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Buds Falling off Hardy Hibiscus

17 years ago

Hello,

This is actually a 2 part question. I have planted 3 new Kopper Kings this year, and some of the small buds fell off before being able to bloom. I did get some blooms on each plant, and the foilage is extremely healthy and beautiful. Could it be that this is just because it is a first year plant? Or maybe because I stopped fertilizing in August? This is not happening to the other hibiscus I put in this year (Lord Baltimore, Pink Swirl, Fireball, Southern Belle).

My second question is after a Hardy Hibiscus blooms, why do most of the buds fall off before they are able to create seeds? It seems so few buds remain to create seeds. But all the plants are extremely healthy.

Any feedback on this would be very much appreciated.

Comment (1)

jenny_in_se_pa
17 years ago
For the 1st question, it could be they reacted negatively (moreso than the others) to a sudden change in their environment (too much or too little water, too hot then too cold, etc). Alternately, there is a bug that can sometimes get into the bud and that aborts the bloom.

As for the 2nd part - it could be that either the flowers were not pollinated (if no bees, etc., are around, then you'd have to do it yourself) or that variety produces flowers that are sterile and won't produce seed even if pollinated.

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