My hardy hibiscus seeds sprouted spring 2012. I had each in their own pot and they grew until November 2012 before going dormant, but during the year they had tiny flower buds that dropped off soon after appearing.
Spring 2013 around May only one survived and sprouted, it was very small and grew slowly. I finally decided to plant it in the ground. It seemed to do better but growth was very slow so I fertilized and the plant got healthier leaves and started growing, this was in June. Regular watering and fertilizer a second sprout came from it and now both are nearly 2 feet tall.
But for a 2nd year plant this seems awfully small. When will it flower shouldn't it be mature enough to do so? Being its from seed you think its a dwarf my neighbors hardy hibiscus are about 6 foot tall!
When will my Hibiscus bloom?
Is it getting plenty of sun?
Here is a hard fact to swallow: It takes from 2 to 3 years for a perennial plant such as a bush to establish itself completely after being moved.
Give it time and your patience will pay off. As long as it is growing and not showing signs of distress everything is fine. What is happening is that the plant is putting more effort into survival and putting down deep roots depending on the zone you are in. Once this is completed then it will begin to consider reproduction.
Since it was started from seed, give it another season.
This message was edited Jul 26, 2013 7:51 AM
That does make sense about setting roots. Yes it's getting plenty of sun and otherwise leaves look very healthy so I guess its just establishing itself.
I just checked and found 2 flower buds they are already larger than last years. Being they are first flowers they probably will be smaller so its possible soon I will get to see the result of my only seed raised hibiscus!
I read they need plenty of fertilizer while flowers develop is this true?
do like a good amount of fertilizer. The blooms are big, so it takes a lot of energy to produce them.
Congrats on getting your seedling growing to this point!
Barb