To overwinter an abutilon, bring the plant indoors and place it in a bright, sunny spot. Water it regularly, but allow the soil to dry out between waterings. Fertilize it once a month.
Full Answer
How do you care for Abutilon in the winter?
While growing Abutilon as a houseplant during the winter, it will not need a lot of direct sunlight (just a few hours per day). Grow it in a relatively cool room in your house. You should also cut back on watering at this time, supplemented by occasional misting.
What are the best tips for pruning Abutilon plants?
Abutilon plants flower on current growth. That means that you’ll have more flowers if you prune a flowering maple before spring growth begins. When you start pruning abutilon plants, you’ll always want to sterilize your pruners first. It’s one of the most important abutilon pruning tips and prevents the spread of disease.
How do you grow Abutilon?
Grow them in a well-drained soil that has been enriched with compost. Abutilon plants have average water needs. In zones 9-10, optimal lighting is for the plants to receive full sun in the morning but some shade in the hot afternoon.
Are Abutilon plants cold hardy?
Being tender, they do not like cold weather, so they are more work to grow for Northerners than are the more cold-hardy plants. For those not put off by the prospects of this extra work, Abutilon plants are still well worth growing.
Northerners Need to Bring This Tender Shrub Indoors for Winter
David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience. He was in the nursery business for over a decade, working with a large variety of plants. David has been interviewed by numerous newspapers and national U.S. magazines, such as Woman's World and American Way.
All About the "Flowering Maple"
You may have seen Abutilon plants at the nursery without even knowing it. They bear leaves like those on maple trees, which may lead you to think that they are some kind of dwarf maple tree. In fact, the primary common name that the plants go by is "flowering maple." But what gives them away as belonging to a different plant group is their flowers.
How to Care for Abutilon Plants
In terms of care, this is really a tale of two seasons for Northern growers:
What Soil Works Best for Abutilon Plants?
Well-draining soil with some compost works best for this plant. Ensure that the soil is never soggy since that can lead to root rot. Having moist soil works best for this plant as it doesn’t need much water.
How Much Sun Do Abutilon Plants Need?
Indian Mallow houseplants can have a few hours of full sun during the day but generally only need partial light. The growing season for this plant to produce flowers is from early spring to early fall. If you keep the plant inside your home, you should place it in front of a south-facing window.
What Temperature Works Best for Abutilon Plants?
A Flowering Maple does best with temperatures over 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Be careful about leaving this plant near a cold window or an AC unit since those are cold temperatures. This plant prefers to be in warm climates whenever possible.
Do Abutilon Plants Enjoy Humidity?
Being native to the rainforests in Brazil, Abutilon plants enjoy humid environments. Some ways to increase the humidity around Parlor maple are using a humidifier or placing the plant on a pebble tray. Consider putting the plant in a bathroom with a shower.
How Often Should You Water an Abutilon Plant?
An Abutilon plant needs watering when the top inch or so of soil becomes dry. Don’t overwater the plant so that the ground becomes soggy. Finally, ensure the plant is in a suitable pot with drainage holes to reduce the risk of waterlogging and root rot.
What Size Does Chinese Lantern Plants Grow to Typically?
A mature Chinese Lantern plant can reach up to 8 feet in height. However, if you keep the plant indoors in a container, you can expect the plant to be smaller than that. When the indoor plant starts becoming too big for the current area in your home, you can prune the plant to better fit your environment.
What are the Most Common Bugs?
Common bugs that might infest this plant include spider mites, aphids, whiteflies, scale, and mealybugs. If you notice that these pests are on the plant, you will want to remove them with neem oi l.
Pruning Abutilon Plants
Abutilon plants are native to South America, Africa, and Australia. They are tender evergreens that need a growing site with some sun to produce the lovely, lantern-shaped flowers. They also need some shade to thrive. Why do you need to think about pruning these plants? Abutilons get leggy as they grow.
How to Prune an Abutilon
When you start pruning abutilon plants, you’ll always want to sterilize your pruners first. It’s one of the most important abutilon pruning tips and prevents the spread of disease.
How to Care for Abutilon Flowering Maple
All the rage in the 19th century (hence the name parlor maple), Abutilon flowering maple is considered to be a bit of an old-fashioned houseplant. Still with its lovely bell-shaped leaves of salmon, red, white, or yellow, it makes for an interesting houseplant. So, the question is how to care for Abutilon.
Flowering Maple Problems
As far as any flowering maple problems go, they have pretty much the usual culprits or issues that afflict other houseplants. Moving the plant flowering maple to another location may contribute to leaf drop, as it is sensitive to temperature fluxes.
