Cuttin back my hibbies today.

I have several cold damaged ones and my plan is to start feeding them with 1/4 strength fertilizer now; actually, I started yesterday because we were having a gentle rain. As the plant starts to really leaf out I'll increase the dose to 1/2 strength then when the heat hits hard, probably around early April, they will start getting a full dose weekly.

I have had good luck with a fertilizer blend specifically for hibiscus and if there is a hibiscus society in your community you should be able to find some there. Joining such a society is a great idea; you don't even have to go to the meetings because generally the information in their newsletters and other literature alone is worth the $.

Thanks for the advice!

I just looked it up online and yes - there is a hibiscus society. So I'll get in touch and see what they say about fertilizing.

Yes - I can see how these beauties can be addictive! There were some beautiful ones at the nursery this weekend. Perhaps I'll plant more against the house/fence near the one that made it through the winter the best....

Great photos Robert, Jon, 4004. Glad you shared them all.

I am here in Montana and I grow hibiscus at least I thought I was, until I saw these pictures how beautiful they are. But, I have a problem. I bought a couple of trees last year at wallyworld, brought them in for the winter, and now I have an influx of white dots on the back of the leaves. I suspect they are whiteflies. I don't know what to use to get rid of them. I have bought some spray at wallyworld, but they think it is candy!!! At least, I see no sign of killing. They do fly tho, then just come back. Any ideas on what to do. I read the bugfile on it, but it is too cold to take outside and spray. Where do they come from, just the leaves, or are they soil bound. I transplanted when I brought them home in Aug, didn't see them then, just after being in the sunroom over winter, noticed them about a week ago and I am afraid they will infect other plants. HELP please
PS, they did bloom all winter, lightly, but some flowers.

This message was edited Apr 3, 2009 3:19 PM

Wow, these plants are so pretty! I am having zone envy. Do they overwinter well inside? I don't have a GH yet, wishing I did. Will cuttings bloom this year? I didn't know they came in such a wide variety of colors.

I guess I am like some others that say that to me about dayliles.

Teresa in KY

Hello ! I wish I could answer questions....but I am a "newbie" ....maybe Pizonne or someone knowledgeable will jump in.

I do have a question or two. I fell in love with tropical Hibiscus last year and planted 4. After winter here....Two are doing well...the other 2 aren't.

I am considering putting the 2 "not so well" in pots and nursing back to health.

DH wants me to plant "Rose Mallow" instead of the tropicals since they will make it through the winter here. I don't see the Rose Mallows in the nurseries and not sure if they are as pretty as the tropicals.

Question 2 - I mentioned Hibiscus on a conversation blog here and had someone in Kentucky (5B) tell me that hers are planted outside. How can this be if I can't overwinter one here in Baton Rouge, LA (8B)?

THanks a bunch,
Mary

Teresa--yes, you can overwinter them inside--lots of people do it. I have a greenhouse for mine so I can't give you any tips on overwintering in the house, but I do know it's possible.

Mary--here are the plant files entries for rose mallow (also known as hardy hibiscus and a few other names) http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=hibiscus&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=moscheutos&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&searcher%5Bgrex%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search I personally don't like them as much as the tropicals but they are still quite pretty. Those are also probably the hibiscus that the person in zone 5 was growing outdoors. Hardy hibiscus are still hibiscus!

ecrane, the all white hardy Blue Nile II (?) is sooo lovely. I'm in love w/ that one but happy to say I've rekindled my romance w/ tropical hibbies.

THANK YOU ecrane! I do think I'm like you....I prefer the tropicals.

Perhaps in certain places in the back yard I can have both. I did have 1 tropical that overwintered near a fence corner and it has 2 gorgeous blooms today !

Hugs,
Mary

Hi Mary,

Looks like I got in a little late. Ya got some good advice here. If I were on the millioniare show and I had a plant question that I did not know the answer too I would hope I had Liz, Nery or Alice on speed dial to phone a friend!!! Hope everything goes well.

