'Acapulco Gold' Twins
'Some Like it Hot' in Page Border
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'Acapulco Gold' Twins 'Some Like it Hot' in Page Border |
 Belle du Jour in a 6" Pot |
"Just HAD to let you know - the plants arrived today... someone had to wake me up, because I SWOONED... they are so beautiful! Thank you so much for your care, the awesome blooming hibiscus and the amazing customer service on my request and in RECORD time. Please know that I am now a customer and fan forever. Thank you" Diane D
"Thank you so much. I received the plants last week and they are gorgeous. I just placed an order for two more plants. Again, thank you for the beauties." Sheila J
Diane and Sheila are just a few of the many happy HVH customers. Read more customer comments here! The photo above shows the typical size of plants in 6" pots (this is cultivar 'Belle du Jour') at the time of shipping, although size varies by cultivar and we don't guarantee the open blooms. See Terms & Conditions for more information on our guarantees and shipping policy.
Charles Black answers hibiscus questions. Charles is a world renowned hybridizer and grower of exotic hibiscus, as well as the owner of Hidden Valley Hibiscus. He has created many award winning hibiscus varieties, such as Heaven Scent, Her Majesty, Simple Pleasures, and Love Story. In this column, he shares his expertise in growing hibiscus with our visitors. Enjoy!
 'April Showers' |
 'Acapulco Gold' |
Some say that leaky faucets led to the discovery of the benefits of drip watering. The story goes that weeds growing huge where the water dripped gave gardeners the first idea that a slow steady drip might be a beneficial way to water. Nowadays we know that leaky faucets are hard on the pocket book (continuing leaks cause a huge loss of water over time), but commercial and home growers have proven time and again that dripping water into the root zone of many plants provides the best plant performance and is the most economical way to water. Many people are tempted to give it a try, but a lack of familiarity with how to do it is what stops most from going ahead. Below we take a practical look at how and why to set up a home drip system.
 'Magic Moments' |
 'Acadian Spring' |
 'Solar Eclipse' |
Sprinklers are not the answer either unfortunately. Sprinkler systems are made to water the entire surface area of a yard or garden area, but the water volume is only enough to water the top 2-3 inches of the soil. This is what a lawn needs, so sprinklers work well for lawns, and in fact, lawns are what most sprinkler systems were designed for. But in order to get water down to the bottom of your hibiscus' root balls, you would have to run your sprinklers for several hours. For most people, before the water ever reaches the necessary soil depth, it will run off the yard onto streets, sidewalks, and driveways, never reaching the bottom roots of your hibiscus plants.
Remember, the goal is to water your hibiscus so that the water penetrates down 2-3 feet and spreads outward 1-2 feet from the main stem of the hibiscus. You can picture a column of water 2-3 feet wide and 2-3 feet deep centered under the hibiscus. A drip system will do this for you naturally. As the water drips from an emitter or similar device, it soaks in and spreads out naturally, without driving the air from the soil or potting mix. Drip systems are normally turned on and off by timers, freeing you to enjoy your garden in other ways than just watering it. Drip watering systems are suitable for potted hibiscus, too. The goal with pots is to soak the entire root ball with about 10 percent of the water draining out of the holes so that salts do not build up inside the pot.
The total cost of a complete drip system will be between $50 and $400, depending on how many plants you need to water and how automated you want the system to be. Costs vary according to what the system can or cannot do. The more flexible and convenient the system, the more it is likely to cost. However, a good basic system that can do all that you normally need to do will not cost that much. We were spending an hour a day watering our home garden by hand before installing the system, and consider that our $350 system paid for itself in a week through time saved. Even more important is the improved look and health of our hibiscus once they received enough water from an hour of dripping water each morning. The most expensive part of our system was the emitters. We bought ones that can be adjusted to emit anywhere from 0-10 gallons of water per hour. These cost about $1 each, but non-adjustable ones cost much less. Instead of using adjustable emitters to handle the different water needs of hibiscus that are much different in size, you can also use more than one emitter per plant for the larger plants. For instance, if we had bought 2-gallon-per-hour emitters, we could have used these for all the plants but then added a second emitter for medium-sized plants and a third emitter for our largest hibiscus. To "do it yourself" you will need some parts, but all of them are available at Home Depot or Lowe's at reasonable cost. The main thing to remember is that each company that makes these parts does it a little differently, apparently in an attempt to force you to use their parts exclusively. Unfortunately, their strategy works. When you buy 1/2" black poly pipe it will vary slightly in diameter according to who makes it. That means you can't attach one brand to the other, even though both say they are half inch poly pipe. Grrr! Same with the fittings, which are the parts you use to connect extensions or side pipes to each other. My advice is to do all your drip system shopping at either Lowe's or Home Depot and remember which one you used, so you can add to the system in the future without coming up against mismatched sizes.
