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Hibiscus plant is not growing

HI Team,

I am looking for some guidance.

We have got a hibiscus plant five year ago and roughly six months ago, we have planted to the ground.

Problem - Our observation is that the plan is not growing properly, leaves are quite small and even when the leaves start to come through, they are becoming yellow in colour. ( Hibiscus had similar issues whilst it was in the pot too..we thought that moving to ground will solve the problem)

The photo of the same is attached.

Note : We have recently got a new garden bed 6 months ago, so the soil is pretty new with compost and required nutrients etc.

Any suggestions to get this growing healthy and flowering will be really appreciated.

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Comments

EricL

Hello @rajavamsi

Thanks for sharing your question about your Hibiscus plant. Looking at the photo you posted, I don't see any spotting, rusting or powdery residue on the leaves. It appears that the leaves are starting to turn yellow. It's possible that it's suffering from water stress, either getting too much water or not enough. It's also possible that it's not getting enough sunlight. My only other suspicion is it is getting too much radiant heat reflected off the Colorbond fence and is affecting its health.

Can you please dig near the plant so that you can have a peak at its roots and see if it is discoloured or waterlogged. How often do you water the plant, and have you applied any fertilizer to it?

In times of drought stress, the leaves will take on a yellow hue and eventually fall off, which is why it's essential to avoid allowing the soil to completely dry out. To prevent this, make sure to monitor the soil's moisture consistently. Check it every two days at a minimum; when the top two inches of soil feel parched, it's time to provide water gradually and deeply until the soil reaches a slightly moist, but not overly wet, state.

Let me call on our experienced members @Noelle and @mich1972 for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

mich1972

Good evening @rajavamsi. Looking at your hibiscus yellowing leaves tells me it is screaming for a good feeding. Hibiscus are heavy feeders. You can regularly apply a liquid fertiliser or a granular fertiliser. Also looking at the soil, I’m not sure but it looks quite dry and hydrophobic. Did you add soil improvement in the planting hole ? Here in Perth we have very sandy hydrophobic soil , repelling water deep down into the root system. I saw you have written that the soil has compost down, but how long ago was that ? Can I ask what State you live in ? I will wait and see what @Noelle advises. Don’t give up, I know you can get it growing great again. Oh also, did you tease the root system before planting into the ground ? It may possibly be root bound and that could be why it is suffering as well. 😊

Noelle

Hi @rajavamsi

The soil in the whole bed looks very dry6 and possibly water-repellant, so I'd look at adding a wetting agent (either granular or liquid applied as directed on the label) to assist in moisture penetration and retention. Hibiscus do best in sub tropical and tropical climates and compost-rich soils, so they need to be well watered and fed. Using a liquid fertiliser every 2-3 weeks would be beneficial especially as move into into the peak growing season of spring.

An organic mulch (sugarcane or pea straw mulch) over the garden bed would also be helpful to keep the soil cool and retain moisture for longer after watering.

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