Take Care,
Robert

Thanks Robert! I don't know that I'd want all that pressure of being the phone-a-friend though! LOL Especially if it was something that you didn't know...if you don't know the answer I probably wouldn't either!

Well - Thank you to you "old" Hibiscus veterans.....We new "Addicts" are on a huge learning curve and you all help us out so much!

Your thoughts on my potting the little guys that didn't make it through so well?

They have a few leaves and are trying to come back. But I LOVED them....perhaps pot for a year or 2 then try to plant back in the 'micro-climate' where the other ones thrived?

Are the not so well ones suffering from cold damage or is it something else? If it was cold damage and they're still alive chances are they'll be fine, just make sure you cover them up if you get some cold weather.

Thanks for the help. The hibiscus that are hardy here in zone 6, tend to flop/separate when they are older or after a hard rain. They do have a beautiful bloom. Could someone give me a name of one that might have better plant habits or shorter? I love the look of the tropical hibs. Also do cuttings bloom the first or second year? I have grown angel trumpets, are they in the same plant family or not?

Teresa

Hey ecrane! I'm pretty sure it is cold damage. They were great but we had a few freezes, (and even the biggest snow event here ever!).

I cut them back like I'm told, and they have a few green leaves sprouting out...

Unfortunately we're having an unusually cold night.....tonight which is really odd!

Hi Mary,

Are yall getting hit hard too. We are supposed to be 34. If you have new growth and you get frost go out before sun up and rinse them off. They should be ok. Thats what I plan on doing here.

Take Care and stay warm,
Robert

Hey Robert!
Yes we're supposedly getting it tonight as well.... latest at weather.com was a low of 38....so my fingers are crossed....news just said 35....
Thanks for the tip!

Hugs,
Mary

All of the above are beautiful. I can't pic out a fave!

I love these hibiscus. If anyone has any extras to trade LMK or look at my classified ad.
Thanks,
Teresa

Hello All !

I searched and searched for this thread! Finally found it! I remember that someone last year told me the date (when) to cut back hibbies....

Also someone gave me pretty detailed directions on cutting back (for example ...that the cut should be at an angle...etc... )

Can someone remind me of that? I tried to find the specific blog but this one is pretty long....

This has been the WORST in 9 years as far as freezing in Baton Rouge....and we've had snow twice...which is unheard of....so I picked a pretty bad year to start planting hibbies....but I'm going to cut back and Pray because they all came back last year and were beautiful. We are 8B but most my hibs are near fences, brick walls, etc.... so hoping for a microclimate of 9 or so....

Thanks a bunch,
Mary

I hope someone replies...

I cut back my 5 tropicals today ....and didn't seem to find any "green".....

I'll give them till May.....

Hugs,
Mary

Hi Mary, Sorry to hear about your Hibs, can you post any photos of them, I personally would scratch at the base of the plants to see if their bark is mushy or has any green under the bark, if its mushy or no green under the bark they are dead, would take them out and replace them with new ones as soon as possible to get blooms early in the season when it gets warm enough. To bad you didn't take cutting to root that you could have protected inside your house just in case this would happen.

Wilfred

" Manila "

Wilfred! THANK YOU FOR YOUR POST!

I just read....and ran out and 'scratched' all five.....

I was shocked to find a little green on Each of them! YAY! Thank you for solving that mystery for me....

I thought I would have to wait months to find out....

Now that I "know"....is there some type of fertilizer that I can use to help them?

Also - how would I take cuttings? I'm sorry - I'm a "Beginner Gardener" but I've discovered that Hibiscus are my FAVORITE !

Thank you so much for your help !

Mary

Mary,

Check over at Hidden Valley Hibiscus (www.hiddenvalleyhibiscus.com). They sell both I "wake up spray" and a water/fertilizer additive called "supernova". Used in combination, I've had great results with plants I thought were gonners :-)

Good Luck!

