After winter, you may notice dried branches on your hydrangeas. As sad as the sight is, you shouldn't act too hastily now. You can find out all the tips for dealing with dry hydrangeas in this article.
Should I cut off dried branches on my hydrangeas or not?
You should first examine and observe dried branches on your hydrangeas thoroughlybefore cutting them off. Basically, you should only cut off dead wood after the last frost so as not to further weaken the hydrangea. Cut the dried branches back to the living wood and expect that the flowers will be less abundant this year.
Why do my hydrangeas have dried branches?
The reason for dried branches on hydrangeas can be bothFrostandDroughtness due to too little watering. If the plant cannot absorb enough water, the leaves turn brown, the shoots become limp and mushy and eventually entire branches dry out.
Should I cut off dried branches?
Basically, you should cut out the dried branches of your hydrangeas. However, in practice it is not that easy to tell whether a shoot has really dried up completely or whether it will not recover again. It is therefore recommended to wait until early summer before cutting. A cut can make the already weakened plant more susceptible to frost and disease. You should therefore definitely avoid cutting off dried branches too hastily. Instead, you should try to save the hydrangea by watering it vigorously.
How far should I cut off dried branches?
If a branch has clearly dried out, you can cut it generously back to the living wood. However, be careful not to damage or cut off any fresh buds. Otherwise the flowering will be less this year. For this reason, radical pruning is not recommended.
Tip
Flowering may not occur when hydrangeas are almost dry
If you were able to save your hydrangea from completely drying out, depending on the extent of the damage, it may produce few or no flowers. Give it time, the following season it will bloom vigorously again as usual.
