Question
Dear Will Creed,
  I recently acquired a Hibiscus rosa sinensis from a funeral.  It was used as living greenery in a cut flower arrangement.  I live in a Zone 3 so I transported it home wrapped in a plastic bag in the front of a pickup.  This was the end of January.  The tag said it liked bright light and liked to be kept moist.  I set it on the table for a few days and then moved it to a large south facing window that gets lots of full sun.  I would call the light conditions on the table as lots of indirect light (bright but no shadows).  I put a saucer under the pot and kept the topsoil moist to the touch by bottom watering it.  (It is in a six inch pot and is probably 1 foot tall and looks to have been pruned some before.)  I was using tap water to water it.  We live in the country and so have our own well water.  We can drink the water but we just moved here and I don't know if plants like it or not.  As far as I could tell it seemed happy.  New buds/leaves were appearing at the top of the plant.  It leaves started turning yellow (sort of mottled yellow and green), dying and dropping off.  At first the bottom leaves and now the whole plant is bare.  The new leave buds at the top are still there and new leaf bud are at nodes were the other leaves fell off.  I moved it to a window that faces more east (direct light mornings and indirect from the south window rest of day) and let the pot dry out more.
 If you can tell from this information what I did wrong to this plant I would be very grateful.  Thank you for your time.
  Yours,
  Sylvan  

Answer
Hi Sylvan,

Thank you for providing such detailed information.

You are generally on the right track with your Hibiscus, but there are some things that you could do to improve its longevity.

First, the more light the better. Locate it closest to whichever window gets the most direct sunlight.

Second, water from the top not the bottom. Allow the surface of the soil to feel dry to the touch, then water thoroughly until a little water trickles through the drainage holes.

Third, if your tap water is on the hard side, then switch to filtered, distilled or rainwater. The excess minerals in hard water can accumulate and damage tender roots.

The leaf drop was most likely caused by the change (reduction) in light. Once you move it to a sunny spot, new leaves will emarge and they will be better suited to the plant's new home.

If any stems are very leggy because they have lost all of their lower leaves, then it is a good idea to prune those stems back by about one-third.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

You can E-mail me directly at: [email protected]

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