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Hydrangea chlorosis is a plant disease that occurs due to a violation of internal metabolic processes, as a result of which the formation of chlorophyll in the leaves is inhibited. At the same time, their color changes to yellow, only the veins retain the green color. The cause of chlorosis is iron deficiency. It may either be too small in the soil around the plant, or the hydrangea itself may not be able to absorb it. In any case, the treatment of the disease is necessary, it will not go away on its own. Usually it is enough just to feed the bush with iron to make the problem go away.
The danger of leaf chlorosis in hydrangea
A plant whose leaves lack chlorophyll is not able to fully provide itself with the carbohydrates necessary for its nutrition. This leads to inhibition of growth and development of the bush. It begins to fade, lose shape and beauty. Ultimately, if the necessary measures are not taken, the hydrangea may die.
The appearance of the disease is global, localization of yellowing of the foliage is rare.
In some cases, the change in color from day to day is imperceptible. It is recommended to look at the hydrangea from time to time and compare its appearance with neighboring plants.
Signs of chlorosis in hydrangea
The symptomatology of chlorosis of large-leaved hydrangea (as well as its other varieties) is manifested not only in the yellowing of the foliage. In addition, the following signs of the disease are possible:
- reduction of leaves in size;
- their wilting or twisting, other changes in shape;
- falling leaves and flowers;
- changing the shape of the buds;
- drying of shoots at the growth cone;
- stopping the development of the root system;
- partial or complete death of the roots.
Usually several symptoms are observed at once, since the lack of hydrocarbons that feed the plant affects all its parts almost simultaneously.
The advanced stage of chlorosis – areas of death of leaf tissues are noticeable
Causes of chlorosis in hydrangea
The main cause of the disease is the lack of sufficient iron in the plant, which is necessary for the formation of chloroplasts. This may be the result of two phenomena:
- lack of iron compounds in the soil;
- the inability of the plant to absorb iron, metabolic disorders.
And if everything is relatively simple with the first case, and the reason lies in the poverty of the soil or substrate used for growing hydrangeas, then the second is already much more difficult and it is problematic to figure out what caused this violation.
For example, in the spring, metabolic disorders may be due to the temperature difference between day and night. The speed of chemical processes in roots in cold soil and leaves warmed by the sun will differ significantly. That is, the root system simply will not be able to cope with the absorption of the required amount of iron from the soil.
This will lead to the fact that there will not be enough chlorophyll in the chloroplasts, they will begin to perform their function worse. The synthesis of carbohydrates will be significantly reduced, and the leaves will change color to yellow due to an insufficient amount of green pigment.
Since hydrangeas require soil with a pH of around 5,5 and water is neutral in acidity, even regular watering will increase the pH. Sooner or later, this will lead to the fact that the absorption of iron from the soil will slow down significantly.
How to treat chlorosis in hydrangea
For the treatment of panicle hydrangea chlorosis, iron-containing preparations are used. Modern industry offers a number of similar products: Ferrovit, Antichlorosis, Micro-Fe, etc.
Mostly in such preparations, iron is used in the chelated form – in the form of a claw-shaped complex compound used to introduce microelements into the metabolic process.
In addition, the treatment of hydrangea chlorosis with preparations based on ferrous sulfate is used. Such a composition can be made independently:
- dissolve 8 g of citric acid in one liter of water;
- add 2,5 g of ferrous sulfate to the mixture;
- to stir thoroughly.
It will be a liquid that has an orange tint. The resulting composition is sprayed on the leaves of damaged plants. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Components for the preparation of an anti-chlorosis remedy can be bought in special stores
There is also another version of the mixture for the treatment of chlorosis. To obtain it, 10 g of ferrous sulfate and 20 g of ascorbic acid are dissolved in one liter of water. The method of application and the shelf life of this tool are similar to those discussed earlier.
How to cure hydrangea chlorosis
In the general case, the treatment of hydrangea for chlorosis consists of several stages and includes the following:
- Changing the soil or substrate in which the plant is planted. Since the hydrangea is quite unpretentious and tenacious, the cause of chlorosis lies, most likely, precisely in the lack of iron. Its regular application, of course, will help, but you can not fertilize the plant with iron all the time. Therefore, you will have to replace the soil in the area where the hydrangea is planted, or completely renew the substrate in the pot.
- Watering with acidified water. Alkalinization of the soil adversely affects the ability of the hydrangea root system to absorb iron. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly either irrigate with acidified water, or use fertilizers that increase acidity (peat, manure, etc.)
- The use of iron-containing special means for spraying the plant. The preparations discussed earlier should be used even after the substrate has been changed. This is necessary to quickly satisfy the plant’s need for iron.
Changing the substrate of a hydrangea growing in the garden is the first step to solving the problem of chlorosis
It should be remembered that, nevertheless, the foliar method of fertilization is more effective. When spraying, the plant completely restores its iron balance within 24 hours, with root feeding – within 72 hours.
disease prevention
As noted earlier, one of the reasons for the low absorption of iron is the reduced acidity of the soil. To solve this problem, the soil should be acidified from time to time. The easiest way for this purpose is to use citric acid. It will take quite a bit – a few grains are dissolved in 1 liter of water and the plants are watered with this mixture.
There is another way to prevent chlorosis, it consists in burying small rusty metal objects in the garden where hydrangea grows – bolts, screws, nails, etc. You can also scrape off rust from large planes and mix it with the soil under the plants.
Conclusion
Hydrangea chlorosis is a disease characterized by iron deficiency in plant cells. Its external manifestations are reduced to yellowing of the leaves with their subsequent fall. Iron deficiency leads to a decrease in chlorophyll in the plant, which affects the deterioration of its nutrition, wilting and further death. The treatment of chlorosis, which mainly consists in fertilizing the hydrangea with iron, should be started as early as possible so that the plant does not die.
