Hibiscus help
Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2004
by Jiffymouse on July 13, 2004 03:38 AM
ok meg, my attention span isn't what it should be these days, so i am going to answer what i can about your hibiscus plants. first, the perennial thing is dependant on the species. most are, however, some are tropical and need protection, especially where you are.
now, about the yellowing, don't fertilize. that is the worst thing to do when a plant is already unhappy. and a daily squirt isn't bad IF it has adequet drainage. that is the key though. you don't want any plant to have wet feet overnight or all day. so, if the soil dries out, then you have to water it, but if the soil stays wet, it has too much. also, some hibiscus can get sunburned or heat stressed which will also cause yellowing. but my rule with plants is as long as there is any green, there is hope!
now, about the yellowing, don't fertilize. that is the worst thing to do when a plant is already unhappy. and a daily squirt isn't bad IF it has adequet drainage. that is the key though. you don't want any plant to have wet feet overnight or all day. so, if the soil dries out, then you have to water it, but if the soil stays wet, it has too much. also, some hibiscus can get sunburned or heat stressed which will also cause yellowing. but my rule with plants is as long as there is any green, there is hope!
by butterflybaby on July 20, 2004 12:17 AM
Since your hibiscus is outside, couldn't you buy some ladybugs to eat the aphids? My hibiscus has to stay inside because I'm in zone 5, so I don't do the ladybug thing, but I know people who swear by 'em. Also, yellow leaves sounds like a drainage problem to me too.
by Meg on July 20, 2004 04:41 PM
Actually, I did order ladybugs, and they took forever to get here!! I just got them yesterday, and I ordered them I think around the last of June! I also got green lacewing eggs, but I don't know if they'll hatch or not.. so here's hoping. I tried to take a picture of a bug last night, that I found perched on my very sad looking hibiscus. Here's one photo of a green bug and here's another picture of the same green bug. I at first thought it was a praying mantis, but it doesn't seem to be the right shape for it. I know, these are awful pics. It also seems to be missing a leg. And while we were watching it last night, it appeared to be chowing down on my hibiscus leaf! My poor hibiscus is almost looking bald now. I hope the ladybugs can do thier stuff, and it bounces back. *sigh*
Meg
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Meg
* * * *
I reject your reality, and substitue my own!
My favorite digital camera photos that I took.
My family, garden, and a bunch of misc. photos!
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Anyway, after reading, I saw that 1)they like to have fertilizer (but not miracle grow!) and 2)they don't like constant watering. I had (or have) a bug problem. Aphids, I'm almost certain. I did treat for them, and it seemed to help some. The hibiscus started blooming better again. Tho, not all the black specks are gone, it's MUCH better. However, it's started yellowing and drooping, a LOT. I will try some fertilizer. I already stopped watering it so frequently. (It was getting a daily squirt with the hose when I'd go out to do everything else.) I really do have a black thumb in the garden.
The question I have now is this- well, 2 questions actually.
1)If the yellowing doesn't get better (how long should I wait to decide if it's not improving?), should I consider it a loss and get rid of it?
and
2)I know it's early to think about this, since summer is just in full swing here, but are hibiscus perennial? Will it be there next year (if it lives that long), or do I need to do anything to it for the winter? The last 2 years, my husband whacked our hosta down with the weedwacker, because the grass had gotten all around it, and he didn't care.. we hadn't planted it, and he didn't really know what it was (and neither did I at first.) To my surprise, in the spring, it popped right back up! I love that hosta. So, wondering, so I need to cut back a hibiscus, or just let it go.. or is this thing just an annual kinda plant anyway?
* * * *
I reject your reality, and substitue my own!
My favorite digital camera photos that I took.
My family, garden, and a bunch of misc. photos!