Hydrangea Help

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@Tetters @alp @Chuck

Wet spring and summer, 90f temps, pH 6,3-6.8, I see iron maybe P and some kinda fun guys. Thoughts? My wife says hey go look at my hydrangeas, so its officially a fight now. I put hastagrow and trichoderma in a spray and wet down some cornmeal under all of them this morning. I still have not fully identified my problems. What do yall see?
 
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@Tetters @alp @Chuck

Wet spring and summer, 90f temps, pH 6,3-6.8, I see iron maybe P and some kinda fun guys. Thoughts? My wife says hey go look at my hydrangeas, so its officially a fight now. I put hastagrow and trichoderma in a spray and wet down some cornmeal under all of them this morning. I still have not fully identified my problems. What do yall see?
I can't tell you how to fix the problem but I can tell you what it is. Bacterial leaf spot. Trichoderma doesn't work well on bacterial infections, only fungal. If it were a vegetable I would start spraying with hydrogen peroxide and neem. But it's not a squash so your guess is as good as mine. And fertilizing is the worst thing you can do to a weak plant, a hungry plant yes, but not a weak one.
 
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Picture 1: Bacterial Leaf Spot in oakleaf leaves #1 and #2 and macrophylla leaf #3 + a severe case of Iron Chlorosis and bacterial leaf spot on the macrophylla leaf #3 ('severe' because the leaves have started turning white-ish). Iron chlorosis works like this: dark green leaves turn light green, except for the leaf veins which remain dark green. Then the leaves turn yellow, except for the leaf veins which remain dark green. Then the leaves turn white, except for the leaf veins which remain dark green. The leaves then die and drop.

Picture 2-7: Looks like a case of bacterial leaf spot. That is a fungal infection that primarily affects Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf Hydrangea), Hydrangea arborescens (Smooth hydrangea) and Hydrangea macrophylla (Big Leaf Hydrangea). It starts with individual spots that enlarge around veins. Discard in the trash the worst of the leaves. No signs of iron chlorosis although some foliage is a lighter green color than the older leaves underneath.

Picture 8-10: severe case of iron chlorosis and bacterial leaf spot. Some of the simple spots in pictures 9-10 m-a-y be Cercospora leaf spot but in those last two pictures, the spots were too far away to correctly identify so asume more bacterial leaf spot for now instead. A few spots in 8-9 appear to have the start of bacterial leaf spot.

Copper-based fungicides may help control bacterial leaf spot if applied starting in late spring. I am aware that some people also use compost tea spray on infected leaf but I am not seen recommendations in journals. I think the reasoning is that the compost tea spray introduces beneficial bacteria that is good for combating bacterial leaf spot. Removing diseased leaves as soon as they appear helps prevent further spread of the disease but other times that is not practical... meaning, when the plant is covered with infected leaves (they need some green leaves to produce food for the roots after all).

Fungicides containing chlorothalonil and thiophantate-methyl work to control both cercospora leaf spot and anthracnose. I saw a Bonide Spray Bottle at my Lowes that contains chlorothalonil; not sure if it is for sale on all Lowes though. Dilution rates for raw chlorothalonil-containing fungicides range from 1.4 teaspoons to 2 teaspoons per gallon of water but read the product directions as some products are already diluted and ready to be sprayed. For fungicides containing raw thiophanate-methyl, the dilution rates is usually 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. Apply them every 10 to 14 days as needed. For more severe infections, apply at shorter intervals. Follow all directions on the label when using chemical fungicides. Clean sanitation practices and no overhead watering can also help.

Iron chlorosis can be controlled using any one of these amendments per product directions: garden sulfur, iron sulfate, aluminum sulfate or greensand. Regular applications of organic compost can also help keep the soil pH closer to neutral, which hydrangea leaves do not mind. Because the episode is severe, I would use chelated-iron liquid compounds as they help fix the problem slightly faster.

Luis
 

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DM: I could only google: here is one googled.


An unusually wet summer and autumn can create an environment where the leaves are wetter for longer and don’t dry out so quickly. This encourages fungal growth which then spreads exponentially. It’s not uncommon to see brown fungal leaf infections after a period of damp autumnal weather, even fog and morning dew at this time of year can exasperate the condition

Air circulation and improvement of soil (deduced) also mentioned I would add grit to the soil and remove afflicted leaves.

I think Luis is pretty spot on.

I would dramatically reduce and remove the afflicted leaves just to increase the airflow, especially near the ground.

