Opinions please...

I use regular miracle grow in my mix. No bloom booster stuff here.

I'm confused... (WOW! WHAT ELSE IS NEW, RIGHT?!)

"The Recipe" is for Brugmansias?

I am needing help with President Hibiscus trees.

I am no botany major so (after you stop laughing) please tell me if Hibiscus is in the Brumansia genus or did I get the wrong recipe link? (God, I feel so stupid on here, sometimes!) I can assist in open heart surgery but I can't grow plants. Wow....

Now then, as far as this "recipe" stuff goes...

Lemme get this straight. You're asking an Aussie bloke to give up a can of beer for green foliage on his Hibiscus? Strewth, mate!!! I'd give up pretty much anything else, but I don't know if I could spare any beer. I love beer. I love beer so much I dream about beer! Beer is love. When I grow up I want to be a brewmaster. Maybe I will start MacsBeerGarden.com! Figure if Dave can have one...

Seriously though, I think the recipe(s) sound wild. I have tried using the Miracle Grow Bloom Booster bottles that you attach to the water hose, but just like ECrane3 says, my hibs DID NOT fancy that drink AT ALL. And if you take a whiff of it, it smells a wee bit like Ammonia to me. I would like something to bring back the vibrant colours I had on them when I first planted them though and to make them explode with growth, foliage AND more flowers!!

I thought it was a bit funny that Tea Tree Oil was in the recipe. OLD Aussie abbo remedy for pretty much everything from sore throat, to nail fungus to deep wound healing. It's a bloody fantastic antiseptic. If you ever have the unfortunate blessing of having to deal with cold sores (aka fever blisters, aka HSV1), it helps heal them and prevent the spread of them like nothing else on earth that I know of. My granddad even used to put a few drops in his pint for what he called, "to wash the devil out". I am still not sure what he meant by that, but he lived to be 98 years old and worked as a cabinet maker until he was almost 95. Must do something good by ya.

So... anyway, back to plants here..... can someone please make heads or tails out of that quite lengthy thread for me, and pass along the most sensible, safest recipe for making my Hibs flourish. I am not even sure if a Hibiscus is a "brug" or if I got the wrong thread dialed in.

Also, does anyone have any experience with Hidden Valley Hibiscus
Fertilizer (15-7-15) or their Hibiscus Booster?

Hibiscus Booster technical data:
· Potassium Nitrate - KNO3
· Chloride Free
· NPK formula: 13.5-0-46.2
· 13.5 percent Nitrate Nitrogen (N)
· 0 percent Phosphorus
· 46.2 percent Potassium Oxide (K2O) ­ supplies 38.4 percent elemental K (potassium)
http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com

Sounds like a decent product? Not cheap especially shipping to east coast.

Cheers, (God save the beer)

Mac

Mac, LOL, Jon (Amorecoure) just returned from a local hibiscus show and he mentioned that the experts were sharing fertilizing tips, etc. Check out the American Hibiscus Soc. schedule for shows near you. http://www.americanhibiscus.org/

Since your plants are in the ground, you really need a soil test to tell you what's what and it may be that you need some minor elements. Always check. Your local FL extension service can do the soil test. We charge $6 for the test here in SC; many states still do them for free.

I use fertilizers from Hidden Valley Hibiscus--I have the booster but didn't use it last year, but I have used the fertilizer and it worked well.

The recipe that was linked to above happened to be posted in the Brug forum, but I've seen people advocate for its use on many different types of plants, it's more of a general purpose fertilizer not something just for brugs. Not saying you should use it or not, but as long as you leave out the bloom booster it shouldn't hurt your hibiscus. But since hibiscus like a bit different ratio of N/P/K than many other plants, I will buy the special hibiscus fertilizer for them vs using the same thing I use on my other plants.

I've heard the same thing, ecrane, about using hibiscus fertilizer instead of stuff that you use on other plants. The nursery in my area that specializes in tropical hibiscus carries Carl Pool's hibiscus food. I haven't bought any yet since I have a different brand of hibiscus fertilizer that I want to use up first, but my friend uses it; she has several hibiscus. I have used the Carl Pool's bloombooster on my annuals and they loved it.

Another DG friend has used the brug recipe on her plants; she has brugs and a lot of other plants on her screened in patio. She says it works great. She doesn't have hibiscus though.

I thought about trying the recipe on some of my other plants, but I'm too lazy to mix it up. I just bought a granular fertilizer called Growing Green that has fish humate and lots of other organic stuff. A DG friend of mine that grows lots of tropicals uses it on all her gardens and she recommended it. Anyway when I bought it at the nursery, the nursery lady commented on how "I know to use the good stuff." It was $25 for a 40lb bag I think.

