The dream of a Chinese rose with a lush crown is real! How to prune indoor hibiscus correctly?


Why is pruning needed?

There are a number of reasons for pruning Chinese roses:

  1. The ability to get rid of irregularly shaped branches:
    • too long;
    • twisted;

  2. deformed.
  3. Over time, new branches will grow in their place.


  4. Rejuvenation. Lack of proper care for hibiscus will result in the flower spending all its energy on old shoots. Flowering will become sparse, and the crown will not gain lushness.

  5. Sanitary pruning allows you to get rid of shoots affected by disease or pests and prevent the disease from spreading to healthy branches.
  6. Root pruning is justified only if they grow strongly. This type of pruning also accelerates the growth of hibiscus and promotes abundant flowering.

When to do the procedure?

When is it better to carry out the procedure: in February, before spring, or in the fall? The main pruning of Chinese roses is carried out in February. Insignificant - in September, after flowering. If you ignore autumn pruning, old side shoots will grow back. But there will be no flowering (why might hibiscus not bloom?). After all, buds appear exclusively on young shoots.

Important: the more often this procedure is performed, the more magnificent the crown will be and the more abundant the flowering.

In summer you should refrain from pruning. There will be no flowering after summer pruning.

Pruning a home flower

How can you prune a house flower? Depending on the age of the plant, its condition and the expected shape of the crown, there are 5 types of pruning:

  • Topping suitable for young plants.
      This is the most gentle type of pruning.
  • Used to stimulate growth.
  • It consists of removing the tops of all branches above the top node.

  • You need to pinch when the plant is about 13 - 15 cm high.

  • To strengthen the trunk when pinching, the central shoot is attached to a base (for example, to a bamboo skewer).
  • Selective cropping carried out not only to stimulate growth, but also to maintain the shape of the plant. This type of pruning is a more thorough shortening of branches: several already well-developed internodes are cut off. Certain areas that disrupt the shape of the crown are trimmed.
    The sequence of this type of hibiscus pruning is as follows:
    1. Trim the side shoots, leaving up to 4 - 5 leaves.
    2. Make the cut just above the node, leaving at least 2/3 of the branch.

  • Branches growing parallel to the central trunk and inside the crown also need to be pruned.
  • Pruning should be done above the growing point, which faces outward.
    Reference: the cut is made at an angle of 45 degrees.
  • Full pruning ensures abundant flowering of the plant. Produced in early spring to obtain abundant flowering. When fully pruned, each branch is shortened to two to three buds.
  • Sanitary pruning involves removing disease-damaged areas of the plant. The cut is made until living wood appears. If the cut is green, then the branch is alive. A brown and white branch cut requires immediate pruning.

When pruning, do not try to leave as many shoots as possible. Don't be afraid to trim! Even if you cut off the excess, the plant will survive everything. Pruning tools must be sharp and disinfected.

Disinfection of cutting tools

Using a dirty cutting tool can quickly lead to the plant becoming infected with various infections, especially on damp autumn days. The transmission of pathogens such as fungi during the autumn months and with dirty cutting tools is more likely, thereby causing harm to garden hibiscus when pruning. Instruments must be disinfected before each use. There are various disinfection options:

Disinfection by fire

The cutting blades of the tool are held over the fire for a few seconds. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that intense contact is created between the blades and the flame for several seconds. This will be enough to destroy bacteria, viruses and fungal spores. The source of the flame can be a gas burner, a lighter or burning alcohol.

Disinfection with alcohol

To effectively disinfect cutting tools, use regular alcohol or isopropyl alcohol. If you use alcohol, then it must be mixed with distilled water in a ratio of 7:1. Isopropyl alcohol should be 70%, you can buy it at the pharmacy. When using alcohol, cutting tools should be placed in the solution and remain completely immersed in it for a minimum of two minutes. After this, wipe the instruments with a clean cloth, or better yet, wait a while for the instrument to dry completely.

Chemical disinfection

You don't have to worry about fungi or bacteria infesting your hibiscus if you treat the blades of your cutting tool with chemicals before pruning.

An example of such a product is “Dimanin”, it is used as a disinfectant against various pathogenic and other microorganisms. You can take a five percent solution and immerse the cutting tool in it for just one minute, all harmful microorganisms will be reliably killed.

How to form a crown at home?

Formative pruning is the most difficult type of hibiscus pruning.

Purpose of the procedure and the best time for it

The Chinese rose is formed in order to obtain the desired shape of the crown and the entire plant. The more often the crown can be shaped by pruning, the better the plant will develop and achieve the correct shape.

They begin to form a crown in the spring, after the plant’s dormant period ends. The shape of the hibiscus is maintained through selective pruning.

How to trim a bush correctly in spring?


The rules for pruning hibiscus depend on what type of crown is expected to be obtained after the procedure. It can be a lush tree, a branched shrub, or a miniature bush.

