Hi Rick! I bring mine in an put them under plain fluorescent shop lights. They do okay, would probably do better if I added another fixture. I've only been bringing them in for the last couple of years, so hopefully someone else will respond that has better experience! When I first bring them in they will drop some leaves and buds. This year I'm going to try and do better with fertilizing and getting them in the tub for a good shower at least monthly. I should cut them back but I want to wait until they're showing some growth. Good luck, let's hope winter is short!

Thanks. I'm tired of having to bring them back from the dead every April and figured I'd do whatever I can this winter to keep them going by putting them under grow lights. But after I got it all set up, including setting the timer for 15 hours of light, I then read this article which says not only to cut the plants back to within 4-5" of the main stems (which I didn't do), but also:

If you want the best chance of having healthy, vigorous plants with flowers next summer, your plants need to rest indoors during the shorter days from October till Feb. or March. DO NOT push them to keep blooming indoors and leave them full of old foliage.

15 hours of light is definitely going to push it, and I've already left the poor plant full of old foliage.

Hoo boy: the frustrating thing about gardening is that there's just too much to learn...

I don't know about that Rick. Hidden Valley Hibiscus has some good info on winter care. Also, a couple people on here keep theirs going really well over the winter. I pick off any yellowed leaves, but they are doing pretty well and have some blooms. Let me see if I can find some threads. Merkity is a pro, I think I got some tips from him, and Al too.

Ok here is what Al (Tapla) recommended on another thread if you don't want to do the lights :

"Al I have a question for you :). I bring my tropical Hibiscus inside

for the winter and keep them under lights in the basement. Is it okay to
cut them back when I bring them in? Space is becoming an issue. I just
re-potted them this spring." Yes, cut them back. That's what I do when I have hibiscus I carry over. I let them go quite dry as it cools down in fall. Then, I bring them into the basement by my grow area and set them on the floor where it's cool and dimly lit. In fall, Generally prune the branches so they're inside of an imaginary cylinder extending upward from the rim of the pot. When spring comes, I prune them way back so I'm getting rid of any etiolated growth the plant put on after being brought inside. I much prefer this to trying to nurse them through a winter while in a weak growth phase. The cool temps, low light, and nearly but not completely dry soil does a good job of putting them in a quiescent state. I root prune and repot 2 weeks before last predicted frost date and start watering sparingly. I try to avoid leaving them out in temps below 60*, so often bring them into the garage at night until nights warm up.

I don't fertilize until they're growing after the repot and are spending some time outdoors. I use Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 supplemented with an equal measure of Pro-TeKt 0-0-3 to add the extra K they need.

Thanks, Dingo2001. I do want to use grow lights, and I've had two beautiful blooms in the last three days. Gorgeous to see this in late November in Boston. But I'm worried that using grow lights for 12-16 hours a day through the winter constitutes "pushing it." I'll pursue this question, maybe with Hidden Valley Hibiscus.

I bring in my 1 gal and smaller plants. i have them under lights ( led shop lights from costco and close to windows if possible. They do just fine, flower here and there. When the temps are over 50 at night again I put them back outside - with an adjustment week.... My biggest issues are spider mites and white flies. The air in the house is very dry and makes it hard to combat those. I am very lazy about fertilizing and mine could have used more. this keeps them warm in the winter and full of their foliage. Tropical hibiscus such as those found at hidden valley hibiscus are not meant for cold climates nor are they truly meant to go dormant over the winter. My plants that are in large pots get to stay outside for the winter and I cover them when the temps drop to 35 or below. this year I am trying something different with my yearlings and letting them stay out. I have a heater on order to warm them once the temps go under 40. Rot is a big issue for me over the winter outside. Tropical hibsicus dont like wet root all the time, so i have to balance the watering very carefully. if they do start going dormant - then you need to really really cut back on the water. just enough to keep them alive.

Yeah, I think that advice about cutting them way back and making them rest is for non tropicals. I know there are a lot of articles on keeping tropicals active through winter under lights.

Mine have only slightly been trimmed back (because I wanted to start cuttings and keep my plants bushy-thicker). Growth has slowed but they have lost very few leaves and continue to produce a few flowers. New leaves are slowly being made. Mine are under shop lights for 16 hours a day and I rotate them up to bright window light to enjoy flowering. Regular hosing off in the shower is ideal, and keeping a humidifier going if they are in a dry area.