Of course, you can let your fingers do the walking and call a landscape maintenance company to give you a quote on setting up a system. This is obviously the easiest method, and should provide excellent results. But it is much more expensive and perhaps less satisfying than building your own system. If you want to do it yourself, you will save money and really understand your system when it is up and working. It's not hard to do, even for those with only a small amount of "do it yourself" experience.
That's the surprising thing about drip systems! They are EASY to set up! Once you decide which hardware store to use, you'll find all the pieces you need all together in one part of the store, so even a beginner can manage to get the right parts. You can stand right there in the store and push the parts together to make sure you got ones that fit each other and come out the way you thought they would. If you've tried working on plumbing, can't even manage to break open a pipe joint with a pipe wrench, and have decided that plumbing just isnt' for you, that doesn't matter with drip systems! The parts just slide together without glue or tools.
 A Hose Bib (Faucet) The Easiest Way to Connect Your System |
OK, enough of the theory. Let's get down to the nuts and bolts of how to set up a drip system. Here are the steps to use in building your own drip system:
Determine where you can connect to your current water supply: This can be either a hose bib (outside faucet where you connect a hose) or a place where you can cut into an existing water line. If you have no experience working with PVC pipe and water supply lines, you should just use the regular hose bib or faucet connection. You just buy a threaded connector that screws into the faucet, then push the poly pipe onto the connector. No glue or tools are needed! This hose bib connector is the first item on your list of parts.
 The Basic Layout 1/2" Black Poly Pipe Laid within 1-6' of Each Plant 1/4" Brown Poly Pipe Connects Each emitter to the Black Poly Pipe Wells around plants hold water from dripper right above roots |
Sketch a plan for the main line of water: Once you know your starting point, draw on paper (or mentally if that works best for you) a plan for laying out the flexible black 1/2" pipe called "poly pipe" that will be the main water supply for your garden. The pipe should travel from the point of connection at the hose bib around the garden so that the pipe lies within 1 to 6 feet of each hibiscus. The layout can be circular or planned as a grid, with side pipes going off at right angles to the main pipe. The poly pipe is not very flexible but is flexible enough to make a circle over a fairly wide area. If you need it to make a hard turn at some point that is not a problem using a T or L connector which we will discuss later. The idea now is to determine how much poly pipe you will need to buy. It is usually found in 50, 100, and 500 foot lengths and does not cost much so we recommend you get the amount calculated from your drawing and then add a bit extra so you don't run out and have to make another trip to the store.
The layout of the water pipe in the garden can be anything you want. There are parts that slide into the pipe so that the pipe can be connected at various angles, go up steps, curve over arches, turn 90 degrees, and so forth. The most common of such parts are shaped like X, L. T, or Y and are hollow pieces of plastic that are inserted into the 1/2" pipe. They are made to fit tight enough that water will not leak out, nor will the pipe pull easily from the connector, without glue or any other connection pieces. Our system consists of 250 feet of 1/2" poly pipe with enough 1/4" pipe and emitters connected to it to water 150 hibiscus and other plants. The main pipe is laid out in a big circle with a side pipe that extends over a jasmine-covered archway and sidewalk into another flower bed on a different side of the house. Our normal water pressure had been sufficient to water all 150 plants at one time with this system, using settings from 1-8 gallons per hour on the emitters, depending on the size of the plant. So feel free to design the system according to your needs, as almost any setup can be accommodated by this type of system.
We did not discuss visibility of the watering pipes yet. Some people prefer that they are buried as much as possible. This is a lot more work and is not necessary if there is some type of ground cover that will hide them. Others do not mind them and after they are installed never even notice them. If you do decide to bury the 1/2' pipe, then just dig a shallow trench (4" deep and 4" wide is plenty) wherever you want the pipe to be. Do not cover over the pipe until the 1/4 inch pipe is connected and the system has been tested. Covering it makes the addition of new emitters more difficult, but the benefit of not being able to see the pipe is worth it to some.
 Roll of Black 1/2" Poly Pipe (top) T Connector, Stake to Anchor Pipe to Ground, End Closer (left to right) Use these parts to lay poly pipe around garden, between plants. |
Count your plants: Each hibiscus (or other plant) is watered by one emitter on a drip system. An emitter is merely a plastic part that allows drips of water to come out when the water pressure is within a certain range. There are many variations on this idea available but what you need to know now is that you need to buy 1 emitter for every plant that is to be watered. Count the plants you intend to water and note the number.
 Spiked Dripper for Each Plant (left) Roll of Brown 1/4" Poly Pipe (right) |
For our drip system, we chose an adjustable 0-10 gallons per hour dripper that comes ready-made on a stake, with a built in connector to join it to the 1/4" poly pipe, and with an included connector to join the 1/4" pipe to the 1/2" pipe. It's called an "Adjustable Dripper on Spike" and it's made by Dig Manufacturing. (See picture at right) This emitter is easy to use for beginners because you only need one emitter per plant since you can adjust the water flow, and don't have to buy any extra connectors. They cost $1 each, so they're more expensive than other emitters, but they work well and they're easy connect to the system. Plus you save the cost of the 2 connectors.
