Help before i kill it!

[camaleonte82]

i totally acted on impulse today but i couldn't help myself. i was at work and we marked alot of our plants that had been there a while half off... including hibiscus trees... and after work i bought one.... and i have already killed a ficus, a peach tree, and a rose bush... THIS YEAR! no any hints on not only keeping it ALIVE but should i wash it for my chams? it was outside for months and is really pretty so i dont think it really needs washed. just re-potted.

 

[carol5208]

are you going to keep it outside? If so, just water when the soil gets dry. If not they are hard to grow indoors cause they flower and they really need alot of sunlight. So if you are going to keep indoors you will need a grow light like a 6500K which can be purchased at home dept. You will need the tube fixture for it to go in also. If it is going to be inside a cage thatis going to get alot of water from mistings or dripper then you have to make sure it will drain properly or you will get root rot.

 

[camaleonte82]

i can grow Bamboo, Cactus and Jade with no problem. so lets hope hibiscus is next on the list lol. and its going to be inside as part of their free range

 

[carol5208]

a uvb light will probably not be enough. So I would recommend a grow light. Mostly because it flowers and they really do need alot of sunlight to thrive. Some veilds like to eat the flowers and they are safe for consumption incase you did not know.

 

[camaleonte82]

a uvb light will probably not be enough. So I would recommend a grow light. Mostly because it flowers and they really do need alot of sunlight to thrive. Some veilds like to eat the flowers and they are safe for consumption incase you did not know.

thats partly the reason i jumped so quickly to buy it. but because i had to wait til after work there were no red ones left only pink oh well.

 

[ataraxia]

Keep hibiscus in a 50/50 sand soil mix. Keep the soil moist, not soggy. Ill let it get a tad dry from time to time but not for long. Give it good lighting and you will enjoy this plant. Blooms huge beautiful flowers.

 

[maxttu]

I just purchased a 48" fixture from wallyworld for $10 and a 2-pack of 6500k bulbs from Home Depot for $8 or $9...

 

[camaleonte82]

I just purchased a 48" fixture from wallyworld for $10 and a 2-pack of 6500k bulbs from Home Depot for $8 or $9...

i like the sound of that!

 

[kokom05lb]

I have 2 hibicus plants... one that was the main plant in Ringo's cage and it has done really good without the 6500k like. But I removed it from his cage when I moved him to his adult cage. Now they are both outside waiting to be transplanted and my next project to begin.

 

[DekuScrub]

simply sounds like youre trying too hard.. as far as im aware killing a ficus without destroying the roots is nearly impossible, ill leave em out into subfreezing temperatures and as long as it isnt prolonged thye bounce back all bushy and small.

hibiscus is a different story. pop the buds off before they flower it seems to drain them. you have to balance wet and dry. it kind of just takes a bit of trial and error, i got a hibisus earlier this year and it immediately began flowering and went to shit. looked sickly ill. even will full indoor sunlight in my kitchen, stuck it in a cham cage and it bounced right back. of course it isnt uber bushy but it has a real nice amount of foliage.

i think your green thumb is trying too hard. or you might not be good with plants. i tend to advocate keeping live plants in cages becuse if you cant keep the plant alive youre likely going to have issues with the cham.

fresh soil, bigger pots and aeration in the soil is great, especially if its a very wet environment, pearlite or vermiculite will do just fine, just cover the surface wilth a later of fresh compost, and large stone or small plants (i use small plants like spider plants to dissuade them from eating soil) or even moss or grass if its lit well enough in the bottom. big plants my cages tent to steal all the light from the canopy.

good luck have fun and dont worry too much. too much worry can and will be detrimental