I recently purchased a Hibiscus plant (not sure of the name but a picture of the flower is attached below). It was doing well for the first few days in it's new home, then everything started going down hill. The leaves started shriveling up, turning brown and falling off. It also stopped producing flowers and buds. Some of the branches also started turning brown. (see attached pictures) At first I thought it was a simple matter of the plant being root bound. When I bought it it was in a 12'' plastic pot, but there were roots coming out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. The roots had also poked a good size hole in the bottom of the pot itself. I transferred it to a 20'' pot and used Miracle Grow potting mix. I have not used any fertilizer yet. Since being moved to it's new pot the hibiscus has not deteriorated further, but it also hasn't gotten any better. I would really love to get this plant back on it's feet as soon as possible so any and all suggestions are welcome! Thank you, HornMelody
Halberd Hibiscus or similar species? http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/87507/ Probably has transplant shock, keep it moist and shaded til it has chance to recover roots lost in the move. Welcome to the forum. Just a note: You may want to plant this in a garden as it's cold hardy in all or at least most of the United States.
Yes, this is the hardy version not the tropical one. Usually they will be great outside. They really like sun though. Like tons. 6+ hours a day. The flowers should get bigger too. Or that's what I would guess. Many of the hardy versions have giant flowers. Dinner plate size. Give it some time to recuperate then cut all the dead off and let it start new growth. Well, if you put it outside it will stop growing and start again next year, and it shouldn't be pruned this time of the year.......