In Today\u2019s post we will look into some important care tips\nand Do\u2019s and Dont\u2019s on growing hibiscus plants in container gardening. Will\nalso tell you\u2019re the secrets to induce enormous flowering and to get big sized\nflowers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hibiscus plant needs no introduction. It is one of the most\ncommon flowering plants grown at home gardens. Generally all hibiscus plants\nare very much durable plants and perform well if proper care tips are followed.\nHowever if you wish to achieve maximum flowering and get big sized flowers, you\nneed to apply some extra hacks and tricks.
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\nLet\u2019s discuss all these points one by one:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. <\/strong>SUNLIGHT:<\/strong> Hibiscus needs 6 to 8 hours DIRECT\nSUNLIGHT not only for its growth but also to produce flowers. Here, One very\nimportant tip on sunlight: If your plant is newly bought from a nursery or if\nit\u2019s recently repotted, then you have to protect it from scorching noon\nsunlight like from 12 to 2 pm. Too hot sun, specially in summer at this time of\nthe day can cause stress on the plant. Using a Green shade net is a good idea,\nespecially in summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. <\/strong>WATERING:<\/strong> Simple rule for watering hibiscus\nin summer is \u2013 Daily Watering. In other seasons, specially winter, its always\nbetter to use finger dip method to check the soil for moisture before watering,\nbecause over watering can kill any plant. Make sure to check drainage holes of\nthe container. The Water should freely flow out of the container while\nwatering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. CHOOSING\nTHE CONTAINER:<\/strong> Hibiscus actually performs well when its slightly root\nbound. So when you see this root bound plant, do not jump into repotting it in\na very large container. Prefer to choose only a slightly the next size of the\ncontainer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. \u00a0POTTING SOIL:<\/strong> This is very important. 3. PEST CONTROL:<\/strong> Controlling pests is very important step to keep\nthe plant healthy and blooming. Examine the plant closely for pests and insects\nincluding underside of the leaves. Common pests like whiteflies, aphids,\nmealybugs can be easily eliminated using neem oil 10 ml + few drops liquid soap\nin 1 litre of water. Or adding oils like Clove Oil or eucalyptus oil increases\nthe efficacy specially if its heavily infested. You can use neem oil spraying\nonce 15 days or monthly once for maintenance even if there are no pests and\nweekly twice for few weeks if its loaded with pests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. FOLIAR\nSPRAY WITH EPSOM SALT:<\/strong> Once in a month foliar spray of 1 teaspoon Epsom salt\nper liter of water provides magnesium needed of chlorophyll and makes your\nplant lush green and improves photosynthesis and overall growth and flowering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. PRUNING<\/strong> or trimming your plant:\u00a0 Yes this is another important step which many of us neglect. This promotes more branching and makes it more bushy and hence more flowers. The best time to hard prune hibiscus is at the end of winter or just the beginning of spring. Also deadheading of the flowers from time to time is the most important step for maintaining blooms. Dead heading means removing dead and dried flowers form the plant and this diverts the plant energy from seed formation to plant growth and more flowering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
a) The PH of soil should be slightly acidic like 5.5 to 6.5 is the ideal PH for hibiscus. A simple PH testing tool like this can be very handy. If PH is on higher side, you can alter it by adding some 10 gms of Alum per litre of water and add this to your container. You can also use white distilled vinegar about 1 to 2 teaspoon per liter of water once in a month.
b) The potting soil should well draining. So add stuff like coco peat or peat moss, perlite and compost in proper proportions to your garden soil. One such potting mix recipe<\/a><\/strong> is discussed in one of my articles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n4. FERTILIZERS<\/strong> TO INDUCE FLOWERING\nAND INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE FLOWERS: You can add 1 table spoon bone meal per\ncontainer while making your potting mix or if its already potted, add this\nlittle deeper into the container after removing the top soil, once every 3 to 6\nmonths. This is very important if you want your plant loaded with flowers.
\nThen, you can add compost like Decomposed Cow dung or vermicompost into the\ncontainer once every 15 days or atleast once a month after tilling or raking\nthe top soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n