Tropical Hibiscus
Growing Tropical Hibiscus
A popular plant sold at box stores and nurseries is the Tropical Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa- sinensis). This well-known species is hardy along the Gulf Coast, California, Florida and Hawaii but can be set outdoors for the summer in any part of the country. There are hundreds of cultivars that come in various shaped flowers as well as in almost every color and are sold as container plants in bush or topiary form. 
Care:
Hibiscus need, well-drained slightly acid soil, direct sun and some protection (filtered shade) when temperatures are in the 90 degrees. When you bring it out for the first time you need to acclimate it to the intense heat and sun. They also like a lot of water. Fertilize lightly and often with a diluted 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 during the active growing season.
The disk like flowers will usually last a day or two and come in single five petals, crested single, double and cup saucer double. Hibiscus has active periods of bloom that are followed by a rest, indoors and out. So if your plant stopped blooming for a while, it may be just resting.
Over wintering
When the night temperatures drop below 50 degrees bring your hibiscus indoors for the winter. To help endure the long season, keep it in a (65-75), bright sunny room (4-5 hrs) away from direct heat and drafts. Water less but keep the soil evenly moist and provide humidity with a humidifier or a pebble tray filled with water. Check for pests such as aphids, whitefly and spider mites and treat with insecticidal soap if infestation occurs. Another option is to let your hibiscus become dormant for the winter. Bring it indoors and stop watering until soil is dry and the leaves have fallen off. Then place it in a cool, dark room with temperatures of 40-45F. Check the soil periodically to make sure it doesn’t totally dry out. When the top 2-3 inches are dry, water just enough to moisten the soil and keep the plant from dying .
Pruning
If your plant has grown leggy and out of control you can prune it 1/3-1/2 in early spring to reshape and keep it bushy. Pruning the roots in the fall also helps slow down branch growth.
In cooler climates, hibiscus can be enjoyed as a houseplant indoors in the winter and brought outdoors for the summer. With a little care you can enjoy these tropical flowers on and off all year long.
Troubleshooting
A common occurrence is yellowing leaves and leaf drop; which can be caused by overwatering or underwatering. How do you determine which one? Look at the root ball. Is it potbound? Meaning are the roots so tight that they are growing in a circular pattern with little soil left? Do water everyday and the plant still looks dry? If this is happening chances are you are ‘underwatering’. There is not enough soil to retain any water and nutrients. Instead of soaking in, the water and nutrients are flowing right through the drain holes leaving your plant thirsty and hungry. It’s time to repot into a larger container. The best time to repot is in the spring but if that can’t wait add more soil to your container to help with water absorption.
Here you can buy this:
- Rose Mallow hibiscus Hibiscus moscheutos also known as Rose mallow or Swamp Mallow is a...
Tropical HibiscusPLEASE TELL ME MORE ABOUT GROWING, WATERING, FERTILIZING, SUN EXPOSURE, AND MAINTAING THE HIBISCUS PLANT…..THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND HAVE A NICE DAY!
I have a hibiscus, bought in Hawaii, that is just a stick with what appears to be roots. How do I plant it?
I am new at Gardening can you tell me how to get seeds from the Hibiscus plant so i can replant more..
Thanks So much
Leaf drop
i need help with my plant i bought a hibiscus and now all my leaves are falling off and it still blooms what can i do with it
I was given a Tropical Hibiscus in a hanging basket. It’s only about 2′ tall now and has given lots of flowers this year, plus lots of seeds, too, but the seed pods didn’t take months to open. They opened two or three weeks after the flower dried up and fell off. Can I plant the seeds now to grow more? Can I keep this plant over the winter, too?
I didn’t leave the comment, but I too have these little bugs and yes, they are as you describe. The plant doesn’t seem too terribly bothered by them, however, I have noticed some dark blotches on some of the lower leaves. They are about to bloom again, so I’d like to take some of the stress off of them if possible.
Bud drop
We are also having problems with bud drop along the east-central coast of Florida. Can you identify possible reasons? Too much rain and high temps?
We have quite a few (all outdoor) hibiscus.
Winterover tropical hibiscus
I have two tropical hibiscus planted outside. I have tryed bringing them in for the winter, but they always die. Is there any way I can leave them outside and cover them good?
Please advise. J. Detzer
Propagate from cuttings
how to get starts from a tropical hibiscus plant
I have a 1 year old hibiscus plant (put in its outdoor spot January last year when the climate was similar to now) that has suddenly turned quite yellow and the rest looks to be dying. I have reduced it’s watering, but only by 1 minute daily (from 1 min. twice…to 1 minute once). Temperatures have been sub 40F at night. Is it less water…or the cold?
