Forgotten hibiscus may not be lost
More heat, light, water, trimming may bring them back after winter in garage
Q: Last fall I brought in two large potted tropical hibiscus plants and placed them in the garage. I “forgot” about them for the most part; they dropped all of their leaves, and now look like a pile of twigs! Have I killed them? How can I tell? — W.H., Albuquerque
A: You’ve got some work ahead of you to determine if the hibiscus have passed.
First I’d suggest, if at all possible, get the pots indoors. They need to be warmed up, so to speak, starting with the gradual warming of the soil, which will warm the roots. If the roots are still viable then the plants could very well rebound. After you’ve found a spot that offers more warmth, light is the next concern. These guys are going to require a brightly lit spot so if they can, they’ll start to reawaken!
OK, in a perfect world you have them indoors, warmer and sitting in the sun. Now you’re going to want to trim or tidy up the “pile of twigs.” Using a very sharp pair of hand loppers or stout scissors, remove any truly snappy dried twigs you can. This is both a visual and tactile chore. You can see if the “wood” looks dried up and wrinkly. If it does, cut it back. Or thoughtfully, starting at the end of a twig cut them back until you get to softer “green” wood. Don’t be shy either. You should be startled by how naked the plants look when you’re done.
But it’s OK. Tropical hibiscus are truly remarkable when it comes to rejuvenation! Now I’m not saying snip away all the branches and stems, but you will end up removing most of last year’s growth. Don’t leave any dried snappy twigs on the plants!
Next, be sure to water the pots, having remembered to place them on a saucer, keeping them thoroughly dampened but not soggy. In a couple of weeks with you having offered a nicer place to live, life-giving water, and a cleaned up appearance, if the hibiscus are still alive they’ll start to pop bright green signs of life. I’d wait at least three weeks before giving up hope that they’ll wake back up, but just know that they’ll continue to suffer and perhaps fail completely unless you rescue them now.
I did the same thing you have with three hibiscus plants one year but with enough care they did come back with a flourish for me! So here’s hoping for gobs of success to you and your tropical wonders!
Q: I was looking for signs of spring in my yard this past weekend and have noticed lots of what I think are aphids on a couple of rosebushes I have. How should I treat for these icky bugs this time of year? — G.R., West Side Albuquerque
A: First mode of attack is to spray the rose plants with the hardest stream of water directly from the hose that you can! Wash the plants off from top to bottom this way. This should dislodge the majority of the pesky aphids.
Once they get washed off, they are usually so beaten up that this round of interlopers won’t be able to get back to the rosebushes and will die.
Second, I’d recommend a spraying of dormant oil to the roses. Volck Oil (the Ortho brand name) is recommended as a pesticide to knock down all manner of pests this time of year and applied properly poses very little threat to our environment. What I like about it is you can mix in, IF THE LABEL SAYS YOU CAN, liquid sulfur to get additional pesticide properties from an application this time of year.
There is one big caution to know about: if the roses leaves are unfurled and really pushing signs of life you might be out of an oil application “loop” and would be best served using a different type of pesticide to get those pesky aphids. Insecticidal Soap or Permethrin (synthetic Pyrethrin) would work well.
Whatever pesticide you determine you can use be sure to first wash off the roses with the water blast to get a more effective hunt! Happy Diggin’ In!
Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send your gardenrelated questions to Digging In, Albuquerque Journal, P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, NM 87103, or to features@abqjournal.com.