In order to make these emitters gather the water right over the roots of the hibiscus, we dug small wells around the base of each plant. The wells hold the water and allow it to soak down into the roots gradually.
Calculate how much 1/4" poly pipe you need: The emitters are connected to the 1/2" black poly pipe by a smaller flexible pipe that is normally referred to as 1/4" poly pipe. This is even cheaper than the 1/2" pipe and available in rolls of 100'. Remember when we planned to place the 1/2" pipe within 1-6 feet of each plant? That is because we will use the 1/4" pipe in lengths of 1-6' to connect each emitter to the 1/2 inch (main) water pipe. So, if you are going to water 50 hibiscus or other plants, and the average distance from the 1/2" poly pipe is going to be 3 feet, then you will need 50 x 3 or 150 feet of 1/4" poly pipe. In reality you allow some slack in this pipe so would purchase 200 feet instead of the 150 feet calculated.
 Small Tool to Punch Holes in 1/2" Pipe |
 Ground Stake Pinning 1/2" Pipe to the Ground (above) T Connector Joining 2 Pieces of Pipe (below) |
Getting all the parts needed is probably the hardest part of building your own watering system. Inevitably more than one trip to the store will be needed. In theory you will get everything you need the first time, but in reality it often does not work that well. We know one fellow who prefers to buy more than he needs and then he returns the left over parts for credit. We prefer to keep left over parts for future projects, but any way you do it the cost is not high.
Put the Main Water Line Together:
Flush and Close the System:
 End Connector Closing End (double rings below) Stake Pinning 1/2" Pipe End to Ground (above) |
Attach Emitters: Now you're ready to attach your emitters. For each plant in your garden:
 Emitter attaches to 1/4" pipe (left) 1/4" pipe attaches to 1/2" pip (right) Emitter spike is pushed into the ground |
Move on and repeat this process to attach an emitter for every plant in your garden.
Turn on the water at the faucet, then adjust each emitter to get the water flow you want for each plant. When the flow is perfect for each plant, leave the water on for about an hour to water your garden. Voila! You now have a drip system!
If you have more than 150 plants, build two of these drip systems - one for each half of your yard. Either connect the systems to separate hose bibs or use a splitter on a single hose bib to connect two systems to one bib. You can build as many drip systems as you need for the size of your yard. Most people's water pressure can only handle watering about 150 plants at a time, so when you water, run each drip system separately.
Of course, there are more things you can do with your drip system now that you have it. You can add an automatic timer so you don't have to manually turn it off and on. We'll teach you how to add a timer next month. You can even add a fertilizer injector so you don't have to manually fertilize. You can add in little soaker hoses for ground cover areas, or bigger emitters for trees, or little sprinkers for grassy or mossy areas. Once you have the basic system in place and know how to add things to it, you'll find yourself getting very creative with it. There's nothing like building it yourself to give you the confidence to tailor it to the needs of your own yard! So have fun, and good luck with your new watering system! We know you will thoroughly enjoy having a watering system in place and that your hibiscus will flourish like never before!!!!!
 Our Newest Growth Enhancer "Super Nova" With Crème de Cacao |
Growth enhancers can't work miracles, of course. If a plant is dead, it is dead, and nothing can bring it back. But if your hibiscus looks like a dead stick with no leaves, and you scrape a bit of bark off with your fingernail and see green underneath, then it is not dead! This is when growth enhancers can work wonders. If you are raising hibiscus in a difficult situation, like not quite enough sun, or too much hot sun all summer, or inside a house, or in less-than-optimum soil, you can use growth enhancers regularly to keep your plants feeling strong and healthy and prevent them from slowly going downhill.
The science behind growth enhancers is solid, and works on several different levels. You can read this science on our website on the page about growth enhancers if you are interested. Growth enhancers are rather expensive (for us too!), but the vigor, strength, and health they give our plants makes it an absolutely necessary addition to the care products we use on our plants here at HVH. You may want to consider them too!
The growth enhancer we sold formerly was called Synergy, and we have now replaced it with a new one called Super Nova. They are nearly identical in composition, and the cost is exactly the same, but Super Nova is more concentrated, so you use less of it, and a quart container will provide more treatments. We appreciated this savings with our use in the greenhouse, and wanted to pass it on to our customers too.
Click here for more information about Growth Enhancers.
Bring out the best in your hibiscus with our HVH Special-Blend Fertilizer. It is especially formulated to meet the needs of hibiscus, with extra potassium to produce more, bigger, and brighter-colored flowers, as well as an array of trace nutrients to build stronger, healthier bushes. It's a special blend we developed here at HVH for our own hibiscus growing in our greenhouses. So many customers asked for it that we have been selling it for several years now. Click here for more information.