Hidden Valley Hibiscus Forum

A few from June and back on track with July.
I have been experiencing way more bud drop than usual.
2  cv in particular have been dropping almost every bud since Nov.   
It has carried over into summer.   2 very healthy cv's budding like crazy but as soon as the buds mature they drop or drop just days before opening.  Green crisp buds.
I really think it's caused by the hormone Abscisic (ABA).  No pest at all. Not a single yellow leaf.   Very ideal conditions as well.  Total pampering. 
Tried all the kelp trick but nothing works.  Tried worm casting tea didn't work.
Also moved them into more shade, more sun, or less water, or more water, nothing seems to stop the bud drop.  Again, 2 of my CV have been dropping all their buds for 9 months straight.
Outdoor, indoors, covered porch doesn't matter.   Houseplant formula or Special Blend both bud drop. 
 It seems as though the flow of sap get's reversed because when the buds fall, sap is dripping from the break just below the bud.
The weather has finally settled down and it can't be anymore perfect so hopefully they get through this on their own.   

I could only find limited topics about bud drop related to ABA.   
Just a few  CV dropping buds,  but here are some blooms that I was able to enjoy.

I always feel like somebody's watching me! 

After about 2 hours of morning sun outside  before 11am I pulled this Pink Panther from outside but you can see how intense the sun is in my conditions.   Crazy insanely bright in my conditions.    So bright that I'm building a step bench that will have a canopy to filter the sun over my outdoor CV's.
     

Tarzan's on the 4th of July and every year Space Oddity keeps getting better. 
Prob my most vivid Space Oddity to date. 

Beautiful photos Kyle!

If that bud drop persists even in perfect weather conditions I would be thinking along the lines of the fert mix and soil composition. Which two varieties is it? Maybe the are just more tempermental than the average HVH CV?

Been having outstanding results so far this year with bloom colors....Enjoy!

Farmer D

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Love My Mama is a new HVH CV and the first two blooms have been stunning

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First bloom on God's Eye on a tiny plant. Another stunning new addition to the HVH lineup.

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Deep Dusk is another new HVH CV and another stunner. Very unusual combo of colors with this one!

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Bantam Rooster is another new HVH CV - really wild and striking!

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What a great CV Darren, Love My Momma!

Lot of rain last few days and the hibiscus are loving it.
Within days of moving Pink Panther in more  shade the buds stopped dropping and flowers are bigger.
Before that I was hiding it behind bigger hibiscus trying to shade it but the radiation might have been to intense.

I agree Kyle - Love My Mama has such wonderful opening colors. The fade is nice too which sometimes is tricky with purple and magenta blooms. The plant is strong and vigorous and very attractive with the deeply lobed leaves (fancy foliage).

Your blooms are always looking first rate! I love that Pink Panther bloom with the grey - incredible! This summer I have gotten the best results ever - super heavy feeding and extra water seem to be the answer here. I wouldn't have thought of it if we didn't have all that rain this winter. I saw some of my plants leafing out more than ever and it got me thinking....

Farmer D

Here are two very pretty blooms in my opinion - Butter Cup and Quasar. Unique and exceptional colors.

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Midnight Tryst is a great bloomer and easy to grow plant - amazing bloom!

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Floral Bliss is one of my favorite new HVH CVs. Language of Love is a top 5 ATF and Blackberry Truffle has the most amazing blooms!

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Neutron Star has these lovely grey/ivory highlights on each petal. So together with the insane red eye zone and blue overlay it is breath taking! God's Eye is gaining color with each bloom on such a small plant - impressive!

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The perfect symmetry on this White Hot bloom is beyond words...

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Heartbreaker is another incredible HVH CV!

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Red Giant starting to hold it's buds.
Full sun tough it out!

Kyle and Farmer D, those are some really spectacular photos of great blooms that you have been posting this month. Can't even pick a favorite out of these stunners!

Charlie

Kyle and Darren your blooms are looking great as always. Hope you guys are having a great summer so far!
Darren I am always amazed by the rich colors you get on Magic Crystal.  Do you have this CV in full sun or partial shade?  Mine is in full sun and blooms like crazy, but the colors fade quickly so I am considering relocating.

Some from July...First blooms on Bantam Rooster and Belle du Jour for me.  I've patiently waited a while for Belle to bloom, but it was worth the wait.  Another new CV, Blackbird flying is blooming often.  Hopefully I'll have a better photo to post soon.  Also a nice Blue Ballerina profusion from today.

Bright Hope, Cindy's Heart (with Girl Next door in the background), Cosmic Gold, Exuberance, & Flickering Flame.

God's Eye, James Bond, Living Legend, Midnight Tryst, & Pinot Noir

Prosperity, Reflection, Simple Pleasures, Stormy Heart, & Symphony

Tahitian Magenta Double Star, Tarzan, Thunderhead, Velvet Illusion, & Wow Factor.

