hibiscus care

[benpaul]

well crud i just got a hibiscus tree 2 weeks ago and the leaves are getting all floppy and dieing. anyon ehave any tips on how i may save it? i doubt ill find another in wisconsin in fall....

 

[carol5208]

Unfortunately Hibiscus are a flowering plant and every flowering plant needs sunlight to exist. They are hard to keep indoor in enclosures. There are plant lights that you can get maybe someone else can let you know what you need but even with that they are just not that hardy indoors. You said you live in wisconsin, I would probably give up on the Hibiscus. i was going to tell you to get another hibiscus and rotate them in the sun outside but I know you guys don't see the sun for like 6 months up there! My sister lives there and totally hates the winters. Get a sheffelera, they are much hardier and you can get them at home depot also.

 

[Psi]

Even under a plant light mine cook and die.

I can't keep them alive for long at all.

Sucks because they're a great plant, just so weak to indoor care.

 

[ghettomike]

I put one of the bush/stalky ones in my enclosure about 6 weeks ago and it seems to be doing pretty good. It has really good draining soil and needs to be watered 2-3 times a week. I got two 27 watt 6500k cfls in a hood above it and it seems to be doing quite good with new growth and flowers still popping out. It did thin out a bit when I brought it inside but seems to be doing good. It worked out well too because the two cfl's along with the 5.0 tube it keeps my female chams basking spot right around 82 degrees so I don't need to use a seperate bulb for heat.

 

[carol5208]

I put one of the bush/stalky ones in my enclosure about 6 weeks ago and it seems to be doing pretty good. It has really good draining soil and needs to be watered 2-3 times a week. I got two 27 watt 6500k cfls in a hood above it and it seems to be doing quite good with new growth and flowers still popping out. It did thin out a bit when I brought it inside but seems to be doing good. It worked out well too because the two cfl's along with the 5.0 tube it keeps my female chams basking spot right around 82 degrees so I don't need to use a seperate bulb for heat.

Thanks ghettomike! I was hoping someone would respond with some info on the grow lights!!!

 

[tdotcham]

i live in toronto too.. i brought a 6 foot tree inside from outdoors as the night temperatures were dropping... and i originally thought i was going to lose my tree. it dropped at least 90% of its leaves.

added a little miracle grow soil on top, and moved it to infront of a window that gets a decent amount of sunlight (although not direct), and its got buds all over every branch again. the one in my enclosure just kinda sits tho and doesnt really worsen or get better

 

[HecticZ]

What kind of Hibiscus, woody or not can you take a picture. I have a woody Hibiscus doing fine with 120w plant light, that's on a dome fixture.

 

[JohnnyD]

Ive given up on them as well. Great looking plant but they just don't last.

 

[radstusky]

I have an hibiscus in each of my cages. On my big cage, I have a 3ft 6500K fluorescent in addition to my UVB bulb. After planting this tree in there, it lost quite a few leaves, however it seems to be doing well now. I think it's going to make it.

In my smaller cage, I switched the basking light to a 60W "grow" light, and this hibiscus also seems to be doing pretty well. This plant gets a lot of water from the mister, but I also have good drainage. Overall I think you can get the hibiscus to live in your cage, you just need the 6500K lighting.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

I havent had good luck with them at all. And I use 6500k bulbs for my plants in addition to the normal uvb tube. I now use schefflerra in all my cages. They are hardy as hell. They are also much easier to prune and shape so that the cham has open areas and highways to move about on.

 

[Mr Wilson]

When we had the bushy ones in enclosures, they never flowered again, and the leaves only grew on top. We decided to just keep them outdoor as their outside plants. We've also brought them inside and put them on the window sill so they have some out of cage time when it's too chilly out.

 

[JDUBK]

I'm so confused now because my hibiscus is doing great. I don't have a plant light it almost never sees sunlight and it is growing all over top and bottom. All my plants actually are doing outstanding. Why is this because to be honest I have a black thumb indoors and out.

 

[Mr Wilson]

How long have you had your plant for? Ours did really great for a while, but as time when on it leaves died, it didn't bud anymore, and then it only grew leaves towards the top, where the plant light is.

Perhaps it's the location of your cage, is it near a place where there is a lot of natural sunlight coming in? Perhaps living in Cali has something to do with it also, better climate?

 

[TheReptisentative]

just got mine and im in norcal so wish me luck

 

[benpaul]

crap he loves his hibiscus sooo much. he always sleeps in the same spot every night and I'm so sad to have to take it away from him!!! I just moved him to his adult cage and now i have to stress him out more by stealing his plant.