How to Grow Hibiscus Kokio Easily

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How to Grow Hibiscus Kokio?

Planting

• Firstly, dig holes or beds wide (not deep).
• Then, lightly amend heavy clay or sandy soils with organic matter
• After that, remove plants from containers gently, keeping the root ball intact.
• Next, loosen potting soil and roots around the bottom and edges of the root ball.
• Please fill around roots with slightly amended native soil
• Please water to settle soil around roots
• You are able to cover the area with leaf or bark mulch 1 – 3 inches thick however not piled up onto the plant’s stem/trunk
• Just water deeply
• You need to stake large shrubs or trees to prevent excess movement in strong winds

Watering

• Usually, woody plants require watering less frequently than tender annuals or herbaceous plants
• Watering from a hose should be done slowly and deeply, not often, to avoid shallow root development or root diseases. Let soil to dry several inches deep before irrigating
• When practical, particularly in arid climates, you have to use and maintain water-efficient soaker hoses or drip irrigation. Please water briefly two or three times a week to keep soil moist, not wet.
• Most winter is from drying out. You have to be prepared to water during prolonged sunny, windy, dry spells in the winter.
• Mulches will help prevent water loss during hot, windy, or sunny weather

Pruning

• You will need to prune for size control. For removing dead or diseased plant parts, or for shaping or training plants into hedges, topiary, espaliers or any other beautiful shape.
• Broadleaf plants, evergreen and deciduous, are able to be cut as hard as needed, even back to main trunks. The new growth sprouts near the cut ends.
• Please prune in the late winter or spring, depending on when the plants flower.
• Cutting the plants back to knobby growth.

Propagation

• Please root stem cuttings of evergreen shrubs in the summer. Stem cutting is an easy way to propagate this hibiscus, cut short the mature stems, cut the lower leaves, and stick to moist potting soil and place in bright indirect light and high humidity.
• You are able to root stem cuttings of deciduous shrubs in the fall or late winter
• Just keep cuttings moist 4-6 weeks until well rooted, then transplant into individual containers

Fertilization

Most Hibiscus Kokio need a regular diet of all-purpose plant food, either specialty or a generic N-P-K (nitrogen – phosphorus – potassium). You have to fertilize early in the plant’s growing cycle – spring for summer plants, fall for winter plants

• For leafy plants, you are able to use a fertilizer with a higher nitrogen content (first number)
• For flowering or fruiting plants, you are able to use a fertilizer higher in phosphorus content (middle number)

If using a water soluble fertilizer:

• According to instructions you can fertilize them by mixing it
• Wet the leaves and drench soil
• Repeat

If using a granulated fertilizer:

• You have to scatter a small amount of fertilizer under the plants from the stem to foliage.
• You have to water deeply

For note: Please never over fertilize. You are going to see lots of weak, leafy growth and few flowers.

Hibiscus Kokio – General Description

Hibiscus Kokio has yellowish green foliage. It forms a solid backdrop for the tiny red hibiscus flowers which often have curved petals. A big broadleaf evergreen shrub from the Hawaiian Islands, it is able to become tall and mangy unless grown in full sun and pruned occasionally.

The green to yellow-green leaves are oval and also have a tapering form. Anytime in the warm months when rainfall is adequate, 5 petaled flowers no bigger than a baseball appear on branch tips. The petals of this hibiscus kokio have an oval shape with a blood-red to orange-red color and a contrasting light yellow crown, as well as anthers with pollen grains under a five-segmented red pistil. Those wavy petals often mildly twist or curve backwards. Visited by butterflies and hummingbirds, the green fruit which follows ripens to light brown with kidney-shaped seeds inside.

Grow Hibiscus Kokio in full to partial sun in a moist but well-draining soil which is organically rich and not alkaline in pH. Just protect from frosts. If left to grow naturally, it is going to become a small, upright tree. It is able to be used as a hedge or screen with light occasional pruning to create a denser plant with fresh growth that will display flowers closer to the ground. The natural form, with more slender oval petals and blooming in orange-red, is found just on the island of Kauai and although not normally cultivated does have two notable cultivars, ‘Haena Red’ and ‘Velvet Sunset’. All hibiscus species are considered endangered in their native area.

Characteristics

• AHS Heat Zone: 12 – 10
• USDA Hardiness Zone: 10 – 15
• Sunset Zone: H1, H2
• Plant TypeShrub
• Sun Exposure: Partial Sun & Full Sun
• Height: 10′-20′ / 3.0m – 6.1m
• Width: 5′-12′ / 1.5m – 3.7m
• Bloom Time: Indeterminate
• Native To: Hawaii

Growing Conditions

• Soil pH: Acidic, Neutral
• Soil Drainage: Well Drained
• Soil type: Loam, Sand
• Growth Rate: Fast
• Water Requirements: Average Water
• Habit: Upright/Erect
• Seasonal Interest: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Ornamental Features

• Flower Interest: Showy
• Flower Color: Red
• Fruit Color: Green, Sandy Brown
• Foliage Color (Spring): Green, Yellow Green
• Foliage Color (Summer): Green, Yellow Green
• Foliage Color (Fall): Dark Green, Yellow Green
• Foliage Color (Winter): Dark Green, Yellow Green
• Bark Color: Sandy Brown
• Fragrant Flowers: No
• Fragrant Fruit: No
• Fragrant Foliage: No
• Bark or Stem Fragrant: No
• Flower Petal Number: Single
• Repeat Bloomer: Yes
• Showy Fruit: No
• Edible Fruit: No
• Showy Foliage: Yes
• Foliage Texture: Medium
• Foliage Sheen: Glossy
• Evergreen: Yes
• Showy Bark: No

Special Characteristics

• Bark Texture: Smooth
• Usage: Hedges, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break, Tropical
• Sharp or Has Thorns: No
• Invasive: No
• Attracts: Butterflies
• Self-Sowing: No