Hidden Valley Hibiscus Forum

I just saw this cv is in stock so I was hoping to see what everyone's experience with it was?  

I hope other people will respond to this but it may take awhile since we have only shipped a couple dozen of them so far.

My experience with it is that it blooms a lot - big flowers that are sort of wild in form and flashy in color. The bush is vigorous enough but needs some guiding and pruning the first couple of years to turn it into a full, upright bush. The flowers are similar to Torch Song, another new variety that makes an excellent bush naturally but is a challenge to propagate.

Charlie

Kris I just ordered it and I can't wait to see how it does.

I will take some pictures of the blooms.

Thanks for the info, i think I will go ahead and order one and see how it does :)

I got a Rocket's Red Glare this year, it's been blooming nicely, but my colors are nowhere near the ones pictured, but I like it any way. The bush so far is spindly. It came to me tied together to get the branches to stay upright, and I need to tie another one up as it's drifting downward also. I'm hoping once it heats up and my plant acclimates itself, the colors will be up to par, but I'm not disapointed!
Lisa

Mines should be getting its first bloom soon.

I can not wait !

Wow Lisa, that is still a bright colored red rockets glare!  I wonder if the blue color comes out more when the bloom fades a bit?  Charlie wasn't kidding when he said it had wild form and bright colors!  Mine is still a baby, with no buds in sight, but I look forward to its first blooms.  Thank you for sharing!

Charlie , Does this CV grow slow for you ?

When I got my 4' pot it had a small bud on it and it is still trying to grow.  Its been about a month.

I see new growth also but it seems very slow growing.

Hi Kerry,

I think we bought this one around the same time, mine also hasnt grown much until this week, I see two buds coming up and new leaves forming.  It has been my experience with all my 4" plants that they dont really start taking off until after a month.  I think they need about that much time to get acclimated.  I also found that my plants spit out about the same amount of growth if I pinch them right off the back as if I don't, only if I pinch them I get more branches and more flowers :D

-Chris

I also must add that I only do this if I don't see buds forming, sometimes I can be a bit impatient :P

Waiting on buds on a baby plant is not worth it usually. The flowers that open from such buds can be small and lack the normal color and they can slow down the growth. For that reason you will rarely get one with a bud from me, because I pinch the buds off before sending them out. I can hear the roar of objections but I really do think it best to encourage the little guys to grow and leave blooming for later. That said, I sometimes see a beautiful flower among the 4 inch pots and they look really pretty on those small plants. I still would pinch the plant if it already isn't (often they arrive pinched) and go for the growth.

Rockets Red Glare and many others spend the time after transplanting growing roots first, and shoots second. The roots provide the hormone signals for shoot and top growth and of course are the source of water and nutrients for the top growth so more are needed to power good strong growth of the plant.

As Chris described, the initial growth appears to be slow but as it gets going it rapidly increases. If you have not transplanted RRGlare yet, gently remove the root ball from the pot and see if the roots have spread over the bottom of the pot. If so, I would recommend transplanting to a 6 inch or 8 inch pot (or 1 to 2 gallons) because that will give a growth spurt more than anything else.

Charlie

I made the mistake of not pinching early and consistently on several young plants because I was eager to see that first bloom. As a result I got a lot of tall single stalk plants last year. I no longer make that mistake, but I am still trying to undo the damage so to speak with corrective prunning on several of those plants.

Dave

I had a quick question,  I find that my little plants like to disguard buds in response to the slightest stress and produce them inconsistently, (1 or 2, then growth, then another 1 or2) instead of a constant stream of buds and leaves.  Is this normal for young plants to do this, or is something amiss?

I was struck by the way you describe your experience with the small plants. This is what Cindy experiences with her 4 inch pots in the kitchen window. They bloom sometimes but often the buds fall off before they mature. I attribute it to the small root system and the wide fluctuation of water in these pots. Some of them are not "young" anymore, as she keeps them in the 4 inch pots so that they fit on the windowsill. There is a hormone that can initiate bud drop, abscisic acid, and that hormone is released by the plant in response to stress.

