A Detailed Guide to Watering Frequency and Four-Season Care for Hibiscus
Hibiscus is a flowering plant with great ornamental value, and it likes a warm and humid environment. It does not have high water requirements; keeping the soil moist and not dry during the growing season is enough. Although it is highly adaptable, watering is an important part of care for any plant, so exactly how should it be watered, and how often does it need to be watered? Let's take a look below.
How to water hibiscus (how often to water)
Hibiscus blooms from June to October. In summer, when the weather is dry, water it appropriately, and try to water in the morning. At other times, manage it in a rough, low-maintenance way. If it is potted, water when the soil looks dry, watering thoroughly each time, generally once every 2-3 days.
Four-season care methods for hibiscus
1. Spring: In early spring, the small hibiscus should still be kept indoors, but because temperatures gradually rise in March, the amount of watering needs to be increased appropriately. In May, it can be placed in a spot with plenty of sunlight, with appropriate shading. If there is frost at night, it is recommended to move it indoors (in the Beijing area this should not be necessary). At this time, outdoor hibiscus will need more water, especially on sunny days, and the potting soil should be kept moist (understood as watering when the surface is dry).
In spring and summer, it is recommended to place a shallow tray under the flowerpot. If the shallow tray fills with water, then the hibiscus has enough water and does not need to be watered every day. During continuous rainy weather, the shallow tray should be removed to help drain excess water. If long roots grow out of the bottom of the pot, they should be cut off immediately. Once it has finished blooming, it is best to prune it.
2. Summer: In summer, small hibiscus needs watering almost every day, and make sure excess water can drain out of the pot; avoid waterlogging. Fertilize once every 14 days. If using a slow-release compound fertilizer, you can apply it as a top dressing in July.
3. Autumn: In autumn, especially after October, water according to the weather. When the weather is sunny and warm, water several times a week; when it is cold and rainy, be careful not to overwater. Stop fertilizing after September. If you live in an area with frost in early autumn, small hibiscus can recover from frost at nighttime temperatures of -1 to -2°C. In late autumn, if day and night temperatures remain below 5 or 6 degrees for a long time, it must be moved indoors and placed in a cool spot with plenty of light, preferably at a temperature between 0-12 degrees.
4. Winter: Water regularly, do not let it dry out completely, and do not fertilize.
What to do if hibiscus leaves turn yellow
1. Pay attention to watering: Hibiscus does not have high water requirements; keeping it moist and not dry during the growing season is enough. However, watering too little, or too much water due to poor drainage, can both cause hibiscus leaves to turn yellow and drop. So even though hibiscus is not strict about water, we still need to pay attention to maintaining an appropriate water supply.
2. Fertilize reasonably: Many people hope hibiscus will grow vigorously and bloom more, so they pay attention to fertilizing it. In fact, hibiscus mainly needs phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, supplemented with nitrogen fertilizer for reasonable top dressing. If too much or too concentrated fertilizer is applied, it causes trouble instead; the most obvious effect is burning the roots, causing leaves to turn yellow and fall off. So if hibiscus leaves turn yellow and drop after fertilizing, pay attention to checking whether the fertilizer was too concentrated.
3. Spray to kill aphids
Aphids are a very common pest and are also dangerous to the growth of hibiscus. Aphids suck a lot of leaf sap; once the leaf sap on the leaf surface is sucked dry, the leaves slowly turn yellow. So when leaves turn yellow, you should also check whether aphids are causing trouble. If so, you can spray with a 40% omethoate oil 1000-fold solution.
How to prune hibiscus
First, promptly use a back branch to replace the leader, preventing the outer branch tips from drooping and declining prematurely; treat the branch tips in the same way as for the open-center form. Second, for upright branches sprouting from the inner canopy, generally thin them out; if there is plenty of space they can be used, but generally do not cut them back short, to prevent too many branches and a messy tree shape. For inner-canopy branches and other branches, use the method of removing vigorous branches, and after letting strong flowering branches grow freely, promptly shorten them, then let them grow and shorten again, using this method to continuously increase the proportion of medium and short flowering branches.
It seems that to grow hibiscus well, it needs especially careful attention, and each season has its own care methods. Also pay special attention to yellowing leaves, otherwise it will affect its appearance. Although the process of growing it is troublesome, when we see the hibiscus flowers in full bloom, we will feel that our efforts have not been wasted.