G'day all!

Thank you Ardesia for the link. The society is definitely something I will look into. Appreciate that!

Thanks Ecrane3 once again for the assist and the recommendation for Hidden Valley Hibiscus' fertilizer. I only need 1.5 lb container which is $10 or so, but they recommend UPS 3 day shipping for east coast residents during hot weather which is $17.50 to ship. Do you know if this fertilizer breaks down in hot weather or something? If so, I will have to store it inside in the AC instead of in my garage.

I think I will order this formula:

Nitrogen(N) 17%
Available Phosphate (P2O5 %) 5%
Soluble potash/Kalium (K2O) 24%
Water soluble Magnesium (Mg) 2%
Sulfur (S) 2.65%
Boron (B) 0.009%
Chelated Copper (Cu) 0.02%
Chelated Iron (Fe) 0.09%
Chelated Manganese (Mn) 0.04%
Molybdenum (Mo) 0.09%
Chelated Zinc (Zn) 0.6%

I will do a soil test first.

Thanks again for the feedback, everyone!

Cheers,

Mac

It occurs to me that you probably have locally available hibiscus fertilizer in south FL. The stuff I use is Space City, made in TX. I order it because I can't find any around here; we are not a big hibiscus growing area. Why don't you go to a local nursery (not a big box) and ask about a formula for hibs.

Here is my garden variety hibiscus in a pot.. I have posted this picture before... I used just regular miracle grow fertilizer and superthrive... I repot every couple years. I would show it right now but at the moment it is nothing but sticks with small new leaves and several blooms in the past few days... had weeks of 30 to 40 mph winds that took all the leaves off. You don't always have to get complicated.

This pic is just after the last repotting.. time to do it again... it bloomed all winter for me in the potting shed and looked great until I moved it out into the wind!

OK... sort of embarrased but here it is right now... it was almost completely bare of leaves about 10 days ago... just had a few left near the bottom and some scattered about. I have been spraying new growth with the "recipe" ... It had 4 blooms the past 2 days.. only 1 today but lots of buds and lots of new leaves coming out... the open bloom of course is facing the wrong way!

remember.. things grow more slowly here because of near 0% humidity.

And here is my other little one I bought last year in a 4" pot.. it also lost almost every leaf 10 days ago.. I moved it into the potting shed too late to protect it from the 60 mph wind one night.. came home to a little pot of sticks. It had 3 blooms yesterday... only 1 today. I am also spraying almost daily with the "recipe"... looking good and growing lots of new leaves.. putting out lots of buds too.

10 days ago, it only had 4 leaves left on the upper portions.. you can probably pick those out.. have brown or burned edges from when I first moved it outside. This one also bloomed all winter for me.

This message was edited Apr 27, 2009 1:31 PM

Mac--I don't know if there's anything special about Hidden Valley's fertilizer vs any other fertilizer made for hibiscus, I agree that there are probably some sources close to you so it would be worth looking locally. But if you want Hidden Valley's, you can probably get it without paying the extra shipping--most of what they sell are hibiscus plants and those would definitely need the expedited shipping which is probably why it tells you that on their website. But if you're only ordering fertilizer I suspect there's a way for them to ship it using a slower delivery option. It shouldn't be any more temperature sensitive than any other fertilizer, although with any fertilizer storing it somewhere that's room temperature is better than extreme hot or cold.

Thanks everyone for the posts. Today I was out in the yard with my camera, checking out the plants and I was able to capture photographic evidence of my likely Hibiscus nemesis.

All you Mac computer users, open this in iPhoto and zoom in on it. It's high-resolution and quite impressive. It just looks evil. It HAS to go, or I don't think ANY fertilizer is going to help me out.

I need a name...

ooohhh, those munching mandibles can do a LOT of damage very quickly. That is one UGLY monster!

Just found some leaves on my brugs that one has munched. Time for a little neem spray to hopefully run them off.

Schistocerca americana. (American Bird Grasshopper)

Must buy birdbath.

STAT!

I was told this is a lubber, a common critter in FL. It is not a great photo but you can see he is as long as a typical brick is wide.

Ardesia, I am not an Entomology guru at all, so I can't really say. I do know I have seen them around though. There are so many HUGE, and strange looking insects in Florida, it's just incredible. Some look like mutant alien bugs, I swear. I never pick up anything with my hands here like I might a grasshopper, spider or beetle elsewhere. You just don't know what you're picking up.