Scale
i have a question about my indoor hibiscus, purchased last summer. it has grown about a foot in that time (now about 5 1/2 ‘ tall( and hasn’t stopped flowering since i got it – currently 6 blooms and about 25 buds. i can’t spot any aphids on it, but i get some dark, small spots on the backs of some leaves that appear sticky and a gel-like sticky substance at the base of some of the leaves. the spotted ones eventually turn yellow and drop ( or i remove) and it seems to be worse during a heavy bloom. it’s been a great plant and a delight…i need to know how to keep it happy. thank you for any advice you can give.
Pruning hibiscus
I have a Hibiscus plant that I have grown from a 3″ plant and is now about 3′ tall. The plant needs to be cut back but I am afraid to cut it and the plant has not bloomed. I always keep the plant indoors and the plant is very healthy. Any advise on making the plant bloom and how far should I cut the plant without sending it into shock?
I have a tropical hibiscus tree and I brought it in for the winter and put it in a dark room and stopped watering it for the winter. Since the warmer weather has finally arrived, I put it out on my patio. Currently, it looks dead as a door nail. Did I kill this by ignoring it for the winter or will it come back?
Hello! I have a hibiscus that is 6 years old. It is an indoor plant. When I first bought the plant I had several flowers. In the last two years I have not had one flower. What can I do to get this plant to flower again?
Tropical Hibiscus I live in the Chicago area. I bought three hibiscus rosa-sinensis last summer and placed them on my patio. They bloomed and looked great. When autumn came, I move them to my heated garbage that had a large window. At the coldest, the garbage dropped to 45 degrees and got up to the high 50s. 2 of the 3 plants lost all their leaves. In February, I moved all three into the house near a window. 1 plant has grown back its leaves and is blooming. The other two have no leaves but when I scratch their banches, it is still green. From February to May, these two plants have had no leaves, but when scratched I see green. Will these two plants come back yet?
why do my seed pods fall right after the flower falls off? thank you! michael
Would like more info on yellowing leaves on a hibiscus. Live in Costa Rica, lots of sun, water (rainy season) and blooms, but leaves yellow and fall. Tried diluted fertilizer and it got worse! Put slow release low fertilizer for evergreens and worse still
Tranplant shock
I live in Phoenix and just planted 3 hibiscus plants. The smallest one seems to be doing well, the 2 larger ones seemed to start wilting and dying before I could even get them in the ground. They both have lots of leaves turning yeloow and the other leaves have started to kind of dry up. They seem to perk up in the eveining and early morning, then by midafternoon they are very droopy. Is this transplant shock? How often do I need to water them in 105 degree weather? I appreciate your help!!
Hi, I live in Scottsdale AZ and we planted 3 Lipstick Hibiscus last year in full sun. There were a couple of nights last winter when we had frost and I forgot to cover them. They looked terrible but recovered and grew all new leaves. This summer, 2 are gorgeous and one is not. The sick one wilted and died on just half of the plant a month ago. Now the good side is wilted, too. What could be happening? Thank you.
Planting seeds
what month should hibiscus seeds be planted. early spring, late spring.early summer, late summer, or should you pot them first and then transplant.
I havent been able to find out any info.
thank you.
I have a plant I want to bring in for the winter. My question is: I have a cat and dog in the house too. The cat is prone to chewing on plants that are in the house. Can you tell me if the hibiscius plant is poisonous in anyway to the cat? Please answer cause cool weather is getting close. Thanks
have a hibiscus that i keep on my belcony in a pot i have brought it in for the winter as it gets VERY cold and it would freeze, do i cut it back? it is only 2ft high, i love it and want to keep it for next summer.
Wintering indoors
I have 2 of the Hibiscus plants. The first is the Hibiscus bush (plant) and it is inside all year long. It is going crazy but no flowers lately. We are into fall here and even though my plants are indoor plants, will they stop flowering? It is really leggy!! All over the place and I am pruning as we speak. Hopefully that was ok. I was checking to make sure I was doing this right. The other plant is the braided tree and it happens to have 2 different colored flowers. They appear to be double flowers also. Any tips for that plant? It was a fall special and it will be an indoor plant but the cold season is approaching. Less sunlight and cooler temps will seep through the windows. Dryer in the house. What should I do to help them out?? Thanks so much!!
