I recently bought a hibiscus tree for my terrace and I am unable to live with my guilt...I am sure that I am slowly killing it. The leaves have been droopy on and off and are yellowing at a rapid rate. It gets about 70% sun and is draining well, but I am not sure about how much I should water and fertilize. I also sprayed it today because of some suspicious looking tiny black bugs on the buds...aphids? Please help my evil black thumb!

Deanne, I planted several hibiscus plants in a site that gets lots of sun (south facing) and has very moist soil due to a drainage problem. I don't think I paid much attention to ideal growing conditions but probably just bought them because I liked the look of them. However, they thrived and really seem to like this site, so perhaps the trick is to keep them very moist. Droopy leaves could be a sign of not enough water. Good luck -- I'm looking forward to my third year of spectacular 8 inch blooms! thought.

If Hibiscus are not happy they show it by their yellowing leaves, it could be that yours was not hardened off properly and just cannot stand the sun at the moment, give it lots of water and perhaps try and shade it during the hottest part of the day.

Hibiscus like lots of moisture. It probably will need it daily. If you purchased the plant when it was in full sun, it should not be due to not being hardened off. They also like frequent fertilization, so fertilize every two weeks during the growing season with a product such as Miracle Gro.

i have had my indoor plant for two years, it flowered at first untill i transplanted it. it has huge leaves but won't flower. help

Our hibiscus is about 15 years old and does quite well. I water every week using a very, very weak fertilizer solution. It is in an east facing window, and we prune it every year around valentines day. After recovering from the pruning, it blooms almost continually the rest of the year. I'm not bragging, but maybe I'm doing something right.

when do i transplant my indoor hibiscus and do cut it back as well.

Repot only when absolutely necessary because repotting discourages flowers. When the soil dries out within a couple of days of a thorough watering, then it may be time to repot.

Pruning can be done at any time of the year if branches are too long or too leggy. Otherwise , spring is best because that is usually the beginning of the new growth cycle.