My question is this: I have a Hibiscus tree in my house. My cat killed one of the branches. The other one is doing remarkably well, however, the main branch is about 5' tall and all the new growth is half the size. I was wanting to prune the main branch and replant what was pruned. Is that possible and how do I do it? I would really appreciate any feedback on any options I have. It's a beautiful tree but it looks a little out of proportionate. Thanks
ADT Seeing there are no takers here, I might as well try. I believe you have the non-hardy hibiscus and not what we call the Rose of Sharon. However both will root quite easily, one indoor and the other outdoor. You decide how much of the main trunk you want pruned. Then cut out the branchlets with the growing tips of lengths 6 to 8 inches and remove all the leaves with the petioles from the bottom half of each cutting. Then dip them in a rooting hormone (if you prefer, but I usually don't need it) and stick them into pots containing soiless potting medium Sunshine No 4. Then keep the pots in a cool place and give the cuttings indirect or cool lights 12 to 16 hours/day. You may stick in also the thickened portions of the branches as well as the main trunk. For about 2 to 3 weeks you created a high humidity (85 to 95%) by enclosing these cuttings in tents made of clear plastic or any transparent materials. Do not allow your potted soil to become too dry, and when you water do it just to keep the soil moist but not soggy. Keep these tents on until you know the roots have taken by tugging at the cuttings. If you feel resistance against the tugs you may remove the tents, and after another week, repot your rooted cuttings, keeping in mind that the fibrous roots on the stems are tender and fragile. I hope you can get at least 80% success rate.
Using a mix of peat and perlite is close enough to Sunshine #4. The company, National Garden Wholesale, a subsiduary of Sunlight Supply, Inc., formulates the soiless mix for the Sunshine No1 to No 8. No 4 is specially formulated for propagation and seedlings, as its physical structure is more porous and allow better and faster drainage. Further more it has wetting agent added so that you can stick in the cuttings into the dry mix and then water, thus avoiding the likelyhood of the rooting hormone being rubbed off if the mix is already wet and more compact. And of course the necessary nutrients required by plants have been added as well. In Canada you can get it from Rona, HD or any other garden supply.
ADT, As you know the new roots emerge just above the internode on the stem cuttings. Therefore you must cut the stem about 0.25 to 0.5 inch below the node to avoid having die-back and stem rot. When you have enough experience it is possible to achieve a 95 to 100% success rate.
Thank you so much for your help. I'll definately do that and hopefully it will work. It was a housewarming gift and I really love the tree. ADT.
