How can I keep my Hibiscus trees alive during the winter?

I live in Missouri so we get really cold winters. I have two Hibiscus trees in pots. How do I keep them alive for next summer?

How can I keep my Hibiscus trees alive during the winter?
Hi Heidi, I have over wintered mine by letting them go dormant in a garage where the temp does not freeze. Tropical plants have problems even when the temp dips into the low 40s. If you have a storage room off the garage the plants would do well there. DO NOT fertilize until you are ready to move them out for the summer. Osmocote is a great slow release fertilizer to use in the spring. You will need to water the pots a couple of times during the winter. Water sparingly you don't want the plants standing in a wet soil. The leaves will drop and you may want to do a little judicious pruning before you "winterize" them.


Take care and good luck,


Phillip
Reply:Move them inside. I keep mine in my garage, but I live in OK, so a bit warmer. Temp stays above freezing in there-- use a compact flourescent light and leave it on most of the day for a light source. Plants will lose a lot of leaves, but survive ok. Better of Course to put them in a sunny window.
Reply:best thing to do is to bring them inside...but if you can't do that, then try insulating them when it freezes with garbage bags or sheets...or if you have room in your garage, that should do the trick too. they won't bloom, but should keep them alive for next year.

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