Hidden Valley Hibiscus Forum

I have just received my Iron and have put in the soil as instructed. I am unsure has to how often i must repeat this or is it just the one time.

Iron takes about 2 weeks to start to show results in greener leaves. If 3 weeks passes and you don't get a result try reapplying it. Also it works faster if you mix it with water and then pour the water and iron into the pot or into the root zone if the plants are in the ground. It works fastest if applied as a leaf spray but the effect is temporary so it is best to do both, spray the leaves (or just pour the mixture over the leaves when you soak the soil) and drench the root zone.

Iron is one of the minerals (along with magnesium) that will leach out of the soil during heavy rains so it is often applied after the rainy season or after a prolonged stormy period.

Charlie

Charlie do you recommend the iron chelate and magnesium to use as a supplement if the plants are potted and already getting your fertilizer, or is it not necessary? 

Jordan, the leaf color is a good indicator of whether they need it. If the leaves are a nice green color there is probably no need. Both are in the HVH fertilizer although not in amounts that will correct a serious deficiency quickly. In that case I would definitely use chelated iron and magnesium. Some people use them once a month or so just to be sure they are in sufficient supply. Both are involved in the making of chlorophyl which provides the photosynthesis the plants need.

Charlie

With all the talk about iron chelate and Mg lately I am thinking of purchasing some.  In hindsight, all the plant washing I did last year caused a great deal of chlorosis, and I probably could have corrected the problem had I had supplements on hand.  I am thinking I will add iron and magnesium monthly after seeing David's plants and after my own experience.  Is it possible to "o.d." a plant on these?  Trying not to do anything stupid!

Iron and magnesium are 2 of the safest nutrients we give hibiscus. If you did overdo it with iron (not easy to do) the leaves would turn dark greenish/bronze but new growth would soon come in that would be normal. Magnesium is so water soluble that it tends to wash out of the pot before too much can be absorbed.

Charlie

Oh, good.  Thanks, Charlie!  Now I won't worry so much about adding them.  Any time I make a change to my plant care routine it scares me.   ::)

The Iron Chelate is one of the best discoveries i have made since i started gardening, not only has it made a huge difference in the greenery of the leaves its also giving me a bit of fun. Let me explain, here in Vietnam its very very hot,and people here take as much pride in a lush green plant as they do a nice bloom, in fact probably more,so when my Viet friends are admiring the garden they think i am extremely clever to be able to get such green leaves ha ha. David.

Charlie, I got this Ironite Plus at the local store.  I asked the man if it is just iron, he said yes.  But it has the three numbers on it.  Should it?  It says 7-6-6.  Is this the wrong stuff?  Should I just buy what you offer?

The 3 numbers represent Nitrogen (N) - Phosphorus (P) - Potassium (K)
Ironite Plus is fertilizer and trace elements. The regular Ironite is just the trace elements. I use the regular Ironite on my hibiscus planted in the ground. Works quite well if watered in good. I try to use it right before a big rain storm like we've had here for the last 2 days. I have never used it on potted plants.

I mixed it in with my regular recipe of HVH Fert, Boost, & Super Nova.  Is that bad?  Should I rinse it all out of the pots?

Ironite is not a water soluble fertilizer. It is used as a top dressing or mixed into the soil. If you didn't use very much I don't think you will burn your plants. You really shouldn't need to use ironite if you are using the HVH fertilizer. From your pics the leaves on your plants always have a nice dark green color to them.

Oh man, what did I do....  Thanks, the bottle says to use 1/2 capfull per gallon of water.  I have a 2 gallon can and I put 3/4 capfull in it.  It says it can be used with every watering, so it might be OK. 

BTW, how is the weather in TX??  You must be safe because you are talking to me. 

Thanks for the help
~Kristen

I just checked and I see that they have it in a liquid form which is meant to be mixed with water. So you should be ok. I still don't think your plants really need it though.

