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Why you should grow hibiscus

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By Beatrice Nakibuuka

Hibiscus Roselle’s popularity has grown to several parts of the world because of its healing capacity to various diseases besides being a vegetable and beverage.

The plant takes about three months to mature, and every part of hibiscus is useful. Hibiscus is said to be rich in Vitamins A, B1 and C as well as antioxidants.

Planting

Robert Otuba, a sole hibiscus grower in the Eastern district of Budaka, says hibiscus is mainly propagated by seed rather than by cuttings. This is because the cuttings often yield relatively low calyxes. One can acquire hibiscus seeds from a trusted source, and the garden must be well prepared with fine soil particles.

“While preparing to grow hibiscus, it is recommended that you plough and re-plough (deep plough) to make the soil fine and soft for the shoot to germinate easily but also because the crop is deep rooted,” says Otuba. “The plant grows well in soils with high organic matter levels, but too much nitrogen will delay flowering.”

Hibiscus, according to Otuba, grows well in well-drained soils and any farmer who plans to grow it should avoid wetlands because water-logged soils attract root rot to the plants. Having your garden on a gentle slope is recommended because even when it rains heavily, the water can be naturally drained easily.

Holes must be one-metre wide and at least 2ft apart because while the plants grow, they spread out and lessen the spacing between them. This will create competition for nutrients and make harvesting very difficult. Increased spacing within rows usually produces larger calyx.

“You may need about four kilograms of seeds for an acre of land and while sowing, you put at most five seeds in each hole,” says Otuba. “The seeds usually take about four days to germinate, and when they have attained a height of about eight inches, prune them and transplant some to other places because they would be crowded. Leave two seedlings in each hole.”

Weeding, pests

Weeding hibiscus is necessary in the first stages but when the plants reach 45-60 cm in height, weeds are no longer be a problem. When 2-3 leaves have emerged, thin the plants to create appropriate space for growth. Early pruning to increase branching and development of more flowers is very important.

After about a month, the glow worms and black ants may appear in your garden. Otuba recommends use of organic methods to control pests and diseases because chemicals affect the quality of harvest.

Pests usually attack hibiscus flower buds, forcing the buds to fall off before blooming.

Otuba uses pepper, neem tree leaves or aloe vera, which he crashes, soaks in water, sieves, puts in the pump and sprays each plant.

“I usually spray twice, but only a week apart, and these organic remedies are very effective in killing the root-knot nematode, bugs and the glow worms which usually affect the plants,” he says.

How to harvest hibiscus

After about 10 weeks (2 ½ months), the flowers bloom for some days, depending on the variety.

The ripe calyxes are picked. After a hibiscus flower has bloomed, it will shrivel up and drop off the calyx about 24-48 hours later. The ripe, red calyx will be closed, and has a solid feel when squeezed.

A ripe calyx’s stem could also easily snap off of the plant when it is ready for harvest.

“The longer the capsules remain on the plant after the seeds begin to ripen, the more the calyx is susceptible to sores, sun cracking and general deterioration of quality,” he says. “It is, therefore, recommended that you pick the fleshy calyces as soon as the flowers have dropped but before the seed pod has dried and opened.”

Adding value

If you harvest plenty of hibiscus flowers and can hardly find market, you can earn more by adding value, just like with most farm products.

Dried hibiscus flowers can be used to make a beverage. This is the commonest and easiest way of making money from this plant. Once well-packed and preserved, the beverage is one of the healthiest herbal products used in Uganda and across the world. This is because of the various nutritional and healing properties contained in hibiscus’ leaves, flowers and seeds.

Regina Nakayenga, the CEO of Rena Beverage Solutions, started planting hibiscus 10 years ago. She adds value to the wonder crop to make different products such as hibiscus tea, roasted hibi seeds, hibi soft drink and hibi powder. She says one can also add value to the hibiscus flowers and make wine.

Market

Hibiscus is a trending plant because the leaves, seeds and flowers are on market. You will find hibiscus in open markets, supermarkets, clinics and pharmacies.

In markets like Owino and Nakasero, dried hibiscus flowers are usually packed in small white polythene bags, with a pack selling at about Shs 2,000.

Today, hibiscus tea is not only sold in supermarkets such as Capital Shoppers and Mega Standard, but it is also in major pharmacies such as Vine Pharmacy and Devine Pharmacy, among others. A 500-gram tin of hibiscus tea costs about Shs 20,000 if bought from a supermarket.

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