My wilted pee gee hydrangea tree has wilted from the weather!

Help. Just planted the PG Hydrangea tree last week and it has wilted from the hot and humid weather. I watered it every day. Is it dead? What can I do to revive it? Thanks for the feed back.
  8 answers
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Jul 28, 2016
    What time of ay did you plant the tree? What was done to the soil prior to planting ?Did you use peat's when you planted the tree?
  • First thing I do in a situation like this is scratch the bark with your fingernail and see if there is any green under thebark. If it is green, then you may be able to bring it back to life. Few questions- did you loosen up the roots? I want you to pull the tree back up and check the roots to see if they are pliable and healthy. and how soggy the soil is because if you have clay soil you could be overwatering. If you have a receipt and bought from a big box store or nursery you may have a guarantee and I would take it back. but i want to add that next time remove the green ties to avoid any damage to the trunk. good luck
  • Carrie M. Karki Carrie M. Karki on Jul 28, 2016
    Most likely it needs LOTS of water. It could be dead, but plants are very resilient, you might be able to save it. I would say figure out a way to get it to get tons of water throughout the day, like a bunch of gallon jugs of water with small holes in the bottom to release the water through the day. Gator bags are best, but anything to gradually water it through the day. Summer is the worst time of year to plant a tree. Autumn is best, because the plan is gearing down for the winter, and needs less water, and it gets a lot of moisture through the late autumn till summer to build good roots. Which is good to know for next time. This time I would say water water water, and avoid fertilizer which could burn the plant as it recovers.
  • Marcia Lazenby Marcia Lazenby on Jul 28, 2016
    give the tree a good shaking to loosen the dead leaves....make a water well around the tree.....(dig around making a circle) this is to hold the water in and let it slowly go into the ground.....i believe this tree is still alive ....you might want to add some supplements to the ground around it also....
  • Cherie Cherie on Jul 28, 2016
    First of all, most plants today are planted in artificial soil - meaning peat moss, along with other things that are very difficult to "wet". If you don't know what I mean, get a handful of peat and try to wet it!!! So, if you didn't soak the rootball first and then plant it in wet soil, you didn't give your hydrangea a fighting chance! Their very name means water! It is almost impossible to water a dry plant once it's been planted so watering everyday means the water probably just ran off or soaked into the surrounding soil. I have actually teased off the soil on most plants I get because I live in Texas and one hot day can evaporate the water in the ball of artificial soil!! After you've taken off the soil, I use a stick or a bbq fork or my hands, then dig a large hole, water well and replant using native soil and some (very little) of the soil removed from the root ball. Then water daily until it's gotten used to it's location. After that, water at least once a week, give it a good soaking.
  • Marilena Wilburn Marilena Wilburn on Jul 28, 2016
    I did shake the tree to loosen the dead leaves and found new growth. I'm going to water a lot more and Marcia, I will dig a well around the tree this weekend. Thanks for all your help everyone. I will keep you posted.
  • Joa8907436 Joa8907436 on Jul 28, 2016
    Hydrangeas are water hogs..make sure if you have one for full sun or part shade.
  • Ellen Ellen on Jul 28, 2016
    Also, make sure you have no "holes" around and under the plant. After you plant a new shrub etc. be sure to tamp down the soil very well all around the new plant, this prevents air from getting in. Plants don't like air around their roots. I live where there are MOLES (ugh) and periodically I have to tamp down established plants, cuz moles make tunnels and there's the root just sitting w/o any soil around it....enough of these and the tree/shrub will die.