A Guide To Care Hydrangeas In Fall

Although hydrangeas are reliable flowering plants with impressive hardiness, they require some care at different stages of their life. Among such stages, fall care is considered very crucial because it is where hydrangeas prepare for winter dormancy.

During the autumn or fall, if you give proper care to your hydrangeas, you ensure their good and robust health leading to vibrant blossoms in the spring. Well, there is not much to be done, you can simply give more focus to the below-mentioned bulleted set of practices:

• Pruning and Deadheading
• Mulching
• Fertilizing
• Watering
• Cleaning
• Ensuring protection from winter weather and wild
• Protecting Potted Hydrangea
• Controlling Pests and Diseases

Pruning is an inseparable element of hydrangea care. However, if you prune your hydrangea with incorrect approaches, you are certain to hinder their growth. This can result in fewer and unhealthy blossoms in the blooming period of your hydrangea.

Hydrangea Fall Pruning

Pruning hydrangea in the fall is not essentially required, as pointed out by many professionals. You can choose to eliminate the spent blossoms during the autumn but heavy pruning? we seriously doubt this.

No matter the cultivars of your hydrangea, if you prune your hydrangea in the fall, there's a risk you might accidentally cut down the new growth of the plant. You should know that this period is what determines the blooming potential of your hydrangea for the coming summer.

Scroll down to learn about hydrangea pruning in detail:

Things to Consider

• Hydrangea should be pruned during the mid-summer so that the risk of new buds getting eliminated is minimized.
• Keep in mind to prune your hydrangea at an angle of 45 degrees using the right pruning tools.
• All the old blooms are to be removed pruning just under the head at the tip of the stem.
• Eliminate decayed, dead, and crossed branches to maintain proper airflow.
• The pruning 1/3 rule should always be followed.

Hydrangea blooms in the old wood from the buds of the previous year. Old bloom hydrangea usually blooms in the early summer and fades by mid-summer. Bigleaf, Mopleaf, or Lacecap hydrangeas are in general old wood hydrangeas. Know how and when to prune old wood hydrangea below:

How to Prune Old Wood Hydrangea?

a. Deadheading

Deadheading is a process of cutting down old spent hydrangea flowers. Although deadheading is not found to significantly affect the quality or size of the flowers that are to bloom, if you choose to make your winter garden clean and tidy, you can go ahead and prune about an inch or two just below the flower head.

Make sure to use clean and sharp pruning tools to remove the old blooms at an angle of 45 degrees at the top of the stem. Do not wait too long if you are thinking of trimming down the spent flowers, prune them before they produce flower buds.

b. Eliminating Branches

You can promote the growth of your hydrangea by pruning old canes and crossed branches. While eliminating the branches and stems of your hydrangea, make sure to follow the 1/3 pruning rule. You may need loppers to cut down canes at an angle of 45 degrees.

c. Pruning Large-sized Hydrangea

You can choose to prune your hydrangea if it has grown quite big and large, consuming too much space. Pick a day between June and July and trim down the branches. But you should know that it would be best to allow your hydrangea to flourish freely.

Therefore, before planting hydrangea, you should properly assess the area of your garden so that you allow hydrangea to grow freely.

When to Prune Old Wood Hydrangea?

Old wood hydrangea start to produce buds very soon after blooming, so it is recommended to prune them after the peak blooming period usually around June or July. Make sure not to wait longer than the mid-summer to prune your old wood hydrangea.

There's absolutely no significant harm done to your hydrangea if you miss the pruning period for this year, you can still choose to prune them properly on its next pruning season but do not be excited to trim them at the inappropriate time.

New wood hydrangea is found to produce new buds every spring which blooms in the summer of the same year. Unlike old wood hydrangea, new wood hydrangea takes extra time to create buds and produce blossoms later than that of the old bloom.

Panicle hydrangea and smooth hydrangea are the types of new wood hydrangea.

How to Prune New Wood Hydrangea?

The pruning approaches of new wood hydrangea are very similar to that of the old wood. You can start with the removal of dead blooms following the same technique of a 45-degree cut under the flower head. You can easily detect dead blooms through their faded brown and drier appearance.

After that, march forward toward dead canes and crossed branches. Make sure to prune them using clean and sharp shears or loppers following the 1/3 pruning rule. While doing so, keep in mind to leave some of the old growth of your hydrangea to promote plant wellness.

When to Prune New Wood Hydrangea?

Well, you must have known by now that pruning hydrangea should be done before the new flower buds start to generate. Therefore, to avoid new bud elimination, your new wood hydrangea should be pruned in the late winter before spring.

If you manage to trim all the dead and damaged branches in the winter, you encourage your hydrangea to produce more vibrant blossoms in the summer.

Mulching is another important aspect of hydrangeas fall care. Your hydrangea needs to be protected from the fluctuating surrounding temperatures. Add 2-3 inches of organic mulches in the base of the plant so that soil temperature is maintained consistently.

