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**** The Gardener's Forum ****]
Care and Cultivation of Hibiscus Plants
Hibiscus moscheutos
April 21,1998
Nancy wrote
We live in southern California (near Los Angeles) and have about 9 large hibiscus plants planted around the pool and spa. They have been in our
gardens and doing well for about 3 years; however about 5 of our plants are having problems in that all of their leaves have turned yellow and
have fallen off. Do you have any ideas as to what the problem(s) might
be?
Thank you in advance for you time and assistance!
Nancy
Hibiscus requires a sandy soil rich in organic matter that will retain water.The ideal soil pH is 6.0 to 7.0. They do not like wet feet but must never be allowed to completely dry out. A mulch on top of the soil will help to maintain a constant level of moisture in the summer. Fertilize lightly and often, especially at the beginning and during the growing season, using a soluble 10-10-10 plant food. A slow release type peletted fertilizer is also accepable.
As far as the ill health of your plants goes, there could be several reasons. The plants could be under some sort of stress possibly caused from a dosage of fertilizer which was to strong or its soil has been to wet recently.
Aphids, thrips, whiteflies or spider mites can also significantly sap the plants vigor, and cause leaf loss. Occasionally, bacterial and viral diseases may threaten a plant. Either disease or insects can begin their destruction on one plant, before spreading to the remaining plants, which are then affected. Another possible reason might be the fumes from the chlorine used in your pool, if there happened to be a breeze pushing these vapors toward the plants immediately after the water was treated. The leaf loss does not necessarily mean that the plants are dead, they could only be in severe shock. However, plants that cannot be revived should be discarded to prevent the spread of whatever has caused their death.
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