braided hibiscus tree has green wilted leaves

Question

I have a braided hibiscus in a pot under my patio. For some reason my leaves have become wilted and has been that way for about a month. I water regularly and have fed it MG these past two weeks and still, my leaves are wilted. They aren’t turning yellow or falling off. Should I mix in new potting mix? If so, how deep should I mix it so I don’t damage any roots?

Answer 1

It is possible that it could be hibiscus wilt disease. If so, the leaves will slowly wilt and die, but unlike other wilt problems, they do not turn yellow. Instead, plants affected by wilt disease remain green and may slowly darken as they wilt to a dark green, brown, or black color. Wilt disease will also affect the entire plant. Check your soil. Is it wet or dry? If it is very dry, the wilt may just be caused by drought or underwatering. A quick dose of water will solve this problem! But if the soil is damp or wet, it could be that you are over watering (which will also result in yellowing of the leaves) or wilt disease.

Try mixing a pint of bleach with 2 quarts of warm water and pour around the soil, saturating it well. This should kill off the fungi growing in soil. Keep in mind that this may or may not work. As an alternative to the bleach, you can try using a copper based fungicide or any product containing thiophanate methyl.