 Here you can see both the flowers & calyxes on our live plants. Hibiscus is both a culinary & medicinal herb. It is commonly used to for high blood pressure, liver health & hangovers to name just a few. The bright red calyxes of the hibiscus plant can be used to make "red zinger" tea (tea needs to be boiled to get the deep red color & flavor. Simmer for 10-20 min. or longer.), sauce, syrup & jam (you don’t need to add pectin because hibiscus leaves contain 3 percent pectin.), or candied whole. The leaves can be used fresh in salads. Cut open calyxes & remove the white seed capsule at the base, then rinse prior to use. To grow hibiscus from seed you must first nick or sand the seeds to get moisture into the seeds in order to improve the germination rate. In temperate zones, start hibiscus in pots at the same time as you would tomatoes. When seedlings are 3" - 4" high, transplant them to a sunny spot in the garden. Hibiscus grows well in soil with a high level of organic matter, but too much nitrogen will delay flowering. Keep plants evenly moist & well-weeded until they are 1 1/2' - 2' high. Once this height is reached, mulch the plants to keep weeds at bay for the rest of the season. Pick young calyxes by hand when still tender or use garden clippers once stems have gotten tough. Pick approx. 10 days after flowers open at the beginning or the end of the day. Harvesting the calyxes early promotes greater yields. Around 6 weeks, the young edible leaves & shoots can be picked. Fresh calyxes are typically dried or dehydrated prior to storage. You can keep them fresh in the refridgerator for 4 – 7 days. Leaves & stem tips can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week. Cut the base of the calyx with a knife & pop out the seed ball. Note: calyxes may have tiny fine spines that can get stuck in your fingers. Place the leafy red part in your dehydrator & dry per your dehydrators instructions. You can discard or safe the seed pods. If saving, it is best to dry them separately from the red calyx petals. Dry the seeds per your dehydrators instructions. Once dry, the pods will crack open. You can then shake & dump out the seeds into a light proof saleable container. Keep in a cool dry environment until ready to plant. Temperature for Germination: 75 - 85°F Sow Indoors: 4–8 weeks before average last frost. Direct Sow: After average last frost. Size: 36" - 60" Hardiness: Frost-tender perennial Sun: Full (needs 13 hours of light to bloom) Water: Low - Moderate Plant Spacing: 3' Seed Planting Depth: 1/4" - 1/2" Row Spacing: 5' Days to Germination: 7 - 14 days Maturity: 90 - 100 days Harvest: 90 - 150 days Starting Arkansas Green Cotton From Seed Starting Blue Podded Shelling Peas From Seed Starting Catnip From Seed Starting Cilantro (Coriander) From Seed Starting Cocks Comb (Cleosia) From Seed Starting Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) From Seed Starting Dill From Seed Starting Erlene's Green Cotton From Seed Starting Hibiscus From Seed Starting Holy Basil (Tulsi) From Seed Starting Kale From Seed Starting Karina Peas From Seed Starting Lemon Balm From Seed Growing Loblolly Pine Tree Saplings Starting Mixed Cotton From Seed Starting Nankeen Cotton From Seed Starting Purple Podded Pole Beans From Seed Starting Red Foliated White Cotton From Seed Starting Sea Island Brown Cotton From Seed Starting Spinach From Seed Starting Sunflowers From Seed Starting Tennessee Red Valencia Peanuts From Seed  Freshly harvested calyxes. You may also like:
7 Comments
Tiria Matswa
9/28/2017 12:04:40 pm
Would you consider posting a recipe for hibiscus calyx jam? Thank you! 10/2/2017 12:57:38 pm
You can try this. Let us know what you think!
Phyllis Duncan
3/8/2018 11:59:28 am
How are you keeping the deer away? Every roselle plant from last year was eaten three times when my netting blew off. We are growing near Grantsville.
Bowles Family
5/28/2019 04:40:08 am
Hi. I threw a couple hundred hibiscus seeds in some soil last month, not thinking anything would happen as the seeds were old. Wrong! I now have hundreds of hibiscus growing in a very small area. Should I let them stay there until they reach 1 1/2 inches tall, then split them up? Or should I just thin the seedlings out now by pulling some out? Thank you in advance.
JENNIFER HARRIS
6/12/2019 08:20:03 pm
Would you consider selling a few plant..
Phyllis Duncan
5/30/2019 08:23:48 am
Try lifting a few out to transplant to permanent space or a pot. If you have enough root ball, continue to transplant. I have transplanted successfully, but the plants had very little root disturbance. They do seem pretty hardy. Experiment, since you have so many, and let us know how it works out. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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 Hi there! My name is Jen. I'm a "tree hugging dirt worshiper" who has been organically farming for well over a decade. It never ceases to amaze me at how much I've learned & how much I am still learning. I have studied natural health, nutrition, & herbs for over two decades. Our health & the natural world around us are connected in ways we don't often realize. How we treat the land & animals directly affects us in both body & mind. My goal is to provide others with truly natural humane goods from my own little piece of paradise, & to freely pass along whatever knowledge I pick up along the way. I am grateful every day to be able to have such a worthwhile & fulfilling job surrounded by the beauty & unpredictability of Mother Nature.
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