Caring for your Tropicals

The life source of all living things. It is best to water in the morning so foliage and stems may dry as the day goes by. Watering at night is not a good idea. You don't like going to bed with wet feet and neither do your plants. Remember: The hotter it is the more they will drink so the frequency of your watering really depends on how hot it is.

Feed your plants weekly. As they grow they want to be fed. It is very important in order to maintain strong healthy plants.

For your tropical's like Hibiscus, that you have had outside all summer and would like to bring indoors, it is important to understand a couple of critical steps:

Cut your plant back at least one-third. Cutting your plant back will allow sufficient amount of light through the centre of the plant and not just hit the outer canopy as well as eliminating some possible bug problems.
Hose your plant down using the spray type nozzle on you hose. Doing this will clean the foliage and knock off any unwanted bugs. Allow time for plant to dry before starting step 3.
Spray your plant thoroughly with an organic insecticide soap both on the top and underside of foliage. Allow the plant time to dry then bring indoors. Caution: Do Not Spray In Hot Sun

*** Remember your plant will need time to acclimate itself to the light and temperature indoors, make sure you put your plant in the brightest window possible, preferably southern or southwest.