Hibiscus requires regular and correct feeding to keep flowers healthy and colorful.
If your plant’s leaves are turning yellow then it may be the reason for low plant food in the soil in other words it requires proper fertilizer to support its growth.
By correctly and timely fertilizing, we can keep the plant brighter with strong supporting stem wood to bear the load of heavy flower blooms on it.
Now if you are wondering when and which type of fertilizer your plant needs. This can be a hard job for you to decide so we have created this helpful guide for your assistance.
Here, you will learn how, when and which fertilizer is best for your hibiscus plants.
Contents
How to choose the best fertilizer for Hibiscus plant?
To keep maintaining that beauty in the garden you need to supply the plant with proper food.
Hibiscus needs to fertilize with proper nutrients throughout its life cycle. With the proper care and application of a balanced amount of hibiscus fertilizer your plants will grow more vigorously and will produce more healthy flowers on blooming.
By providing a proper feed to plants, you will see a significant result in the form of healthy bright coloured flowers and strong supporting stem wood for heavy copious blooms.
Hibiscus plants need a lot of potassium, a medium amount of nitrogen and a little amount of phosphorus for its proper growth. But the fertilization should always be balanced otherwise it disturbs the plant growth or sometimes may retard its growth and leads to plant death if the dose of fertilizer exceeds than required.
When deciding the fertilizer for the hibiscus plant also keep this ratio in your mind: Medium – Low – high. It clearly shows that hibiscus needs a lot of potassium for its growth.
The best ratio of the three major nutrients N.P.K for hibiscus is found as 17-5-24 as also shown in the figure below.
It completely supports statement that we need to find those fertilizers having a low amount of phosphorus and the maximum amount of potassium.
Why is potassium so important for hibiscus?
Hibiscus has a voracious potassium requirement. Each aspect of the hibiscus plant is dependent on potassium, from the root to the flower, and it helps photosynthesis.
Potassium has a fundamental role in every aspect of plant mechanisms i.e metabolism and growth.
As potassium helps the plant in transforming the sunlight into sugars, which is ultimately required of plants for next use in its life so it has a major role in plant life.
Potassium has a prominent role in the water movement process in the hibiscus plant. As a plant with the proper amount of potassium nutrients will be well hydrated which will keep plants healthy and drought resistant. And it will also keep the plant beautiful, lush and disease-free.
Transport of any kind of material inside the plant mainly depends on the water movement which is dependent on the potassium so it plays a key role in the movement of chemicals, nutrients and plant food throughout the system.
It moves inside the plant either as floating free ions or by attaching with some chemicals and moving throughout the plant system along with carrying any necessary substance and moving them to the place where needed.
As stressed plants lose their free-floating potassium ions so it needs to completely replenish that ions to keep the plant safe from improper growth. So it can be challenging for us to keep enough potassium in plant roots, particularly during the days of blooming.
Why is Nitrogen important for Hibiscus?
According to recent studies, Nitrogen is the second important nutrient for the growth of the hibiscus plant.
Nitrogen is required in all the plants for the functioning of chlorophylls, enzyme formation and production of proteins.
It also has a role in the metabolic processes of plants as well which is an important factor for plant mechanism regulations.
So it was a key challenge to find out an optimum amount of nitrogen requirement of hibiscus to support the plant growth without damaging any metabolic processes.
A plant facing a lack of nitrogen nutrients may show the signs of stunted growth and symptoms of halted growth. As the same, if the amount of nitrogen exceeds the required dose it will also be injurious for plant health which will cause the plant leaf burn, and will result as crispy dark brown leaf edges.
To keep our plants healthy and blooming we need to take care of their proper nutrition. Also, you need to keep an eye for the signs of any fertilizer burn on leaves.
The 10 best fertilizers for hibiscus
It can be hard to discern anything with so much knowledge included here. Use the following helpful table below when you are in a hurry or you want quick facts. It provides you with the best guidance in the selection of appropriate fertilizer.
