Classification of Hibiscus Plants (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.)
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Divisio: Spermatophyta
- Subdivision: Angiosperms
- Class: Dicotyledoneae
- Order: Malvales
- Family: Malvaceae
- Genus: Hibiscus
- Species: Hibiscus rosasinensis L.
Regional name H. rosa-sinensis L.:
Sumatra: bungong raja, hibiscus flower. Java: rebhang flower, mandhaleka. Nusatenggara: shoots, waribang. Sulawesi: kuyanga, repeat, flower shoes; chaba (Thailand), jasud (India), fu sang (China)
Description of Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.)
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The Hibiscus plant is native to the tropics in the plains of Asia. This plant is then spread in various countries, from the Far East to Europe. Hibiscus flowers are shrubs with a height ranging from 4 m - 8 m. Stems have a hard structure, many branches. The roots are deep and strong enough so that the stems grow upright and sturdy. The leaves are single leaves, oval or heart-shaped with jagged edges, tapered leaf tips, leaf veins and pinnate, have leaves. Green leaves, 5-10 cm long and 3-7.5 cm wide. Single-flowered hibiscus that comes out of the axillary leaves, flower stalks 1-4 cm long, and droops with five crowns arranged in a trumpet or bell shape. Single or double strands of flower petals, flower colors vary, for example, white, yellow, pink, orange and a combination of these colors. Flowering lasts throughout the year. Flowers only last 1-2 days. Flowers are composed of 5 calyx, 5 petals, 15 juice stalks and 1 ovule which has a lot of space. From the pollination process, fruit that contains lots of seeds is produced. Hibiscus seeds are small, brown to black and hairy. |
Requirements for growing hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.)
Hibiscus has wide adaptability to growing environments in subtropical and tropical areas. This plant can grow well in the lowlands to the highlands to an altitude of 1,300 m above sea level.
This plant grows in the open and gets enough sunlight. The required air temperature is 22-24 ° C, but can still grow in areas with temperatures of 28-32 ° C. Air humidity between 50 - 90%. Rainfall is between 1,500-2,500 mm / year.
Hibiscus requires a type of clay that is sandy, fertile, loose, contains lots of humus, has good aerage and drainage, soil pH of 6.0-6.5. Stagnant soil can cause root rot and inhibit plant growth.
Cultivation of Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.)
Land Preparation: H. rosa-sinensis L.
Hibiscus flowers can be planted in pots or in the ground. If planted in a pot, you must choose an appropriate pot size with a diameter of 10-50 cm, at the bottom of the pot there is a small hole where excess water is drained.
The bottom of the pot is filled with a layer of broken bricks, then put in the planting medium in the form of a mixture of soil and manure or compost (2: 1) or a mixture of soil, sand and manure (1: 1: 1). To increase the fertility of the media, 15-25 g / pot of NPK fertilizer can be added.
In the middle of the planting medium, a planting hole is made with a size of 20 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm. If hibiscus is cultivated on permanent land, a planting hole is made in the area with a size of 40 cm x 40 cm x 40 cm. The excavated soil is drained for at least 2 weeks.
The spacing of the planting holes depends on the planting pattern. In each planting hole, organic fertilizer, namely manure or compost, is inserted as much as 1-2 kg / planting hole.
Preparation of Hibiscus Seeds (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.)
Hibiscus flowers can be propagated by using seeds (generative) or by cuttings, grafts, and grafting (vegetative). Generative propagation is usually carried out to produce new varieties, namely by crossing techniques. Hybridization should be done in areas with an altitude of 600 m above sea level, because in high temperature areas, the stamens dry out quickly.
Plant propagation by vegetative means is more common. Plant material can be obtained from shoot cuttings or stem cuttings, namely by selecting a healthy and productive flowering parent plant, determining the woody brown branches, then cutting 15-30 cm (stem cuttings) and 10-15 cm (shoot cuttings), partly the leaves are trimmed to reduce evaporation. The cuttings were immersed in a hormone solution such as IBA at a concentration of 200 ppm for 15 minutes.
Then the cuttings are planted in a seedbed filled with sand and covered with transparent plastic. The seedlings are maintained until the seedlings have 3-5 leaves, then transferred to polybags that have been filled with media in the form of a mixture of soil and manure (2: 1). Transplanting should be done at the beginning of the rainy season.
Selected branches that grow upright, healthy and blooming productively. The bark is sliced in two places with a distance of 2.5 cm, the bark is removed and the cambium layer is cleaned. A plastic bandage sheet is attached and tied tightly to the bottom of the cut wound.
The graft media in the form of fertile soil is attached to cover the surface of the graft area to form a circle, then covered with a plastic bandage, the upper part is tightly tied. After 1.5 - 2 months of age the grafts usually take root, then cut using a saw just below the area of the graft.
The plastic bandage is opened then the grafted seeds are planted in a polybag or a pot that has been filled with planting media in the form of a mixture of soil and manure (1: 1).
Planting Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.
Planting should be done at the beginning of the rainy season. Seedlings planted in polybags are placed near the prepared planting holes. One side of the polybag is torn off and the seedlings are carefully inserted into the planting hole. The excavated land is put back and compacted. Then do the watering until the soil is wet enough.
Maintenance H. rosa-sinensis L.
Fertilization Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.
Hibiscus can be fertilized with urea, TSP, and KCl or NPK fertilizers at a dose of 25-50 g / plant once a month. Watering is done continuously 1-2 times a day, especially in the dry season.
Weeding H. rosa-sinensis L.
Weeding and loosening are done manually once a month using a corrugated iron. Pruning can be done 3-5 months to form trees and maintain plant height.
Pests and Diseases
Pests that often attack hibiscus plants are leafworms, grasshoppers, snails, beetles, ladybugs, and mealybugs. These pests cause damage to the leaves.
Pest control can be done by catching, setting traps and spraying insecticides. Diseases that often attack hibiscus are leaf spot caused by Ascochyta abelmoschi and Colletotrichum capsici and flower blight caused by Choanephora cucurbitarum.
Hibiscus disease can be controlled by pruning the affected parts of the plant and spraying with fungicides.
Harvest and Post Harvest H. rosa-sinensis L.
Hibiscus plants propagated by seed begin to flower after 10-14 months but plants that are propagated vegetatively will flower more quickly. Interest collection is adjusted according to needs. It is better if the flowers are taken before they are fully bloomed and used immediately because hibiscus flowers only last 1-2 days.