Several of my favorite tropical hibiscus have seedpods on them, and I have placed netting around the pods so that I don't lose the seeds (assuming that they mature). I have read that you can't expect to see blooms for two years, but am willing to wait if I can grow these from seed.
Has anyone else started them from seed and if yes, what has been your experience?
Nat
Tropical Hibiscus Seeds
H i Nat, I had some last year and could never find the seeds.LOL
Am I going blind?
I don't think so Jim..... I have opened up a couple of pods before wanting to see what was inside and I saw what looked like itty bitty seeds. I had assumed that the pods were just immature.
But two of my pods fell off last night (these were large and had been on the plant at least 6 weeks, if not more). When I opened them (one was still green, the other had turned brown), there was no sign of seeds.
I was all excited about the possibility of growing some from seeds - - but it doesn't look like it's going to happen now. :(
Nat , maybe they are hybrid?
Some hybrids will not produce viable seeds.
Just like my tropicanna cannas (Which I love).
They set pods but when the pods ripen they are empty.
Scooter, you are probably right. And I love the tropicanna cannas also!
Nat, how old is your plant? I have a hardy hibiscus that bloomed for several years before it had mature seed pods. This year is the first time it has had lots of seed.
Brenda
Brenda, The ones I am referring to are Tropcial Hibiscus and they were rooted cuttings that I ordered last winter.
I started hardy hibiscus from seed this spring, and while they bloomed, I didn't see any seedpods. This is good to know that it might take a few years.
I did get seeds off of my Blue Satin and Rose Satin Rose of Sharons, though. And I had read that these two cultivars didn't set seeds often.
As you can see, I like anything that is in the hibiscus family!
Nat, I love hibiscus also. I have 3 different hardy and two of them set seeds the first year they bloomed. The other one would look like it was making a pod but it would either fall off or be empty. Don't know if the hardy and tropical are similar in that respect but it is something to look for. I have a couple of tropicals that I must not be treating right because they have yet to bloom.
I just got a 'Blue Bird' I think from Park's fall sale. Hopefully, I'll be lucky there.
On the other hand, my 2 rose of sharons that are white with red throats have more seeds than I know what to do with. Funny how some things are so abundant and others not, huh?
Yep, gardening is always feast or famine - - too much or too little!
The tropical hibiscus need lots of sun, fertilizer and water to bloom well. And I have better luck with blooms when they are slightly pot bound. The ones that I planted in the ground grew huge but didn't bloom nearly as much as the ones in pots.
Hi, Nat
This is a lovely plant! I lurk on the tropical forums mostly.
How far back do you trim your Mandelvilla vines before bringing them in? Last year it took mine forever to recover and bloom.
Should I leave a couple of feet?
Hi there Teresa,
I trim my Madevilla back, leaving about a foot of growth. They usually will put out some sparse new growth during the winter. I keep mine under grow lights in the garage and keep them on the dry side. Last year, I overwinted two this way. One did fine and the other made it until spring and then suddenly died (I think I overwatered it). As soon as the weather warms up, mine go outside on sunny days - -even if I have to move them back inside at night. One of many plants that get rolled in and out in the spring! I also feed my heavily once they can go outside to stay.