Mary, whats the temp. right now at were you live, should wait until its 70*F to 75*F, that when new growth really starts, if you fertilize it before new growth starts you might burn the roots with the fertilizer and loose your chance to recover them, I use Miracle Gro General Purpose Fertilizer (24 -8 -16) when I fertilize my hibs.

Wilfred

Cupid's Blush

Thank you Amarantha - I will look that up....Would love to help my hibbies "wake up" sooner!

WQP - My 10 day forecast is "Highs in the lower 70s and Lows in the upper 30's"....I saw where I blogged last year that we had as low as 38 in April.... This is Baton Rouge, LA....where we are technically an 8B....however I have my hibbies in areas I am hoping are "Micro-climates"... They are next to brick walls and fences...

Maybe I'll wait a week or 2 and then try to help them along?

Another question... would it be harmful to try to grow some low or trailing annual color to try to 'brighten' up around the hibbies while I'm waiting for them to get going? It's just to sad to see them ...they look like wooden skeletons....

I am DEFINITELY going to get outside next winter and cover them up

Hugs,
Mary

Mary, you should probably wait until the outside temperature stays 50 or above, so maybe wait a bit to begin your fertilizing, like Wilfred said. Do add those two products to your regimen though once its time; I think you'll find success...It's so hard to see our babies looking all dead. I've quite a few that look like that, but so far, have only lost four. Found green under the bark on the rest of them though, thank goodness.

I'm anxious for "spring" too, and just itching to get outside :-)

I would get those 3' long window planters and place them in front of the hibs with annuals, I wouldn't mess with the soil around the hibs, again you miet mess the hibs roots that have suffer enough with the cold weather and if you damage the roots that are left there is no new root growth nether until weather gets warmer, you miet do what the weather didn't, damage the roots unwillingly and after that, well you know the rest.

Wilfred

Thank you Amarantha ! I am not well known for Patience....but I will try to grow some :) You're right...It's hard to see them look like that....

I don't think I will have to wait long...

WQP - On another post (discussion) I posted about your advice...and how I ran out immediately and "Scratched" and Won the "Green" lottery! Funny....

Great idea about the planter... That's why I asked...I wouldn't want to disturb the roots...poor things....they need all the help they can get....

Well - "Spring" is technically next week....and I have a note to begin planting other things around 3/29 (Full moon)...So I'll try to wait till then.

One more question if I may....

I have a Hibbie in a pot ...it's about 3' tall... When would be the best time to transplant into the ground?


HUGS! THank you both for helping this stupid newbie... I LOVE HIBBIES !

Mary

No stupidity at all, Mary - we were all newbies once :-) And, it's okay - I'm not known for my patience either, lol... We had lovely weather today, and I found myself pacing around the backyard asking "is it time yet?" LOL!

Honestly, if it was me (and I think our climate is pretty similar - I'm in Southern California), I'd wait AT LEAST until the end of the month, and I probably would wait to transplant in ground towards the end of April. You need to make sure that the ground is warm enough...

Gotcha ! End of April it is....

Our climate is probably pretty similar...except yours much nicer without all our humidity...

I lived in Sacramento from age 5 to 12.... and do remember a teacher explaining why California had the best weather in all the United States... :)

We had pretty weather today too! It's hard to work ...when I want to wander around the nurseries and my back yard... LOL

I have to back you up Karen, stupidity does not exit when learning something in gardening and less here, I would rather call it temporary lack of knowledge to be acquired soon and everyone here has gone through it, in fact will all still are as we all learn something new each day be it little or a lot, life is a learning process for all. BTW, I'll bet that you'll learn more than you think about Hibbies since you love them so much and remember ask any question you want, there will be always some one willing to help you like Karen and me and many others like us.

Mary, know what you mien, have the same problem, spend hours sometime at a time with my plants and thank you Karen for helping Mary out.

Wilfred

"My Friend Carlos"

Thank you WQP! I am learning a LOT....and After 2 years of being a "Beginner Gardener" I find I learn a LOT about LIFE in general...... (((HUGS")))))
Mary