What Causes Hydrangea Leaves to Turn Yellow and How to Fix It

For those beginners who just jumped down into taking care of the flowers, especially Hydrangea, it is normal for you to face a common issue of the Hydrangea leaves turning yellow. You might think that changing maintenance requirements randomly might fix the issue, but in fact, doing so will make it worse.

in this kind of case, it is better for you to find out the cause as soon as possible and when you have found out the cause, you can immediately start the treatment. So, what causes Hydrangea leaves to turn yellow and how to fix it? Here is the thing that you need.

If the Hydrangea leaves that you place indoor turn yellow, do not be panic as the beautiful appearance of your Hydrangeas can be restored easily. Here is the guide that will lead you to fix everything.

The causes of the Hydrangea leaves turn yellow

Apparently, the main problem of the Hydrangeas leaves turn yellow is care mistakes. The most popular causes for Hydrangeas leaves turning yellow include:

• Soil dryness
• Waterlogging condition
• Soil depletion
• Low soil acidity
• Lack of light or excessive lighting
• Drafts, cold winds and temperature changes
• Deficiency of nutrients and minerals, especially after flowering

Before performing the methods to fix the issue, it is important for you to identify the kinds of issues first. According to the Garden for Indoor, there are three kinds of Hydrangea leaves yellowing. The first one is leaves become yellow completely and fall off. The second one is leaves turn yellow and the veins are green. The third one is only the edges of the leaves turn yellow.

How to fix the Hydrangea leaves to turn yellow   

• Soil dryness

The leaves will become yellow and fall off when the ground on the pot is constantly dry. In the early time, you will be able to see the yellowness showing up at the tips and the edges of the leaf. After that, it will start to twist. If you are facing this kind of situation, you should avoid the soil substrate to dry out. The second thing that you need to do is to water your plant with warm water twice a day and do not forget to also use mulching as the effort to retain the soil moisture for a longer time.

You need to know that putting the Hydrangeas away from the trees is good to save the shrub. As it will not have enough water for life and growth, the plant will start to dry out.

• Waterlogging condition

The wrong watering is one of the reasons why Hydrangeas leaves turn yellow. For your information, they are water friendly, but they will not grow in wetlands.

Due to the constant dampness, the root part can start to rot and then the plant will die. In order to reduce the frequency, you are advised to stop watering. Protecting the shrub from the water logging condition can be done easily by making a drainage layer of stones or broken bricks at the bottom of the pot before planting or while you are transplanting.

Keep in mind to water the hydrangeas systematically. Actually, the frequency of the watering depends on the external factors. Please moisten it in case the soil on the top layer is dry.

• Soil depletion

The lack of trace elements in the soil is the common reason that makes the Hydrangeas leaves become yellow. When the plant lacks nutrients, the immune system will get serious attacks. To fix the issue, you have to regularly fertilize the potting soil with complex mineral fertilizers. Aside from that, remember to also apply fertilizer at the time of planting. The soil should be good for acidity and the suitable range for this plant is pH 5.5 and 6.5.

It is important to make sure that the soil is fertile. Take a note that it should consist of two parts of the earth and humus, one part of peat and sand. Adding some decomposed manure is better. Before the spring arrives, please fertilize the Hydrangeas soil with urea fertilizer.

• Low soil acidity

The alkaline substrate might be the cause of the Hydrangeas leaves turning yellow. They will turn yellow if the pH is not normal. Since each kind of Hydrangea is so good in acidic soil, before planting, you are encouraged to test to determine this parameter. It should be done because the leaves may become yellow due to low acidity.

• Lack of light or excessive lighting

Hydrangea loves lighting but does not tolerate direct sunlight. Placing the pot of the plant is really important because if it is placed incorrectly, it does not only cause the yellowing leaves but also the complete drying of the plant.

When you choose a place, you are suggested to consider the one that does not get direct sunlight. The most recommended one is the one where sunlight hits on the afternoon and for less than 6 hours. If you place it incorrectly, the shrub can get a serious sunburn. There might be semi transparent stains on the leaves and then they become yellow and dry.

• Drafts, cold winds and temperature changes

Hydrangeas feel comfortable in the place with no strong wind, and beside a wall or fence. Drafts bring nothing but damage to the plant. The leaves will start to turn yellow and then dry out over time. If the place also has low temperatures, the effect will be worse and the plant will die faster. In order to fix the issue, you will have to set the optimum temperature to +22°C or 71.6 °F for home growing. If the threshold is raised, they will start to turn pale and then yellow. In fact, this plant cannot sustain sharp changes in the external environment.

• Deficiency of nutrients and minerals, especially after flowering

It is possible for the deficiency of nutrients to be the cause of yellow leaves in Hydrangeas. The thing that you can do to fix the issue is timely application of fertilizers.