Hibiscus plants - small leaves or less leaves. advise?

I have a rooftop garden with 18 hibiscus plants in pots. The pots are not too large though. The plants are almost 2 years old. I do get flowers from most of the plants on a daily basis. However, the plants look barren and the leaves are very small and very few. When I see other potted hibiscus plants in other houses, I find them leafy. Please advise

Hibiscus plants - small leaves or less leaves. advise?
Temperature and sunlight are the main factors here. The night time temperature for your garden shouldn't dip below the 45 F mark (it can occasionally, but it's best to keep'em warm). Daytime temps in the 70's F. Tropical Hibiscus (I am presuming here) like it sunny.





You mentioned that they were in 'small' pots. If they've been in the same pot for 2-3 years they should be checked to see if they need repotting. Pull the plant out of the pot, if there are alot of roots around the edge, probably you need to move the plant into the next size larger pot (if roots are coming out of the bottom, that's a good indicator too - as Reynwater says). Don't move to too large a pot, and plant the plants at the same level they are at in their current pot. In the spring and summer (in cooler climates) they should be getting a regular application of fertilizer, less in the fall and winter (in warmer area's consult your local independent garden center for fertilizing advice).





They should get the occasional pruning as well, to keep the plants compact (for container growing). Spring is the time to do that. Reduce long branches.





I hope that this helps


Good luck
Reply:I brought tropical hibiscus in as the winter approached. I keep them in a sunny kitchen but am having an equivalent problem. They dropped their regular-size leaves and now have small leaves with beautiful pink flowers. I think lack of bright sunlight is the culprit. I am not sure how you deal with that on a rooftop but it may be a seasonal problem. If they can slip through until the sunny warm days the plants may return to their full glory.
Reply:Check the bottom of the pots, if you see roots coming out of the holes, they want repotting. Hibiscus are heavy feeders, give them some Miracle Gro. Bloom is encouraged by heat. good luck
Reply:Hibiscus. Which kind?





You need to know which one you have. Unfortunately, garden centers, nurseries and home improvement centers lump all hibiscus together.





If your hibiscus has glossy deep green leaves, 3-6" flowers of red, pink, orange, yellow, double or single flowers, it is probably a TROPICAL hibiscus. While many common garden varieties have the 3-6" blooms, many of the hybrid varieties of tropical hibiscus can have blooms around 10" in diameter under ideal conditions.





Another way to check is if the flowers are salmon, peach, orange, or yellow, or double flowered, then you probably have a TROPICAL hibiscus. Hardy hibiscus do not come in these colors or in doubles! Many tropical hibiscus flowers have more than one color in a bloom either in bands or as spots.





If your hibiscus has dull medium green heart shaped leaves, dinner plate sized white, pink or red flowers with HUGE, bomb shaped buds (2-4" in length!), it is a perennial, hardy hibiscus.





Hardy hibiscus need very little care over the winter, they are root hardy to about zone 5 with no protection. They die to the ground each year.





If you have a tropical hibiscus, remember it is a TROPICAL. They will not tolerate more than a night or two of light freezes. Even one hard freeze (below 25) could kill the plant. These plants are native to sunny, warm and usually humid tropical places.





They detest cold, rainy weather and cold, wet soil. They will not reliably survive outdoors north of zone 9. In all other areas, it may be a good idea to bring them indoors BEFORE temps regularly drop below 40-45 F at night to avoid any damage.





Treating your tropical hibiscus correctly will give you years of enjoyment. But remember, they are not immortal! Some are spent after 4 or 5 years in a pot and should be tossed away at this point. Try some of the many and never ending new hybrids being developed!

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