Wilt

[Kathleen]

I got my new plants just a couple of weeks ago, Magnum Opus and James.  They were both just beautiful when they arrive and had been doing really well...even got a couple of tiny new buds.  Today, when I got home from work, disaster...James Bond has WILT.  In the past, I have tried everything the Hibiscus Care section has suggested and I have never been able to save a small plant in the past no matter what I tried.  Does any one have any new suggestions that might work?  I hate to say goodbye to another James Bond. 

[Kyle]

Kathleen,
I'm sorry your having issues with your hibiscus.   If you could provide more info this should be easy figure out since you just got them.
Where was it located? Covered? Outside? What direction (s) like north, south, does your hibiscus face?
What were the weather conditions for that day like temp, sun, wind?
Did you transplant?  Much needed info.
When was the last time you watered before it wilted?
Did the plant stand back up after you watered it?
Is Bond acclimated or currently acclimating before it goes to it's final home?
What does the soil feel like during wilt?  Dry or wet?


If you don't know all the ansewers that's OK any info will help. Can you post some pictures.  Since you just got these it could be something about the watering.  If you don't correct the issue buds will drop, not grow, or  slow die.
You said you just got home from work, did Bond dry out  in the sun/wind? 


Kyle 

[Kathleen]

Thanks Kyle.  The little James Bond plant is completely dead now.  Nothing green on it anywhere. It was still in the original 4" pot that it came in.  Only had it about 2 weeks.  I had it under a tree that allowed it to receive direct early morning sun from sunrise until about 10 am.  Wanted to get them acclimated before I gave them more sun or potted them up.  Was VERY careful not to give them too much water or let them dry out as I have killed other plants that way.  I got this James Bond and Magnum Opus together and they were treated exactly the same.  It didn't dry out.  That was the first thing I checked.  Magnum Opus is doing fine while James Bond is dead ... I just don't get it.  It went down-hill very, very fast. Three days from the first sign of wilt until complete death.  Our rainy season hasn't started yet so the only water it got was what I gave it. It didn't seem to have a very well established root system.  Could it be it was just too frail?  The HVH website is right.  Wilt will take out your baby plant before you can even get a response back from your email.  It goes that quick.

[Kyle]

Kathleen,
Sounds like you were taking care of Bond just fine acclimating it, observing, and waiting to transplant when it's ready.

I received 2 4" plants this spring.
1 was getting watered every day sometimes twice a day with saucer so I transplanted it to a 5" pot.
The 2nd 4" is getting watered 1 time every 1-2 weeks, no joke watered it twice since I received it.
I had to wait about a week to water it after I unboxed it.   
Both are in a covered porch and require different treatment for now.

The thing about hibiscus in 4" pots is that sometimes they need a crazy amount of water. With our without heat.    I like it  because they are feeding often and I'm adding fuel to fire.   

I'm not sure if anyone of us or anyone at HVH could have preventing this or helped you through it. 
It can be really hard to determine what is causing the problem with or without actually being there.

I hate learning the hard way and I absolutely hate losing hibiscus or watching them go downhill when i can't do anything about it.   

Your not alone it happens to me as well.  Just when I think I know what I'm doing,  I don't.
I'm still learning...
Kyle
 

[Jonathan]

i had same happen to me. I ordered living legend and it died in 5 days, it just happens. I also ordered other plants and they're doing fine.

[Kathleen]

Well, I am recovering from the loss of my James Bond baby    I waited for three years before I was able to get my hands on one and now it is gone.  I hope I don't have to wait another 3 years to get another.  I really like James Bond.

Our summer rainy season has begun and I am hoping I won't lose any more to wilt because they stay too wet.  I just came inside from moving all of the small plants onto a covered porch.  I also put them up on pallets so they could drain better and cut extra drainage holes in the bottoms of some of them who's pots only had holes on the sides.  I have learned over the past couple of years ...with the help of all you folks here on the forum, plus lots of trial and error ... that even with the best drainage, I still have to be very careful with my watering because the pots just don't dry out when the humidity is constantly at or near 100%.  Wish me luck this summer as rainy season isn't over here in Florida until the end of September.

I have had some good results this spring though.  All my efforts have rewarded me with some beautiful blooms.  I got a new cell phone and can now take pictures of them to share.  I just have to learn how to do that.

Now I just have to figure out how to pull Midnight Confession out of it's funk.  I don't think it is Wilt.  Over the past couple of weeks it's leaves have started to slowly turn yellow and fall off, one by one. It is almost a bare stick now.  I still have hope.  The stalk it still green when I scratch it.

Kathleen