I live in Illinois and I just bought a Hibiscus tree about a month ago. Over the last week, a lot of the leaves are turning yellow. Everytime I go outside to water it, it looks like it is really dry so I’ve been watering it everyday. I thought it might help if I put mulch on the top of the soil to keep it from drying out so quickly. Is that a bad idea? From the other postings on here, it sounds like I might need to re-pot it. Any suggestions?
Slow bloomer
I have 2 hibiscus in containers,had them a year, this year they only bloomed once but not very many, only one in two months. need to know what can i do to get them to bloom ofte? their in plenty of sunlight i live in lower Alabama they get the morning sun until midday then the shade from the house cover them , they are in 90 degree heat after direct sunlight move over, they leaves are kinda wilty when the sun is on them after sun moves the leaves are firm and erect but still no blooms please help..THANX
Hibiscus. what can you do to make humidity for the plant when it is brought indoors for the winter month. I know it likes 3-4 hrs sun. but I put my plant in a spare bedroom.. can you help me out ???
thanks, Betty, Edwardsville, Pa
Hibiscus moscheutos
Hello we live in Ontario Canada and have planted our plants out in the ground this summer. We were told that in we keep them outside all year roound. They said just cut them back in the sping the weather here normally ranges from -15 to -45 on occaision. Is this true and if so how much do we cut them back.
Hello,
I have a few Tropical hibiscus plants (30) and a few of them are looking rather weird. This is affecting the Rum Runner Hybrids mostly, When I first bought them the leaves were nice and full, now they are smaller and cup upwards. This change began to take place only a few weeks after I put them in the ground, They receive full sunlight and are watered sufficiently. I started fertilizing about a month ago and still no change, other than big HUGE Blooms. I thought I had read someplace it was some sort of deficiency but I cannot remember of what… ANy thoughts?
Thank You
I was in Wash. DC recently and saw a rather large tropical hibiscus (4″ trunk) about 5-6′ tall. I wouldn’t think that a plant this large would be moved indoors for the winter and then replanted in the spring. I live in Georgia and have three beautiful Yellow hibiscus planted outside and would like to leave them out for the winter. Winters here are about 25-45F. Would this be possible if the plants are mulched around heavily?
Propagate hibiscus
I live in Baton Rouge, LA and I have a few hibiscus plants. I know that you can take cuttings and root them, but my question is, when would be a good time to do this and how much should I cut?
Pruning hibiscus
I was just going to cut back my Hibsicus for the spring, and now notice a few flowers and buds growing. I should have cut them back earlier. Is it too late to trim them way back for the summer months, or should I wait until the buds are finished flowering?
I have over-wintered my tropical hibiscus very successfully until now. It is blooming again, but at the same time one or more branches starts wilting. What is happening? HELP! I have pruned those that wilted so far, but seems to be getting worse. It’s still too cold to move outdoors.
Comment on Plant & Gardening Tips, for topic: Tropical Hibiscus:
A note for people with dogs and Hibiscus. My golden retriever LOVES the flowers..and in searching the internet, Hibiscus is on a few “safe for dogs” lists but is on more “toxic to dogs ” list. The day before yesterday he ate a lot of flowers. They made him very lethargic, his gums were very pale, he had no energy and acted very odd in general. His blood pressure was very low! He had finally eaten enough of those darn pink blossoms to make him quite sick.
So we had to cut the tree down today. Just for information for all that have dogs and Hibiscus trees!
Thanks for the info!
Hello. I have a 6 ft hibiscus tree that the leafs seem to be dying and some small branchs too.. Is there a fertilizer I can use with certain numbers I need to watch for ?? I am now using Miracle Grow for trees ? but no luck with limbs or leafs staying on.. It is a beautiful tree.. also it is in the church basement nearest the windows we can move it… it is bright there all day long, but no direct sunshine… please help
I’ve been (trying) to acclimate my hibiscus to the outside this past week. I had it outside for about 6 hours today – temps were in the mid-60s, not much wind. It’ll be dropping into the upper 30s/low 40s so I brought it back inside. Yesterday all the leaves were strong and a healthy shade of green. When I brought it in tonight, most of the leaves have faded and are limp and very weak looking. Did I stress it too much today? Is there anything I can do to bring it back to life?
Hibiscus wilt disease
I have 2 hibiscus bushes that I got this spring that are outside in large pots. They were doing wonderfully and blooming every day. I believe they are in their “rest” period because the blooms have slowed down. But my question is that one of the bushes all of a sudden became very limp and the leaves and buds are hanging. We had some heavy rains and I noticed some water pooling the the pot. Could this be the reason and if so what should I do?
