A gardening expert has shared a sure-fire method for reviving a ‘wilted’ hydrangea in only a matter of hours with one simple watering hack – all you need is a spray bottle
A gardening expert has revealed a simple watering trick to bring a “wilted” hydrangea back to life.
In a YouTube video, @Classyflowers, who boasts 338,000 subscribers, reassured gardeners that a wilted, dry hydrangea can be revived in just a few hours. The hydrangea, potted in a container, had wilted blooms that looked dry and nearly dead. However, the expert assured that hydrangeas can droop and appear wilted after brief periods without water or following extreme heat.
She characterised hydrangeas as a “very moisture demanding plant”, which is why people often discard their potted plants when they’re dehydrated as they can appear dead. This news comes just as an exciting heatwave forecast with maps reveals the exact date a 39C heat plume will scorch the UK.
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However, she stated that hydrangeas “can almost always be brought back to life and very quickly.” She went on: “So how [do we] get hydrangeas to hydrate quickly and efficiently? #
“I often hear that many people, when even watering the plant, do not get the result, or it takes a lot of time. I’ll show you how you can reverse dehydration just in a couple of hours.”
Gardeners may notice the roots of the hydrangea and the soil inside the pot are dehydrated. If the pot is watered from the top, then the extremely dry, crumpled earth, saturated with air is unable to absorb moisture and all the water simply flows around a lump of soil and then drains out.
Instead, the gardening expert suggested gardeners need to water their plants using an “immersion” technique to ensure the soil gets completely saturated.
The horticulture specialist prepared tepid water by mixing boiling water into a container of cooler water. She explained: “Temperature is a catalyst for biological processes and this will significantly accelerate the hydration.”
The water temperature is crucial – the liquid mustn’t be scalding but should remain comfortable to touch. Excessively hot water can harm parched roots, reports the Express. Subsequently, thoroughly spray the entire bush with water to prevent moisture loss from the foliage surface.
Finally, the gardening guru advised, “heating the roots from below and stopping evaporation from above”. To achieve this, place the hydrangea in a chilly space with temperatures between 5C and 10C.
The expert created a time-lapse recording which demonstrated her plant “coming back to life” within hours. Several blooms failed to recover as they had reached the point of no return.
After your plant has been rehydrated, trim away all deceased portions – both flowers and leaves – to prevent bacterial and fungal infections.