How to Grow Hibiscus

Even in the United States, you can grow tropical hibiscus and enjoy delicious, healthy tea. We’ll tell you how to plant, when to plant, how to harvest, and how much yield you can expect from your plants.

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Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa), also called roselle, is a short-day plant usually grown in tropical and subtropical areas. In the United States, it has been grown commercially in Florida, California, Louisiana and Kentucky. Many home gardeners have figured out how to grow Hibiscus successfully as a warm weather annual in Oklahoma, New Jersey and even farther north.

In temperate Zones, start hibiscus in pots at the same time as you would tomatoes. When seedlings are 3 to 4 inches high, transplant them to a sunny spot in the garden. Space plants 3 feet apart in rows 5 feet apart. Hibiscus grows well in soil with a high level of organic matter, but too much nitrogen will delay flowering until too late in the season. Keep plants unmulched, evenly moist and well-weeded until they are 1 1/2 to 2 feet high. At that point, mulch the plants to keep weeds at bay for the rest of the season.

The small leaves and tender branch tips are a refreshing addition to fresh salads. You can also use them to make a tea or jam similar to the ones from calyxes. You don’t need to add pectin because hibiscus leaves contain 3 percent pectin. Hibiscus tea needs to be boiled to get the deep red color and great flavor.

On our central Virginia farm, flowering of our preferred ‘Thai Red’ roselle variety begins in late July to mid-August, and continues until frost. We cover plants with Reemay or tarps during early light frosts to keep the harvest going well into October.

The hibiscus calyxes are most easily harvested when fully grown but still tender. At this stage, they can be snapped off by hand. Use clippers to harvest stems that have hardened. A second advantage of harvesting early and often is increased total production of calyxes. Although, picking a variety with less day length sensitivity may be the most important factor affecting yield in temperate areas.

  • Updated on Mar 13, 2022
  • Originally Published on Aug 3, 2011
Tagged with: calyx, hibiscus, tea
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