Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
linnea56chgo5b

Tropical hibiscus, getting mine to bloom

I have a tropical hibiscus that was purchased early last summer. I repotted it and it bloomed all last summer. It was wintered over indoors and did well. I brought it in a bit late and it lost some leaves due to frost getting a bit too close, but it recovered well. It still looked a little bare (compared to midsummer) but looked healthy. It is about 18 inches tall. I liked it so much I bought 2 more (much smaller ones) on sale last September. One of those even bloomed twice over the winter.

Now for the question: I have yet to see any buds on my "main" big hibiscus. It has been outside on the deck since the end of May, in the sunniest spot I have. It is gradually getting leafier. One of the smaller ones is setting a lot of buds, the same one that bloomed over the winter (the other smaller one is not). I have not fertilized any of them: I used a potting soil with fertilizer but maybe that has been exhausted. I usually use a granular fertilizer in my flower beds (sparingly) when I don't have compost.

What can I do to make it bloom again? Thanks!

Comment (1)

  • watergal
    15 years ago

    Sounds like some fertilizer is needed. You should check your potting soil and see how long the fertilizer lasts for future reference. Compost in pots is a bad idea. Do not use a "Bloom Booster" type fertilizer, even though it sounds like a good idea - hibiscus prefer a formula with a lower middle number, not a higher one like the bloom boosters have.

    I used to overwinter a lot of tropical hibiscus too, and mine usually wouldn't set buds until late July or early August. It drove me nuts. I think they suffer indoors from the lower light, and it takes them that long to catch up.

    Also, if you ever need to prune, be aware that it takes about 3 months from pruning a branch until that branch will bloom again.