I have a question regarding my hibiscus plant and I reside in Texas. I had my plant on the back patio where there is some shade during the day but very windy. I noticed that the plant starting declining but I did water it every day. I decided to move the plant to the front where it gets no wind and part sun/shade. The leaves are all dead and brown but there is still green when I check the stems. When I moved the plant to the front out of the wind I had repotted before doing so thinking this would help. It has been over 3 weeks and no new growth. What can I do? Thanks, Chad
Bud drop
I live in St.petersburg fl, and have a hibiscus that was planted at least 6 years ago. It is in direct sunlight in the middle of the day and filtered light the rest of the time. It appears extremly healthy with the exception that the buds fall off before o
I have about 30 tropical Hibiscus in plant and tree form. I have had great success with them for several years. They are over-wintered and flower well in my greenhouse. They are brought out onto my patio with optimal conditions. Every year (from May on), they bloom all summer profusely. This year, with the same regimen, I have no flowers this far into the season! The plants, especially the trees, have grown huge/wide with abundant beautiful leaves, but NO flowers. I had been using 20-20-20 Miracle-Gro, but swithched to the Bloom-Booster in late June..no difference. Looking at the branch ends, I see many tiny falling buds, some yellow, some brown, while some branch ends have nothing but leaves. I had a problem with rose midge this year in the garden. Now, I’m thinking this may have moved up to the Hibiscus (10′above). Should I spray Insectidicial soap? The nights are about 65-70 lately. Thank you!
I have a Hibiscus bush and recently brought it inside due to the cold weather in N.J. First, I wanted to ask if there is anything I can do for my plant in the house that will help it to grow, flower, and stay beautiful. My house is pretty hot in the winter approx. 75 to 80 degrees at times. Right now the plant seems to be flowering beautifully about 9 flowers at a time. Only issue with the flowers is that they do not seem to be that beautiful bright red they once were when living outside. Now they are a light red almost pink color. Secondly, I wanted to ask if I can dry out the flowers to make tea. If so, how would I proceed in doing so? I have searched for some direction on this but really no good results! Can you please lead me in the right direction? Are these flowers edible and can they be used in any other recipes that you know of?
I have a 2 year old hibiscus plant that just overwintered. I am concerned because the hibiscus has 3 large branches at the base, that then branch out repeatedly, but all of the leaves on two of the branched segments dropped off months ago, and there is no growth on any of them. The remaining branches connected to the third main branch still have leaves and recently bloomed a bunch, but there is still no growth on the other branched segments. Is it possible that 2/3rds of the plant has simply died, and yet the last 1/3rd still soldiers on? Can I fix this problem?
I have two very old hibiscus in a part shaded spot on the east of my house. I live in Houston and they happily stay outside all year. They don’t flower very much in their current location but they get VERY tall- atleast 6 feet. I’m thinking of transplanting them to the backyard for more sun in hopes of getting more blossoms. Any advice for transplanting old hibiscus bushes?
The leaves on my hibiscus have all yellowed and/or fallen off yet the plant continues to produce flowers. What could be causing this?
I just repotted my hibiscus the potting soil I used had fertilizer in it. How long should I wait to fertilize with 10-10-10. Also the fertilizer I have is granules how much would I use of it to fertilize? Thanks!
last year i bought 4 hibiscus trees that have braided trunks. we planted them outside and they did great. this spring they dont look good at all. they look completely dried out pretty much dead. we covered the base of them through the winter but i dont think that helped. did i kill them?
Transplanting hibiscus
i have a red hibiscus i repoted it in a bigger pot and now the leaves look droopy and the plant looks that it is about to die and it hadn’t flowered for a long time so please help me soon i am waiting for your reply. send it to riddle_man@rediffmail.com thank u very much. it will be kind of u if u reply soon..
it has a good drainage but now the plant looks very droopy it is almost dead when i plucked a leaf it was almost dead so what should i do please help as soon as possible i will cut the plant to its 1/3 after your next message and also please message that how much should i water the plant it is a hot day with cold nights here in india. and there is a foul smell coming from the roots when i moved the soil and saw the soil attached th the soil had become black and a foul smell was coming from it.so what should i do……..reply soon my plants life is in your hands…..