Abscisic acid is one of five (or more) major plant hormones (Auxin, Cytokinins, Gibberellins, Ethylene and Abscisic acid). It can be  classified as a shock hormone which are produced in response to rapid developing stress situations. Abscisic acid is ubiquitous in higher plants. The the highest levels are found in young leaves and developing fruits and seeds at the beginning of the winter season. Auxin and cytokinin are growth hormones. Gibberellins and ethylene are known as stress hormones. Though each plant hormone evokes many different specific biochemical, physiological, or morphological responses, the effects of different hormones overlap and may be stimulatory or inhibitory to regulate plant development and growth. Abscisic tends to disrupt various aspects of plant growth to develop fruits and augment sugar content. Quote from chemicalland21.com

Charlie

Hi Charlie,

Im glad you posed this.  I forgot all about Abscisic Acid as one of the big regulatory plant hormones.  I bet you are completely correct in your assumption that the small root ball and inconsistent water availability.  I think I might have stumbled onto something, are Cindy's plants in black pots or ceramic?  The reason I ask is all of my little plants are in black plastic pots, except one, which is in a ceramic one.  That individual is producing a bunch of buds, and seems pretty happy, so I am thinking that the ceramic insulates the root system, making a more stable environment.  In black pots, they probably get really hot and that isnt the best for their roots.  My other idea is some varieties might just produce more of this hormone than others.  I know you've mentioned that some varieties bloom very well in small pots, whereas others really do better planted in the ground.  I think it would make sense that the amount of Abscisic Acid in the plant could vary from CV to CV, just like hormone levels vary from person to person.  That may explain some of this.  But alas, would it help to use wake up spray on these stressed plants?  I remember reading on the houseplant forum that Cindy sprayed her plants with this whenever they looked stress.

 

I think your point is valid. Insulating the roots of hibiscus appears to be one of the best ways to improve performance. That is what happens in a big way when hibiscus are planted in the soil instead of a pot. I've also heard of people in places like Florida painting one side of a pot white and facing the white side toward the afternoon sun! Keeping the roots from getting too hot or too cold is one way to lessen the stress on hibiscus. Cindy drops her 4" plastic pots into various ceramic containers she has collected, such as over size coffee cups. It is rarely a perfect fit but does serve to keep the direct sun off most of the plastic pots. My opinion is that it is just plain hard to keep a small pot watered evenly, and even more so when each one has a different variety and different size hibiscus growing in it. Some dry out earlier than others and we just don't have time to individually monitor each of the hundred or so houseplant hibiscus in our house. Instead they all get watered more or less at the same time, and some are dry and some wet when we do it. So, we get some stress but overall they grow nicely and bloom some of the time.

I'm not sure what criteria Cindy uses to decide when to use the Wake-up spray (gibberillic acid). It is not good to use it constantly but maybe she will chime in and comment on how she uses it to best advantage.

Below is a photo of a Rockets Red Glare bloom being used as a table decoration.

Charlie

My experience with using plastic pots has been great so far. When I was living in a house and had my backyard all of my hibiscus where in big plastic pots. They all sat on top of a piece of cement slat that headed up when the sun hit it. They all did well and I did not experience any stress from them being heated by the slat or sun hitting the pots.

I am using Plastic pots right now on my balcony but I have lots of shade during certain hours. I am considering getting clay pots because the clay pots soak up lots of water and I have to water them more. This will probably help me to stop salt burn. with the plastic I water less like once a week. Now since the heat is coming I water my big plant 2 times a week.

So this weekend I might be tranfering everything into clay pots.

That makes sense.  Has anyone used foam insulator to coat the inside sides of the pot?  I wonder if that would provide enough insulation without having to buy heavy clay pots.

I received a sample pot a few years ago that was a good attempt at providing insulation and a water reservoir. Most self-watering pots have a water reservoir built into the bottom and the plant grows above it in a separate chamber. The water is wicked from the reservoir into the potting mix. The pot I received took a different approach - the pot walls were double, creating a space all around the pot that could then be filled with water. The reservoir both insulated the roots and provided water as needed. I never saw it come to market but the idea seemed good.