The tropical storm only dumped  some rain in Houston. About 3 inches where I live. San Antonio and Austin are getting it much worse. They will probably end up with close to a foot of rain! I really needed that rain so I'm happy.

Well I'm glad you are ok!  Thanks for the advise too!  I was thinking that I would use it once a month along with the epsom salts.  They have been turning a bit yellowish, so that is why I tried it.  And this time it is not mites!  So that is why I went with some iron.  I think I rather use what Charlie & Cindy has though. 

Hi Kristin,

Doll has been giving you good advice. What you did with the Ironite Plus won't hurt anything. It will take longer to work than a product with chelated minerals. All the minerals in Ironite are what they call elemental, which just means that the iron, zinc, and manganese are in mineral form and not chelated (bonded to amino acids). That makes them harder for the plant to absorb and use but it is still a lot better than nothing. The nitrogen in this version of Ironite is almost all urea, the cheapest form of nitrogen that can help with a quick greening up but is also very water soluble and washes out of the pots easily. Anyway, nothing harmful and you should get some benefits from it. While you are at it you can add some epson salts or chelated magnesium as well. Together these are all very effective in greening up leaves.

The most convenient product is the HVH Houseplant Formula (should be renamed Ultimate Hibiscus Food). It contains all the above in chelated form plus Supernova plus HVH special blend fert. When I have a sick or very yellow hibiscus I fill a saucer with water and Houseplant Formula at double strength and sit the pot in the saucer. It's amazing what happens over the next 2 weeks to such plants that sit in this broth - new growth and much greening occurs.

Charlie

Charlie

Charlie, Is the houseplant formula as good a food to give weekly as the mix I have been giving?  HVH fert, Boost, SN, peroxide...?  Is it something that I could get to replace my routine with great results, or is it something that I should get and use along with?

Also, I just hosed all my plants today in preparation to bring them in tonight for my vacation.  It is an overcast and windy day, so I thought it would be a good day to do it and have them dry nicely.  I saw some yellowing on Cindy's Heart.  I looked with the mag and saw what I thought are mites, or their eggs, but there was no movement.  It was really cool last night, didn't know if that affects them or not, that is why I did the hosing to them all.  Anyway, I think I would like to give them a spray before I bring them all in.  Do you think I should use Neem Oil, Bondie Systemic Insect Control, or Bondie All Seasons Spray Oil?  They all take care of mites, but which would be the best?  I don't want to come home to a room packed with yellow infested plants, so I want to take all percautions.

Thanks for the help!
~Kristen

Hi Kristin,

I answered the part about yellow leaves in the Flowers of the Day thread.

The Houseplant Formula contains everything you mentioned above, in doses that we think are ideal for hibiscus. If you use it you do not need to use anything else. It is the only thing we feed our 100 or so hibiscus in the house and office. These are the plants that I hybridize with for the most part and they are beautifully green and bloom well whenever the sun shines through the big windows which is most of the year.

The advantage to using separate ingredients is that you can then vary the individual amounts according to need. For instance, you might want to add more nitrogen by way of the HVH Specialblend to new 4 inch pots and less Booster since they won't be flowering for a few months anyway. The drawback to adjusting the formula is that you might overdo it with one ingredient and cause a problem. The convenience of using the Houseplant Formula is significant to some people. It is our best fertilizer formula and the best we have ever seen combined into one package.

Charlie

Thanks Charlie, That is very helpful.  I think I will get that for my mother...

So I got my Iron Chelate in the mail last week from you.  Today without checking here first I mixed up my regular formula of HVH fert, HVH booster, & Supernova, along with 1 tsp per gallon of this Iron... As I am pouring this blood red formula into my prized plants, I think, this may not be right.  So in a panic, I look on the forum and see that it is supposed to be sprinkled on the soil, not mixed into the water!  So what does this mean?  Can I continue to water with this mixture?  Will it hurt the plant?  Or not do anything?  And I should just do a monthly regimen of sprinkling the pots with it and Epsom salts?

