Growing Hibiscus At Home
Growing Hibiscus At Home
Growing hibiscus plants are exotic plants, and now your decision is weather top keep the hibiscus potted or plant it in the ground. Hibiscus are tropical plants, so keep potted if it freezes where you live.
Before you can start growing hibiscus in the ground, it is important to spend a little time selecting and preparing the planting hole.
Test the hole to be used for growing hibiscus to be sure it drains well by pouring a gallon or so of water into it. If the water disappears within an hour that is good drainage. If it is still standing there after an hour you may be planting into clay or other impermeable material, this will end in drowning your growing hibiscus you were going to put in the hole. You can fix this by digging the hole deeper and then refilling it with soil mixed with a good compost, peat moss ans sand to improve drainage. Once this is done go ahead and plant the growing hibiscus fairly deep, covering the root ball with soil as you fill in the hole.
If your soil is super sandy, you will again have problems growing hibiscus in it. Very sandy soil does not absorb much water or hold fertilizer. Most of the water applied to sandy soil flows way. So here again you will have to dig out a large hole and fill it in with a good mix of compost, peat moss and other organic matter, and use a time released fertilizer on top of top soil.
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Once you have prepared your soil, dig the hole and water to moisten all through before putting in your growing hibiscus, gently remove your growing hibiscus from its pot, being careful not to rip the roots away from the base of the plant. As temping as it may be to pull on the growing hibiscus trunk to get the plant out of the pot, resist the temptation. Instead place your hands on top of the soil, gently turn the pot over in the air. Then hug the pot, and let gravity drop the plant out of the pot into your hands. Use your hands to break up the roots around the root ball a little bit on all sides, then set the growing hibiscus into the hole you prepared.
Growing hibiscus is now in the hole but be for you finalize the position, look which way the branches grow. Make sure you position it in the direction that looks best from the viewers vantage point. If your growing hibiscus has listed to one side in the pot, use this replanting as an opportunity to make it stand straight again in the hole. Take one last look at the plant then fill in with soil mix firmly. Water well a couple times to make sure it is completely saturates all parts of the hole and root ball. Wait a week or two before fertilizing.
