How to grow hibiscus as a potted houseplant and the key management points for all four seasons

Hibiscus, also known as "Fosang" and "big red flower," is an evergreen shrub in the mallow family (Malvaceae), genus Hibiscus. Its large flowers are borne singly in the axils of the upper leaves, single or double; flower colors include pink, red, yellow, blue, and white, with the deep red double-flowered varieties being the most prized. Under warm conditions, hibiscus can bloom continuously all year round, with summer and autumn being the peak flowering seasons.

Hibiscus has a long history of cultivation in China, spanning several thousand years to date. With its large, brightly colored flowers and very long blooming period, it is a famous ornamental flower. As a potted houseplant, hibiscus is suitable for placing on balconies, in living rooms, and similar spots. Potted hibiscus is usually of a low-growing type, with plants mostly under 1.5 m tall. Hibiscus favors a warm, humid environment with plenty of sunlight, and is intolerant of shade, cold, and drought. The overwintering temperature should be kept at 12-15°C; below 5°C it easily freezes to death. Therefore, in South China, hibiscus can overwinter outdoors and bloom continuously year after year, while in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and areas further north, because winter temperatures often fall below 5°C, it can only be grown as a potted ornamental. Hibiscus tolerates pruning well, has strong branching ability, and adapts to a fairly wide range of soils, but grows best in slightly acidic soil rich in organic matter.

Growing potted hibiscus

For home cultivation, hibiscus is generally propagated by cuttings. Select two-year-old vigorous branches or current-season semi-lignified branches for the cuttings, cut 10 cm lengths, keep the top leaves, make the cut smooth, and insert into a sand bed to a depth of 4-5 cm (the sand bed should be filled with 15-20 cm of sand). Immediately after inserting, water once thoroughly, then cover with plastic sheeting. The cutting bed should be misted frequently to increase humidity. After 1 week, they can gradually receive sunlight, and at 18-25°C they will root in about 20 days.

About one month after cuttings are taken, the rooted cuttings have developed a strong root system, and at this point they should be potted up promptly. The pot size can be determined according to the size of the plant being potted. Generally, a small rooted seedling can use a pot with a diameter of 12-15 cm. The potting soil mix is prepared by volume in a ratio of garden soil, cake fertilizer, and sand at 10:1:2. When planting, try to disturb the roots as little as possible and provide some shade to reduce damage to the seedlings and help them resume growth as soon as possible.

Four-season management of potted hibiscus

In spring, as temperatures gradually rise, after mid-March the overwintered old plants should be repotted and pruned. The repotting soil mix is made by thoroughly blending 10 parts garden soil, 2 parts decomposed dried chicken manure, and 2 parts yellow sand. Take the hibiscus plant out of the pot, shake off some of the old potting soil, and use scissors to cut away excess old roots. When repotting, fill the space with the new nutrient soil, making sure the root crown is level with the potting soil surface, and press down lightly so the roots and soil are in full contact. After planting, prune promptly: leave 2-3 buds from the base on each side branch and cut off the rest, so the plant will sprout full, well-balanced new branches.

Key management points for flower growing in December

Key management points for flower growing in December
1. Sowing
Flower species that can be sown in the greenhouse in December include: gloxinia, asparagus fern, clivia, tuberous begonia, cyclamen, winter cherry, African daisy (Gerbera), and others. Trees and shrubs that can be sown outdoors immediately after collection or stratified in sand to promote germination include: rose (such as 'Elizabeth'), nandina, Ardisia crenata, holly species, firethorn, palm, privet, camphor tree, small-leaf privet, soapberry, photinia, and Photinia davidsoniae, among others.

2. Cuttings
Woody ornamental trees and shrubs that can be propagated by outdoor cuttings in December include: plum blossom (mainly varieties such as 'Gongfen' and 'Lüe'); rose (mainly easy-to-root varieties such as 'Elizabeth', floribunda roses, and miniature roses); red-leaf plum, wintersweet (heel cuttings), spiraea, and boxwood species, among others. For plum blossom and red-leaf plum, yellow subsoil is preferable for cuttings; for rose, a mixed medium of rice-hull ash and fine sand at 2:1 is preferable; for other species, ordinary sandy loam can be used, covered with plastic film to retain warmth and moisture.

