Hardy Hibiscus Pruning/Shaping

Post Reply
User avatar
andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Hardy Hibiscus Pruning/Shaping

Post by andy10917 » August 10th, 2014, 12:28 pm

I have Hardy Hibiscus that are liking the soil/location they are in -- a little too much.

They have grown to over 7' tall, which is a little excessive for their location (OK, a lot). "Normal" is supposedly 4' - 6' tall.

Can they be pruned back and shaped earlier in the season, and if so, when do you stop shaping them to avoid losing blooms?

User avatar
HoosierLawnGnome
Posts: 9591
Joined: May 22nd, 2013, 5:59 pm
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Grass Type: Blueberry KBG
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Hardy Hibiscus Pruning/Shaping

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » August 10th, 2014, 9:09 pm

I'm interested too. Used to have some before the deck and just replanted some last week. Do you cage yours? I always lopped mine down to the ground every spring.

[ Post made via Android ] Image

User avatar
andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Hardy Hibiscus Pruning/Shaping

Post by andy10917 » August 10th, 2014, 9:20 pm

No, we stake them, but at 7' even staking doesn't work -- we had to tie them back to the porch latticework too.

We lop ours down to the ground in November/December as old wood is always dead in the Spring. That ain't getting the job done though.

User avatar
HoosierLawnGnome
Posts: 9591
Joined: May 22nd, 2013, 5:59 pm
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Grass Type: Blueberry KBG
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Hardy Hibiscus Pruning/Shaping

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » August 10th, 2014, 9:23 pm

Hm. I don't want to cage mine because I think it looks tacky. Wonder if I could use the privacy fence and tie them up.

Mine get up to 4 or 5 feet but flop. That was in shade.

What is the soil like where yours are planted?

[ Post made via Android ] Image

User avatar
andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Hardy Hibiscus Pruning/Shaping

Post by andy10917 » August 10th, 2014, 9:40 pm

It's right in front of the front porch. That means it's TEC 12, pH 6.5, high-OM (it's where I dump yesterdays coffee grounds). Soil is probably 60% mineral soil, 25% peat moss and 15% compost. No mulch. Probably the sunniest spot on the front yard at 4+ hrs a day. The spot is behind a couple of hosta (no surprise there!) and next to a Hydrangea. It gets nothing special for fertilizers, just Vitamin M.


User avatar
HoosierLawnGnome
Posts: 9591
Joined: May 22nd, 2013, 5:59 pm
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Grass Type: Blueberry KBG
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Hardy Hibiscus Pruning/Shaping

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » August 10th, 2014, 9:47 pm

Mine are in the retaining wall planting which has some soil I brought in years ago to backfill, will get 6+ hours of sun, and are right over a natural spring so I hope they do well. It's probably more acidic soil than yours but the others I had grew well in the crappy backfill soil they were in before.

[ Post made via Android ] Image

Rokal
Posts: 126
Joined: July 11th, 2014, 7:54 pm
Location: Long Island / Zone 6b
Grass Type: Kentucky Bluegrass
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

Re: Hardy Hibiscus Pruning/Shaping

Post by Rokal » August 12th, 2014, 7:59 am

My hardy hibiscus die back to the ground each winter. In spring when they reach 12", I cut them back by half. This encourages stockier plant and more blooms. I don't prune after Memorial Day. I've never had to stake them.

[ Post made via Android ] Image

User avatar
andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Hardy Hibiscus Pruning/Shaping

Post by andy10917 » August 12th, 2014, 8:12 am

What height do they wind up at, at blooming time?

Rokal
Posts: 126
Joined: July 11th, 2014, 7:54 pm
Location: Long Island / Zone 6b
Grass Type: Kentucky Bluegrass
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

Re: Hardy Hibiscus Pruning/Shaping

Post by Rokal » August 12th, 2014, 8:20 am

My tallest tops out around 5'-6'. I'm growing Kopper King, party favor, and moy grande.

[ Post made via Android ] Image

jglongisland
Posts: 7395
Joined: May 30th, 2009, 2:56 pm
Location: Long Island
Grass Type: KBG
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

Re: Hardy Hibiscus Pruning/Shaping

Post by jglongisland » August 6th, 2015, 10:31 pm

Sorry I didn't see this. I have a ton of them. If you prune them down early (2-3 weeks after they come up) you'll keep vertical growth down but the plant will be wider and it will bloom 2-3 weeks later than it would have.

User avatar
andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Hardy Hibiscus Pruning/Shaping

Post by andy10917 » August 7th, 2015, 12:02 pm

Mine started blooming a week ago, and it has never had as many blooms as this year. It's averaging 12-15 blooms a day, although each lasts only a day or two. I have no idea what is different this year...

jglongisland
Posts: 7395
Joined: May 30th, 2009, 2:56 pm
Location: Long Island
Grass Type: KBG
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

Re: Hardy Hibiscus Pruning/Shaping

Post by jglongisland » August 7th, 2015, 12:12 pm

andy10917 wrote:Mine started blooming a week ago, and it has never had as many blooms as this year. It's averaging 12-15 blooms a day, although each lasts only a day or two. I have no idea what is different this year...
I'm having a good year to, last year not so good.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests