The latest home gardening: daily cultivation and care of the hibiscus

Hibiscus is very easy to grow and has the trait of blooming on new shoots, which means we need to prune and fertilize frequently. Around early spring each year, before and after moving the plant outdoors, carry out pruning and shaping: on each branch, except for leaving 2-3 buds at the base, cut off the entire upper part. After pruning, because the above-ground part consumes less, water and fertilizer should be appropriately restrained. In this way, it will keep blooming throughout the flowering season.

Hibiscus likes warmth, humidity and full sun, and is not drought-tolerant or cold-tolerant. In the north it needs to be grown in pots. When the temperature drops to 14°C at the lowest, it is recommended to move it indoors (except for enclosed balconies where the temperature can be controlled), so that it can still keep blooming.

Hibiscus blooming under the blue sky

Hibiscus likes water. Quite a few flower growers have lost theirs to drought because they overlooked this point (but just because it likes water does not mean you should water desperately; you still need to go by how dry or moist the soil is). Fertilizing should mainly be light fertilizer applied frequently, with a diluted liquid fertilizer applied once every 7-10 days. Note that less fertilizer should be applied later on, to avoid producing autumn shoots. Autumn shoot tissue is tender and weak in cold resistance, and will suffer cold damage in cold weather.

For potted hibiscus at home, you need both to prevent the plant shape from becoming too large and too tall, and to make its branches luxuriant so the hibiscus blooms more. The best solution is to cut the main stem of the hibiscus back at 5-10 cm, keep 3-4 main branches, and on each main branch keep another 2-3 side branches, pruning the whole plant into a shrub-like form so that the branches are full and luxuriant.

Because every bud that sprouts on a hibiscus in spring can develop into a branch, letting them all grow will cause disordered branch growth, leggy growth and fewer flowers. So diseased and weak buds, parallel buds, overlapping buds, inner buds and upright buds should be removed in time, keeping thick and strong buds, outer buds and sparse buds, so that the buds form a reasonable distribution in space.

Because hibiscus faces the sun, it should be given full light in summer. Insufficient light easily causes flower buds to drop, flowers to become smaller and flower color to become dull. Since hibiscus often produces many flower buds, besides ample sunlight it also needs plenty of water and fertilizer. During the peak flowering period in summer, depending on the temperature and how dry or moist the potting soil is, water 1-2 times a day, but do it so that you water when dry and let it dry between waterings, and water thoroughly when completely dry, to prevent root rot from waterlogging in high temperatures. Watering is best done before 9 a.m. or after 17:00, to minimize the temperature difference between the air and the water.

At home, you can first put the water in a basin in the sun for 2-3 hours before watering the flowers. At midday, you can spray water on the leaves and around the flower pot to lower the leaf surface temperature and maintain air humidity. Hibiscus flowers are very delicate, and water must not be sprayed directly on the flowers, otherwise it will very easily scorch them. Fertilizing is best done with a compound fertilizer that is well absorbed and quick-acting. Every 7-10 days you can spray the leaves once with 0.2% monopotassium phosphate, to make the leaves emerald green, which is what allows more flower buds to form.

In summer, also pay attention to timely pruning, continuing to remove excess sprouts, so that every flowering branch has a reasonable space to grow. Summer and autumn are seasons when pests and diseases very easily occur, so every 10-15 days spray a mixture of 10% chulichongjing at 1000 times and 70% thiophanate-methyl at 2000 times, which prevents both disease and insects.

During the summer flowering period, hibiscus is prone to bud drop. From a physiological point of view, this is a manifestation of the plant's own self-regulation. The grower should try to create a growing environment with full sun, air humidity of about 70%, and a temperature of 25°C-28°C during the day and about 15°C at night, to reduce the occurrence of bud drop.

Hibiscus is extremely cold-sensitive, so whether it can safely overwinter is the key. Generally, when the temperature drops to about 15°C, the potted hibiscus should be moved indoors, placed in a ventilated, sunny spot and given as much light as possible. Otherwise, the leaves will turn yellow and drop. But note that the temperature should also not exceed 20°C; too high a temperature will cause leggy branches and leaves, and it will likewise be hard to overwinter.

In winter the potting soil should maintain a relative humidity of 30%, and it should not be watered heavily. In winter, fertilizing is generally not needed; at most a little trace liquid fertilizer can be applied. In the cold winter, you can cover the hibiscus with a plastic bag and poke a few small holes in the plastic bag for breathing, so that it can safely overwinter under relatively warm conditions.