hi dragon5! i don't know anything about hibiscus, but you might want to ask your question at the arizona gardening forum. there are a lot of nice people there that might be able to help.

now, i do have some lantana in my yard. how often are you watering them? lantana are pretty hardy here in arizona and mine seem to grow like weeds. i water about every 7 days during the hot summer months with a slow deep watering. you want to make sure the water is getting down about 2 feet into the soil. my lantanas grow so well, that i usually trim them a few times a year.

I did find the AZ forum, thanks! And since I posted my question, the lantana are blooming again..my problem, I think, was that I wasn't deep drip watering, but just turning on the hose every day.

Thanks!

Yes, you need to water them deeply. Most xeriscape plants like a deep watering and will get yellow leaves with too often, shallow watering.

I think that hibiscus need a lot of fertilizer and some occasional iron and zinc to ward off chlorosis. It's our alkaline soils, don't ya know.

Check near the roots to see if pill bugs are living there and possibly eating the roots. Do the rest of the leaves look dusty? If so, that could be spider mites. I am a newbie and only know these things b/c my hibiscus had the same problem. I gave it some Miracle Gro for Acid Lovers and snail bait and it looks a lot better, although it isn't blooming as much now.

lol. i also planted two lantanas in pots and a hibuscus (in ground) in May. The lantana both died. The hibiscus did the same yellow leaf thing until almost gone. I gave it a little "ironite" a few days ago and it's sprouting new tiny leaves and has 3 flower buds. by the way, I live in hot dry Bullhead City, AZ.

In the Phoenix area, hibiscus really like to have coffee grounds worked into the soil surrounding the plant. Stop by your local Starbucks, pick up some grounds, and mulch away!

Eva

I live in dallas ft worth area planted two hibiscus in april. Here we are having 98 to 99 degree weather right now with heat index upto around 107. I deep water my hibiscus every morning early or real late in evening when it is cooler. Also I am 100% organic. MIne are looking great also Roses here go semi-dorment this time of year. I also put coffe grounds on everything in my garden. my sister in NM is doing great with her hibiscus also.

My hibiscus haven't been turning yellow, but one was looking pretty sad...turns out ants were attacking it! I sprayed with soapy water, and it's looking a little better. They are in pots, and getting 2 hours of water 4 days a week.

My mexican bird of paradise, just planted about a week ago, is also getting 2 hours 4 days a week, and it's bottom leaves are turning yellow, though. Anyone know what's up with that?

Hello dragon5,

Hibiscus Plants that are losing their bottom leaves can be a sign that the plants are not being watered well enough or the plants were in transit too long.

Hibiscus are heavy drinkers and aggressive feeders.

FERTILIZER: Hibiscus are heavy feeders and require a balanced fertilizer such as a 20-20-20 or 10-10-10. Use at half the label recommended strength every 2-3 weeks when placed outside for the summer.

Water all of your plants slowly and deeply. Here in the sonoran desert if we water our plants shallow they develop a shallow root system. Our intense sun evaporates the surface water and the plants suffer.

Watering guide: Flowers and veggis-water every day 6"-1' deep. Shrubs-every 5-7 days 1-2' deep. Trees-every 10-14 days 2-4' deep

Here is a link that might be useful: Sarting your own landscape plants

My landscaper planted all kinds of Hibiscus in my front and back yards but only the ones with red flowers grew. All the rest with yellow or orange flowers died. Perhaps the red variety is the most suitable for a hot climate, in fact, they grow like crazy.

I've found that my coral and red hibiscus bloom without any help but the pink one and my irritation the red/yellow hybrid will not grow at all. I've just put coffee grounds on all of them. I water the red/yellow pain in the butt and leave the others on their own I just don't know what to do if this doesn't work. I'm in FL.

i read to water with 1 cup of vinegar to a gallon of water for in ground habiscus, wondering what the ratio should be for potted habiscus.