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Hibiscus is most often considered as a purely indoor plant. However, experienced flower growers successfully grow this perennial crop in open ground. But for this you need to know exactly how garden hibiscus hibernates, depending on its variety. Otherwise, there is a risk of plant death already at the first stable frosts. Therefore, it is worth understanding the features of the wintering of the plant so that it pleases with lush flowering and maintains a high life potential for many years.
Garden hibiscus, like indoor hibiscus, belongs to the Malvaceae family.
Do all varieties of hibiscus need to be covered?
Not every variety of this perennial garden crop needs shelter. Herbaceous hybrids are the most frost-resistant, since their aerial part dies off completely with the arrival of the first cold weather and only resumes vegetation with the arrival of spring warmth. But the Syrian type of culture, which is also called tree-like, is able to winter without shelter only in the southern regions of the country. Moreover, this hibiscus needs not only warming, but also preliminary preparation for the cold season. This accelerates the maturation of its young shoots, which improves winter hardiness.
How to prepare garden hibiscus for winter
To preserve garden hibiscus in winter, it is necessary to organize proper care of the plant throughout the end of the season. It includes several basic measures that are recommended to be strictly observed. Since only in this case it can be expected that the plant will endure the winter well and begin the growing season in a timely manner in the spring.
Pruning garden hibiscus for the winter
To increase the frost resistance of perennials, it is necessary to prune in late autumn. The procedure is recommended during the period when the air temperature drops to the level of -5-10 °С. At this time, all seed pods should be removed, and the shoots shortened by 10 cm. It is also necessary to pinch all side branches. This in the next season stimulates the formation of young growth in sufficient quantities.
It is forbidden to form a crown of culture in autumn
Watering and top dressing
Caring for hibiscus in the garden in autumn also consists in carrying out water-charging irrigation. You can use distilled water for this. When moistened, the wetting of the soil in the root circle should be about 20 cm. It is recommended to carry out water-charging irrigation in advance, namely in mid-September. At the same time, it is important that the air temperature is kept above 0 ° C at any time of the day. Otherwise, an ice crust may form on the surface of the soil, and this will make it difficult for air to reach the underground part of the plant.
For successful wintering of hibiscus tree, proper feeding in the fall is also important. During this period, it is necessary to use potassium monophosphate. It is recommended to use it at the rate of 9-15 g per 10 liters of water, depending on the age of the seedling. This top dressing speeds up the recovery of garden hibiscus after flowering and helps it survive the winter well. Nitrogen fertilizers should not be applied at the end of the season, as they activate growth processes, which leads to a decrease in the frost resistance of the crop.
Top dressing should be carried out with moist soil to eliminate the possibility of burning the roots. Therefore, the procedure is recommended after rain or watering.
Mulching
One of the stages of preparing hibiscus for winter in the country is mulching the root circle. Warming of the underground part should be carried out after water-charging irrigation. To do this, you can use humus or dry straw.
Mulch is recommended to be laid with a thickness of 10 cm. At the same time, it should not come into contact with the trunk of a tree-like hibiscus, since during thaws the protective layer can cause the bark to warm up.
How to cover garden hibiscus for the winter
It is necessary to start sheltering garden hibiscus for the winter with the arrival of stable frosts. To do this, you need to make a frame of wooden planks like a hut. This will allow snow to not accumulate at the top in winter, otherwise it may break the top of the seedling. After that, it is recommended to lay a layer of spruce branches on the structure and fix it. You can also use agrofibre, which you need to wrap the frame in several layers.
If the garden hibiscus has already grown and matured enough, then you can do without additional structures. In this case, it is enough to wrap the crown with covering material and securely fix it on the branches. When growing this crop as a shrub, it is recommended to bend the branches to the ground and pin them with staples. And after that, the perennial must be covered with spandbond from above.
Protection against rodents
It is important not only to properly cover the hibiscus tree for the winter, but also to protect it from rodents. Most often, perennials in the cold period are annoyed by mice that feed on its bark. Therefore, in order to protect the plant in winter from the invasion of rodents, it is recommended to install special traps around the insulation structure and inside it, as well as scatter poisoned baits.
You need to cover hibiscus for the winter after the onset of frost
Winter care
You need to take care of garden hibiscus not only in autumn, but also in winter. During the cold period, it is recommended to periodically check that the shelter is not damaged. Otherwise, the plant will be left without protection, and this may provoke freezing of the branches.
It is also recommended to control the layer of snow on the structure in winter. If the layer is too large, then you need to reduce the load on the tree, otherwise it may damage the perennial.
In winter, it is also recommended, if necessary, to spud garden hibiscus with snow. This procedure helps protect the roots of the plant from freezing during severe frosts.
When to remove cover
Garden hibiscus is a fairly thermophilic plant. Therefore, it is necessary to remove shelter from it after winter only after the air temperature is confidently kept above 0 ° C, not only during the day, but also at night. At the same time, you need to gradually accustom the perennial to external conditions, that is, you need to initially start opening it in the evening or at night, and only after a few days you can completely remove the insulation from the plant.
Conclusion
Garden hibiscus winters without any problems even in the central and northern regions, if the heat-loving culture is properly prepared and insulated in the fall. Therefore, many flower growers prefer to grow this perennial in their backyard. After all, the beauty of its flowers can leave few indifferent, despite their rapid withering. And with proper care and shelter, garden hibiscus can become one of the centenarians of the garden, because the plant has a good life potential if its frost resistance is maintained at a high level.
