Hibiscus plants are fairly common and you might have some planted in your yard right now. Many people love growing hibiscus shrubs because they have gorgeous flowers.
These plants are certainly excellent when it comes to adding color to your yard. Is it practical to grow a hibiscus inside, though?
Continue reading to learn about whether hibiscus plants can grow indoors. There are many factors that you need to consider.
It’s always best to do the research before making a choice about what to do with plants. This will ensure that you’re able to make good choices that will allow the hibiscus plant to thrive.
Hibiscus Plants Can Grow Inside
It is indeed possible to grow hibiscus plants indoors. You can keep these plants indoors during the winter if you live in a place where the winters are cold.
Keeping the plants indoors all year is acceptable as well. You just have to ensure that you meet the basic care needs of the plant.
For many, it’ll be more practical to keep a hibiscus indoors. This is because they’re tropical plants that need to be grown in warm climates.
There’s a good chance that you don’t live in the right climate for these plants. Planting a hibiscus outdoors in an environment that is too cold simply won’t do.
Keeping a hibiscus inside is acceptable because you can give it the ideal conditions it needs. Below, you’ll get information about how to care for these plants indoors.
Put the Hibiscus in a Sunny Room
Hibiscus plants need a lot of sunshine in order to thrive. If you put them in dimly-lit rooms, they won’t do nearly as well.
The best thing to do is to find a sunny room where your hibiscus plant will get lots of sunlight. Try to find a spot near a bright window.
Ideally, you should find a south or west-facing window for the plant. You just want to give the hibiscus the best access to sunlight that you can.
A hibiscus can live indoors if it doesn’t have quite enough sunshine. It’ll stay alive, but it won’t look as vibrant or pretty as it normally would.
It’s possible that a hibiscus won’t bloom indoors if it isn’t given enough sunlight. Do your best to find a good sunny location in your home for the plant.
Water the Hibiscus Well
Watering the hibiscus well is going to ensure that it will stay healthy indoors. You want to pay attention to the plant so you can give it the water that it needs.
Do your best to water the plant without watering it too much. Going overboard when watering the plant might cause it to experience serious complications.
You can avoid such issues by touching the soil to see if the plant needs some water. When the soil feels dry to the touch, it’s time to give your hibiscus some water.
During the winter, hibiscus plants won’t require nearly as much water. They’re dormant during this period of time.
You still need to check the plant to see if it needs water. The soil might dry out fast due to the furnace kicking on while it’s cold.
If you always check the soil first before watering the plant, it’ll be easy to keep your hibiscus in good health. Just try to be proactive and check the plant somewhat often.
Get the Temperature Right
Getting the temperature right will help the hibiscus to stay healthy, too. Generally, these plants aren’t too picky about the temperature.
An average indoor temperature will be fine for these plants. They’re known to do well in temperatures that range from 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you keep your home at a steady 72 degrees Fahrenheit, that’ll be just fine for these plants. You simply don’t want them to get too cold.
These plants don’t do well when exposed to temperatures that are below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This will stunt the growth of the plant and will usually cause issues with flower deformation.
Freezing temperatures will kill hibiscus plants. Luckily, it’s easy to keep the temperature steady indoors since most people have heating and cooling systems in their homes.
Extreme heat can be just as detrimental as the cold for these plants. If you live in an area that gets rather hot during the summer, air conditioning is going to be important.
Just don’t place the hibiscus plant close to vents or air conditioning units. You want the temperature to be steady for these plants.
The Humidity Level Matters
Since hibiscus plants are tropical plants, it makes sense that you’d have to pay attention to the humidity level. If the air is too dry in your home, it’ll be tough to keep these plants healthy.
The ideal humidity range for hibiscus plants is around 60%. These plants do well in medium to high humidity levels.
You likely shouldn’t go above 80% humidity in your home. It’d be much safer to stick close to the 60% range.
If your home isn’t humid enough, you’ll start to see signs on the hibiscus. You might notice that its leaves will have brown edges.
It’s common for the plant to start drooping when the humidity is low. The buds might drop if you don’t fix the humidity issues.
The easiest way to keep the humidity level in the right range is to use a humidifier. This makes it simple to keep the humidity set to a specific level.
You could also mist the plants regularly to increase the humidity. Leaving bowls of water in the same room as the hibiscus plants can work nicely, too.
Try to keep the plants away from vents or fireplaces. These locations can sap humidity.
Be Sure to Prune the Hibiscus
Pruning the hibiscus is a good thing to do. You want to do this so you can encourage it to bloom indoors.
Since hibiscus plants go dormant in the winter, the best time to prune the plant is the autumn. You can prune the hibiscus when it’s not growing much or producing new buds.
You can prune as much as one-third of the growth. This ensures that the plant will be ready for new growth when the blooming season begins again.
Pruning during other times of the year is fine as well. You just don’t want to remove buds completely during the growing season since those take time to regrow.
You can cut away the longest branches of the hibiscus every three months. This is a good way to keep some of the blossoms while also encouraging new growth.
Pinching is a good idea when you want to maximize the number of buds. This can be good to do when you have a young hibiscus.
It’ll encourage more flowering than usual. You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, though.
Final Thoughts
After learning about hibiscus plants more, you should feel confident about keeping one indoors. These plants aren’t too tough to take care of as houseplants.
You can easily keep them alive indoors by maintaining steady conditions. Just give the hibiscus plant enough sunlight and water it properly.
Be sure to prune the plant when necessary to encourage growth and blooming. If you’re looking after the plant, it should be simple to get good results.
If you live in a region with cold winters, you can still enjoy these gorgeous plants. They do well indoors and they’re easy enough to care for.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.