Help! I think I poisoned my Hibiscus!

18 years ago

I have a red Hibiscus thats in the middle of my 2 Brugs. I found my 2 Brugs to be infected by spider mites so I sprayed them with Malathion.I was thinking that maybe the Hibiscus was infected with spider mites as well,so I sprayed it with Malathion too.
This morning I see that its leaves are turning yellow and dropping...badly.
I posted in the 'florida gardening' group and someone there said that hibiscus' were sensitive to malathion.Oh No! Did I poison it? Anything I can do at this point?
I'm going to have to move it so this dosent happen again,not to mention that it will get overspray every time I spray my Brugs.
Is it a safe time to move it? Should I wait until early morning/late evening? Should I cut it back in order to transplant?

My hibiscus is about 5 1/2 feet tall but not real bushy,more of an upright habit.It's red,blooms rarely.I don't know what kind it is,I bought it at Home Depot.

Thanks for all your help!
Breezy
zone-9,Central Florida

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Comments (4)

sandman3
18 years ago
My husband did the same thing. A dinner guest brought me a planted lily & it had bugs of some sort (aphidsÂmaybe). Anyway, a newly purchased hibiscus was its neighbor and so it was sprayed too. Unfortunately, the lily survived but the hibiscus did not. My husband is now forbidden to care for my hibiscus (as well as my orchids). Because of their sensitivity to insecticides, I only spray with Neem oil, wipe off bugs with Kleenex and then vigilantly watch them. So far, so good. I also learned (from experience) about too much watering, etc.
susan_retired
15 years ago
I also used Malathion on my hibiscus. Is there anything I can do to save it? Many leaves are falling, but it's still blooming. I stopped using the Malathion a month ago.

Susan_retired
tsmith2579
15 years ago
I'll bet it was in the sun after it was sprayed. I never spray until sundown and then rinse it off the next morning. Fertilize them and water. Malathion will not kill the plant but may kill ALL ot the leaves. It should recover. I would give it a fertilization with a Miracle-Gro type fertilizer at 1/2 strength and 2 tablespoons of Epsom salts with 2 gallons of water. Now sit back, take a deep breath and stop worrying. It will should come back just fine.
junkyardgirl
15 years ago
It will make all the leaves fall off, but they will come back. Just care for it as you normally do. Unless you're in Florida or So.Cal, they might not come back until spring.