How to Care for a Hibiscus Tree

If you want your home’s exterior to have the look of the tropics with a beautiful, blooming flowered tree, the hibiscus tree will provide you with a stunning addition to your yard or patio. Although only suited for warm climates, the hibiscus tree with its thick, green, leafy fullness can reach heights up to 12 feet and widen to about 6 feet, creating a lush looking landscape. But, as with other landscaping plants, it will require care.

Step 1 –Careful Watering

Like most plants, hibiscus trees require careful watering, so the roots do not become saturated with water and develop root rot. Careful watering can also prevent the growth of mildew or fungus. Your tree will better develop its rich, green, and thick foliage if in warm weather you keep its roots moist but not over-watered. The right degree of moisture will also help the plant promote continuous blooms. During cooler months of the year, be careful to water the plant only when it becomes dry. Yellowing leaves can be a sign of under-watering.

Step 2 – Fertilizing

Yellowing or fading of the leaves can also indicate that your hibiscus tree is in need of fertilizer. To maintain the dark, glossy, green color of a healthy hibiscus tree, use a high nitrogen fertilizer when the leaves begin to fade. When you add fertilizer you should apply it at half strength, rather than full strength. In the spring, apply a slow release type fertilizer, so your tree will develop new growth.

Step 3 – Pruning

As with other trees, pruning your hibiscus tree will help it develop to a fuller shape. The reason that pruning helps develop the tree’s fullness is simply that pruning produces an abundance of hormones in the tree. These hormones will, in turn, activate buds that have become dormant through the cooler months. These same hormones will become activated and will produce a tree that will ultimately become more full. Spring is good time to prune these trees.

Step 4 - Removing Tips and Branches

When you prune your tree, be sure to remove dead or old branches by using pruning shears. When you first prune, you may feel you have compromised the beauty or attractive shape of your tree. But don’t be concerned. Your tree will begin to fill out even more, once it has been pruned. When you prune it, be sure to remove the tips of the branches. Just pinch off these tips. When they have been removed, this allows new tips to begin developing deeper in the stem of the tree.

Step 5 - Blossom Development

While it is true that pruning will initially slow the development of blossoms on your tree, it will be only for a few months. And, it will only be in the area you have pruned. Matter of fact, once the tree begins to blossom, you can expect that the blossoms will be larger and healthier.