  • To form a Chinese rose in the form of a tree, you should:
      Remove side branches.
  • Leave a couple of medium branches, shortening them by only 2 - 3 buds. In the future this will be the main trunk.
  • To form a hibiscus in the form of a lush bush you need:
      Trim the middle-most upper branches. At the same time, the lateral buds will begin to form new shoots.
  • Shorten the central branch, leaving only a few growing points.
  • To form a lush crown:
      Remove all useless branches: internal, parallel to the main trunk, gnarled, deformed and growing inward.
  • Clear the crown of faded flowers in a timely manner. This promotes the development and blooming of new buds.

Useful video

Find out more about how to do this in the video:

If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl+Enter.

Hibiscus is a popular indoor and greenhouse plant from the extensive Malvaceae family. This flower has several names: Chinese rose, Sudanese rose, Egyptian rose, hibiscus. In Europe, the first hibiscus, according to legend, appeared thanks to Charlemagne, who was supposedly a big fan of hibiscus tea. In Russia, the shrub form of the plant has been known since the 19th century; the plant quickly gained popularity and began to be called by an unusual name - rozan. It was loved by many, and its name even became entrenched in folklore.

Caring for Chinese roses immediately after crown formation

The first time after pruning, the Chinese rose needs adaptation:

  1. Place the plant in a cool corner.
  2. Cover from direct sunlight.
  3. Limit watering.

Further care for a trimmed houseplant is no different from usual:

  • Watering with warm, settled water as the top layer of soil dries.
  • Air humidity is about 50%.
  • Spraying and rinsing in the shower. Wiping the leaves with a damp cloth will also work. For the full development of the Chinese rose, the leaves of the flower must be constantly free of dust.
  • Feed once a month with complex fertilizers.
  • Ventilate the room, but avoid drafts. In summer, it is preferable to take the hibiscus out into the fresh air.
  • The lighting should be bright but diffuse.

Growing from seeds and cuttings

From seeds

You can sow hibiscus seeds for seedlings in a seedling box or garden greenhouse. Sowing time for a seedling box is the beginning of March , for an outdoor greenhouse - the second half of May or the first ten days of June.

  1. The seeds are laid out in planting furrows, no more than one centimeter deep, covered with soil and watered.
  2. Before the first shoots, the seedling container is covered with polyethylene, which is removed when the first shoots appear; the outdoor greenhouse is also kept closed, periodically opening for ventilation and moderate watering.
  3. After the emergence of seedlings, caring for seedlings comes down to loosening the inter-row space, timely watering, treating with insecticides and thinning.
  4. After the appearance of five or six true leaves, when young hibiscus reach 15-25 cm in height, they can be transplanted to a permanent place in the flowerbed.

Important! A plant obtained from seeds can bloom only in the third or fourth year.

From cuttings

Planting material is harvested at the end of July , when the hibiscus has gained enough green mass for cuttings. The stalk should be green, at least fifteen centimeters in length, with two or three internodes.


  1. Planting material is soaked for fifteen minutes in a special solution that stimulates root formation. Both ready-made store-bought preparations, such as Kornevin, and home-made formulations, for example, a mixture of water and honey in a ratio of 10:1.5, are suitable for this.

  2. After treating the cuttings with root-forming preparations, they are planted in small containers and watered.
  3. The pot is covered with a plastic bag, thus creating a small greenhouse, which prevents the evaporation of moisture from the soil and accelerates the process of root formation. Polyethylene must be removed daily for two weeks to ventilate and remove condensation.
  4. After the allotted time, the nurseries are opened, further care consists of regular watering and loosening the soil.
  5. After two months, the young plants are transplanted into separate pots with a capacity of about five liters, and with the arrival of spring they are planted in a permanent place in the garden.

We present to your attention information about such hibiscus varieties as Duke de Brabant, Ardens, Chiffon and its subvarieties, including Blue Chiffon.

What to do if the plant begins to wither?


Wilting of hibiscus after pruning is quite rare. The flower is absolutely calm about pruning. And if this happens, the reason lies in a violation of the adaptation regime of the pruned hibiscus or the rules of general care. Let us note the main ones:

  • Insufficient watering. Beginning gardeners understand by limiting watering during the adaptation period to almost completely stop it. The frequency and abundance of watering depend on the temperature and humidity of the room.
  • An excessive increase in room temperature should be a reason to increase watering.
  • A significant decrease in humidity requires additional spraying.
  • Use very hot or cold water for irrigation. It should be noted that water should not be left standing under the scorching rays of the sun.

When caring for hibiscus, it is important to replant the plant correctly and on time, which you can learn about in our separate article.

So, the problem of the plant withering after pruning is solved by normalizing the conditions for caring for it . Thus, with proper care, the Chinese rose needs systematic pruning. And the more old and deformed branches are cut off, the more nutrition the young shoots will receive. Only competent formation of the hibiscus crown will make this flower unique in its beauty.

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