Drive through any tropical landscape , and you ’ll see bushes , efflorescence shrubs , flowering plants and diminished trees sporting petalous blooms in a diverseness of colors , shapes and size . What you are looking at are just a few of the several hundred metal money of the hibiscus ( Hibiscusspp . ) flora .
Hibiscus began with eight coinage that are the ancestors of the New hibiscus . Hybridizers have been working for more than 300 years to lucubrate their form and flower sizing . Sometimes , they even braid their trunks to create a topiary - like video display .
What Hibiscus Species Is Best for Braiding?
TheHibiscus rosa - sinensis , or Taiwanese hibiscus , is the metal money of choice if you ’re considering creating a braided hibiscus tree . In a process that spring up in China or India , braid Chinese hibiscus is the forerunner of the existence of Japanese bonsai .
Braiding them is an artistic production form calledshumu penjing . grow in USDA plant hardiness zone 9 and 10 , the Chinese hibiscus plant postulate to be braid when young and their stems wrapped together early on if they are to give a height of 5 to 6 metrical foot . At that tallness , a braided hibiscus is an impressive and dramatic houseplant .
Braiding Potted Hibiscus
1 . Choose three to four of the healthiest - wait Chinese hibiscus , the tropic hibiscus diverseness , you’re able to notice . They can change in hibiscus flower colour or all be like , but keep them under 2 feet tall . 2 . The trunks must be as slender as a pencil , and each should have an established theme organisation . 3 . set the tiny trees in a 10 - inch , 3 - gal pot with good drainage and fill it with a soilless potting medium . Add sand and perlite to improve drainage , as hibiscus does not care wet foot . Add organic fabric such as insect castings once a year . 4 . Begin by braiding the trunk together , looping one over the other in a relaxed manner . You need to leave elbow room for the trunk to elaborate as they grow . uphold braiding until you reach the foliage ; then tie the stems together loosely . 5 . Trim any sidetrack stems , making the canopy smooth and uniform . 6 . For a hibiscus planted alfresco , the braid method is the same , but the plant wo n’t survive stern weather conditions . Temperatures below 55 ° F will surely kill the plant . Overwinter the tree in the star sign or in a cellar . 7 . Repot every three years .
Hibiscus Tree Care
It will take several years for your braid hibiscus to reach maturity and become a flowering tree . It will also need paying attention sustentation .
where it gets at least 6 to 8 hours of full sun per day . When the temperatures startle to warm , you may acclimate it to the outdoors by placing the pot in the outdoor temperateness for a few hr day by day .
kill your flora . Hibiscus prefer being ironical . Test the soil by plunge your finger at least 2 inches into the potting admixture . If it comes out wry , add body of water . Fall and wintertime months command even less piss .
also propose that when watering , add a balanced 16 - 16 - 16 plant food to the weewee , 1 teaspoonful weekly , during the spring .
Tip
Temperatures below 55 ° F will sure kill the plant . Overwinter the tree in the house or in a cellar .
Pruning Your Braided Hibiscus
Pruning hibiscus is akin to devote a young child a haircut . It keeps the plant in a rounded , healthy form . prune your tropical hibiscus in the spring , summer and fall .
If your pot is outdoors , impart it in when the temperatures return and give it a hard prune . assay to preclude the plant from becoming leggy and looking like a sputnik .
Tropical Hibiscus Plant Pests
Whether your braided hibiscus is an out-of-door flora or sitting in a gay billet in the living room , pests will find oneself it . Outdoor hibiscus is more susceptible to pests and disease , but indoor tree also suffer .
If newly emerge bud come out to dismiss , investigate whether the plant has wanderer mites , thrips , whitefly or aphids . Overwatering leads to downy or powdery mildew , gray mould or root hogwash .
Instead of tearing weekly , apply a neem grime drench as a replacement for one of those hebdomadal waterings . Its most in effect ingredient , Azadirachtin , is dissipate through the whole vascular anatomical structure of the hibiscus to destroy the plague .
