Floppy hibiscus

[zuzuclue]

I have 2 hibiscus (Love Story and High Voltage) that have gotten very tall (about 2 feet) and fall over. I don't know why this happens (too little dirt? not enough light?) or what to do about it (prune them back? prop them up?).

[Darkhorse]

Welcome to the forum!

  What do you mean by floppy?  Are the branches floppy, or is the bush itself leaning sideways?  Pictures are always nice! 

[Charlie]

Yes, photos always help in figuring out a problem.

I'm going to guess that neither of these 2 plants have been pruned. If they are not pruned they tend to grow 1 long tall stem that can eventually start to fall over. High Voltage is a particularly strong and upright variety and should not fall over. I can only think that it has grown 1 tall stem that needs to be pruned. After it is pruned the main stem will become very thick and strong, and will support the new branches that will grow off of it.

You can also use bamboo poles or something similar to stake the hibiscus up. Just stick it in the soil an inch or so away from the plant and use twist ties to attach to stem of the plant to the pole. This will help support the plant until it gets strong enough to support itself.

Even if you give support to the hibiscus it will still need to be pruned so that it develops side branches properly. Details on pruning can be found at:  http://www.hiddenvalleyhibiscus.com/care/pruning.htm

The other thing that might make one of these varieties floppy is to grow it in high heat, low light situation.

Anyway, if you can post photos or more details perhaps we can help more.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

I was thinking several factors could be contributing to the bushes' floppiness. First,  I was thinking the same thing as Charlie with plants being exposed low light levels and warm temperatures

The second thing I could come up with is if the plants were exposed/treated with gibberellins.  Gibberellic acid causes internode elogation and if the plants were exposed to this hormone it would explain why they grew very tall fast and flopped over.  HVH wake up spray has Gibberellic acid, so if you used that product on the plants to make them grow more it would explain how they grew tall and flopped over. 

The third thing could be an imbalance of nutrients that your plants are getting.  Maybe not enough Potassium, but I think that you would see little growth rather than a floppy bush. 

That is the only thing I could come with, pictures would help with the diagnosis