1. VPG Fertilome Hibiscus & Tropical Plant Food
Fertilome is a portion of well-balanced plant food for hibiscus flowers and tropical plants are present in the market. The nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium present in this pack are well maintained according to the blooming flower requirements.
As it is clearly shown about the proportion of N.P.K in it as 17-7-10 it shows it will provide your plants with enough nitrogen to keep the plants lush green and a little amount of phosphorous will also be enough for plant growth. Besides your plants also require potassium for its blooms which is also present in this formulation To keep your plants healthy.
This plant food is especially for tropical plants and hibiscus as well. This food can enhance the growth of your plants by speeding up their growth. Potassium nutrients will help your plants to produce more flowers in bright colours.
The major advantage of this plant food is the ability to keep its long-lasting effect on your plants to keep its blooms healthy. Due to its ability of long effect on plants, your plant blooms will also remain intact and brighter for long-lasting days.
This plant food is applied with the other week gap until your plants appear to come to the blooming stage. Once the blooms appear on plants then you should increase the gap of its application to one month.
It is present in the packing of 4lbs which will be necessary for plants of a small garden or a small number of indoor pot plants.
2.Dr. Earth Exotic Blend Palm, Tropical & Hibiscus Fertilizer
The Dr Earth Exotic Blend Palm is one of the best products for the people who prefer to use organic fertilizers & products over the synthetic nutrient products. It is a non-GMO product available in the market with a markable effect on the growth of plants.
Due to its organic nature, it has no synthetic chemicals or any toxic material in it so it is well safe for your pet animals even if they eat it though. It is one of the best products called for garden fertilizers.
It is the only non-GMO product available in the markets of the united states in the highly purified and transparency verified form. It is the best alternative to keep your garden organic to overcome the synthetic product afterwards effects and to keep the environment sustainable.
It has the best proportion of nitrogen and potassium as the requirement of hibiscus and tropicals. The potassium is required the most as present in this product which is also a necessary nutrient for your blooms.
One of the good signs of healthy soil is the presence of humic acid and trace elements which are already present along with the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
This product is handcrafted by using the human and feed grade ingredients which is a good sign to promote the soil health on its addition. It will also provide the proteins and carbohydrates to the soil which increase the activity of the microbes on decomposition.
It can be used directly to the plants as well by soaking in the water (tea method) overnight and then applying it to your plants. It’s stinky but get over it because it will create beautiful blooms and foliage.
This product will provide your garden with a great number of bright blooms. Though you should use this product in your garden to maximize beauty by adding more blooms.
3. Water Soluble Banana Fertilizer
This banana fertilizer is the best product with a balanced amount of essential nutrients. We put this product on the list because it has the right proportion of nitrogen phosphorus and potassium (15-5-30) as needed by your hibiscus.
The main nutrient requirement of tropicals is potassium so this product is completely feasible for your hibiscus and tropicals due to a high ratio of potassium in it.
This product also contains many micronutrients (Magnesium – 0.05%: Boron – 0.01%: Copper – 0.01% Iron – 0.03%; Manganese – 0.01%; Molybdenum – 0.00005%; and Zinc – 0.01%) which are also necessary for the plant’s metabolism functioning.
Without these micronutrients, your plants can’t survive due to improper growth. This product will make sure that your plants have all the nutrients they need. Besides, you don’t need to add these micronutrients separately.
As the product name is also showing that it is a water-soluble product so use it by sprinkling it on plants. Just need to prepare the solution by mixing the product right amount as notified on the label of the product. Due to the high proportion of potassium in this product, it seems the best one for hibiscus.
As the overdose of nutrients also disturbs the plants, so just need to mix a little amount powder to a gallon of water and apply it. You can do the application on a weekly, fortnightly, or monthly basis so it will be time-saving if you have multiple plans as just by increasing the dose of fertilizer on a monthly basis application.
You should put this product to hibiscus without any hesitation of its name as it has our required proportion so no need to worry about it. This product shows a great result on all the plants which requires a high proportion of potassium.
