How to grow Roselle?
- Latin Family: Malvaceae
- Latin Genus: Hibiscus
- Ease of Growing: Moderate
- Growing Type: Annual
Beautiful 3 to 5' high Hibiscus family plants with red stems, leaf margins, and calyces. The bright red calyces make a "zingy" tea, sauce, or jam. The tea is widely popular in Egypt where it's called karkade and can potentially lower blood pressure. The creamy-white flowers and young leaves are edible and have a citrus tang. It is also grown in warmer areas as a thick ornamental annual hedge.
Roselle History
Roselle was called "Florida cranberry" in the 1890's and is still sometimes called sorrel or Jamaica sorrel. The plant is native to the tropics.
Soil Preference
- PH (min/max): 4.5 - 8.0
- PH Ideal (min/max): 6.0 - 7.0
Roselle will grow best in a fertile, loamy soil that is moisture retentive and drains well. The plant also does best in soil rich in organic matter. If the soil is too clayey or doesn't to drain well it will need to be amended with compost and some sand.
How to care for Roselle?
Prefers full sun and needs warm weather. Keep un-mulched, evenly moist, and well-weeded until 18- to 24" high. Then add a mulch to control weeds.
Water
Keep soil evenly moist.
Fertilizer
Roselle likes rich soil.
Seeds
Seed Viability: 2 - 3 years
Roselle is pollinated by insects. Harvest the calyces when dry and interior seed pod has opened. If calyces are not already dried before first frost, cut branches off plants to let them finish drying down and maturing indoors.
Light
Sun: min. 6 hours daily
Plant prefers full sun and is not shade tolerant.
Conditions:Warm, Hot
Season:Long Season
Storage
The calyx lobes can be dried in a dark place for about 2 weeks. Once dry, store in an airtight jar.
Storage Req: Drying
Storage Temp: 50-70°F
Storage Length: 1-180 days
Problems
Day length sensitivity
Most varieties of Roselle are day length sensitive and won't flower if the day length is more than 13 hours. This means they will only start flowering until late in the year. Some varieties including Thai Red can bloom as early as July.
Roselle Types
- Roselle
Beautiful 3 to 5' high hibiscus-family plants with red stems, leaf margins, and calyces. The bright red calyces make a "zingy" tea, sauce, or jam. The tea is widely popular in Egypt where it's called karkade and can potentially lower blood pressure. The creamy-white flowers and young leaves are edible and have a citrus tang. It is also grown in warmer areas as a thick ornamental annual hedge.
Pests
- Flea Beetle
- Aphids
- Mealybug
- Nematodes
- Scales
Diseases
- Downy Mildew
- Bacterial Stem Rot, Bacterial Root Rot, Bacterial Soft Rot
- Powdery Mildew
- Root Rot
