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Hibiscus has been a welcome guest in the garden for decades and is also attractive as a houseplant. The flowers in particular draw attention to themselves with their size and color intensity. In order to keep the annual flowering of the plant active, a pruning should take place annually, which gives the mallow plant the necessary energy for the formation of buds. The right time and the right tool are just as important as the cutting technique.
pruning
Cut back for true blooms
All hibiscus species in Germany, including the rose hibiscus, garden hibiscus and giant hibiscus, are extremely robust and do not require pruning if they are cared for properly. Nevertheless, the plants remain healthy and have no problems getting through the winter. Nevertheless, the flowering power of the garden hibiscus suffers from a missed cut, because if there are too many old or dried shoots, the nutrient balance of the plant is unbalanced. As a result, there may be fewer flowers in the next season or, in the case of older specimens, a complete failure.
Important information about pruning:
- time
- tool
manual
Instructions for pruning
The following pruning forms are used during the different ages of the garden hibiscus.
- Pruning of the young plant: up to a maximum of three years, time is needed to form sufficiently dense plant material
- education cut the adult plant: occurs after the phase as a young plant until the desired shape has been reached (e.g. standard tree)
- Maintenance cut for older specimens: after reaching the desired shape
- taper cut in neglect and aging
time
The best time for the cut
With the exception of the rose mallow, which is not hardy as a houseplant in Germany, hibiscus is easily suitable for overwintering. Despite its characteristics as a plant from the dry tropical regions of the world, pruning should be carried out in late winter. January is best for this, early February is also possible, but often a little late with older specimens. This date is chosen because the plant goes to rest in autumn and begins to concentrate on budding again in winter. This makes January perfect for pruning summer bloomers.
tool
The cutting tools listed below should be used for the cut.
- young plants: simple secateurs
- adult plants: Secateurs or pruning shears, depending on the thickness of the shoots and branches
- older copies: Pruning shears with sufficient care, pruning shears in case of neglect or old age, if possible non-stick coated
When preparing the tools, make sure they are sharp. In this way you avoid crushing the twigs and branches. You must also disinfect or at least clean the scissors before cutting. If you have previously used the scissors on diseased plants, disinfecting is absolutely necessary, otherwise a large number of diseases could be transmitted to the garden hibiscus. Gloves are not required for the marshmallow cut.
young plants
Cut young plants properly
If your hibiscus is still in its early years of growth, care is taken not to remove too much of the young branches. Due to the growth form, it is also possible here that dead or dried-up branches can be seen in winter. Pruning is performed as follows and can be used for indoor and garden hibiscus.
- prepare your tool
- Free the shoots from snow if it covers the branches - this is often the case in mountainous regions of Germany
- look for weak and defective shoots - since the plant is in a very young stage, often fewer than a handful of the shoots are damaged
- cut back the shoots by half with scissors - this stimulates the young plant to sprout more vigorously and also ensures intensive branching, cut diagonally over an eye if this is already present
- only for garden hibiscus: then renew the winter protection to protect the plant from the cool temperatures - bark mulch is recommended here
adult plants
Cut back and train adult plants
The pruning of an adult plant ranges from educational pruning to annual care pruning in order to maintain the flowering strength of the mallow plant. Here you can use pruning to cut the crown so that the hibiscus has a healthy standard shape. Too many branches close to the ground restrict growth, as they die off more often. The standard form is achieved over several years and drastically reduces the maintenance effort in the following years. In addition, the garden hibiscus looks more appealing and fresher.
Proceed as follows for this pruning:
- prepare your tool accordingly
- look at the hibiscus and look for the strongest main shoot the plant has to offer - this will later support the crown of the plant and provide the unmistakable style
- remove all other shoots that sprout from the main shoot - cut them diagonally down to the branch ring
- repeat this process annually until the main shoot has reached the desired height - this can take quite a long time, especially with young specimens
- the following year, or when the shoot has reached the desired size, cut off the top of the grove and prune the remaining shoots of the crown by half - cutting off the top encourages the other crown shoots to form buds, which are then used for ensure extensive branching
- now fix the garden hibiscus with a bamboo stick so that it can follow this with the freshly sprouting of the tip
- winter protection is no longer necessary here
Tip: This pruning can even be used for indoor hibiscus and allows the plant to grow straight and controlled.
old plants
Maintain old plants with the cut
Finally, there is the annual pruning for the older plant. This is primarily used for energy conservation and the correct supply of nutrients to the flower buds and can start immediately after the standard form has been reached.
Proceed as follows:
- prepare your tool
- look at the plant and look for wilted, weak or damaged shoots, many of the older shoots are at ground level if you have not opted for the high stem form of hibiscus - cut back to the branch ring at the high stem Form remove the shoots that grow from the main shoot under the crown
- now cut the shoots from the previous year down to a few buds
- Also, thin out excessively growing specimens a little, to do this, completely remove one of the two shoots from branches from the previous year - this will keep the branches of the garden hibiscus healthy
- then remove all trimmed greens and let the plant rest
taper cut
Rejuvenation pruning when neglected
Rejuvenation pruning is a necessary measure when your garden hibiscus is getting older, already senile or one side of the plant is sprouting much more than the other. The flowering power of the plant suffers as a result, as it does not necessarily die, but runs on the back burner. The taper cut is quite simple and is performed as shown below.
- prepare the tool, non-stick pruning shears come in handy here as the neglected plant is more prone to infection
- shorten the entire branch, to do this cut each shoot back to a length of 30 to 50 centimeters - this will give the bush a new shape and sprout again strongly next spring, but no flowers will form, as all the energy for the formation of new ones plant material is required
- then thin out the shrub in summer and only leave the most important main shoots and extensions on the plant
- winter protection is not necessary here - fertilizing in the following season is extremely important afterwards