4. All-Natural Muriate of Potash – Easy Peasy Potassium
Easy peasy potash is a potassium-rich fertilizer inorganic product. It can be used for lawns, gardens, and for other plants i.e tropicals. As potassium is the main requirement for the tropicals and hibiscus so this product is like heaven food for the hibiscus.
It is an all-natural product. Potassium present in this product is in the form of potash which promotes plant growth and also increases the resistance against disease in plants.
This product has potash in various colours so you don’t need to worry about whichever colour you receive on ordering from white to pink. In the way of working, this product works very fast and early spring is the best time to apply this.
Due to the high amount of potassium, this product is a great one for palm trees and tropicals as well as for hibiscus. It also helps to prevent diseases in the plants. It increases the plant’s resistance to diseases.
You can also use this product in your lawns to boost the growth of grass. Because the potassium will increase the growth rate and your lawn grass will all become lush green after a few days of application.
The amount of application depends on need but 1 tsp is recommended for one drip lie of a plant. After making a solution it is applied to the central roots of the plants.
Due to a rich source of potash (0-0-60), it can be used on the flowering plants either in the form granules applied to the soil or either by mixing the granules in water to make the solution form and then applied to plants on the top of the plant on the leaves portion.
It dissolves quickly in water and makes a complete solution. If you mix with water and leave it overnight then you should stir the solution before application.
The other benefit of this product is the packaging, as it can be sealed easily after getting our required amount from the pack.
5. Grow More 5118 Bromeliad Tillandsia Food
Whenever looking for a fertilizer there you should consider the potassium and nitrogen amounts. The Grow More 5118 Bromeliad Tillandsia Food is the product you are searching with ratio having 17-8-22.
This ratio well suits the amount required by hibiscus plants. It means that it has enough potassium your hibiscus requires to thrive. It has a low amount of phosphorous which is not worrying because hibiscus is not quite a big fan of phosphorous.
The one key point here is that this product is not solely for hibiscus but it is also designed for the tillandsia. It has a high proportion of trifecta (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium). It has very low or no damaging effect on the plants so it can be used on vast varieties of plants.
When looking at the ingredient list you can see that there is no urea present in the product which is a good sign of perfect food for flowering plants.
Hibiscus plants can also be grown on woods and logs besides some people grow them in the traditional garden. So you can use this fertilizer on the plants that are not conventionally grown. This can be applied in pots and gardens both.
The amount of dose applied to plants is detailed mentioned on the pack which can easily be understood. But we noticed that great results were found when applied a small dose in summer with 2 weeks interval.
5. JR Peters 51624 Jack’s Classic
The product is complete plant food for various varieties because it has shown a significant result in the growth of cycads i.e Sago palms and Zamia. It also shows a great result on the date and royal palms.
It has proportions as 16-5-25 which clearly shows that it is an ideal product for hibiscus having a low amount of phosphorous. So by using this, expect a lush green and healthy growth of your plants with an upcoming huge number of blooms. They will impart beauty to nature and your home or garden.
This fertilizer is quite helpful for the plants to prevent salt build-up during the delivery of N.P.K.
This is a water-soluble fertilizer having most of the micronutrients as well in it such as magnesium and sulfur. It also contains micronutrients.
This product is available in the form of powder so you just need to open it and make a mixture with water. Now it is applied to the soil accurately with the sprayer. It also has a spoon for your help when you order it.
7. HIBISGAIN Hibiscus Fertilizer
This fertilizer product is the ideal one for hibiscus formulated by the commercial growers after many experiments and found out the ideal ratio of components required by the hibiscus. It was developed for the unique growth habits of hibiscus plants.
It is the best choice if you want to see your hibiscus blooms flourish and healthy. It is specifically formulated for hibiscus plants.
If you see your plants are limp or brown then this is the best choice to make the plants again lush and green filled with a huge load of blooms.
It is applied directly on the topsoil or mulch in the pots or in the garden. No mixing is required after application.
The best schedule of fertilizer application is a monthly basis during the growing season. The hibiscus should be fertilized with light and more no. of application with regular intervals without the heavy and less no. of applications.