Mulching will serve as an insulator during the fall - preventing the harsh weather from directly affecting the roots of your hydrangea. Make sure not to overdo the mulching, it will go against the plant protection instead.

Autumn or fall is the time just before the dormancy of your hydrangea. During this period, you can focus on providing them with the essential nutrients by fertilizing. It has been recommended to use balanced and slow-release fertilizer made for the hydrangeas particularly.

If you choose a good fertilizer to feed your hydrangea during the late fall of September or October, the plant can slowly feed on the fertilizer during the whole winter and come back stronger in the spring. Follow the labeled instructions carefully before applying!

Can You Fertilize Hydrangeas In the Fall?

Yes, you can. People often make remarks about avoiding fertilizer during the fall but little do they know using slow-releasing fertilizer will not harm your hydrangeas.

Against all the myths, we suggest you fertilize your hydrangeas if your plant seems weak before going into dormancy, this can help your plant tolerate the cold of the winter. But you need to be aware not to over-fertilize it.

When hydrangea starts to prepare for winter, you need to bring adjustment on the watering frequency. During the fall which is the period for winter preparation, hydrangea's thirst declines drastically. Above all, watering should be practiced by checking the soil dryness.

During the growing period of spring or summer, hydrangea requires a significant amount of water to maintain moisture. But when winter comes nearer, it has been recommended to water your plant every 2-3 days per week.

Unfortunately, cleanliness is not looked upon attentively as it should be. Most gardener performs all the necessary rituals of fall care but forget one of the crucial aspects of hydrangea fall care, tidying up the place. Yes, once you prune and do all the work, you need to check for any garbage or debris left out.

You should never ignore the debris around your hydrangea, it is where pests and diseases are found to harbor. Make sure to remove all the fallen leaves, flowers, branches, and any noticeable organic matter from the base of your hydrangea before you leave it for dormancy.

Fall is the signal of a cold winter. If you manage to make the arrangements for every necessary fall care, only then your hydrangea be secured to reward you the vibrant blossoms. To protect your hydrangea from the harsh winter, you may need to provide external protection such as wrapping or shelter.

Yes, a shield such as coverings of garden fleece or frost cloth might come in handy to prevent hydrangea from the freezing temperatures of winter. In addition to that, a protective shelter for your in-ground hydrangea can also help to protect your hydrangea from the severe winter.

Fall care for hydrangeas also indicates a winter protection strategy for the winter. To both potted and inground hydrangeas, winter is an inactive phase that might freeze the newly formed hydrangea buds. That's why, external wrapping is mandatory for the place experiencing heavy winter chills.

Wrapping Hydrangea

You can make use of the landscape fabric or heavy row cover to surround your hydrangea. Many people are found to prefer using burlap as well. You can simply hammer four stakes around the periphery of your hydrangea and adjoin the covering using staples.

Once every side is fixed on the stakes making a firm cage, you can place some leaves on top of the cage, which will further insulate your hydrangea from the freezing winter weather. Well, this approach of wrapping is best for the region that experiences severe winter months, USDA Zone 5 and below.

You shouldn't be surprised to hear that your hydrangea needs to be protected from the deer. Yes, during the late summer or early spring, deer are in search of heavy food to feed upon, it seems they are also in preparation for the winter months.

You may choose to warp hydrangeas with a deer net or apply deer repellent spray once every two weeks. Make sure to regularly inspect, especially during this period for your hydrangea if any signs of damage are induced by the deer.

If you've grown hydrangea in containers or pots, you should know that they require additional care in the fall. During the winter when the temperature falls very low, potted hydrangeas are more prone to experience severe cold because their roots are not insulated by the earth.

One of the major risks of container-grown hydrangea during the winter is the freezing out of the roots. Moreover, if you keep your potted hydrangea outside in the cold winter on its own, there's a high probability of your plant shutting down. Find out how you can care for your potted hydrangea in the fall:

• You need to surround your hydrangea with a protective layer such as bubble wrap and make it firm using wire or duct tape. After properly wrapping, make sure to move your potted hydrangea inside your house close to the wall.
• Similarly, you can make use of a cylindrical cage around the perimeter of your hydrangea and place shredded leaves or straw in it such that it acts as an insulator to your plant, protecting it from the cold weather.
• Alternatively, you can move your hydrangea with the pot inside your house choosing a warmer spot such as the basement or garage. But make sure the place has a window for light and water for hydration.

While considering hydrangea fall care, you should always take caution regarding pests and diseases. Make sure to check for fungal growth on the leaf surfaces, root rot, and potential pest infestations such as aphids, spider mites, Japanese beetles, and others.

During the early fall, if you observe any signs of infestation, you need to go for the solution immediately. Remember not to allow your infested hydrangea to enter the dormant phase harboring pests and rodents.