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Arizona Gardening

What's wrong with my hibiscus?

8 years ago

Previously this hibiscus has withstood the summer heat. This year, however, it's really struggling. It's on a south facing wall, gets morning and afternoon sun - late
afternoon it's shaded by a ficus tree. I don't see any signs of bugs.
Have tried extra water, but it doesn't look healthy. At least the one
next to it is surviving summer. And it gets more sun than the one on the left. Any help?

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Comments (4)

iandyaz
8 years ago
I'm no expert on hibiscus but it looks like some nitrogen might help it? Although in my experience when it's a nitrogen issue, it's just the new leaves that are turning yellow. Another possibility is that it might be is the soil around it is retaining too much water (this can change even in a couple feet). How are you watering it? You could try reducing the flow of water it receives, but extend the amount of time. If it's a 1-2 gph emitter, change to .5 gph emitter. If you're using a hose, maybe slow the water a lot (just barely dripping out of the hose).
LeslieM peoria az
8 years ago
I have read that hibiscus do not like to be fertilized. I haven't had much luck with hibiscus myself, but I have seen this same thing happen many times- one plant is deliriously happy, and the one next to it dies. There doesn't seem to be any reason for it, I don't know if they get a disease or if there's an insect that will hit one and not another. It just seems like if they're happy they do great, and if not, there isn't much you can do for them.
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Bama, you have a few choices. Bayer Advanced Multi Insect Killer is a good spray which will not harm your hibiscus leaves. Spray according to the label. Collinw mentioned labybigs which are good but also goo are granddaddy longlegs spiders. They will eat them as well and do an efficient job of cleaning them of the pests. Or, take a quart jar of hot water, drop in 3 or 4 cloves of garlic (crushed). Sit it in the bright sunshine for 4 or 5 days. Strain out the garlic and store in a cool, dark place, tightly sealed. Add a cup of this to a gallon of water and spray the hibiscus. This will get rid of them. Finally, buy a system insecticide and water with it. The bugs suck the moisture and die from the poison in the plants juices.
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OK, lets do a little math. Let's say you have a one gallon emitter on each plant. You're watering 90 minutes, 3 times a day. That's 4.5 gallons each time you apply water (assuming you don't have clogged emitters). A three foot shrub needs about 8 gallons of water each time its' applied. Visualize that one gallon of water will moisten one cubic foot of soil. 8 gallons would moisten an area 2' x 2' by 2 feet deep. That's just about right for your plants now but as they grow they'll need more water. Watering deeply pushes any accululated salts below the root zone which can cause yellowing leaves. A better strategy for watering is to apply the water once a day rather than 3 times a day. Allowing the soil to dry a bit helps oxygen return to the soil - roots need oxygen in order to absorb nutrients from the soil. Every three days this time of year is probably OK for your hibiscus. Desert adapted plants can get by with once a week watering. Instead of rock mulch, have you considered using a 3 inch layer of organic mulch? It does several things. 1) slows evaporation; 2) keeps soil cooler; 3) releases nutrients back into the soil; 4) reduces reflected heat and light on the plant. Hibiscus are acid-loving plants and they struggle here in our salty soils. Once a week or so use a teaspoon of white vinegar in a gallon of water and apply it to your hibiscus. This will help neutralize the soil a bit and make your plants happy. Good luck.
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Comments (3)
I also have a problem with a hibiscus tree I just bought from Lowe's. It looked great for a week or two, and then we had a really big rain and the leaves started wilting, and before I knew it, they all fell off and there is nothing left to the tree. I realized the pot that the tree is planted in did not have any drain holes, so we immediately drilled holes in the bottom of the pot, and replaced the soil in case it was mildewed. It has been about 2 weeks since then, and the treee is still not coming back, even though it has gotten plenty of water and sun. I don't think it's completely dead because when I scratch beneath the surface, I see green. I don't know what else to do.
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It may grow past the damage. Or it may not. I personally would eat the fruit they produce--others may have a different opinion--but the badly damaged ones may not produce fruit or only produce a small amount, and it may be stunted. The brown spot on the tomato in the first picture looks like damage from rubbing against the cage. Such damage is no big deal unless a mold or something takes the opportunity to start rotting the fruit or it attracts the attention of a pest. EDIT: For future, maybe you can put your plants somewhere else on your property. If not, maybe you can talk to your neighbor and come to some kind of agreement or you can offer to pull his weeds by hand/hire a neighborhood kid to pull his weeds by hand or something, depending on what problem he's trying to solve.
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azbolt
8 years ago
It looks stressed, since it's next to a wall and rocks (both which retain heat), I'd suggest moving the rocks to the side and putting down composted mulch around it and then use a good fertilizer. Check the soil by digging down a couple inches and see if it's dry or wet and adjust watering if needed.

Kevin
PRO
JSL Landscape Design Build
8 years ago
Could be iron deficiency especially if the leaves are yellow with green veins . More common in higher alkaline soils like the desert.

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