It is formulated by experienced growers and now it is available in markets in the packing of 10 lbs. The best thing about this packing is that it can be sealed again after getting after the required amount from it.
As the ideal ratio required does not match with this product proportion so this product has not the ideal ratio. Because of the more amount of nitrogen than potassium, you will get the plants more healthy and green.
Due to the low amount of potassium does not mean that this product is bad for your hibiscus.
However, it will take longer to show the results from the potassium nutrient. Plant get not much huge load of blooms due to less amount of potassium but what will be present will be healthy.
This product has only the major three nutrients composition as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Besides, it does not have any amount of micronutrient. But you don’t need to worry as these major nutrients have a major role in hibiscus growth and will work great.
8. Hibiscus plant food
This product is formulated especially for hibiscus trees. It is a well-balanced diet prepared by the Carl Pool to meet the needs of your plants.
The proportion of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium present in this product is in the ratio of 10-4-12, which is closely related to the hibiscus required food quantity.
This product has enough nitrogen for your trees but the potassium applied will be depleted with the time so you should need to choose the food with the more proportion of potassium in it.
This is a slow-releasing product and it will support your plants for 3-4 months.
As potassium is the main requirement of hibiscus and tropicals, so the potassium present in it will not be enough for the long term so to meet the needs of hibiscus you will need to apply the fertilizer again which will be costly. The potassium present will be enough for the applied time but will be depleted so you need to regularly check the plants.
This product is in the form of granules. This is applied to trees once a month. By using this regularly, you will see the results in a few months from the health of your trees and blooms.
As these primary nutrients are important in the same way the secondary nutrients also have a significant role in the activities of plants. To meet this requirement, this food also has a trace amount of sulfur, magnesium, and calcium in it.
Sulfur plays an important role in optimizing the pH of the soil. Magnesium and calcium also have a significant role in the plant’s growth. They play a role in photosynthetic activity and plants by-product build-up. By using this food product you will see that your trees thrive as never you have seen before.
Besides these minerals, this product also has other nutrients like zinc, iron, and copper in it.
The presence of these minerals is a sign of complete food which will help to speed up the functioning of processes within the plant. They also help in the transportation of any material within the plant body and respiration of plants.
This plant food is present in the local market for the locals and you can purchase it easily on amazon. It comes to the market in the packing of 4lbs in sealed containers. It has the benefit of resealing the lid of the container after using the required amount. This amount will be enough for your trees for a season if you have a limited number of plants.
The amount of food required for your trees depends on soil conditions and the location of your trees either indoors or outdoors. Because the amount will vary for both.
You just need 1 tablespoon of this food for a plant that will be enough. It may vary with soil conditions and plant size.
9. Nelson Hibiscus and Flowering Tropicals Granular Fertilizer
A high potassic fertilizer for the tropical flowering plants and hibiscus is available in the market in the form of NutriStar granular fertilizer. It will help to keep plants healthy and bloom.
This is a perfect fertilizer for tropical flowers. It is a great fertilizer for the Star Hibiscus, Rose of Sharon and Mallow Hibiscus.
It contains the NPK with a ratio of 10-4-12 with added minerals. The formula shows that the potassium is present in more amount than nitrogen so it will keep the lush foliage, strong roots, and big brighter blooms.
Also, the micronutrients present in the more amount than any other available products in the market. This plant fertilizer helps the plants in tolerizing the effects of dry conditions. It also helps to grow heavy blooms, healthy vines, and fast-growing foliage.
It will show the best results in your garden if it is applied at monthly intervals. Nelson fertilizer provides the soil with the best nutrition to support the plant’s growth. By growing in this soil, the growth of plants will boost up.
It is available in the market in a colorful granular form. By applying this to the plants you will get big brighter blooms. It provides the initial boost to plants and also keeps supporting the plants until the next feeding.
When to fertilize the hibiscus plants?
The object of when to fertilize the plant depends on which type of fertilizer are you using for your hibiscus i.e slow-releasing or water-soluble.
