Hi Kathy & all, First off I'm no expert but I now have 4 hibiscus of my own & have been growing them for years so I thought I'd put my 2¢ in. Yours sounds like a handsome specimen. It's a good thing you brought it in when you did. Lest you don't know, they are tropical. Anything under 55* on my sunporch and they start to complain. Your probably going to get some leaves throughout the plant yellowing & falling off. Pretty much normal as to acclimation of it's new surroundings. I don't know what State you live in but here in Ohio I put mine right up to the glass in direct sunlight & they don't burn. This is Fall and Winter sun mind you, in a South exposure. From my own experience & from text, the quickest way to kill a Hibiscus is to over water it during Fall & Winter seasons. I perfer to prune mine back in the spring before setting them out for the summer. Some people do it before bringing them in---depends on how much growing space you can afford to give. Just curious, is yours a double or single? Hope I have been of some help. Good luck and good growing. Steve Philbrick N.E. Ohio Zone 5
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- To: i*@prairienet.org
- Subject: Brought Hibiscus in
- From: M*@aol.com
- Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 19:14:45 -0500 (EST)
Ok you experts, I need some help- I bought a red flowering Hibiscus back in the Spring. It was in a gallon container and rootbound. I bought a much bigger "patio pot" (plastic terra cotta look with saucer on bottom to catch water) and pretty much left it alone except to water and feed. Now, it's supposed to freeze tonight (it's been cold several nights now, but not close to freezing...) so I've brought it in. It's about 3ft tall from the top of it's pot, and at least that big around. It looks healthy enough. All the leaves are nice and green, rather "firm" looking, limbs are nice brown woody looking. My question, how can I help it adjust to indoors? Outside, it was under a somewhat thin apple tree. It got nearly full sun until about 2 or 3 in the afternoon when the shade from my house reached it. Where would be the best suited place to put it? Right now, I've got it about 12ft from 3 windows. The Hibiscus would be the "point" of a triangle with a double set of windows in the left "other" corner, and a single window in it's right corner. Windows are on South side of house. Hibiscus against middle of the house wall to the north. Did I give you enough detail, or should I be a little more specific? <giggle, giggle> Kathy Moon
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