Hibiscus is a flowering plant that falls under the mallow family. This family has large, showy, trumpet-shaped, conspicuous flowers with five or more petals.
Its colors vary from white to pink, orange, peach, yellow or purple and its fruit is a dry five-lobed capsule with several seeds with red and white colors. It is known as a versatile plant as it enhances the beauty of any garden. Hibiscus is an eye-catching plant due to its large and colorful blossoms. It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies during the summer.
Hibiscus flower is also known as rose mallow, hardy hibiscus, rose of Sharon, and tropical hibiscus. The flower grows in warm temperatures and tropical or subtropical regions throughout the world. The red hibiscus flower is offered to the Hindu goddess Kali and Lord Ganesh in Hindu worship.
Are hibiscus plants hard to grow?
Hibiscus are not difficult to grow. They require just the right amount of water, sunlight, and fertilizer to flourish. It’s crucial to use a potting mixture that will yield a fertile, lightweight growing mix.
Hibiscus plants turn into shrubs once they mature and often can grow up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) tall with a width of 6 feet (1.8 meters). Flowers are typically in shades of red, orange, or pink with yellow centers depending on the variety you choose.
The flowers typically bloom from spring through fall. Some hibiscus plants will die if they are exposed to freezing temperatures, so growing them indoors is generally recommended.
Gardeners who live in mild coastal areas where temperatures rarely drop below freezing may want to grow their bush outdoors during the warm months and move it indoors for the winter months.
If you’re growing your hibiscus outside year-round, provide them with a sheltered location during the coldest times of the year and make sure they get plenty of sunlight.
The plants can handle a broad array of temperatures between 40 and 90 degrees F (4 to 32 degrees C) and prefer daytime temperatures between 65 and 90 degrees F (18 to 32 degrees C).
How to grow the Hibiscus plant?
How to Grow Hibiscus from Seeds
To grow this plant, first, you need to know its type, whether it’s tropical hibiscus, hardy perennial hibiscus, or hardy shrub hibiscus. The tropical hibiscus can be grown in a warm climate with full sun but not in cold weather as it cannot survive in frost or heavy freeze. It requires moist, fertile, and well-drained soil with balanced organic and liquid fertilizer.
Likewise, to grow hardy perennial hibiscus, you need well-drained soil with organic fertilizers and plenty of phosphorous. It also requires a robust zone four climate and full sun. This type of hibiscus does not transplant very well, so you need to choose the location very carefully.
The hardy hibiscus shrubs can be grown in five-nine zones climate with full sun, with a little afternoon shade in hotter climates. It requires fertile, well-drained soil, regular water, and nutrient needs.
- To grow the hibiscus plant, you need its seeds then wrap the seeds with a paper towel.
- After that, pour some water, put it in a plastic bag, and check it after a few days.
- Once, they have sprouted, they are ready to be planted.
- Now, fill your pot with the mixture or mix compost into the soil and transplant the sprouted seeds into the container.
- Once, the plant is large enough to transfer to the ground; you can transplant it in your garden.
How to Grow Hibiscus From Cuttings?
Follow these steps to start growing your hibiscus from cuttings:
- Take a cutting from a healthy plant. If the branch has fresh areas of growth on it, it isn’t old enough to be dormant. The cutting should have 4-5 primary leaves with a pair of secondary leaves and 1 flower
- Remove all but 1 leaf from the cutting and place it into a rooting medium such as soil or peat moss moistened with water; use a potting mix designed for house plants for best results. Use any type of container that is divisible into about 6 equal parts and deep enough to hold all of the roots without over-wetting them.
- Gently push down the cutting when you are sure it is firmly in place. As soon as the cutting is arranged, water it thoroughly and place the container into a sealed plastic bag to increase humidity and partially shade it from direct light to encourage root growth.
- Check your hibiscus as often as possible for signs of new root growth and give more water only if necessary to keep the soil slightly moist at all times, but never soggy or sopping wet This process takes about 2 weeks under ideal conditions but can take much longer depending on how well you have followed the above instructions.
How do you take care of a hibiscus plant?
The hibiscus plant needs to be watered regularly. The more vigorous varieties (e.g., ‘Royal Rose’, ‘Rosea’, ‘Coronation Gold’) need regular watering, while less vigorous varieties (e.g., ‘Tropic Thunder’, ‘Lime Green’) will tolerate much less aggressive watering.
Water the hibiscus plants deeply when the top 1-2 inches of soil are dry. Plants should be watered thoroughly, especially when they are newly planted and the roots are small and not yet well-established.
Steps to Follow:
- Dig a hole in the dirt about 6 inches deep and add some soil to the bottom of it. Turn the plant so that its roots are facing up, then cut off the ends of the stem below the soil line and gently pull apart to allow you to slide out all of its roots. Set it aside for a day or so until it’s had a chance to settle into its new home.
- Place your plant back into its new hole and fill in around it with more soil, being careful not to damage any of its roots then water thoroughly again to eliminate any air pockets from underneath .
- Continue this process of removing, repotting, watering, and filling with soil until your plant has reached its final height and is healthy.
How do you take care of a hibiscus plant during winter?
You don’t need to do anything special to your hibiscus plant during the winter. Simply keep the plants away from freezing temperatures and be sure the roots are covered in some kind of potting mix.
They can withstand low temperatures as low as 32° F (0° C) with no ill effects. Hibiscus can also survive freezing temperatures if they are in pots or containers they have been placed in before being brought indoors to protect them from the cold air…
What type of water is recommended?
Hibiscus plants need to be watered thoroughly, especially when they are newly planted and the roots are small and not yet well-established. Plants should be watered thoroughly, especially when they are newly planted and the roots are small and not yet well-established.
When do you fertilize a hibiscus plant?
You should start fertilizing your hibiscus plant in the spring with a weak liquid fertilizer solution such as 10-10-10 or 6-6-6, or a weak granular fertilizer such as slow-release 16-16. Be sure to use diluted solutions as they can burn tender plants if applied too heavily.
Does hibiscus need full sun?
Hibiscus is best grown in full sun conditions. Growing the plant in the partial shade can sometimes promote more blooms, but usually not as many as with direct sunlight.
Watering and fertilization may also be affected, so it is recommended that you give your plant lots of sunlight if you want to see it growing well.
Should hibiscus be pruned?
If you want to keep your hibiscus garden looking neat and tidy, pruning them at least once a year is recommended. In general, hibiscus can be pruned once in the spring and once in the autumn.
Hibiscus is generally considered to be difficult to prune, but they do respond fairly well to horticultural pruning. You cannot cut the buds that are about to bloom – only those that have already flowered.
How fast does hibiscus grow?
The speed at which hibiscus grow depends on several factors. Some of the most significant are :
the size of the container
larger containers will generally support larger and therefore faster growth,
type of soil used
hibiscus grow best in a soilless mixture that drains well, fertility the more fertile the soil, the faster they will grow Hibiscus can grow very fast.
The fastest rate I have seen is from a plant grown in a peat pot that is 15 cm wide and ready to be planted at 25 cm tall and 18 cm wide after 1 month.
How can I make my hibiscus grow faster?
The best way to make your hibiscus grow faster is to give it just the right combination of light, temperature, water, and nutrition. In terms of light, hibiscus requires 4-6 hours of direct sunlight every day in order to flower well. A little less can be tolerated, but you need to be sure that at least a few hours are available on a daily basis.
How do I keep my hibiscus blooming?
Hibiscus blooms throughout the year, but they are at their best in the warmer months of spring and summer. Watering your hibiscus regularly and applying a diluted liquid fertilizer solution to the soil will encourage a continuous supply of blooms.