Last summer I got a hibiscus and it was in a small pot so I pulled it out and put it in a bigger pot and it was ok entail this winter and the leaves started dying and now all the leaves are off of it and it is just stems but the stems are not dead if anyone can help me email me at (tscott911@gmail.com)
Do you know what kind of hibiscus it is? Some die back or loose leaves naturally in winter. These should be planted outdoors. Any photos?
Tropical hibiscus like rich, evenly moist soil (never wet, never dry), warm temps, bright light and humidity. They are notorious for dropping leaves when stressed. Some people put them into a cooler dark location for winter, to force a kind of dormancy until they can put them out in the spring (not the best thing for the plant). If the stems are alive, it should revive if given good growing conditions. Check closely for pests that may be causing the leaf drop. While they like rich soil, overfertilizing can be a problem, especially too much phosphorus. The American Hibiscus Society has great care information.
I also have a tropical Hibiscus. It lost it's leaves in fall outdoors in Raleigh NC. I brought it into the garage prior to first freeze. Garage is can be 50F throughout winter. There's on stems. I planted it in sunny south facing garden last weekend. The Roots seem OK. I feel I need to trim the stems to see if there is any life but I wanted to check. It had beautiful yellow blossoms and I hope to bring it back. Any suggestions?
Inside in the winter (yes you'll have to pull it out of the ground) and outside in the summer. It's a tropical plant. It loves the humidity and you have that!!
P.S. I planted 4 in the past 6 years that I have lost to freezes. They just can't handle it and I live in sunny Arizona! I will not make this mistake again and bring my plant inside when the temps drop into the low 30's...even higher temps will damage some Hibiscus. They just don't like the cold. It doesn't even have to freeze for them to be unhappy. I just bought another to try again but will make a way different approach. I just transplanted it into a new pot and its got tons of new buds. Notice the thrips inside the flowers. I just caught that when I was taking the picture yesterday. I sprayed with Ortho and all is well, but will keep watch. I was surprised they were there!
Hi Roselady. Thank you for your reply. Your pictures look great. I'll buy some more and keep them in nice pot(s) that will look good in the south facing windows. I've got a NexStar 11 GPS and think about the sky you have each time I take it out since Arizona is always much clearer than my night sky. Best regards, Jim