my plants leaves have become yellow i have kept them in the shade now what should i do the big leaves have dried up and the small leaves are droopy so what should i do now please help soon………
I have read many of your responses, and have gotten som helpful tips, but still wanted to run my specific scenario by you. About a month ago, I bought a really nice and Hibiscus…It has a single twisted trunk (or whatever you call it), that is about 3-4 inches in diameter. When i bought it, it had a nice ball of foliage at the top, although when I planted it, the leaves immediately started to wilt and droop..so about 2 weeks after that, I decided to cut all the limbs back to try and promote new growth, but havent had much luck…I have noticed that there are a few little leaves starting to grow on the most random spots along the branches….So, I know that you said in other responses that the plant is under stress. I know it doesnt have an insect problem..so most likely either too wet or too dry….is there anyway to tell without digging way down along the outer edge of where the root ball is…the top dirt looks fine and looks to be the perfect amount of moisture, but I am afraid of what is down below….any help would be appreciated…Thanks
I have two splendid tropical hibiscus plants and one is blooming beautifully. The other shows signs of growth but does not flower.
What can be wrong?
I have an outdoor Hibiscus Plant that is inground and has been there prior to me being in my house over a year now. The plant was coming up nicely early/late spring, but noticed about a week ago a white powdery substance on plant. All the leaves turned yellow and fell off. The plant is now down to a stick. I know it has to be a fungus, can you tell me what to do to get rid of the fungus and bring the plant back to life…Thanks
Hi Dawn
Sounds like powdery mildew.
I have a hibiscus plant from walmart. It has very few leaves but bloomed profusley all summer outdoors. now that it is cold here I brought it inside. it has not bloomed for awhile now,but fails to grow its leaves any bigger. The craziest thing I’ve ever seen,not to mention wierd looking!bear58843@live.com
I have a hardy “Big red hibiscus” that i bought from a plant catalog and received in September. i live in an apartment in Massachusetts with hopes of moving soon, so i kept the plant inside. the plant started off doing great and growing new leaves. its now December and it looks to be going downhill. the plant is about 4 or 5 inches tall. there were 3 leaves at the top, one turned yellow and fell off while the other 2 dried up and are still on there. also the top inch and a half of the stem turned brown and looks like a dead stick. the next inch down is sort of whitish green. the bottom couple inches look healthy and green with new leaves buds starting to grow, other than them there are no leaves on the plant. i wasnt sure if its dying or dying back for the winter. is this normal or is there something i can do to help it? at the same time i also received a hardy white hibiscus and that one is doing great, but im trying not to compare them because they are different types. i have the plant near a window so it gets the sun when it comes out, and the temp is usually around 70-75. i water it when it looks dry on top of the soil. the air might be a little dry, could that have anything to do with it? thank you so much in advance.
Hi,
We live in San Diego and have a Hibiscus outdoors all year long. We have had it for 13 years. Last year the leaves fell off and now the leaves that grow back are very small. They Hibiscus still blooms, but it looks bad with such tiny leaves. We water and fertilize it the same as always. Could it have a disease?
Hi Rodney
Any insect problems?
Winterover hibiscus
How can I tell if my hibiscus plants are dead? We had snow this year in Houston and im not sure if theyre dead or not.
Water issue
Just one week ago I purchased a small tropical hibiscus with a braided trunk and it seems to be in serious trouble already. I repotted it in a slightly larger container with the same fresh Miracle Gro “moisture control” potting soil I used for my other potted plants. About 3 days after repotting, it started getting very droopy. Thinking I was overwatering it by watering it every day, I started watering it every other day. Since then, the leaves have continued to droop and most have actually started drying out and falling off. The soil is not dry to the touch, however. As far as coloring goes, most of the remaining leaves are completely green though some have slight yellowing. The weather here in Minnesota has been pretty temperate (Highs around 80 and lows between 50-60). Is my poor plant just stressed from the replanting, am I watering it wrong, or is this something more serious like wilt disease? It was beautiful and flowering just a week ago!
I have a 5 year old Hibiscus I planted in a whiskey barrel the first year. I bring it in each winter in Oklahoma. It started getting leggy branches so I pruned it 2 years ago. Last year it bloomed , but, lighter than normal. This year it has not bloomed at all and no signs of buds. Leave production apprears fine. My husband adds after we put it outside we did have a few nights in the 40’s. Will this plant get root bound? and did the pruning effcet the flowering
I grew my first hibiscus from a four inch plant (in the gound) and it will be blooming soon. Where do I cut the dead blooms off after the blooms die?