One of the MANY reasons I miss living in southern California. Fewer bugs - for certain!

I understand that Lubbers are horrid plant munchers as well. Who knows what's been eating my Hib leaves?! Maybe it's them!

All I know is that I need natural predators and lots of them for all of these plant munchers. Sure wish the birds of prey I have around here were more active against insects. I am sure they are stuffed from all of the mice, rats, raccoons and possum as I don't see very many of them. I go from insects straight to Bobcats and what I believe might be a Florida Panther. I've only seen it once as it's very elusive but I know he watches me when I am out watering. I can feel him.

Trying out a new bug killer for the grasshoppers! So far, EXTREMELY effective. Can definitely see a reduction in the amount of the bird grasshoppers!

See next post.

This message was edited May 9, 2009 10:54 AM

Best flying grasshopper killer around!

MacFL, try the neem oil like Lhasalover mentioned, it's a great discourager for a lot of bugs that like to much on hibiscus, it's a natural biodegradable insecticide that doesn't hurt the hibiscus. I would also check for snails and slugs, since I heard that bugs usually start at the edge of the leaf inward and snails and slugs also make holes like the ones on your hibiscus leafs, try to but a small bowl with some grape juice or beer in it close to the base of your plant at dawn, somebody told me that this attract them and kills them, seems that this contains something they can't digest. Another person tried it and said to me it work, she did it and by the next morning she had hundreds of snail and slugs dead in the bowl, she had a bad case of these in her yard and ate everything.
Now that owl is great, but I don't think youll see to many other birds around him, I think there on his menu also, anyway hes beautiful and doing his job try to keep him around.

Wilfred

I have two of them (owls) that are new residents to my lawn, due to some very effective owl calling. The Cardinals and Blue Jays, Finches and Woodpeckers dive bombed them at first, but the owls seem to be sticking around and they haven't bothered the smaller faster birds because they cant catch things in flight too well. They've been around for a couple of weeks, and even stayed while I was away on a long trip. The smaller birds will either nest up or stay on close branches and chirp when the owls come out. After 9 pm or so, all the birds are quiet but the owls are active flying around, so I know they are having their way with the bird grasshoppers. I used to see several grasshoppers a day, and since I've been back from Australia, I see maybe one every other day!

I did use the Neem Oil. I spray them once every couple of weeks.

So, overall, between the Neem and "Agnes" and "Arthur" (the pair of owls), I think I have the bird grasshoppers licked! There is a nest of near fledgling Cardinals that is about 8 feet off the ground, and the owls aren't bothering them either! I think they are really into the big bugs we have here, and the rodents, which I have seen NONE. I am heavily wooded on three sides of my house, so something is taking them out!

Anyway, thanks for the advice about the snails. I will put our some grape juice and see what happens.

Cheers,

Mac

Was just reading way back in the post and since were both in Florida we could experience some of the same things. I've noticed here around Ft Lauderdale that snails are more common during the wetter months of summer and they do most of their damage to my gerberas and always do so at night. They're usually pretty easy to stop around at night if you have a flashlight. Beetles do lots of chewing/eating damage to just about anything, but they seem to be very seasonal down here. I've noticed the last 3 years they appear in numbers around the end of January and basically disaapear by mid to late April. The only insect I've had a problem with chewing my Hibiscus leaves that I'm aware of is some type of ugly gray colored caterpillar. They are generally very small (1/2 - 1 inch) and seem to be nocturnal...doing all their damage at night. Sometimes one or a few of them get inside my pool screening and I usually notice the damage within a day or two. If I go out there in the evening when its dark with a flashlight and look for new damage I can usually find them fairly quickly on the underside of the leaves. Not sure if any of this is helpful, but just sharing my experiences down here in South Florida.

Jon

Thanks Jon! Appreciate the input. I have yet to see any caterpillars anywhere, but I haven't looked at night, either. While my Hibs look MUCH better recently, it's definitely something I will check out some night.

Just 3 weeks until hurricane season. I have several flashlights and oodles of batteries. Hopefully the prediction will be accurate this year and it will be a slow season.

Cheers,

Mac

This message was edited May 10, 2009 9:25 AM

Hi Mac

The caterpillars are also a bit seasonable also. They do the most damage here for me during the winter and early spring. They have probably matured by now and are either some type of moth or butterfly we see flying around. I like the butterflies but have to laugh because I probably didn't like them so well when they were in their caterpillar stage. The one insect that gives me fits this time of year also seems to be a caterpillar but its REAL small. It tends not to be interested in the foliage of a plant, but real interested in eating the petals on a flowering plant. They usually have been most interested in the sunflowers, but this year I'm starting to see the damage they can do to some of the Hibiscus. Not good. I had been cutting back on using pesticides but am beginning to think I may need to real soon. Here is South Florida insects don't seem to be much of a problem from about October-March, but the rest of the year you can be prone to just about anything.

