Voodoo Magic

[Darkhorse]

Hi guys,

    I hope it's ok starting a new topic...   

    I ordered a Voodoo Magic from HVH last year, and I'm so impressed!  It, along with my other hibiscus (garden-variety plants), must stay outside on the balcony year-round, as my cats love to eat houseplants.  Although we don't often have temperatures below freezing here in the Bay Area of Cali, this winter seems to have been especially cold (32-38F at night).  V.M. has weathered the cold much better than either of my other two hibiscus plants, only losing a few leaves and dropping buds-- the other two... I'm not even sure if they will make it.  It also dealt with the 'droughts' this past summer better than the others (a.k.a. me forgetting to water).

      I love this plant!  I have a few questions, though.  First, what are the ideal conditions for it to produce the dark brown flowers shown on the website?  I got a couple of those last year, but the flowers have been more orangey than brown (still very pretty, though!).  As a new hibiscus enthusiast, I'm also interested in potentially cloning/hybridizing sometime in the future.  How does Voodoo Magic respond to rooting hormone?  Does it seed well or produce hot pollen?

     Finally, thanks for all the great photos on your website!!  I visit almost every day looking for new varieties and pictures.  I will be potentially purchasing my first house this year, and have already decided I want a hibiscus in every room.  So, if all goes well, I'll be ordering tons more from you guys.     (On that note, will you be offering Heavy Metal again at any time in the future?)

All the best,
Jordan L.

[Charlie]

Hi Jordan,

I'm glad you're doing well with Voodoo Magic! It has a lot of good qualities, such as floriferousness and branching well, that it inherited from parent Rennaissance Blue.

It hasn't set seed for me but every now and then I can get enough pollen to successfully cross it with a good seed setter. I have high hopes for getting some good results from the relatively few seeds that have come from it so far.

The best color comes in the heat of summer. Cooler winter conditions bring out the orange color but the brown with markings will return with summer conditions. It is an excellent bloomer, and one of my top favorite brown flowers. It responds to rooting hormone just fine, and surprisingly is one of the easier exotic hibiscus to clone.

You asked about Heavy Metal - yes, more are already in the pipleline and will be showing up in the store eventually. Probably the easiest way to watch for it is to use the "Waiting List" form on the website. Cindy will send you an email when we add it back to the store if she has a waiting list request. The link to that form is here - http://www.hiddenvalleyhibiscus.com/pages/waitinglist.htm

Thanks for the comments!

Charlie

[nina]

I am also very satisfied with Woodoo Magic. It is very floriferous which is one of the characteristics that I appreciate the most.  The bloom stands upright, and has a nice form. It lasts for two days in my autumn, I have not seen it in summer. In autumn, it is brown the first day, and the second day it gets a golden rim, I like the both faces very much.

I did not know I rooted so well. I will try this spring.

Nina, 9b

[Nievesgirl]

I am waiting for my voodoo magic to arrive 

[Nievesgirl]

Nievesgirl, we have a very nice Voodoo Magic for you ready to go as soon as your Gator Pride gets ready. Lots of buds on it already!

Charlie

Yes I can't wait my husband is buying them for me  .  I told him I want more soon I already have a list hehehehe

[Nievesgirl]

My voodoo Magic is doing nicely now


When should I transfer it to a bigger pot ?

[Charlie]

The Voodoo Magic came in a 6 inch pot, right? If you want it to continue to grow larger then it can be transplanted to a larger pot anytime now. It can also remain in the 6 inch pot but won't grow as fast or as large. The new pot should be between 8 and 12 inches wide and about as high as it is wide. Going with one larger than that now would be a little risky.

Charlie

[nina]

Today, I have counted 38 buds, small and big, on my five branch Woodoo Magic! Three were open, what a festival! It has such saturated colors!  Enough for me to fall in love unconditionally with this one!

[Charlie]

Now those are some pretty Voodoo Magic flowers!  Great color, Nievesgirl...

As Nina noted, Voodoo Magic buds up about as well as any hibiscus every could, even rivaling some of the garden varieties. I would like to see a really big, fully grown one and see how many flowers it could open in a single day.

Charlie

[nina]

A beauty, a real beauty.

[Darkhorse]

Wow, Nivesgirl, I agree with Charlie.  What fantastic color!!

Have any of you guys noticed your VM to be a slower growing variety?  My big old VM was, and I recently bought a 4" VM and am noticing the same trend.  Maybe it's because I thoroughly inspect all my hibs every day, though, hurrying them along to bloom, and don't see the small changes.

[Charlie]

Interesting question, Darkhouse. For me Voodoo Magic grows fairly rapidly to a certain size and then slows way down. It branches naturally and really well in response to pinching. Then it buds up so heavily that I think the energy and nutrients are mostly used for buds and blooms and not much for growth. Someone wanting one to grow big might accomplish that by pruning in early summer so that it mostly grows and does not bloom during the long light months.

 If you got a 4" one from me there is a good chance that I pinched the top shortly before you got it. That gives the plant the appearance of not growing for a couple of weeks while the new shoots slowly emerge from nodes below the pinch. However, those new shoots grow faster as they get bigger and before you know it they are making buds and blooming like crazy.

Of course the growth in California at this time of year is slowed by clouds and cool temps but as we get into July and the new growth starts taking off I think you will see a big change.

Charlie

[Darkhorse]

Interesting... and it definately makes sense that the plant's energy would go into bud production.  I did get the 4" from you.  It came with a 4" Chariots of Fire.  Both were about the same size when I got them, but now the COF has doubled the VM's size.  However, the VM already has one little bud on it, and it's only about 5" tall!  I'm anxiously awaiting flowers from both. 

I will try pruning it when it gets a little bigger and the weather clears up-- here in the bay area we're having our yearly June gloom too.  It hasn't really gotten out of the low 70's this year other than one weird weekend in May where it was 98.  This coming week is supposed to be in the 80's, though, and I'm hoping that will speed everybody up in terms of growth.

[nina]

The Woodoo bush today, still full of buds:

[Charlie]

Excellent, Nina!  Is this Voodoo Magic one that was grafted from wood you received?

Charlie