I have a beautiful hibiscus and all of the sudden I have black things on the buds. I live in Alabama.
It sounds like you have sooty mold. Sooty mold thrives on the honey dew created by bugs like aphids. If you control the aphids, you will also be able to control sooty mold.
This article should help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/hibiscus/hibiscus-sticky-leaves.htm
How to winter over hibiscus?
Hardy hibiscus plants need little care over winter and are hardy to zone 5 with no protection outdoors, though you may add mulch if you like. The tropical varieties are the ones that require growth indoors over winter.
The following articles should help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/hibiscus/how-to-care-for-hibiscus-plants.htm
My daughter recently moved to Gran anaria and has a couple of potted hibiscus plants. We've read a lot of advice but it is all aimed at plants in U. K. Wondering if you can give advice, as our spanish isn't that good to ask on spanish sites.
Thank you, tulipdamen
In your climate, this plant can be grown outdoors year round, even in a container. Its care would be the same as those grown in ground, though watering would need to be increased as pots dry out quicker. Watering once daily or when the soil feel dry to the touch should be enough, but if temps rise above 85 degrees F., you may want to increase this to twice a day. These article should also help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/hibiscus/how-to-care-for-hibiscus-plants.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/hibiscus/hibiscus-fertilizing.htm
You note that you should prune plants in spring or early fall. I live in Florida where we have cooler mornings but approx. 70 + degrees during the day. Is it ok to prune my hibiscus now?
Thanks. . .
Your hibiscus probably will not go complettely dormant, so, yes, you can prune some now, but, I would wait to do heavy pruning until the plant is actively growing. Early or mid-March would give your plant time to branch out before it gets hot enough to do a lot of bloom initiatiion. The following article might help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/hibiscus/tips-for-pruning-hibiscus-plants-when-to-prune-hibiscus.htm
How do I prune my hibiscus plants?
The following article should help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/hibiscus/tips-for-pruning-hibiscus-plants-when-to-prune-hibiscus.htm
And, more links to hibiscus are at the end of this article.
The leaves of my hibiscus plant that was left out in the frost are dead, but the branches are still pliable and green (I accidentally tore a piece of the bark of while trying to remove dead leaves and saw the green in the branches). Do I let the plant stay dormant? If so, do I water the plant or just leave it alone until spring? Should I gently prune off the dead leaves with a pair of scissors?
This article may also help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/tips-for-saving-cold-damaged-plants.htm
Hibiscus will "throw" their leaves if it gets too cold, and frost is definately too cold. You may have some tip damage that will show later. Most or all the leaves will fall off, but the plant will put new leaves back on soon. I assume that the plant is now inside. You can leave it dormant until spring, or try to encourage grrowth by keeping it in temps 60-65*F. or above and in a lot of light. Feed and water as needed. If you leave the plant dormant, let it get somewhat dry between waterings, and don't feed it. If you want a 'bushy' plant next spring, trim the tips of branches when you put it back outside.
Showing buds, like they were cut off and perhaps some buds that are empty. Plants look healthy with no visible bugs. Any idea what I can look for?
It is possible that you have thrips. They are hard to see and they cause will normally prevent blooming of buds, but may also result in distorted flowering. This article will help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/controlling-thrips.htm
This article might help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/hibiscus/how-to-care-for-hibiscus-plants.htm
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