cuttings and rooting perennial hibiscus

by bridget
(myrtle creek, oregon)

mother hibiscus plant.

My outdoor cat, broke off some branches of a hibiscus that was given as a present. I started the cuttings in my bathroom with a 15 watt plant light, that was on 24 hours a day. Can a hibiscus be grown in the bathroom, with extra hours of light from a plant light bulb?

Doug says that it "can" be grown like this but it won't be too happy in the long run. An outdoor hibiscus plant wants to go dormant and without that dormancy, it will simply fade away.

If the roots were well established, I'd be tempted to get it outside in your climate. Plant it and mulch it heavily so prevent frost heave next spring.

Or you can get it through the winter by giving it a south facing window and very cool temperatures (as cold as you can). It won't grow much - you don't want it to. You want it to have good roots (it will develop those) and then first thing in the spring you can put it outdoors.

I note a regular light bulb isn't going to be too much help for growing a plant as the quality of the light isn't the right spectrum for growth. A few hours of a grow-light would help a bit but not really all that much. You want it cold and semi-dormant, not growing strongly.

Do that and put it outdoors next spring and you should have a big healthy plant by next fall.