3. Grafting
Excellent plum blossom varieties, such as 'Guhong' and 'Zhusha', can be grafted in December using seedlings of apricot, fruiting plum, or peach sown that year: dig up the rootstock and use cleft grafting or cut grafting, then plant at a certain spacing in the seedbed, mounding soil up above the graft union, even covering most of the scion. Be careful not to let water seep into the graft union when watering, and cover with plastic film to retain warmth and moisture. The following spring, after the scion sprouts, remove the plastic film cover. Use dug-up wild rose plants to bud-graft superior rose varieties; or use vigorous branch sections of the 'Elizabeth' rose variety (10-12 cm long), cut-graft or cleft-graft superior rose scions onto the upper end, then plant the grafted 'Elizabeth' branch sections in loose seedbed soil. The grafted portion can be buried together in the sandy soil; when watering, do not let water seep into the graft union, cover with plastic film to retain moisture and warmth, and the following spring after the scion sprouts, remove the plastic film cover. Only after it has fully taken should you use a blade to cut the binding tape at the graft union. In addition, red maple can be side-grafted indoors with a plastic bag over it to retain moisture.

4. Layering
Trees and shrubs that can be propagated by layering in December include: Podocarpus, plum blossom, camellia, osmanthus, Michelia figo, Chaenomeles speciosa, Magnolia liliiflora, snowball viburnum, Weigela, gardenia, winter jasmine, Forsythia viridissima, hydrangea, Spiraea cantoniensis, Viburnum macrocephalum, Spiraea thunbergii, and pomegranate, among others.

5. Division
Herbaceous flower species that can be propagated by division in December include: rain lily, dwarf lilyturf, Reineckea carnea, hosta, purple hosta, red woodsorrel, Aspidistra, Cymbidium ensifolium, Cymbidium goeringii, Cymbidium faberi, Boston fern, blackberry lily, iris, big-leaf lilyturf, Ophiopogon, Rohdea japonica, kalanchoe, and Aglaonema. When cutting off offsets from the base of a large variegated bromeliad (Neoregelia), the offset must be a small plant that has already grown on the mother plant for three to four months; otherwise the colorful banding of the offset is likely to disappear after separation, so special attention should be paid to this.

6. Collecting seeds
Herbaceous flower seeds that can be collected in December are generally those of herbaceous flowers moved into the greenhouse or cold frame, such as salvia (scarlet sage), globe amaranth, marigold, French marigold, cyclamen, and clivia, among others. Clivia seeds are best sown immediately after collection.

How to grow and care for Chinese hibiscus: methods and precautions, teaching you how to grow Chinese hibiscus

Other names for hibiscus: Fosang, Chinese hibiscus, big red flower. Because hibiscus is easy to grow and has a long ornamental period, people in many countries are very fond of it. What are the methods and precautions for growing Chinese hibiscus? Today, the wed114 wedding website editorial team brings you related content on how to grow Chinese hibiscus. Let's take a look.

Chinese hibiscus pictures

I. Introduction to Chinese hibiscus

Chinese hibiscus (scientific name: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn.): also known as Fusang, Buddhist hibiscus, and China rose. Because the flower color is mostly red, it is commonly called "big red flower" in the Lingnan region of China. Evergreen shrub, about 1-3 m tall; branchlets cylindrical, sparsely covered with stellate soft hairs. Leaves broadly ovate or narrowly ovate, hairless on both sides except for a few sparse hairs along the veins on the underside. Flowers borne singly in the axils of the upper leaves, often nodding; corolla funnel-shaped, 6-10 cm in diameter, rose-red or pale red, pale yellow, and other colors, petals obovate, apex rounded, sparsely covered with soft hairs outside. Capsule ovate, about 2.5 cm long, smooth and hairless, with a beak. Flowering period year-round.