In case of using slow-releasing then these will be the best time to fertilize your plants:
- Early spring
- After the finishing of the first blooming
- Midsummer
- Early winter
But in case of using water-soluble fertilizers, fertilization of weak solution is best once in 2 weeks in spring and summer and once in every 4 weeks in fall and winter.
How to Fertilize Hibiscus Plants?
Fertilization purposes of hibiscus are broadly discussed earlier. Now, here are a few recommendations on how to fertilize your hibiscus plants.
Either you grow hibiscus in pots or garden it needs food for its growth so you should keep a hawk-eye on its fertilization amount and method to apply it. The food or fertilizer should not only apply under the truck or near the base stem of the plant. However, it should be spread to the edges of the tree canopy.
You should take care of the placing of fertilizer because most of the nutrients bind with the soil particles and do not move to the roots so you should apply these nutrients near the surface of the roots and mix it correctly and thoroughly within the soil if needed.
The type of fertilizer you are using is also the main concern means that if you are using the water-soluble product then you should mix it homogeneously. Every product has directions of its use on the packing which should be considered to get the better result.
In the same way, you should not need to over-fertilize the plants in a hurry to get the quick response of the fertilizer which is risky for your plant’s health.
If the leaf burns show on the plant leaves then you should stop the fertilization for a few days and irrigate the plants regularly. You should also need to lower/half the dose of fertilizer to plants to keep them safe in the future and to keep them watering with the weakened solution also keep monitoring.
FAQ’s
Why is phosphorus required in low amounts for hibiscus?
Phosphorous doses to hibiscus plants are an important issue as this plant does not tolerate the phosphorous well in the way it uses nitrogen and potassium. Phosphorous slowly damages the plant over time.
Due to a little dose exceeding, the leaves start to yellow and plants become stunted and that is very terrible for such a beautiful flowering plant. When we keep looking deeply into this matter then we find out that phosphorus ion attaches with some minerals and nutrients such as iron ion in the soil so it stops the movement of iron ion to plant from the soil which causes the lack of iron ion in plant body and results in the form of metabolism disturbance. It will ultimately cause plant death.
Which kind of soil is best for hibiscus?
The perfect soil in which Hibiscus is grown is a thin, airy soil blend, often comprised of nutrients including perlite, composted bark, coco coir, and peat moss. The mediums in the potting mix provide little food or no food. The main purpose is to preserve and moist the root system. For this function, your top priority should be caution and fertilization.
How often I should Fertilize Hibiscus?
Hibiscus needs regular fertilizer feed. It depends on whether you are providing weekly or monthly. Soil type and need for nutrients also depend on the supply of fertilizer. However, once a month is recommended.
Is Epsom salt good for Hibiscus?
The shining activity of Epsom boosts the plant’s ability to absorb phosphorus, Nitrogen, and the production of chlorophyll. It contains Magnesium and sulfur. You can use it by sprinkling it around the plant or mixing in water to apply.
Conclusion
You should consider the food needs of your plants while choosing the product. It should have all the nutrients in the correct proportion and also the micronutrients in it. If you choose the best one for your plants it will cast the best results on your plant’s health and blooms.
After the reviews of people who have used these products, we ended up on the decision that Dr. Earth Exotic Blend Palm, Tropical & Hibiscus Fertilizer is the best choice for your hibiscus.
Because it is an organic product and it will enhance the fertility of your garden with time and will also increase the activity of microbes in soil as microbial activity increases in organic soils more.
It has a balanced quantity of all nutrients for quality growth which will be enough for your plants in its initial growth but when the plant reaches its blooming stage then you should apply JR Peters 51624 Jack’s Classic for enhancing the quality and quantity of the blooms because at bloom plant needs more potash.
If you follow the directions and our recommendations your hibiscus will thrive amazingly.
Sources:
- https://extension.umn.edu/house-plants/hibiscus
- https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/hibiscus.html
- https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/educ_programs/Tropical-Hibiscus.pdf