Kristen, I water with iron chelate every time I water.  I use 1/8 teaspoon per gallon and the plants love it.  I don't think you can OD them on iron, but don't spill it on the carpet!

Kristen, as Jordan said it is fine to mix the iron chelate with water and then soak the pots with it. In fact I think that is a better method than adding the powder to the pot and watering afterwards. Our Houseplant Formula is loaded with it which is what makes it so dark red when mixed with water.

Cindy and I once experimented with some very chlorotic plants to see just how much iron you could soak them with. I forget the amounts we used now but it was the top level was a LOT of iron. At that level it turned the existing leaves bronze colored and then they fell off. But, it did not kill the plant and when the new leaves grew in they were a very nice dark green color. Anyway, the 1 teaspoon per gallon you are using is nowhere near the maximum amount you can use and will do only good things for the hibiscus. Iron and magnesium are the 2 minor minerals that "green up" hibiscus quickly. Of course they also need nitrogen but there is plenty of that in HVH Special Blend and Booster.

Charlie

What I do Kristen, and I am sure I must have read it on here is I poke a hole with my finger in the mix, 1 finger for a small pot and 2 fingers for a big pot, fil the hole with Iron and cover it, it works a treat and they are slowly getting Iron with every watering, when the water starts to run clear [usualy about 6 weeks] I know its time to do again.
Saying that Jordan's way is probably better[ eighth of a teaspoon with every gallon], I did try that but its just a bit to fiddly for me.

Thanks for that, David. As mentioned on another thread, there is more than one way to grow hibiscus and in my opinion both these techniques will get the job done.

Charlie

Thank you all so much!  Great help.  I will finish watering tomorrow and feel good about it.  I noticed the houseplant formula having a red color to it.  I use that at my mom's house when I water weekly there. (she has all my seedlings).  But got scared when I saw how red 1 tsp looked in my mixture.

Since I mix my own brew weekly with all your fab products, its no bother to add it to the weekly watering.  I will go down to Jordan's size at 1/8 tsp. 

David, the problem for me with adding it to the soil once a month is this... I forget... don't ask me how I forget, but I do.  I will go for months without adding the Epsom Salt!  That is probably part of why I have any yellow leaves.  You would think that since I am messing around with my plants and watering once or twice a week, I would think to add the salts... but I don't.  Your plants look so lovely by the way.  You have mastered the art of hibiscus! 

I would love to add the Epsom Salts to my weekly mixture, Charlie, at what ratio would you do this per gallon?  Or do you recommend the sprinkle in the pot method.  Or maybe if I were to go the watering method, I should get something different altogether then Epsom salts?

Hi Charlie,
 So I just used your houseplant formula the way you describe above for my sick plant that went bald in the fall.  I started a topic on it.  It is still in the same situation but looks healthier then before.  Has about 10 healthy leaves.  I cut a few questionable branches off of it about 2 months ago, and it hasn't spread.  My question is, do I refill the saucer when it dries up?  And would this make the soil too wet for a plant that doesn't have a lot of leaves?
Thanks,

Kristen, mix the Epson Salts into water at the rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. Epson Salts are magnesium sulfate and is the cheapest way to get needed magnesium and sulfur into the plants.

The trick for using the saucer full of Houseplant Formula to cure a sick plant is to allow enough time after the saucer empties for the potting mix to dry down a little before refilling the saucer. How long depends on the conditions - the hotter, sunnier and drier it is the shorter the time needed. I would guess in your situation 4 days or so for the pot to dry down but not dry out. All self watering pots should be used in this way - a short break between refillings.

Charlie

This just made me think of a question.  Charlie, if I were to add the epsom salt to my everyday watering, what rate would you recommend?  Would you do 1/8 tsp/gallon, just like the iron chelate?

Thanks so much Charlie.  Love this forum!

Jordan, I'd add a bit more, like 1/4 tsp per gallon. Epson Salts are very water soluble and do not tend to build up in the potting mix.

Charlie

Yes, thank you Charlie.  I'm going to try adding epsom salt with each watering this year.