Chinese hibiscus was already a popular ornamental plant in ancient times, and its place of origin is China. Records of Chinese hibiscus already appeared in a work from the Western Jin period, "Records of Plants and Trees of the South." With large, brightly colored flowers that bloom in all four seasons, it is mainly used for garden ornament. It is widely planted throughout the world, especially in tropical and subtropical regions.

Chinese hibiscus pictures

II. Propagation methods of Chinese hibiscus

Cuttings

Carried out from May to October, or in winter in the greenhouse, but the survival rate is highest during the plum rain season. The best cuttings are one-year-old semi-lignified ones, 10 cm long; remove the lower leaves, keep the top leaves, make the cut smooth, insert into a sand bed, maintain relatively high air humidity, and keep the room temperature at 18-21°C; they will root 20-25 days after insertion. Treating the base of the cuttings with 0.3%-0.4% indolebutyric acid for 1-2 seconds can shorten the rooting period. When the roots are 3-4 cm long, transplant and pot up.

Grafting

Carried out in spring and autumn. It is mostly used for hibiscus varieties that are difficult to root from cuttings or root slowly, especially double-flowered varieties with a low cutting survival rate. Either branch grafting or bud grafting can be used, with single-flowered hibiscus as the rootstock. Grafted plants produce branches and bloom the same year.

Chinese hibiscus pictures

III. Key cultivation points for Chinese hibiscus

Soil

Chinese hibiscus has low soil requirements and can generally adapt to any soil except saline-alkaline soil. However, loose, fertile, well-drained slightly acidic loam or clay soil is best. For potting soil, use 4 parts loam and 1 part dried manure to make the nutrient soil.

Light

If Chinese hibiscus does not get enough light, the flower buds will drop, the flowers will shrink, and the flower color will be dull. Therefore, Chinese hibiscus needs more than 8 hours of light per day. However, in midsummer it needs shading to prevent the scorching sun from burning the plant. In early spring, earth up once, and weed and earth up once each season. After October each year, potted Chinese hibiscus should be moved indoors to a room at 15-22°C for cultivation; after being brought indoors, pay attention to ventilation and appropriate light.

Watering

Chinese hibiscus should be watered sufficiently. Usually water once a day, watering until it is thoroughly soaked. During the dog days, water once each in the morning and evening, and spray the ground several times to lower the temperature and increase air humidity, preventing the leaves and flowers from dropping early. In winter, reduce watering and stop fertilizing so the plant can overwinter safely.

Fertilizing

Chinese hibiscus has a relatively high demand for "fertilizer." When raising seedlings in the nursery or growing in pots, apply 50 g of dried pig manure per plant, mixed with an appropriate amount of phosphate fertilizer and decomposed compost as a base fertilizer; apply a dilute fertilizer based mainly on 0.2% urea aqueous solution and phosphate fertilizer 2-3 times a month as a top dressing. If the rainy season occurs, you can instead apply a compound granular fertilizer at the roots, 100 g per plant.

Chinese hibiscus pictures

IV. Precautions for growing Chinese hibiscus:

Hibiscus is a summer flower with brilliant colors, but sometimes home growers do not master its habits, and bud drop is likely to occur during the summer flowering period. In northern China, because the climate is relatively cold, it blooms only once in the summer of that year. Based on the author's practice and experience in growing hibiscus, to keep hibiscus from dropping buds during the flowering period and to keep it blooming continuously, attention should be paid to the following issues:

1. Choosing pots and watering.

For potted hibiscus, it is best to use unglazed clay pots or wooden tubs (pots); these two kinds of pots have good air permeability, making it easier for the hibiscus root system to breathe and absorb water and nutrients. Although the flowering period of hibiscus is relatively long (meaning it can continuously produce buds, and the number of buds is large, laying the foundation for a long flowering period), the flowering period of each individual flower is very short. In summer, when the weather is hot and dry, it can only bloom for a little over one day; on overcast and rainy days and in late summer and early autumn when temperatures drop somewhat, each flower can only bloom for 2 to 3 days. Because hibiscus produces many buds, it needs plenty of water, plenty of fertilizer, and sufficient sunlight. Especially during the peak flowering period in summer, water once or twice a day depending on temperature and how dry or moist the potting soil is, and water thoroughly when dry. Prevent half-watering and excessive watering, which can cause water shortage and root rot. At noon, spray water on the leaves and around the flower pot to lower the temperature and maintain air humidity, which benefits growth. Never spray water on the flowers, because with the blazing sun at midday in midsummer this can damage the flowers and affect their ornamental value.