Charlie

Charlie
In your reply #15 you mention a hibiscus houseplant collection of a hundred or so. How do you and Cindy manage such a large number of plants in the house and could you give some idea of the range of container and plants sizes you have? My collection is approaching 40 plants and most of my containers are 8 and 10 inch with exception of the new purchases this year in 4 and 6 inch pots. I figure this winter some windows will be 3 or 4 deep with hibiscus.

dave

Rocket's red glare
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/v4/p263096992-4.jpg)

Kerry, that bloom is absolutely gorgeous. Makes me wish I hadn't hesitated on ordering it. I missed another one.

dave

Chris how is your RRG growing ?

Mine seems slow but then again a pod is developing so I think this is the cause for slow grow.

Hi Kerry,

RRG is growing pretty good for me.  Its not super fast, but it is growing very lush and full.  Two of the three branches mine has are budding up, but I have to move the plant so that may cause bud drop.  I think that I should have some flowers to share pics of in September. 

I have found that there is a decrease in the amount of grow/blooming on a branch when it has a developing seed pod.  It makes sense since it takes alot of energy to produce a seedpod, so it takes away from other growth like buds and leaves.  My Belle du Jour has just started putting out buds again after producing 6 seed pods for me, pretty good for a plant thats barely a foot tall :)  Im going to give her a break for a while, maybe ill start again when my new 4inchers start blooming :)

-Chris

The flowers are pretty similar to rockets red glare, and according to this forum and other reviews, RRG is a huge bloomer.  Mine is  small, but is already budding up, so I think this is true.  After kerry's pic, I am really looking forward to the blooms.   

Rockets Red Glare has been an excellent bloomer in the greenhouse. Big flowers that really catch the eye. I hope it works well in other conditions and look forward to the reports.

Charlie

Wow Charlie, thats a great picture!  I really can't wait for mine to bloom!  When you say that the flowers have wild form you weren't kidding, the foreground flower has 8 petals!

Sharp eyes, Chris! I've never seen it become a double although with the extra petals it would technically be called a loose double if entered in a show. A few other cvs will add extra petals that lie flat from time to time. I remember a Dragon's Breath bloom that I photographed once that had 10 petals all lying flat so that it looked like a very beefy single.

Charlie

DB with 10 petals sounds like it was a sight to behold.  Do these extra petals occur more often in warm weather, much like some single and double varieties bloom as doubles in those conditions?

I love the picture !!!!!

I've not kept track, but I'm pretty sure that you are right that the extra petals occur in the warmer weather. I found the photo of Dragons Breath. It was a really dramatic bloom, both in color and due to the form. You can't really count the petals from looking at this photo but if you look closely you can see that there are a lot of them.

Charlie

So far I am liking my RRG. After all the pods ripen its is now growing fast with lots of buds.

I'm glad to hear that, Kerry. It will be interesting to see how it does in your indoor conditions with the extra fluorescent light on it - assuming that is where it is.

Charlie

Mine also has a ton of buds on such a small plant.  It should bloom for the first time this week so I am pretty stoked for that.  It grows kinda slow for me, but this probably due to the never ending train of buds being produced. 

well i have this cv at work so its getting actual light but I can bring it home for you so I can observe how it does. Here are some pictures.
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/v7/p598263107-4.jpg)
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p1026427508-4.jpg)
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/v8/p719870662-4.jpg)
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/v7/p775510867-4.jpg)

No, don't do that! Enjoy it at work as long as it blooms. I've only had it in the greenhouse and in the garden where a big pepper tree has overgrown it too much. In the greenhouse it is a great bloomer but has also been a steady bloomer in the garden. From your office experience it appears to be a good bloomer with partial window sun, too. The flowers look fantastic in the office!

Charlie

Mine Finally Bloomed.  :D  I really like it, ALOT, it looks like I should have at least one a week for a month or so :)