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tomatofreak

Hibiscus: can I cut back?

tomatofreak
9 years ago

I had put this potted plant back close to the house to keep it from frying. Now that **I'm** not frying, I'm trying to catch up on some yard work. The hibiscus looks sorta like an octopus with long skinny, floppy branches. Can I cut it back to, say, 1' - 1 1/2' tall? What would you advise?

Comments (6)

  • waterbug_guy
    9 years ago

    Not a lot of details but I'm going to assume it's not getting much sun...causing it to get leggy (long skinny branches without a lot of leaves). If true, cutting back will probably not do much except make the branches shorter. To me a leggy plant is struggling and pruning can be the last nail in the coffin. Pruning back and moving to more sun can increase leaves if other things are also OK. But pretty much impossible to tell.

    Could be other factors...root bound plants can respond well to pruning back. Lack of nutrients can be helped by pruning back.

    I advise providing more info. You'll get more relevant advice.

  • SteveF21
    9 years ago

    I've struggled with various varieties of hibiscus. The variety I found to be much hardier than the others is the San Diego Red. I planted 9 of these along the north side of my house, where they get afternoon shade. They are 6-7 feet tall.

  • waterbug_guy
    9 years ago

    SteveF21, how much water do they get? They look great.

  • cwlucking
    9 years ago

    Holy Mackerel - look at all those flowers!!!!

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    9 years ago

    Steve, good job on those hibiscus. What direction does the wall face? What I mean is, is it a north *facing* wall? That will give it shade in winter and full-on sun in summer. I have a wall like that and cannot get anything to grow there because of the disparity in conditions. Also, like waterbug, I'm interested in how much water they get. Hubby does not want me to plant thirsty plants near the foundation of the house. [grumble]

  • grant_in_arizona
    9 years ago

    GEORGEOUS hibiscus plants and flowers, Steve, really great to see! Like the others, I'd love to hear the exact conditions and treatment you give them; they're just so perfect. Love them.

    Tomato, *I* wouldn't prune a hibiscus now since that often causes fresh new growth which will be very tender if Jack Frost visits this winter. If it was mine, I'd wait until after our short frost season is over. Let us know what you do and how it works out.

    Happy gardening all!
    Grant

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