My mother-in-law received a hibiscus plant as a gift and it got passed on to me as she didn't want it anymore. I'm just wondering about general care tips and how-tos. The plant has been very droopy lately and I'm afraid that it will completely die. The leaves get brown patches that get bigger until the whole leaf is curled, brown and dried up. Also right from the time my mother-in-law received it the plant has been dropping buds, from small ones to large ones about to open. I'm wondering what that could mean and what I could do about it. Also, I read that they love acidic soil and that epsom salt can be used to make the soil acidic. How do I go about doing that and how much salt is enough? I guess I should mention that I have the plant sitting in front of my picture window facing west so it gets all the sunlight that Manitoba winters supply. Any suggestions and answers will be very appreciated. Thanks, Michelle
Michelle I hope your plant is still surviving. There are commercially available "fertilizer for Acid Loving Plants". These are available from Canadian Tires, Ronas, Home Depot and other such places. I am no expert on hibiscus but I am a bit surprised that this post has not been answered so far in this 'Hibiscus' forum. Try posting it with a different header in another relevant forum here in UBC BG that has more traffic than this forum.
Hibiscus prefer lightly acidic soil, regular house plant soil is usually good. They are a touchy about their conditions. They like evenly moist soil--not dry, not soaked, lots of light, warm temps and humid air. Change, dry environments, lack of light or heat can all cause the type of symptoms you describe, but it could also be a disease or pest. The American Hibiscus Society has some excellent info on hibiscus care. http://www.trop-hibiscus.com/
Hi Michelle My hibiscus is facing south-west, and is nearly on top of a heat vent... which is a very good reason for misting it regularly (every other day) otherwise, I get aphids, (sticky leaves first, then they curl and drop, and the plant weackens.) I also give it regular watering with a bit of organic fertilizer. The plant spends the summer outside, in a shaded spot first, then semi shade, then sunny, as to avoid direct light shock