Thanks. Since that article warned about “pushing” the plant too hard I cut the light back to 12 hours a day, but it seems to be losing leaves just as fast under 12 hours of grow lights as it did last year in a sunny window. Lots of yellowing and dropping of leaves, though it has been blooming. OK, I’ll up the amount of light to 14-16 hours.

It's true you don't want them to get leggy and bolt in growth over winter. Slower growth in winter helps to make for thicker, bushier, stout plants I think. Trimming them back also helps produce more lateral shoots. I imagine as long as yours are getting 8 hours or more light a day they'll be fine. But as my lights aren't high output, I'm using the longer photo period. Obviously those plants I have in windows are getting much shorter day periods.

Right, that's why I was puzzled at the suggestion in that article that they need a rest.

To be fair, you shouldn't take my word for it. Or any single source, but go and cross check with people who actually grow them in the tropics. There are several good groups on Facebook for example, such as the International Hibiscus Society, the American Hibiscus Society, the Australian Hibiscus Society, as well as several notable top growers in China, Tiawan, India, and the Caribbean.

Here are some tropical fancy hibiscus cuttings I took in mid November, a little before Thanks Giving. Here they are slightly over a month later, having been started in water with spaghnum moss added. Grown beneath lights that are on 16 hours a day on timers, currently at temperatures in the 60's. I could get faster roots if I had higher temperatures down in the basement. You can see the calluses and the first roots forming.

And here is where my tropical hibiscus cuttings are started. This is one of my grow spaces in the basement though a lot of my larger plants are upstairs situated in a sunroom or in various windows. Most of my hibiscus are upstairs right now because they are still flowering. I am currently stuck house sitting while we sell our home so I had to reduce the size of my plant collection down by about 2/3'ds this autumn.

Thanks for these, Hyn.

I live in Montréal and my poor hibiscus tree was losing all of its leaves by October, so I bought a grow light that can be attached to the top of my curtain rod. The tree is now full of leaves and baby leaves and has just produced a beautiful flower and it's only April. There's not one dead leaf on the tree. It's like a miracle. I was going to put it outside again for the summer but I may keep it inside because it's so beautiful now. I found the grow light with attachment on Amazon.

Good to hear this. Grow lights are great for the winter.

My question is for a 6 zone tropical Hibiscus'.

Can I keep them alive for winter indoors?

Have grow lights and east side morning sun aporox. 6 - 7 hrs day in Nov.

Have probiotic spray as well as food.

Just really need advice on cutting , heat in house.? It gets cold here! More water or misting? 1st try.. Thanks for any help!

Here in Montreal, my hibiscus is healthy with green leaves and flowers using a grow light attached to the top of a curtain rod. I rotate the tree to ensure equal exposure and leave the grow light on from 6:30 am to 7-8 pm. I also fertilize it. Poor baby's a fish out of water in Canada, so it needs all the light it can get (artificial though it may be). 😛 Good luck and hibiscus speed!

I'm in Oregon, zone 6b. I brought about 20 tropical hibiscus inside and am trying a variety of lights mixed with sunlight. I also have them in a room that's kind of closed off from the rest of the house and will stay very warm all winter. I have humidifiers going as well. So much information had my head spinning so I'm trying a bit of everything. I trimmed what seemed to me a lot while leaving plenty left on the plants. Almost immediately they all had new growth and blooms. I have rehab plants that have never bloomed before blooming. They all seem to thrive and it makes me so happy and proud!

Unfortunately I discovered spider mites on a different kind of plant that I wasn't as careful about making sure I did what I could do to not bring pests inside. I know I have created a very comfy environment for bugs and diseases. Ugh! I hope I learned my lesson and can get the infestation under control.

Overall I'm really looking forward to beautiful flowers all year round!

This is only my second year with my hibiscus but i have a braided one in a 10" pot growing inside infront of a south facing window. No extra lighting provided and it's doing fine and even had a bloom last week. I'm in Calgary, Alberta and there's snow outside now. I keep my indoor temperature between 20-22 Celcius.

I also have a few smaller plants I grew from cuttings last year also in front of anotger south facing window that I supplement with grow lights for 4 hours a day and they've been blooming and seem happy.