I don't believe that is a hardy hibiscus...a freeze will kill it and prolonged "cool" will cause it to suffer. It would be happiest inside.

I figured that. I guess I’ll be spending the weekend repotting with new soil and hosing it down- I hate bugs! Thank you

it may not be happy indoors either ... but it will survive ..

i suppose in z8 ... you wont have extended winter heating with no humidity in the house.. so it might do better for you ...

im not sure i would shock it by repotting.. and then shock it by taking it indoors ...

i surely dont know your weather patterns.. but why cant it stay outside most of the time. and just be brought in for the few bad weeks ... i mean really.. what is winter down there in z8 ... 99 hours??? .. lol ...

hopefully some of our TX friends will chime in with alternatives ... do you have an attached garage that might stay rather temperate for a month or so.. if you didnt open the door every day??

in the olden days.. i had a systemic granule product.. that you mixed into the soil.... and watered in.. and a month before i had to bring houseplants back in.. i treated the pots so that when i brought them in .. i didnt have to worry about pot critters ... i have no idea what the current state of the art is in that regard ....

ken

..... better to over-winter it in a cool, low light spot, and keep the soil rather but not completely dry. I do that for hibiscus, datura, brugs, geranium, oxalis, and a number of other plants.

Do a FULL repot in spring about 2-3 weeks before outdoor temps can be counted on to remain more or less reliably above 55*. A full repot includes bare-rooting, root pruning, and a change of soil. Hibs have a very aggressive root system and will fill even large containers with roots that become congested enough to be conspicuously limiting. Too, fertilizer choice for hibiscus is unusual and an important consideration. They don't like much P, but they love K, so a fertilizer with a RATIO of somewhere in the neighborhood of 3:1:5 would work very well. A fertilizer's RATIO is different than it's NPK %s. E.g., 9-3-15 and 15-5-25 would both be 3:1:5 ratios. I use Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 and alternate with applications of ProTeKt 0-0-3 for the extra K and its opalene silicon, which really does make a big difference for this plant.

If anything I said sounds like Greek, but you still have questions - just ask.

Al

A covered porch will not protect from cold temperatures. Exactly where are you located? I temporarily bring hibiscus, bougainvilleas, plumerias and other tropicals inside. Temporarily bring the plant inside or into a protected location where the temperature will not drop below 40-50F. Ask nearby relatives or neighbors. Get some plant stands with wheels so you can easily move the plant at a moment's notice. I keep my pot heavy tropicals that way at all times of the year. I would not re-pot now either.. especially if there is a risk that it may become an annual instead.

hey ... what the heck .. put this in your office.. crikey ... i knew i saw your user pic somewhere else ...

if my brother can get one thru a MI winter in his dark ...forced air furnace MI house ... ugly as it might get ... and get it to live ... after 4 months or more of torture ....

i dont see why you cant do the same... wherever you may be ...

but do understand... it might and probably will drop a lot of leaves and get ugly ....

but again ... in z8.. how long will it need to be in the house??? .. a month at best???

and dont hurt yourself hoiking that big pot around ... at a min... this ought to give a short term flavor of options ...

just dont keep it in the house longer than need be.. and harden it back off when you take it outside ... no sun for a week or 2 ...

ken