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Annuals/Hybiscus

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Expert: - 6/26/2008


Question
I moved my hypiscus back outside in May and repotted the plant.  It has not bloomed at all.  What can I do?

Answer
Ann,
Sometimes plants that have been repotted take a few months to "settle in" - from the plant's point of view, it suddenly had more room to grow roots and roots are the foundation of the entire system - so it will spend the first three or four (or more depending on the plant) months growing the root system that will keep the entire plant going in the future. The roots are necessary for the plant's life but the flowers are not.

If the plant is growing, just let it be but if you haven't fertilized at all you could feed it with a liquid fertilizer mixed according to directions. Make sure the plant is getting at least 5 hours of dead-on sun including the noon hour, and water it when it's dry. It will bloom, probably starting in mid to late July.

I hope this helps.
C.L.

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C.L. Fornari

Expertise

Annuals suggested for specific situations (sun, shade, windowboxes etc) New or unusual annuals are a particular interest of mine, and I grow many of these from seed. I am happy to help problem solve, answer questions about maintenance, and guide you to sources of unusual plants.

Experience

I am a garden writer/speaker/consultant and host of a weekly gardening radio program in the Northeast. I have been gardening all my life for my own pleasure, and started as a professional gardener and garden communicator 15 years ago. I work part-time at a garden center, selling and tending shrubs/trees/annuals/perennials...and doing some propagation and design work. I often think that all these professional activities serve to put a somewhat legitimate framework around a serious case of plant-lust.

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