Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →

How to Prune a Tropical Hibiscus Tree

...
hibiscus image by adrimar imaging from Fotolia.com

A tropical hibiscus tree is a perennial flowering shrub that has been carefully pruned until it achieves a tree-like shape. Plant tropical hibiscus outside in the garden in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 to 11, according to the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Services. If you live in a colder climate, plant your hibiscus tree in a pot and bring it inside for the winter. Tropical hibiscus trees have bright, showy flowers that come in a wide variety of stunning colors.

Stand back and look at your tropical hibiscus before you begin pruning. Visualize the overall shape and size you want to achieve.

Use a sharp tree saw to take off the the lower branches. As the plant matures, continue to remove the lowest branches until the shrub begins to resemble a tree in shape.

  • A tropical hibiscus tree is a perennial flowering shrub that has been carefully pruned until it achieves a tree-like shape.
  • If you live in a colder climate, plant your hibiscus tree in a pot and bring it inside for the winter.

Shape the canopy by trimming the outer most growth. Use sharp pruning shears to trim back every third branch or so. At the next pruning session you can get the branches you missed this time.

Clip off any suckers that are growing around the base of the tree from the primary root system.

Remove any dead or diseased looking wood. Clean your tools with disinfectant after each cut when cutting off diseased wood to prevent it from spreading to other parts of the plant.

Warning

Avoid taking out more than 1/3 of the total foliage mass at each pruning session.

Related Articles

How to Take Care of a Hibiscus Tree
How to Take Care of a Hibiscus Tree
How to Cut Back Japanese Maple Trees
How to Cut Back Japanese Maple Trees
What is the Growth Rate of a Holly Tree?
What is the Growth Rate of a Holly Tree?
How to Care for a Weeping Norway Spruce
How to Care for a Weeping Norway Spruce
How to Cut Back a Hibiscus After a Frost
How to Cut Back a Hibiscus After a Frost
How to Make Hibiscus Into a Tree
How to Make Hibiscus Into a Tree
How to Prune an Italian Cypress
How to Prune an Italian Cypress
How to Care for a Saucer Magnolia Tree
How to Care for a Saucer Magnolia Tree
How to Prune Sweet Olive Trees
How to Prune Sweet Olive Trees
How to Care for a Singapore White Plumeria
How to Care for a Singapore White Plumeria
Attaching a Hanging Planter to a Cinder Block Fence
Attaching a Hanging Planter to a Cinder Block Fence
What Weed Killer Kills Buckthorn?
What Weed Killer Kills Buckthorn?
How to Care for Hibiscus Plants Indoors
How to Care for Hibiscus Plants Indoors
Garden Guides
×