Transitioning from Overwintering Inside to Living Outdoors

[helixturnhelix]

Oops missed this one Charlie.  I wonder if using Vit C (ascorbic acid) would help reduce plant stress associated with triple digit temperatures or transplanting?  Ive been using super nova foliar spray after hot days to try to reduce the stress, it would be interesting to see if ascorbic acid would do the same thing.

Great to hear Jordan!  The space oddity at my parents house is always a great bloomer, its been going strong since April.   My mom kept it on the porch all winter, which protected it from the cold raining winter they had in so cal, and SO it rewards her with flowers every day   I also must say that it grows pretty quick too.  We got ours around the same time, (remember the cinnamon girl mix up ) and its about 4 feet tall with 6 branches!  I am looking forward to visiting my parents this summer to see how the hibiscus garden I planted for them is doing.  In May I moved Rainbow Sherbet in the front of the flower bed where I hope it will take center stage.  RS had a hard prune and I saw three branches forming (finally).  This is also a spot that gets the most sun and last year Long tall sally's blooms blackened in that full sun.   I also planted Chariots of Fire in that garden as well.  In addition to those two... there is a Long Tall Sally, First Love and Young at Heart that were added last year.

Come to think of it... I remember seeing Fantasy Charm and June's Dragon survived the winter in another flowerbed and Cinnamon girl and Gator pride looked good in 10 gallon pots    I will have to take some pics to share.

[Kyle]

This is an older topic i wanted to share on.   Transitioning winterized plants to outdoors again is a long acclimating process for me.   There are so many variables like sun, wind, fresh air, humidity, that contribute  to how quickly a plant can  adjust to the outdoors.    Plants that were outside at a nursery in good health acclimate quicker.    Plants with deep green hardy leaves also transition quicker.
   My hibiscus are brought inside from mid Oct to-May in Ohio.      My indoor and outdoor garden faces East so during the winter months they receive no direct sun but receive good amount of reflected sun.  Over the winter my plants are pruned, shaped, and most of the leaves fall off with new tender leaves filling in.   The new foliage that grew over winter is light green, undergrown,  soft, and delicate.  
A plant can receive 50% more sunlight outside in the shade compared to inside behind a bright sunny window.    Good quality windows and screens all help filter out UV and UB light as well.
Besides the sun,  huge doses of fresh air, humidity,and wind all contribute to why plants wilt very fast when transitioning outside.   The biggest problem I found when transitioning outside is that plants wilt in no time at all even in the shade.
     I started taking my plants outside 2 week ago when it was 75℉.   After 10 mins of them sitting in the shade at 11am with no wind all the top leaves turned soft and  started to wilt.     I quickly brought everything inside and after a few hours the top leaves firmed up and return to normal.   When I set my plants outside in the shade I watch them like a Hawk.   I keep an eye on the leaves at the very top of the plant for them to turn soft then bring them back inside.    
Some plants wilt in 10 mins, others 30 mins, and some can last 2-3hrs in the shade.      I have been doing this every day for 2 weeks and I still have a few that wilt after 20 Mins in the shade and others can stay in the shade for a few hours.    
    Last year my 4" Am I Blue took 2 months for it to tolerate some morning sun after the shipping. 
Wind also plays a big factor when transitioning plants from inside to outside and can cause  them to wilt quickly.  My experience with hybrids is that they don't like gusty wind when transitioning  back outside.  During the transition process back outside, i continue to use hvh indoor formula at half dose but with more SuperNova or just SuperNova alone.
I suggest backing off your fertilizer when acclimating your hibiscus to outside.    
All winter long you worked so hard taking care of your hibiscus inside,  you wouldn't want to see that go to waste, by rushing the acclimating process.  Outside sunlight can't compare to  artificial lighting even if  it's Hps, metal hal, or led lighting.  
If anyone is transitioning their hibiscus back outside, it could take weeks or months to fully acclimate even if you put your plants in the shade.  Watch for the top leave to soften, and don't assume  they will be fine in the shade and walk away.
  

[Cindy]

Hi Kyle,

I just saw this post, and we've seen some of these things too. For us, in a high desert climate, the wind is the hardest for the plants at first. One bad wind event can make the plants drop a ton of leaves and all their buds, and then take a month or two to recover from. Our plants get a lot of direct sunlight inside, then we put them outside into mostly shade, so we don't have the sun issues that you have. But we do experience the wind problem!

Thanks for sharing your experience!
Cindy