Yellowing leaves https://gardenine.com/hydrangea-leaves-turning-yellow/

Hydrangea leaves turn yellow due to overwatering, too much direct sunlight, or nutrient deficiency. To fix the yellow leaves, move the plant to a shaded area and drain excess water from the pot. Feed the plant with an iron supplement and nitrogen fertilizer to keep leaves green and healthy.

I love the oakleaf hydrangea and I would remove the flower stem. I will leave the rest to the experts!
 
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@Tetters @alp @Chuck

Wet spring and summer, 90f temps, pH 6,3-6.8, I see iron maybe P and some kinda fun guys. Thoughts? My wife says hey go look at my hydrangeas, so its officially a fight now. I put hastagrow and trichoderma in a spray and wet down some cornmeal under all of them this morning. I still have not fully identified my problems. What do yall see?

Well, what I can see is a whole lot of work and headaches. If they were mine I would have chopped them all down to where I could find a healthy looking leaf or two. Throw all the tops on the bonfire, clean the area all around, and wait for them to grow back again. It's called hard pruning :giggle:
The flowers will make a nice contribution to your dining room table I'm sure. Job sorted!
 
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Thanks all! The trichoderma product I purchased has Bacillus subtilis and a couple other organic components that should help I have some actinovate I can use as well. Thanks for the good thoughts!
 
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I don't mess around anymore and just cut off the leaves. It may not look the best but it will be happy. I had to cut off about 60% of my hydrangea leaves off and the dried out bloom. I had dark spots on the leaves and mold. The plant is happy and producing new leaves! Now I see my other hydrangea is starting to have bug issues. Never ending sometimes with our plant children. :)
 

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Yes, no need to do anything drastic or draconian. Just cut off the damaged bits to dam the spread of bugs and to improve the air flow. They would come back healthy. They won't die off. Or you can take cuttings and plant the cuttings somewhere else. Monty mentioned how horrible his hydrangea was in GW last night, And he said they would come back, albeit a bit fewer blooms. Hydrangeas are toughies.

@Sabina515 : I am mother of 4: myself, my hens, my son and my plants, too!
 
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Yes, no need to do anything drastic or draconian. Just cut off the damaged bits to dam the spread of bugs and to improve the air flow. They would come back healthy. They won't die off. Or you can take cuttings and plant the cuttings somewhere else. Monty mentioned how horrible his hydrangea was in GW last night, And he said they would come back, albeit a bit fewer blooms. Hydrangeas are toughies.

@Sabina515 : I am mother of 4: myself, my hens, my son and my plants, too!
5 if you count G-F, I would think.
 
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Monty mentioned how horrible his hydrangea was in GW last night, And he said they would come back, albeit a bit fewer blooms. Hydrangeas are toughies.
Monty also said we should cut green bits off potatoes -WRONG! Solanine is produced throughout the tuber. and the entire potato should be discarded.
Zigs experienced proof of that in an earlier life :sick::nurse::nurse:
 

alp

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Ah, yes. GF could stand for Gardening Forum. Sorry, DM!

But GF is not one of my loves.

Well, if one is not an expert, drastic measures should NOT be recommended.

Incidentally, Monty is not a GOD!
 
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@alp maybe g-f is one of the fabled sins then?

I never should have peeked at this, but potato skin is just a higher concentrations of solanine for self defense in ground I suspect:

Nightshades – Avoid in order to decrease inflammation:

  • Potatoes, all varieties (sweet potatoes and yams are NOT nightshades. Beware of potato starch used in many seasonings and as a thickening agent)
  • Peppers (red, green, yellow, orange, jalapeno, chili, cayenne, pimento)
  • Tomatoes, all varieties (including Tomatillos)
  • Paprika
  • Eggplant
Foods that contain solanine although not directly in the nightshade family:

  • Blueberries & Huckleberries
  • Okra
  • Artichokes
Other Substances to Avoid:

  • Homeopathic remedies containing Belladonna (known as deadly nightshade)
  • Prescription and over-the-counter medications containing potato starch as a filler (especially prevalent in sleeping and muscle relaxing medications)
  • Edible flowers: petunia, chalice vine, day jasmine, angel and devil’s trumpets.
  • Atropine and Scopolamine, used in sleeping pills
  • Topical medications for pain and inflammation containing capsicum (in cayenne pepper)


*http://www.leakygut.co.uk/Hidden cause of inflammatory disorders.htm

 

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DM: I should have known that you're not one of those petty and inconsiderate people.
 

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