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julianna_il

Plant hibiscus in the ground this spring?

julianna_il
17 years ago

Hi, I don't know much about hibiscus other than there are two kinds, the kind you bring inside for winter and the kind that are hardy.

I always grow the kind that you bring inside, and have had good luck my whole life. I keep it in a container, put it on the deck for the spring and summer, then cut it way back, stick it in the basement and ignore it until spring. (I water it a couple of times). Works well, and I get beautiful growth come spring/summer.

But the one I have keeps outgrowing its pot. When I gave it a new pot last spring, poor thing was so root bound.

What I'm thinking for this spring is to find a nice spot and plant it in the ground, then dig it up and repot it and do my usual ignore routine through next winter.

Has anyone done this, or will the roots get out of control and I'll be unable to dig it back up? Is there any transplant shock?

Thanks,

Julianna

Comments (3)

  • beachbarbie
    17 years ago

    Why not give it a root trim along with the branch pruning?
    It'll keep it a manageable size. You can keep it the same size almost indefinitely.
    The planting in the ground, then digging up will cause it to suffer shock and will be a pain in the butt for you.
    There's a good article on root trimming on the following website under 'pruning'.
    Good luck!
    Barb

    Here is a link that might be useful: hibiscus care

  • julianna_il
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Oh, that's great info, thank you so much!

  • watergal
    17 years ago

    I've done the in-ground, dig up and pot thing. It's a pain in the neck. The rootballs get huge and the plants sulk. Keep them in pots and root prune as suggested.

    On the other hand, the ones planted in the ground do seem to grow bigger and bloom more. Sometimes I just plant in ground and take cuttings to overwinter.

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