Bud Drop

[kris]

Hi Charlie,

I am having a problem with my acapulco gold plant.  Its been forming buds like crazy but when they reach about 1/2 an inch the junction where the peduncle meets the stem turns yellow and the bud falls off while it is still green.  What could be causing this?  I know that thrips can cause bud loss, but usually these are large buds, not small ones.  This is the first time that this plant has produced buds for me so could it be that it is too immature and the buds will mature farther when the plant does?  I am can't figure out why this is happening.  Any ideas?

-Kris 

[Charlie]

Hmm, no easy answer to this one.

I have not observed bud drop on Acapulco Gold 6 inch pots growing in the greenhouse so I do not think it is a variety specific problem.

What concerns me the most is that it could be gall midge. Do you bring hibiscus in from Florida, Texas, or Louisiana? The hibiscus midge is now established in all 3 states and if you ever received hibiscus with buds from any of them you may have an infestation. The treatment for them is to collect all buds as they turn yellow, or if you miss some get them as soon as they fall on the ground, and dispose of them in a sealed plastic bag. Then the plants need to sprayed with Bayers 3-in-1 or Orthene and ideally the pots or ground under the plant drenched with the same.

However, let's hope that it is not gall midge and consider what else it could be. The midge usually causes buds to turn bright yellow and fall of when they are small, and thrips cause buds to discolor (but not turn bright yellow) and fall off when they are large. You describe an in between size and also say that it is not the bud so much as the peduncle (stem that holds the bud and then the flower) that is turning yellow. Unless it is very hot where you are I don't know any reason for this to happen. What is your fertilizer regime? I suppose too much nitrogen could also cause this but I doubt this is it. Too much shade is another remote possibility.

Usually when I see unusual problems occurring on hibiscus they come and go quickly and I never know what the cause was. Let's hope that this will be the case with this plant.

If the problem continues please post something again so we can reconsider. If you have a digital camera photos are always helpful.

Charlie

[kris]

Hi Charlie,

Thanks for the info.  All my hibiscus are from you, so I dont think it could be mites.  I am thinking it might be stress possibly?  Because now that I am thinking about it, the buds were developing just fine until we got this cool weather over the last two weeks.  Its been in the mid sixties and overcast.  Before that it was in the high 70s and 80s.  The saffron plant I got from you in the 6' pot dropped the small buds it had, with the larger ones staying attached.  It is growing new small ones now, but a few of them did the same thing Acapulco gold did.  I really hope it resolves itself.  On the upside, blue ballerina is not showing any such problems and I am hoping should bloom in the next two weeks.  I will keep you posted if the problem doesn't go away on its own.

-Kris

[Charlie]

Hi Kris,

I think you are right - these have been some of the most overcast days I can remember for this time of year. Between moving out of the much warmer greenhouse and the shipping stress and the overcast cool days it is not surprising that some of the hibiscus would shed the smaller buds. However, if you continue to see this please let me know as it should not continue once the plants are settled in and the weather warms up.

Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

Kris are you in so cal ?

If so I agree it probably is the weather my heart break hotel is dropping buds and its leaves feel wilt like. I told the vendor and he said the plant is probably stressed from shipping and is trying to adjust to new weather. The weather here really sucks ! I can't believe we are just having clouds and over cast with no rain and its JUNE lol

[kris]

Today the rest of the buds fell off and the really young ones are yellow, sigh I hope the weather warms up soon. 

[Nievesgirl]

I fixed my problem. Even tho I watered my HeartBreak Hotel and the soil seemed moisted enough it was not enough for this bigger plant. I went ahead and watered the plant with the booster HVH mix the pot took up half a gallon of water and did not drain out the bottom !

I added some more then if finally started to come out. My poor plant was thirsty. The leaves are all upright and firm, i was so afraid I was going to loose it.

[Charlie]

Aha!  Nievesgirl has passed the first hard test - figuring out what is wrong and fixing it! Not using enough water is the most common mistake that many make when first growing hibiscus. Commercial growers water thoroughly every day but your environment will not be as hot and you can probably do less. Even so the plants are used to daily water when they arrive and can react badly if they do not get enough. Eventually they adjust to the new conditions but for best growth and blooming plenty of water is the first requirement.

Charlie

[Charlie]

Kris, I don't know what to make of the bud drop problem. Probably it is related to the change from greenhouse to the cool and cloudy weather we are having, but still it surprises me. Can you tell us where you grow these? Outdoors? How much sun (assuming no clouds)? How often do you water and how do you do it?

Charlie

[kris]

Hi Charlie,

I bought this guy last fall, and wintered it indoors till about February, when I placed it on the porch where it gets full sun from about 10am - 1pm.  Blue ballerina is right next to it and its budding up nicely.  I was watering it with a mixure of the organic hibiscus fert you recommend and sea kelp when the top layer looked dry, but I haven't watered in about a week because the weather has been so cool and gloomy.  I hope we can figure this one out.

[Charlie]

Hi Kris,

Here's a suggestion for the Acapulco Gold. I assume the pot is in a saucer or you can place it in a saucer for this experiment. Instead of watering it from the top try filling the saucer with water and letting the pot stand in it. Check back 15 minutes later and if all the water has been sucked up into the pot then fill the saucer with water again. Keep checking back and refilling until when you check back you find that the water is still sitting in the saucer. Then move the pot out of the saucer and pour of the excess water from the saucer.

You won't overwater using this technique. The potting mix will wick up the water and the air spaces will not be flooded using this method. Every couple of days try a new saucer full of water - if the pot sucks it up great, if it just stands in the water then pour it off.

I think the bud drop will stop if you use this technique for the Acapulco Gold.

Charlie

[kris]

Hi Charlie,

I will try this watering technique and hopefully it works.  I will let you know how it turns out.  Thank you again for the advice!

-Kris

[kris]

It looks like the plant stopped producing buds and now is only producing vegetative growth.  I forgot to ask if I can still use water with dilute organic fertilizer in the saucer, or should I just use water with no fertilizer for a while?

[Charlie]

Yes, please continue to use the fertilizer you like. Many times we have seen that fertilizing stimulates flower development, particularly if the hibiscus have not been fed in awhile. The only exception to this would be a very high nitrogen type fertilizer. None of the HVH fertilizers are that type nor are any organic fertilizers we know of.

Let's see what happens!

Charlie