rooting tropical hibiscus

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otorongo
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rooting tropical hibiscus

Post by otorongo »

Last weekend I brought a hibiscus cutting from Sicily. I stuck it (along with a bougainvillea cutting) in a pot filled with a mix of perlite and vermiculite and stood it in a shallow tray of water in a heated propagator next to a window with no direct sunlight.

Since then, a few lower leaves on the hibiscus have turned yellow and fallen off, but the upper ones are green and healthy and appear to be growing. However, it looks like 2 flower buds are also forming at the growing tip. Shall I keep them or remove them?

Does this setup sound good otherwise?
flounder

Re: rooting tropical hibiscus

Post by flounder »

I don't leave them sitting in the water and I put a placcie bag over the pot to keep up the humidity, besides that I'd remove any forming flowers icon_thumright
otorongo
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Re: rooting tropical hibiscus

Post by otorongo »

Cheers Flounder, it's not really immersed in the water, it's more like a wicking setup where the perlite/vermiculite is supposed to soak the water up from the tray and supply it to the stem. The end of the stem is above the surface of the water in the tray (hopefully).

The humidity should be ok - it's in a propagator covered with a lid.

Will remove the flowers now :)
flounder

Re: rooting tropical hibiscus

Post by flounder »

Then that sounds about right icon_thumleft
Did you use a rooting hormone on the cuttings? Its not really needed for hibiscus but it can help.
The only other thing I might have done was to pinch out the growing tip, but I tend to grow these as a bushy type thing rather than half or full standard
otorongo
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Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:12 pm
Location: sub-subtropical London

Re: rooting tropical hibiscus

Post by otorongo »

I didn't use a rooting hormone. I've tried it on other plants and they have rotted every time, so I'm a bit superstitious now ;) and don't use it.

Sometimes I use willow twigs and they seem to speed things up (my Passiflora caerulea rooted in 7 days in the company of willow twigs, and that was in February when the days were much shorter).

I've heard hibiscus roots better when it has company. That's why I have it in the same pot with a bougainvillea cutting. I might add a willow twig or two.
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Dave Brown
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Re: rooting tropical hibiscus

Post by Dave Brown »

My mum used to chop bits off and prop them all the time, but they are not the quickest thing. Personally, I'd rather pay more for a growing plant than take pot luck with a cutting.

Shedding leaves is a response to losing it's nutrient supply, so with any cutting I remove all but the top few leaves, to not over burden the poor thing. Many cuttings I just stick in water, but most will do well in a very humid environment, and I have noticed some don't root directly in the water, but from nodes just above it.

Remove all flower buds as soon you see them, as they will compete for the meagre resources available until roots form.
Best regards
Dave
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