Hibiscus plants have gorgeous flowers that can make any garden look spectacular. The flowers are bright, colorful and large. There are many different plant varieties so there are many flower colors you can get. In addition to flowers, hibiscus plants also have gorgeous foliage. Their leaves are glossy, strong and make a great contrast to flowers with their deep, dark green color.
If you wish to grow a hibiscus plant, it is important to know how to make it produce numerous, rich flowers. This is the best way to make your garden look exotic and vibrant.
A great thing about hibiscus plants is that they are easy to care for. You can grow them in your garden or in a container. If you wish to make your hibiscus produce more flowers, there are some important tips to follow.
Remember: the only way to make your hibiscus produce flowers is to make it happy. It is important to provide your hibiscus with everything it needs to thrive so it will reward you with lush, beautiful flowers. Taking a good care of your hibiscus is not difficult so chances are that you can make your plant produce flowers only if you make a little effort.
It is vital to provide your hibiscus with everything it needs to bloom:
Sun
Hibiscus is known as a sun-loving plant. However, it does not thrive in places that are too hot and bright. If you live in a hot area, it is better to position your hibiscus somewhere with partial sun. In less warm climates, on the other hand, make sure to place or plant your hibiscus somewhere with full sun. This is important to make your hibiscus thrive and produce lush flowers.
Water Requirements
It is important to provide your hibiscus with all the water it needs. It is a water-loving plant so you need to provide it with enough water. In fact, the only way to make your hibiscus bloom is to give it enough water. In some cases, depending on the heat and humidity, you might even need to water your plant on a daily basis. In some extremely dry conditions, watering twice per day might be needed. Remember, these are tropical plants so don't let them dry out.
On the other hand, make sure not to over-water. Hibiscus plants don't like to be soaking wet. It is therefore important to provide adequate drainage for your hibiscus. The best way to go is to keep the soil moist but not too wet. Your hibiscus should never sit in deep water.
In case you notice that your hibiscus is dropping leaves or if you notice yellow leaves on the top of the plant, it is a clear sign that your hibiscus is not getting enough water. On the other hand, if the yellow leaves appear in the middle of the plant, it is a sign that you are watering too much. Make sure to adjust your watering regime to give your hibiscus adequate amounts of water. This is the only way to make it thrive and produce wonderful flowers.
Fertilizing Hibiscus
Another thing you need to take into account is the fertilizer. Most of the time, when you buy your hibiscus it will already come with a slow release fertilizer applied to the soil. In this case, you don't have to worry about initial fertilizing. If this is the case, you won't need to fertilize your hibiscus in the first few months.
After this period, however, make sure to apply regular fertilizing to make your plant thrive. It is best to use a diluted fish emulsion, preferably liquid and with seaweed combination. Another type of a diluted liquid fertilizer might also work. Make sure to feed your hibiscus with this fertilizer every other week. This is the only way to give your plant all the nutrients it needs and to make it produce healthy blooms.
Hibiscus Container Size
If you wish to grow your hibiscus in a container, it is important to know how big of a container to choose. If you want your plant to produce flowers on a consistently, it is best not to place it in a container that is too deep. A huge, deep container makes a good environment for your plant to grow so you hibiscus will be healthy. However, such a container makes the plant focus all of its energy on producing roots than the top growth and flowers. As a result, such a plant will have less flowers, which is not something you want.
On the other hand, if you want to use a mixed container, it is best to plant your hibiscus in a larger pot. The best one is a container that is wider than the nursery pot, but still not too deep. This way you will make your hibiscus strong and make it produce more flowers.
How to Overwinter Your Hibiscus
Another thing you need to worry about is the winter. If you live in colder climates you might try to overwinter your hibiscus indoors, but keep in mind that this is not always an easy thing to do. Your hibiscus needs at least a 2 to 3 hours of direct sun per day. This is not always to achieve indoors. If you wish to overwinter your hibiscus indoors, make sure to place the plant in an South, East or West facing windows.
Also, keep in mind that while your plant will need less water during winter, you still need to water it. This is particularly true if you have a strong heat in the home, which can make the air dry. This can be very hard on tropical plants such as hibiscus. In this situation, you need to water your hibiscus more often.
One important thing to keep in mind about flowers is that you need to remove any flower buds if you notice them. You want to prevent your plant to flower during the winter. This should wait until spring.
