What to Do When Hibiscus Leaves Turn Yellow and How to Fertilize Hibiscus
The hibiscus has a beautiful tree shape and very elegant flowers, making it one of the most beloved ornamental flowering shrubs, so many people choose to grow a pot of hibiscus at home. However, in home cultivation, various factors such as improper care and an unsuitable growing environment cause hibiscus leaves to turn yellow. How should you handle this correctly? Let's take a look together.
What to Do When Hibiscus Leaves Turn Yellow
1. Water reasonably
When watering, stick to watering as soon as the surface layer of the potting soil dries, as this is what helps the plant grow well. Waterlogging may also be caused by too much rain. So gardeners who encounter this situation can think back on their usual watering habits. If the watering is appropriate, could it be due to too much rain? If the pot is small and the plant is large, watering frequency should also be appropriately increased in summer.
2. Fertilize adequately
Hibiscus can only be fertilized when the weather is below 30 degrees. Fertilizing once a week can ensure abundant blooming.
3. Supplement light
Hibiscus loves sunlight and requires a growing environment with ample sunlight. If it is kept in a lightless environment for a long time, insufficient light will lead to yellowing and falling leaves.
4. Pest and disease control
If hibiscus suffers from pests and diseases, it can also cause leaves to turn yellow and drop, such as red spider mites, whiteflies and scale insects. Take different control measures for different pests and diseases.
How to Fertilize Hibiscus
1. Fertilization method when repotting and pruning
In hibiscus fertilization methods, when repotting you should do 3 things: first, replace with new potting soil; second, cut away some of the overly dense, curled fibrous roots; third, apply sufficient base fertilizer, adding a little phosphate fertilizer at the bottom of the pot. To maintain a beautiful tree shape and a high flower count, according to the hibiscus's strong ability to send out branches and sprout suckers, pruning and shaping can be carried out around early spring before and after it is moved outdoors. Except for keeping 2-3 buds at the base of each branch, the upper part is all cut off. Pruning can promote new branches, making growth more vigorous and the plant shape more attractive. After pruning, because the aboveground part consumes less, water and fertilizer should be appropriately restricted.
2. Fertilization after moving outdoors
Hibiscus is a sun-loving tree species and should be moved outdoors to a sunny spot in early May. This is also the hibiscus's growing season, so management work such as strengthening fertilizer and water, loosening the soil and weeding should be intensified. Apply a dilute liquid fertilizer once every 7-10 days. Watering should depend on whether the potting soil is dry or wet; being too dry or too wet will both affect blooming. Management after autumn should be cautious, and attention should be paid to fertilizing less in the later period to avoid producing autumn shoots. Autumn shoots are tender and have weak cold resistance, and will suffer frost damage in cold weather.
3. Fertilization after moving indoors
Hibiscus is not tolerant of frost and must be moved indoors for warmth after Frost's Descent and before the Start of Winter. The overwintering temperature must be no lower than 5°C to avoid frost damage, and no higher than 15°C to avoid affecting dormancy. Poor dormancy will lead to weak growth and blooming the following year. Any furniture room facing south with good warmth-retention conditions can be used for overwintering. When the weather is colder, paper or plastic film can be used to cover it for warmth. When first moved indoors, windows should be opened for ventilation every day during the day, paying attention to changes in the dryness and wetness of the potting soil and watering appropriately. On the coldest days, watering helps prevent frost damage, but fertilization should be stopped.
What to Do When Hibiscus Buds Drop
1. Do not move it around casually
When hibiscus begins to form buds, to ensure blooming, be careful not to move the plant's position casually, which can reduce bud drop.
2. Suitable light
When growing hibiscus, the light must be sufficient. In summer it is best to let hibiscus receive direct sunlight, and in winter it is best to place it in a spot indoors with ample light.
3. Reasonable watering
When growing hibiscus, watering should be done in a timely and reasonable manner. Normally the potting soil should be kept moist. In summer, water should also be sprayed on the plant in a timely manner, and in winter watering should be reduced.
4. Winter dormancy
After a period of care, hibiscus plants will show signs of aging, so measures need to be taken to slow the plant's decline. In winter it is best to place the plant in a relatively cool spot indoors to let it go dormant.
5. Pest and disease control
Because red spider mites can cause hibiscus buds to drop, when growing hibiscus it should be placed in a well-ventilated spot. If pests are found, pesticide should be sprayed promptly for treatment.
How to Water Hibiscus
1. Watering frequency
During the hibiscus's growing period, the soil moisture must be maintained at all times, as this allows the stems and leaves to grow quickly. If watering is not timely, its leaves will shrivel and then gradually turn yellow, finally causing all the leaves to drop, so we should ensure watering once a day.
2. Watering in summer
In summer, the weather is hot and evaporation is greater, so we need to increase the number of waterings, watering twice a day in the morning and evening, so as to meet the growth needs. At the same time, some water mist should also be sprayed around the hibiscus to create a good humid environment, which helps the hibiscus get through the hot summer. When there is a lot of rainy weather, the flowerpot needs to be moved indoors to prevent too much water in the pot.
3. Watering in autumn
In autumn, watering can be reduced in frequency. Generally it is the same as watering in spring, and keeping it at once a day is enough. At the same time, watering can also be done according to how dry the soil is, which will avoid watering too much and affecting the hibiscus.
4. Watering in winter
In winter, when the temperature is relatively low, the plant's various functions gradually slow down. At this time the amount of water should be controlled well. Generally watering once about every week is enough, which can give it good conditions for cold resistance and avoid the plant being frostbitten and unable to survive. Keep the potting soil moist at all times, spray some water mist around it on schedule, and doing these things well will let the hibiscus grow vigorously.
Hibiscus has a fairly large demand for water and fertilizer, and its range of adaptability to soil is also relatively wide. Therefore hibiscus does not have high requirements for its growing environment and is much easier to grow than many other flowers. However, in daily care, it must also be carefully tended according to the hibiscus's growth habits, so that the hibiscus can grow more beautifully.