Hibiscus is a very pretty plant which is also easy to propagate, much to the joy of tropical flower lovers.
Cuttings are the best and easiest way to grow hibiscus. In today’s post, you’ll learn how.
How to Propagate Hibiscus From Cuttings
Are you ready? There are only three steps from cutting to plant. Let’s go!
Step One: Take Your Hibiscus Cuttings
Find a mother plant that looks healthy. Pick one with flowers you like, because the cuttings will grow into an exact copy of the mother plant. Cut off from soft wood or new growth. The length of each cutting should be about four to six inches.
Step Two: Prepare Your Hibiscus Cuttings
Cut off all the leaves except the top one. Then dip the bottom of the cutting into rooting hormone powder or liquid. We use RootTone powder, which you can buy at your local nursery center.
Step Three: Make a Simple Mini-Greenhouse
Put the cuttings into a pot, and water them. Cover the pot with a clear or white plastic bag. Put a stick in the middle of the pot to support the cuttings.
In a month or two, the cuttings should be rooted. They might not all take, but most of them should. When they have all been rooted a couple months, you can move them all into individual pots. When they are a foot or two high, you can put them straight into the garden.
Here is a hibiscus I rooted a few months ago:
Instead of buying hibiscus plants, why not ask friends for cuttings? It is so simple to start hibiscus cuttings there is really no need to let a nursery do it for you. Just take some cuttings, stick them, then wait a couple months – and voila! You have your own little hibiscus. As you can see in the picture above, you don’t even have to wait long for them to start flowering.
In my garden right now I have two large hibiscus shrubs that are taller than me and covered in beautiful blooms. Both started as little cuttings. If I can do it, so can you.
And of course, if you want to learn more about growing just about everything from seeds, cuttings, grating and more, you’ll enjoy my dad’s book Free Plants for Everyone: The Good Guide to Plant Propagation.
See you in the garden!
5 comments
Miss Daisy,
Thank you for this article. I find your writing to be both clear and informative, in a relaxed style that is pleasant to read. You definitely have your father’s talent for both writing and gardening.
Keep up the good work!
I bought several hibiscus on a clearance rack for a dollar each. Most of them are doing great and blooming now. I will try starting some cuttings as you suggest and maybe soon my yard will be filled with beautiful and delicious hibiscus! Thank you for writing this article and being very clear and concise.
Will these live in Tennessee weather outside by my pool. Or should I plant in big pot and store for cold winter?
They will die during a Tennessee winter. You’ll have to pot and bring them in.
Hello!
I successfully rooted 2 cuttings from a tropical hibiscus that I had had for almost 30 years. The cuttings keep growing but don’t bloom. It’s been 2 years. Any thoughts on how to get the plants to bloom? They’re in the same spot as the plant they weee taken from and I care for them the same way. Thank you!