Jon

Funny you mention hurricane season, Mac. DH and I were just talking about its approach. Craig says that will be the only way we get any rain here is when a hurricane hits in our area. Yards just looks pitiful in our area unless you've been watering it. The grass around my flower beds is really green but the closer you get to the street, it starts looking brown. We actually started watering it this week which we usually don't just because of all the water I use in flower beds. I sure wish I had a sprinkler system especially during times like these.

I wish some people would water their yards around here.. guess the economy is keeping them from doing it.. the cost. I have never seen so many really DEAD yards in my life. It is terrible. I keep mine watered and just have raised the thermostat so my A/C does not run as much. Keep the electric bill down so I can pay the water bill... Please NO hurricanes near Galveston! ...but you can send that water up this way!

We have Grackles ...(black birds) here that are doing a great job of eating the grasshoppers. Hate the mess they are leaving on my car and drive way though. It is a daily BIG mess.

I wish we could water here in South Florida more often but we have had Wedn and Sat only water restrictions now for almost 18 months due to drought causing Lake Okeechobe (our main water supply) to very dangerously low.
Jon

Geez, I would kill for the ability to water TWICE a week. I get to water ONLY on Tuesdays, from 6pm to midnight. I too am lacking an in ground sprinkler system, so I spend my Tuesday nights out in the yard with a flashlight moving a couple of sprinklers. Despite my efforts, it's browning out again by Thursday, and by the following Tuesday, it's fried again. I have pretty much given up until the rainy season starts again. I just cant give it enough water to keep it nice. Luckily its a hardy grass that bounces back really easily and within a few days of watering or rain.

NOW THEN.... speaking of caterpillars....

Just this morning, I went outside and looked at my Hibs while it was still cool.

Here is what I found.

Looks to me like ants, aphids, and some small white bug. On the top left side of the bud you will see a caterpillar.

Strewth mate.... I am so sick of battling bugs. Unfortunately, I am SOL. This IS Florida.....

Anyone wanna weigh in on what they see in the photo to confirm the ID of the white bug?

I will break out the hose and the Neem Oil tonight after sunset.

These nasty things are history.

Would appreciate any tips for keeping them off the trunk altogether.

Cheers everyone.

Mac

They look too small to be white flies.. and in the wrong place.. expensive neem for aphids? how about some dishwashing soap in water in the spray bottle. works great for me. Just sprayed huge colonies of them on both my roses and oleanders day before yesterday and yesterday they dead black colonies. Spent yesterday at my parents doing the same thing. It is an annual event around here. It is like they magically appear one day. If I had to use neem for that I would go broke. And I just spray the lower trunks with the neem to keep the ants off the plants completely.

Yeah I'm with Lhasa, those can just be spray washed off.

The only thing I'm familiar with on my buds occasionally (once or twice a year) are white colored markings that almost look like cotton. They don't move when you touch them, so perhaps they're the larva of something. A also get quite a bit of bud drop from time to time. Even though there are less expensive remedies I have always chosen to just spray all the plants when this occurs with Bayer 3 In 1 Insect, Disease & Mite Control. It just takes the guess work out of the equation for me and has always cleared up whatever the problem is. I will always do this in the early evening when needed.

Jon

I get white fuzzy things on mine too--if yours is the same thing as mine then it may be cottony cushion scale. I noticed that the Bayer wasn't working very well on them, so I did some digging and found that imidacloprid (the active in the Bayer 3-in-1) doesn't work that well on cottony cushion scale, so I've started using neem instead and had better luck. Of course yours could be mealybugs or something else in which case the Bayer should work fine. MacFL's pic doesn't look like mealies or cottony cushion scale though.

Thanks for the info. I'm not sure what the cottony like things are, but they Bayer does the trick.

This picture is "The Money You Can Save With Gecko". These guys help you save money on pesticides. They are little troopers down here in South Florida, weaving in and out of pots and plants hunting down and terminating many harmful insects.

Jon

Thanks everyone for the weigh ins. Appreciate it.

The funny thing Jon, is I have TONS of lizards all over my house, and yet I found this horrible mess this morning. Obviously the lizards have expensive taste buds!

I will implement the suggestions left. I am off to go water the lawn. It's my day to water.

Cheers everyone!

Mac