Hi David! Long time since we last chatted. Your blooms are looking great! And so many different varieties - a pleasure to view! As for Magic Crystal I even think that the photos I am currently posting of it are not close to their peak. I find that it doesn't do it's max colors in the hot summer months but in spring and fall when there is a bit more cooler nights. Cindy's last newsletter explains that part very well as far as what the different pigmentations can do. Here is a photo of MC at it's max and then one that is from this past week.



Farmer D

One of my ATFs is Scintillating. The colors are so intense and bright on it that the camera never does it justice. The blooms always have great form and the plant is just amazing.

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Crystalline is another super pretty cultivar

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Through the Fire is a super stunner

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Beautiful 1st bloom for Water Therapy

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Illuminati is an oldie but goodie - every time it blooms I am astounded by it's amazing form and pretty colors

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Monet's Palette is always breath taking....

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I have had a lot of 1st blooms on plants but Stairway to Heaven has to be one of the best. I have rarely encountered a bloom with such thick petals, amazingly perfect form, striking colors and the plant is just as impressive. This one few can compare to....and I have had only two blooms thus far.

Farmer D

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Here is another 1st bloom that I find to be insanely pretty - Heartache. Ranks right up there with the best.

Farmer D

Merlot Magic has some of the best dark purple pigmentation out there - hardly fades in strong sunlight.

Farmer D

Bantam Rooster sure is a fun little bloom - lots of pizzaz!

Farmer D

Hi David good to see your bloom again.
Thanks Charlie love your creations.

Time will tell for me for God's Eye but right now Tarzan is way out in front.
When Tarzan opens it's multi colored like a rainbow. 
The muti colors turn blackish and by the end of the day it settles to grey or smoke in summer heat.
The shape of the flowers give Tarzan character like no other flower I have. 

I still think Space Oddity is 1 of the most colorful  exotic hibiscus.

My Wow Factor houseplant has not had any direct sun since early March.

Diamond Ring's summer blooms have so much going on with them.
I'm so amazed by the gold burn that appears in the white spots. 

I don't usually post the same photos or flowers on social media and the forum but I can't leave this frothy
Diamond Ring out.

Kyle it seems your blooms have a lot of grey in them. Maybe just your preference for the colors you prefer. Reason I ask is trying to see if what you feed them might influence the colors they produce. Something to learn from for me if that is the case.

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Darren, been feeding  light special blend (half dose) and equal booster all summer sometimes twice a day for the outdoor plants but it recently cooled off a couple days and watering had to cut back until it heats up again.     I don't use as much fertilizer as 1 would think due to fertilizer burn that I get.
Maybe the beneficials are contributing to flower color?
Maybe it's the carbohydrates I use sending the microbes in overdrive?
Could the mycorrhizae and bacteria be enhancing the nutrients or making the nutrients more efficient?
I think conditions might also be playing a factor in flower color because Tarzan and other colorful CV's  are pink most of the year until it heats up when they become rainbow or even grey for maybe 3-4 months of the year.
Overall I think sun and temperature are a big factor in the flower color which makes everyone's flowers unique?

Check out these summer Tarzan's.  I think it was cloudy this day and warm.
Kyle
 



 
     

   

Space Oddity  and the blooms on Pink Panther are approaching 10".

Tarzan about an hr before sunset and like I was saying Wow Factor no direct sun since March but opened 6 flowers the other day.   It's in front of a sliding glass door getting a good amount of reflected and indirect sun.
It won't profuse in the house though.
I only feed it Houseplant Formula because it draws up water from the saucer. 
Kyle

Beautiful blooms Kyle!

Even after growing these plants for 7 years now I still find things to learn everyday and lately still some significant break throughs. No doubt the varying conditions each of us have in our different growing climates is the number one factor. Kyle you are very much into the science of feeding your plants especially at the root level. That is why I am curious to see if there is any correlation with what you do and the colors I see in your bloom photos.

It is interesting that you get fert burn and have to go half doses on your feedings of special blend and booster. I used to get a lot of fert burn with my potted plants and I now only feed them regular doses of special blend with some supernova added for additional potassium and micronutrients. Maybe the booster is a bit too much to include in regular feedings of potted exotic hibiscus - especially during the summer months when temps are highest and the plant's metabolism is fastest?

The thing that has dawned on me the most this summer so far is the degree to which exotic hibiscus are energy hogs. They cannot get enough and we have to be savvy to know how to get them enough without it becoming a problem for them. Again I have been inside the HVH greenhouse when it was 122F and the plants were loving it. But remember no direct sunlight in there - that is the key to handle those temps while the amount of energy they get from that heat must be a dream for them. I have talked to others who grow tropical plants and they all say that exotic hibiscus want the most feeding of all their plants. So energy in one form or another whether it be sunlight, heat and/or fertilizers. My experience here is any direct sunlight over 93F starts to have negative effects (yellow leaves, dropped buds, etc..)