In the spring, make sure to cut your hibiscus back and move it to your garden or another location outdoors. Make sure to move your hibiscus only after the night temperatures rise above 50 degrees F.
Photo credit: lezumbalaberenjena
27 Comments
I live in the north east zone 6b my hardy Hibiscus looks very happy in the morning but afternoon when it's in full sun the leaves all drop and looks so sad.
Hi. I'm wondering all the same things as everyone here but don't see a reply that is helpful. I have 2 hibiscus plants side by side. One is old and beautiful but hasn't bloomed in years. The other is kind of scraggly and tall. The scraggly one gets a few blooms once in awhile but this year since December has not stopped blooming. I bet I got 30 flowers then it stopped for a week and now I have another bloom. I water them the same. Both in East window. The porch doesn't let direct sun in. Why won't the big beautiful one bloom?
Our hibiscus bushes were doing fine - lovely bushy plants with green leaves and abundant flowers. We live near West Palm Beach, FL. While we were gone our gardener allowed the bushes to grow very tall and then cut them in September right before we returned. They have not flowered since. Would the season that he cut them have caused them not to flower again? Thank you for your help!
I live in Michigan and my poor plant looks like it's dying. The leaves are turning yellow everywhere. I'm not over or under watering. It's in the house. It was amazing this summer outside. But when it got around 65 I brought it in. And since then the leaves have been falling off. Help, I can't kill my baby.
I live in Pa. My hibiscus is about 4 years old. I keep it in a large pot inside all winter and put it outside in the summer. The first summer I got lots of flowers, usually 1 a day When I brought it inside in about 2 weeks it started to bloom again. The 2nd summer it didn't bloom, but when I brought it in the house, it started to bloom. This has been happening each fall. Is my plant backwards.
My hibiscus plant is 4years old and never flowered can you tell me why?
During the winter I kept my Hibiscus in the basement. It lost all of the leaves but this spring it put on new leaves and is beautiful. The problem is that there are no blooms. I have it in a pot and it gets sun and water. Why is I not blooming?
Can I use tomato feed for Hibiscus? The plant is healthy. Buds seems to be there but no flowers. What am I doing wrong?
Hibiscus making new leaves but no buds. It is in a container on my balcony. It gets strong afternoon sun. Fed it two weeks ago with Miracle Gro, still no buds. Help!!
When is proper time to apply color around plants? I enjoy blue blooms.
I forgot my Hibiscus outside over night when the temperature was in the 40s, so now I don't have any leaves on it.
I got two Hibiscus plants at the same time both started out ok and now I get 14 to 16 flowers every day on one none on the other. Tried different things on but nothing helps. Any suggestion??
This is very helpful. I received this plant from friends after my husband passed away. I have had it for 2 years. It is very picky, but I love it. I am just not a person with green thumbs.
I see other sites recommending any fertilizer for hibiscus should have low phosphorus percentage.
I have 2 plants in same pot about 2 Ft apart. One flowers beautifully the other never flowers. Still lush green but no flowers.
Thanks
I have a big hibiscus plant of big flowers. It never blooms with flowers. What should I do. In spite of sunlight and manure it does not give flowers
For the first couple of weeks my Hibiscus was blooming a lot. Now, it has gotten to where it does not bloom much anymore which makes me sad. I have seen yellow leaves on the plant & I pick them off every time I notice them. Some are in the middle area of the plant, working their way to the outside. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I do not want to see it die. I water it daily, or every two days. I live in North Carolina & we have had 80 degree weather recently. Please let me know what I should try next to keep my hibiscus alive & well. Thanks!
My Hibiscus has little black "pod looking things" on the branches. Are these parasites to the Hibiscus? Thanks for all the information regarding bloom, watering etc. My daughter gave me the plant (before she passed away from brain cancer in 2008, and I have kept it growing and blooming (intermittently) since then. Lately it has not bloomed and I have it facing a southeast window, but it doesn't get 2 hours of sun here in MN, maybe a half hour. I tried placing it out on my deck in the summer and the leaves started to brown and crisp up so it may have gotten to much hot sun, so I moved it inside. The deck faces the east but I guess the "noon" sun must have burned the leaves. Any information regarding what happened to the plant would be helpful. Again it has not bloomed since early summer and only had one blossom