Okay, this is the 2nd year in a row that three of my hibiscus plants have not bloomed. They seem healthy otherwise and are very well established (at least 6 years). I pruned them in the spring and they are full and green, but not a hint of a flower. Any suggestions? Rebecca W
Do you know which species of Hibiscus you have? (There are so many). Generally speaking Hibiscus like sun, warmth, rich acidic to average pH soil and plenty of moisture. Perhaps try a "Bloom Booster" type of fertilizer. Cheers, LPN.
LPN is right. yer plants need plenty of potassium and phosphorus to bloom. the best way to give yer plants ev'rything they need you should apply natural fertilizers e.g. chicken manure regards
Whoa, Hibiscus do not like too much phosphorus! "Bloom food" will be bad for the plant. They like rich moist soil, lots of light and even moisture. http://loyno.edu/~gerlich/NOHS/hibpots.html See last paragraph. You will find this on other sites as well.
"I pruned them in spring" is probably the hint, especially if you have been doing this every year. But a starting point that has not been reached yet is what kind of hibiscus they are. Different species have different modes of growth, climate ranges and pruning regimes. Fertilization should be based on a soil analysis report recommendation.
I am not absolutely sure of the species. They are just your run-of-the-mill red, single flowered, hibiscus. Looking through some of the varieties, I believe them to be Chinese hibiscus. Talking with a nursery worker in the area, I was told that the soil could be depleted. She, too, asked me about the pruning, but I didn't prune too far down (according to her). Any other responses?
The advice looks good. In Florida, Chinese hibiscus do well with severe pruning (which is helpful but not essential) and a bit of fertilizer. Our soils are sand, while yours will be something different. Do check the plants for pests.
well maybe hibiscus doesnt like too much phosphorus, but when you use natural fertilizers you dont have to worry about that, cos the plant takes as much nutrients as it needs. you must of course prepare balanced dose of the fertilizer
Thanks. I have fertilized with a 19-13-6 to try and jump start things. I guess we will see. Hey, some guy told me it is a good idea to "strike" the trunk with a baseball bat. Any body ever heard of that??!!
yer fertilizer contains toomuch nitrogen!!!! yer plants aint gonna bloom in profusion. try e.g. 2-4-4 fertilizer. and tell that guy to strike himself in te head with a baseball bat. you dont want to kill yer plants, do you?
Well, that's kinda what I thought too (about the baseball bat)! Ha,ha! Hey, why do you say too much nitrogen?
Yup. Nitrogen not good. Whipping fruit trees was evidently a custom among Pennsylvania Germans. Nitrogen stimulates growth of leaves (that's why lawn fertilizer is mostly nitrogen) at the expense of flowering. The other nutrients do more to stimulate flowering. In most plants, there's sort of a tug-of-war between vegetative growth and reproduction. Some (like palms) naturally start their lives with vigorous vegetative growth, then concentrate on reproductive once they've reached a certain size. An extreme example would be century plants and Corypha palms, which store food until they're ready for an end-of-life reproductive blowout. Hibiscuses are much gentler. Like grass, they'll grow leaves if presented with plenty of nitrogen (makes me wonder about hibiscus bushes near the dog-grooming shop). Florida soils are always deficient of potassium, so a high-K fertilizer would stimulate flowering here.
Dave, I've already used the other. Is there anything else I should do now, or just wait a bit? I don't want to "burn" them.
you can talk to yer plants :) it sounds stupid but it really works! they grow better if you talk to them (scientists say that you give yer plants more CO2 while talkin to 'em). and you must know that plants love smoke. i'm a smoker and all exotic plants in my bedroom grow like crazy!!! and if you have e.g. palms seeds and want 'em to germinate quickly give 'em some smoke everyday. my 40 chusan palms germinated within one week after my smoke treatment
Hi Rebecca, Are your plants in shade or full sun? what type of soil do you have, what date did you prune them this year. A few general tips for you, you should aim to prune them just as the cold weather subsides, and before the buds begin to swell,and certainly before any new foliage appears, and always use clean secateurs, and make a sloping cut. Do you get any flower buds at all, if so do they drop? Once you have finnish your prunning give them a good feed of blood, fish, and bone,then as the the season progresses, give them a good mulch of compost,and top this up in mid summer. Some people give them rose fertilizer, if you do go down this road, do not apply after mid August. If you want to give them a boost now, try the rose fertilizer. Hope this helps. Ashizuru......
Sun. Adequate water (they will grow quite well without irrigation in Florida, with its dry winters, so don't worry about letting them get a bit dry). Maybe a bit of potassium chloride?? (obtainable at the supermarket as salt substitute).
DO NOT pour on chemicals (including packaged fertilizer products) without sampling the soil and having it tested first (contact local Cooperative Extension for help with this). Except for prevailing regional experience nobody has any idea what nutrients, if any and in what amounts your soil may need. Even then soils may vary enough in your area for results to vary from one place to the next, some properties in some regions may have different soils on the same site. As for nitrogen applications interfering with flowering (and fruiting), on one site in New York poor production of apples turned out to be due to a nitrogen deficiency. After nitrogen was supplemented, production was restored. (This was reported by a scientist speaking at a fruit conference I attended at a local agricultural experiment station).
I have found that the hibiscus wild types flower well but the delicate breeds are a lot harder. I grow a lot of hibiscus plants and I wish they would all flower like the hardy wild types.