Glad we can share our info and ideas!

Farmer D

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I got my first 11" bloom ever and of course it would be from Spring Fever. The plant is just as amazing as the huge blooms.

Farmer D

Island Queen is a prolific bloomer - at least 3-4 blooms per day. On this day it had nine blooms

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3rd bloom of Light Show and it is beyond expectations - same with the 1st bloom of Petite Sapphire which was well over 7"

Farmer D

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So many beautiful blooms.  Darren really like Through the Fire, Floral Bliss, Stairway to Heaven and your Language of Love is awesome!  I have a young LoL and I can't wait for it to begin blooming. Also liking the look of your Tahitian Purple Passion.  The flower on TPP is one of my ATFs for sure.  Here's a few of my most recent TPP blooms.  Keeping it Tahitian, also Tahitian Taui and some nice blooming on Tahitian Princess.

Appassionata, a vivid pink Belle, God's Eye, Garden Pleasures, Indian Bride & James Bond.

Love Story, Love Sonnet, Rainbow Christie twins, Thunderhead, Valentine's Day & Wow Factor.

Nice 85 degree day, so lots of blooms popping up in the garden.  Acapulco Gold, Bright Hope, White Hot, Valentine's Day, Creme de Cacao, Prosperity, Midnight Tryst, Heavy Metal, Symphony & a fragrant Heaven Scent.

Fantastic blooms David! You are getting some max colors there - a joy to view!

Farmer D

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2nd Midnight Confession bloom

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Yes David TPP has insane color bands that green is my favorite blooms looking good.
11 bloom wow Darren!

Darren what I like about posting and looking at everyone's post is how we learn from each other and see how the different conditions effect everyone's flowers.  
For sure you seeing many blues, purple's, greys because it's a preference that I have and those colors seem to do well in my conditions.    Tropical colors are great but they are not my preference and my past conditions did not favor tropical flowers or  CV's that intensify in the sun so passed on those colors.
 
I forgot to mention I use a a garden hose or plain tap water without any fertilizer some of the time.  This year I set it up that way so I don't need to fertilize all the time.   Early in the season I added little time release fertilizer, castings, rock minerals, kelp, compost, microbes when I transplanted so I can be lazy over the summer and water with  a garden hose or plain water.  

It is extremely bright in my conditions now.  The reflected sunlight is overpowering.   I can't go outside from 8am-3pm without sunglasses because it's crazy bright.  
You can see in some of my recent photos by the 2nd day the flowers are toasted even on partly sunny days.
I have some blueprints made up for a nice long 2 step bench that will have a canopy over top to filter the sun from my old living room sheers.    The bench with canopy will go outside so I can put more hibiscus outside and get them out of the direct sun.  
I definitely agree with you about lots of water in the summer.    The only thing is my plants need to be somewhat mature with multiple branches 1-3ft long before I can go crazy with watering.   It could take 2 years to get them to that point and it's only for a few months of that much water.  

Wow Factor has a blue body and a yellow edge.   Where the blue and yellow meet, it turns green but only in certain conditions or later in the day as if fades.    Daylight will  make it appear washed out.   
  
 
  
    

few more

Here is an example of 3 different photos taken within 10 mins of each other. 
Different light conditions change the way the colors look on Wow Factor.

Kyle I couldn't agree with you more. What I most recently learned is that exotic hibiscus are energy hogs. Kyle I would be curious to hear your opinion about this. I have talked with some growers of tropical plants and they have said that among the plants they grow exotic hibs are the most hungry for feeding. My take on this is that they want lots of energy but the form of it can vary from the fertilizers we feed them to the heat and sunlight they get naturally. It really depends on where you live and how you provide it to them. For example if I lived in Florida where the sun is super intense and lots of humidity and rain I would not need to feed my plants much. In fact one grower there tells me he seems to get better results when he leaches his soil with water and backs off on the feeding. Here in So Cal with our mild climate and less intense sun I find that feeding outdoors is critical until the warm months of summer kick in. This year that started the last week of June. Since then I can back off on the heavy feedings as the plants are now getting a lot of energy from the ambient heat and sun.

And yes you can take multiple angles of a single bloom and get many different looks with each photo. My goal is to get the truest look to what my eyes see. I prefer having shade behind a bloom to best see the bloom colors. What I also love is taking photos of blooms in full sunlight as not many people do that. To see that shiny almost wet look on the petals is always amazing to me.

Good stuff Kyle!

Farmer D

Meteor Shower is one cultivar that I think flies under the radar of most. It is one of my favs as the blooms are huge and the colors are very intense. The splashing jumps out at you and then that hot pink eye is very striking.

Farmer D

Heartache is quickly becoming one of my favs now...

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