If your hibiscus needs a new place in the garden, you should wait until spring to transplant it. Normally, woody plants can be transplanted well in the fall, but the garden hibiscus is quite sensitive to frost. If you want to be on the safe side, wait until spring (end of March/April). This also has the advantage that you can cut back the shoots before transplanting (you can find more about pruning here) and the plant will not be so huge when you plant it.
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Before transplanting
You prepare the new planting hole by digging a hole about 50 centimeters deep. The diameter is based on the eave area of the shrub (before pruning). Then additionally loosen the subsoil with the digging fork. This way you avoid waterlogging and root damage. The new place should be protected from the wind and sunny.
Dig up hibiscus carefully
An old hibiscus is a bit sensitive to transplanting. You will also need to dig very generously around the heart root. The fine fibrous roots around the edges must also not be damaged or allowed to dry out. It is best to do this work in pairs and place a wheelbarrow right next to it. Carefully lift the loose hibiscus out of the ground and place it in the wheelbarrow. Now quickly drive to the new hole.
Water in advance
Before the old hibiscus is placed in its new soil, pour a can of water into it. Now lift the old shrub into the planting pit and position it correctly. Spread the excavated soil around the roots and add water. In this way, all the roots are covered with soil and nothing dries out. Carefully tread down the substrate and water generously again. You can now spread some mature compost over the new planting disk as a protective layer. Do not undermine: The compost is fertilizer and mulch layer in one.
Further care of the hibiscus
The hibiscus must not be allowed to dry out any more. So this year, always water in case of drought. But you must not overdo it, otherwise there will be waterlogging and root damage. In May the transplanted shrub will sprout again (Hibiscus belongs to the late bloomers, so don’t despair if nothing happens at the beginning. But it blooms longer than most other flowering plants). For the winter, the shrub needs winter protection for the next 2 – 3 years. Cover the root area with leaves, straw or brushwood.