2. How to fertilize.

It is best to fertilize with homemade fertilizer-alum water, which is well absorbed and quick-acting. Use a plastic bucket with a lid; put in discarded items from killing chickens and fish at home that cannot be eaten, such as intestines, together with the wastewater from washing chickens, fish, and meat and rice-washing water, add an appropriate amount of black alum (ferrous sulfate), screw the lid on tightly, and let it ferment. In summer it takes 2 months, and in autumn 3 months, to ferment into fertilizer-alum water. When using it, be sure to dilute it with water; it must not be too concentrated, to prevent root damage. If you are worried that the fertilizer-alum water has an odor, you can put an appropriate amount of vinegar or orange peel into the bucket to reduce the smell. You can also directly buy ready-made bagged acidic flower fertilizer from the flower market, place it in the flower pot, break the soil and bury it shallowly, then water with clean water to eliminate the odor.

3. Ensuring safe overwintering.

The reason hibiscus growing fails in northern households is mostly that it freezes to death because it does not overwinter safely. Because hibiscus is a southern tropical summer flower, it likes sunlight and is not cold-tolerant. The northern climate is cold, and home flower growers have no conditions to build a greenhouse, so whether hibiscus can overwinter safely is the key. When the temperature drops to 6°C, hibiscus must be moved indoors to prevent frost damage. You can cover the hibiscus with a plastic bag and poke a few small holes in the bag to let it breathe. Be careful to keep the potting soil only slightly moist, because hibiscus has a winter dormancy habit and must not be watered too much, to prevent man-made frost damage.

4. How to prune branches and remove buds.

After spring begins, temperatures gradually rise, and hibiscus starts to sprout. To keep hibiscus blooming continuously in summer, you must pay attention to pruning its branches and removing buds in time. For home potted hibiscus, you must both prevent the plant shape from becoming too large and too tall, making it hard to move and affecting placement, and also make its branches luxuriant and produce more flowers; this is a contradiction. The best way to solve this problem is to cut the main stem of the hibiscus back to about 10 cm above the soil, keep 3 to 5 main branches, and keep 2 to 3 branchlets on each main branch, pruning it into a shrub-like form. This can make the hibiscus branches full and luxuriant with many buds, laying the foundation for continuous blooming. Second, remove buds in time. Every bud that hibiscus sprouts in spring can develop into a flowering branch, so at this time you must remove buds in time; otherwise, if allowed to grow freely, branch growth will become disordered, thin and spindly, nutrients will be dispersed, and the flowers will be few and small. The specific requirements for bud removal are usually: remove diseased and weak buds and keep thick, strong buds; remove overlapping buds and keep sparse buds; remove inner buds and keep outer buds.

Chinese hibiscus pictures

V. Cultivation techniques for Chinese hibiscus

Repotting and pruning

For potting, use loose, fertile sandy loam. Each year in early spring before moving the plant outdoors in April, it should be repotted.

When repotting, do three 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 large number of flowers, according to the hibiscus's strong ability to send out branches and suckers, pruning and shaping can be carried out in early spring before and after moving it out. Except for leaving 2-3 buds at the base of each branch, cut off the entire upper part; pruning and trimming can promote new branches, make growth more vigorous, and also make the plant shape more attractive. After pruning, because the aboveground part consumes less, appropriately restrict water and fertilizer.

Care and management

Chinese hibiscus is a sun-loving species. In early May it should be moved outdoors to a spot with ample sunlight. This is also the growing season for hibiscus, so management work such as fertilizing and watering, loosening the soil, and weeding should be strengthened. Apply a dilute liquid fertilizer once every 7-10 days. Water according to how dry or moist the potting soil is; either too dry or too wet will affect flowering.

