered the previous afternoon or evening. Hydrangeas do need lots of water and some wilt is to be expected after prolonged hot sun and especially in a pot where soil temperatures can get hot.
If the wilt does not recover in the morning it might be from either overwatering or could be mushroom root rot (Armillaria root rot) or Phytophthora root rot.
It hasn't been that hot here and they only get a few hours of direct sun. You have a point about them not recovering. I'll go poke around at the soil under them tomarrow morning. They could have some kind of weird fungus going from the potting mix. That would be better than something airborn that will get on my other plants.
