tina, is there anything else,you'll trade for.? i have confederate rose hibiscus,or i have Texas star hibiscus,orcuttings of passionvine"cuerelua".plmk,molly[sewnmom7@yahoo.com]

Hi, Alys. I got your message, as you can see. ;o) Technically, no plant likes to be root-bound. If it did, Mother Nature would have the roots growing in cute, tight little balls - maybe cubes. ;o) WE sometimes prefer to manipulate plants into blooming by growing them tight, or we might allow plants' roots to get tight in a reduced volume of soil for plants that don't like wet feet and 'need' a reduced volume of soil so it dries quickly to a favorable moisture level. Growth is measured by the increase in biomass of the plant; and in every case, tight roots diminish the potential for increased mass. Plus, in Hibiscus, tight roots inhibit both branch extension and blooming. It also tends to make the leaves smaller and grow in 'tufts' at the ends of branches. The root systems are very vigorous, so the plant will need root-pruning/repotting every year or every other year to keep it growing at close to its potential vigor. Because they need repotting so frequently, there is no need to go to the gritty soils that last for several growth cycles. I know you're familiar with the 5:1:1 mix, and that is what I use on Hibiscus. It works well. I don't frequent this forum too often, so I don't know what the general consensus here is about fertilizing, but they're somewhat unusual. They need average amounts of N, very little P, and lots of K. Important - NEVER use fertilizer formulas with the middle number more than 1/3 that of N, - NO 'bloom-booster' blends. A fertilizer in the 3:1:4 ratio would be good, but they're hard to find w/o paying the long dollar for "Hibiscus Fertilizer". Instead, when you repot, add a Tbsp of potash for ever gallon of soil. This will raise the K levels and make the common Miracle-Gro fertilizers in the 3:1:2 ratios (24-8-16 granular soluble or 12-4-8 liquid) perfect. Alternately, get some Dyna-Gro ProTeKt 0-0-3 and include some in the fertilizer solution every time you fertilize. Do your repotting & cutting back early in the year - about the time you can put the plants outdoors and leave them there. I hope that answered everything. Take care, Alys. Al

I've over-wintered in the basement, too. I simply prune the plants back very hard after they're allowed to dry down so they're almost completely dry. They then rest in the cool basement & go through a situational or environmental dormancy related to the dry soil and cool conditions. In spring, I remove the bottom 2/3 of the root mass and bare-root/root prune what's left, before repotting into a fast-draining soil comprised mainly of pine bark fines. Root maintenance is very important if you want to get all you can from hibs. Their rebellion at tight roots includes lots of aborted buds, poor branch extension, and that 'tufted' or 'poodle' look where the foliage growth tends to be concentrated only near the apical meristems (growing tips of branches), not to mention an overall reduction in vitality. Al

Personally, I like the mix of more browns in the granite..like the picture instead of an all black counter. If you have contemporary taste, then the all black may suit you better though. We did have a black granite counter once in our other house...it was HORRIBLE for keeping clean! Everything showed!!! The browns in the other granite will help cover up some of that issue.