If light is insufficient, flower buds easily drop and flowers shrink, so daily sunlight must not be less than 8 hours. Hibiscus has a relatively high demand for fertilizer, and during cultivation light should be supplemented in time. Potted hibiscus is generally moved out in April; before moving out, repot it and prune and shape it appropriately to maintain a beautiful crown. During the growing period, watering must be sufficient; it must not lack water, nor be waterlogged. Usually water once a day; during the dog days, water once each in the morning and evening. Sprinkle water on the ground frequently to increase humidity and lower temperature, preventing young leaves from scorching and flowers from dropping early. After the weather turns cool at the end of October, move it into the greenhouse and keep the temperature above 12°C. Management after autumn should be careful; pay attention to applying less fertilizer later on, to avoid producing autumn shoots. Autumn shoots are tender in tissue and weak in cold resistance, and will suffer frost damage in cold weather.

Frost protection and keeping warm

Chinese hibiscus is not frost-tolerant. After Frost's Descent and before the Beginning of Winter, it must be moved indoors to keep warm. The overwintering temperature should be no lower than 5°C to avoid frost damage, and no higher than 15°C to avoid affecting dormancy. Poor dormancy will make growth and flowering weak the following year. Any room facing south with good insulation conditions can be used for overwintering. When the weather is relatively cold, you can cover it with paper or plastic film to keep it warm. When first moved indoors, open the windows for ventilation every day during the daytime, watch for changes in the dryness and moisture of the potting soil, and water appropriately. On the coldest days, watering helps prevent frost damage, but fertilizing should be stopped.

Chinese hibiscus pictures

VI. Pest and disease control for Chinese hibiscus

Leaf spot disease

Chinese hibiscus leaf spot disease is a fungal disease. It mostly occurs in late autumn when the weather turns cold, and is even more likely to occur in northern regions if the plants are not moved into storage in time. The first symptom is pale yellow and red-yellow spots appearing on the leaves. After the lesions expand, they become round or elliptical. Under relatively humid conditions, black granular objects, namely the pathogen's pycnidia, can appear on the lesions. In the later stage, the leaves dry up and drop off. The key to controlling this disease is to do a good job of cold protection; when cold winds and temperature drops occur after autumn, take protective measures. On this basis, timely spraying with 500-800 times diluted zineb or 1500 times diluted ammonium can achieve very good control results.

Stem rot

Chinese hibiscus stem rot is a fungal disease that is seriously damaging and has a relatively wide occurrence range. This disease mostly occurs in the rainy season, and is severe under high temperature and rainy conditions. The pathogen mostly infects from the junction of the root and stem of the plant. In the early stage, the symptoms are not very obvious; only the cortex at the affected site shrinks and appears slightly dark brown, but the tissue beneath the bark has already begun to rot and turns brown. After the lesion encircles the stem for one full circuit, the plant dries up and dies. Seen from the leaf surface, in the early stage of the disease the leaves wilt, and yellow-brown necrotic spots appear at the edges, gradually expanding inward; in the later stage, the leaves dry up and drop off. The key to controlling this disease is to prevent heavy rain from washing over the plant for long periods, and around the rainy season to apply 200-500 times diluted thiophanate to the trunk every 10 days or so. Experiments show that this method has very good control results.

Root-knot nematode disease

Chinese hibiscus root-knot nematode disease is also a widely distributed and seriously damaging disease. Observed from the aboveground part, in the early stage the leaves grow weakly and red-brown necrotic spots appear at the edges and expand inward; in the later stage, the leaves dry up and drop off. Observed from the underground part, tumor-like growths of various sizes appear among the plant's root system: smooth and flesh-colored in the early stage, rough and brown in the later stage, containing needle-tip-sized pear-shaped female nematodes. This disease is relatively difficult to control. If there are few plants, the soil can be replaced; the soil must be exposed to the sun for a relatively long time, and the old soil should not be reused. For a larger number of plants, aldicarb granules can also be applied, at a planned rate of about 0.5 g buried per 5-inch pot.