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Hibiscus
Q. I have a large Hibiscus plant that
I will have had three summers this summer.
It is about four feet tall but only on one
side. It is very healthy and is very happy
in front of the window where I have it.
My question is the tall side is all new
growth the short side hasn't started to
make new shoots. Should I cut the tall side
down to the level of the short side and
do the flowers bloom on old wood or new
wood? I will put it out in the spring if
spring ever comes. I am in zone 5. Thank
you for your help.
A. I would like you to help nature and even the shrub out. Prune back some of the tall front growth so that the bare rear will get more light. It sounds as if it is being smothered
and this can lead to damage to the entire plant. The flowers will come out on the new growth but you will suffer a bit of a loss this spring
for the good of the plant. The rear will hardly ever bloom in its present state. Give it a deep feeding as soon as the new growth starts. A 20-20-20 or similar garden fertilizer would be good then switch to one with a higher middle number for the blooms. Continue to trim out stems after the blooming is done. Take out any weak or dying branches so that the center and back of the shrub will get more light. Next year at this time
you will see an improved plant!
Q. Can I grow my hibiscus indoors and
have it bloom? Can I water it if I have
drainage holes in the bottom of the pot?
A. Hibiscus are not well-suited to indoor gardening. They need high humidity for best growth and bloom. The indoors does not supply this. Give it excellent sunlight all day long protecting it only from the harshest of afternoon suns. They drink lots of water
so have the drainage holes you mentioned plus a saucer of pebbles underneath the pot. Allow water to sit in the saucer at all times as long as you do not have the pot down into the water as then the roots will rot. Give it good fertilizer
like Peters Miracle-Gro
Schultz or Optimara at one teaspoon per gallon water every two weeks. Remove all dead or yellow leaves. If you could at all place it outdoors for the summer
not allowing it to get cold then the plant would be much happier and bloom more.
Q. As soon as the weather permits I
will be trying to grow Hibiscus from seeds.
I need to know how to mix a good starter.
I have Sphagnum peat moss Perlit Vermiculite
and Schultz potting soil.
A. You can start them inside in small trays or flats right now. Then
when the weather has warmed so that there will be no more frost which is pretty close for most in the US
you can transplant them outside into a worked-up garden bed with lots of sun. They do not do well with less than 1/2 day of full sunlight. Mix:
one part peat moss
one part perlite
one part vermiculite
I would not use any potting mix as it is
heavy stays wet and can lead to damping
off and rot of the seedlings. Mix the three
well moisten.
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