Hibiscus - Colorful Blossoms
If you ask me for a flowering plant, I would suggest Hibiscus on top of all other flowering plants.
Why?
Let’s see……
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Hibiscus has its own importance for its beauty. There are millions of variants we see around us. Its color and unique formation make it stand out amongst several other flowers.
Hibiscus varies by its texture, design, color etc. Its several species are native to tropical and subtropical regions.
Hibiscus is not only being used as an ornamental plant but it has medicinal significance as well.
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Let us have a deeper look towards all the facts related to Hibiscus.
Health benefits of Hibiscus
Studies say that Hibiscus is useful for weight loss. It helps even in treating cancer. Apart from that it is helpful to balance the blood pressure, relieving fever or bacterial infections, wounds, constipation and indigestion problems.
In some regions it is being said that Hibiscus tea is used to treat heart and liver diseases too.
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How to select the right Hibiscus plant?
When you go to purchase a Hibiscus plant, carefully check for the color of the leaves. If the leaves are dark green and look fresh then that is your plant.
Never go for purchasing a plant with the yellowed leaves which indicates that the plant has never been taken care of for many days.
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Another check is, number of developing buds. If the plant has a sufficient
number of new developing buds then that is a healthy one to bring at your home.
When you see this Collage of Hibiscus, you will definitely get confused to choose one of them to enhance your home beauty!! They all look equally beautiful and unique. If you see carefully, no one looks like another, right?
The healthy plant will have firm stem and roots which can be a third parameter to choose a right Hibiscus plant.
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Temperature: Hibiscus loves warm weather. It needs the temperature to be between 60° - 90° Fahrenheit (16° -32° C) in the daytime
(Generally above 32° Fahrenheit).
The night temperature should not go below 50° Fahrenheit.
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Sunlight: Choose such a location where the Hibiscus will get full sun for at least six hours.
Note: Make sure the place you have chosen is not susceptible to the wind. The Hibiscus flowers are too delicate to bear strong winds.
Soil Being a tropical plant Hibiscus needs rich, moist but well-drained soil to plant in. Hibiscus plants love the
acidic soil with the soil pH in between 6.5 to 6.8.
Determine the soil pH and you can increase or decrease it by adding Fast Acting Lime or Sulphur respectively.
You can prepare an ideal potting mixture by putting together the moist loamy soil, sand, peat moss, fine bark and pH adjacent in a
container in which you are about to plant the Hibiscus.
Planting Start filling the pot with the potting mixture you have with you. Once the pot is filled halfway, dig a hole whichis twice bigger than the
root ball of the plant.
Take out the Hibiscus plant gently from its current plastic pot and place it in the hole. If the plant is placed
properly, start filling the pot with the remaining potting mixture.
Water Needs: When the weather is hot or dry, please water your Hibiscus daily but DO NOT overwater it. Over Watering will
just make your plant rest in peace.
In the winter season you water it twice a week.
Fertilizers: Adjust the fertility of the soil using 16-16-16 (N-P-K) soil mixture.
In the summer season you can use high Potassium fertilizers and in the winter season no fertilizers at all.
Pests and Cure
If you see the Hibiscus drooping down its leaves, holes and stains on the leaves and petals or ant sticky residue flowing across leaves or stem and ultimately failing to bloom and thrive then please check over the plant for some potential insects like spiders, white bugs, mealybugs etc. If you see it wandering around the plant, sprinkle a shower of Neem oil over it.
As a precaution you can spray a strong water shower at regular intervals and let your plant dry out well before the next wash.
Repotting: Repotting the Hibiscus will help it stay healthy. Take a pot which is twice the size than the current pot.
Special care - Pruning the Hibiscus
Pruning the Branches: Pruning matters when the pot in which the Hibiscus is planets is too small. Remember in the case of Hibiscus single flower blooms on
each branch. So, the shape of the plants matters a lot here.
Remove the dead blooms, and cut the crisscrossed branches, try to maintain equal length of the stems keeping it look tidy.
Pruning the roots: Check if the plant roots are wrapping around the root ball. This activity is supposed to be performed every 2 years.
Take out the plant gently from the pot and check the root ball for the revolving roots. Cut these roots with sterile knife to avoid any
further Infection and fix the plant again with the potting mix.
Hope this information will help your Hibiscus grow and bloom well and give a heavenly colorful look to your house corner.
At the end don’t forget to watch the video to experience how beautiful it is to see Hibiscus blooming!!!!
