What are the precautions for growing Chinese hibiscus at home?

Precautions for growing Chinese hibiscus at home

Chinese hibiscus: the Chinese hibiscus flower loves light, warmth, and a humid, well-ventilated climate. It is not cold-tolerant and prefers loose, fertile, deep sandy loam. In winter, the lowest temperature should not drop below 15°C, otherwise it easily causes leaf drop. If the room temperature is kept above 20°C, it may continue to bloom through winter. Note: growing Hibiscus mutabilis is basically the same as growing Chinese hibiscus. Chinese hibiscus generally produces trumpet-shaped flowers instead of long buds, while Hibiscus mutabilis flowers are mostly double or semi-double. The flower color can be judged from the color of the new shoots: new shoots that are green generally produce red flowers, while new shoots that are smoky-colored generally produce pink or pale flowers.

How to grow Chinese hibiscus? Home growing methods and precautions for Chinese hibiscus

Chinese hibiscus flowers are richly colored and large, with extremely high ornamental value, making them very suitable for home pot culture. So how should Chinese hibiscus be grown at home? Next, we will introduce the home growing methods and precautions for Chinese hibiscus.

Image: Chinese hibiscus flower

I. Home growing methods for Chinese hibiscus

1. Choosing a flower pot

For potted Chinese hibiscus, it is best to use an unglazed clay pot or a wooden barrel, as these two types of containers have good air permeability, which helps the roots of Chinese hibiscus breathe and absorb water and fertilizer. Although the flowering period of Chinese hibiscus is relatively long, the flowering period of a single flower is very short. In summer, when the weather is hot and dry, it can only stay open for a little more than one day. On cloudy and rainy days, and in late summer and early autumn when the temperature drops somewhat, each flower can only stay open for 2 to 3 days.

2. Watering method

Because Chinese hibiscus has many flower buds, it needs plenty of water, plenty of fertilizer and sufficient sunlight. Especially in summer, when it blooms most, water it 1 to 2 times a day according to the temperature and the dryness or moisture of the potting soil. If it is dry, let it dry thoroughly; if you water, water thoroughly. At noon, you can spray water on the leaves and around the flower pot to lower the temperature and maintain air humidity. Never spray water on the flowers, because the blazing summer sun overhead will cause damage to the flowers and affect their ornamental value.

3. Fertilization management

It is best to use homemade fertilizer, which is well absorbed and quick-acting. Use a plastic bucket with a lid, put inedible waste such as the intestines of chickens and fish slaughtered at home, together with the wastewater from washing chickens, fish and meat and rice-washing water, into the bucket, add an appropriate amount of black alum (ferrous sulfate), screw the lid on tightly and let it ferment. In summer it generally takes 2 months, and in autumn generally 3 months, to ferment into liquid fertilizer. When using it, be sure to add an appropriate amount of water; do not make it too concentrated, to avoid damaging the roots. If you are worried that the fertilizer-alum water smells bad, you can put an appropriate amount of vinegar or orange peel into the bucket. You can also directly buy ready-mixed bagged acidic flower fertilizer from the flower market, put it into the flower pot, shallowly bury it by breaking the soil, and then water with clean water to eliminate the odor.

Image: Chinese hibiscus flower

4. Safe overwintering

When the temperature drops to 6°C, move the Chinese hibiscus indoors to prevent frost damage. You can also cover the Chinese hibiscus with a plastic bag and poke a few small holes in the plastic bag to let it breathe. Be careful to keep the potting soil only slightly moist, because Chinese hibiscus has a winter dormancy habit and must not be watered too much, to prevent artificially caused frost damage.

5. Pruning and bud removal

When growing potted Chinese hibiscus at home, it is necessary both to prevent the plant shape from becoming too large and too tall, making it hard to move and affecting placement, and to make its branches luxuriant and produce more flowers. This is a problem everyone wants to solve. The best way to solve this problem is to cut back the main stem of the Chinese hibiscus when it emerges about 10 cm above the soil (shorten the current-year branches, leaving part of the branches to grow), keep 3 to 5 main branches, and keep 2 to 3 branchlets on each main branch, pruning it into a bushy form.

Second, remove buds in time (bud removal is also called bud picking, which means removing the excess buds after the fruit tree sprouts and before it blooms). The specific requirements for bud removal are usually: remove diseased and weak buds, keep thick and strong buds; remove overlapping buds, keep sparse buds; remove inner buds, keep outer buds.

Image: Chinese hibiscus flower

II. Precautions for growing Chinese hibiscus at home

1. Chinese hibiscus is a sun-loving tree species, so management after autumn must be careful. Pay attention to reducing fertilization later on, to avoid producing autumn shoots. Autumn shoot tissue is tender and has weak cold resistance, and will suffer frost damage in cold weather. Move it indoors in time. Chinese hibiscus is not tolerant of frost, and must be moved indoors for warmth after Frost's Descent and before the Start of Winter;

2. The overwintering temperature must not be lower than 5°C, to avoid frost damage; and not higher than 15°C, to avoid affecting dormancy. Poor dormancy will lead to weak growth and flowering the following year. Any room facing south with good insulation conditions can be used for overwintering. When the weather is colder, you can cover it with paper or plastic film for warmth. After first moving it indoors, open the windows for ventilation every day during the day, pay attention to changes in the dryness and moisture of the potting soil, and water appropriately. On the coldest days, watering helps prevent frost damage, but fertilization should be stopped;

3. The flower pot must be sufficiently breathable. When preparing a flower pot for Chinese hibiscus, choose an unglazed clay pot or wooden barrel pot with sufficiently good air permeability. For nutrients, do not apply a single fertilizer alone; provide a complete range of nutrients. For light, it is best to give it 8 hours of sunbathing every day;

4. In early May, move it outdoors to a sunny place. This is also the growing season for Chinese hibiscus, so strengthen management such as fertilizer and water, loosening the soil, and pulling weeds. Apply a dilute liquid fertilizer once every 7-10 days. Water according to the dryness or moisture of the potting soil; too dry or too wet will both affect flowering.

The above is the complete introduction to the home growing methods and precautions for Chinese hibiscus. Chinese hibiscus not only has ornamental value, but also very high medicinal value. Flower lovers, take action now.

Cultivation points for growing Chinese hibiscus at home to make it bloom more