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How to Harvest Hibiscus Calyxes

November 10, 2016 By: Anna15 Comments

how to harvest hibiscus calyxes

This year was my first year growing hibiscus sabdariffa from seed, which is known for its tart calyx for making tea and adding to food. (You may recall Celestial Seasoning’s Red Zinger tea?)  So, I already taught you how to grow it from seed, and now let’s learn how to harvest hibiscus calyxes.  Can’t you just smell the tea?

Note:  This hibiscus should not be confused with the tropical hibiscuses that you buy at nurseries with the large gorgeous flowers.  This plant has different leaves and much smaller flowers.

When to Harvest Hibiscus Calyxes:

How to grow hibiscus tea

First the flower will appear. It isn’t very big and you can easily miss it.  Then you need to wait until the flower end looks dry and spent.  Be sure to watch my video on how to harvest this plant.  (Plus you will get a first hand look at how beautiful these plants are.)

Note, most of the flowers start from the middle to top middle of the plant.  I thought this was completely odd.

So when do you know the calyx are ready for picking?  My rule of thumb is if you can gently pull the flower and it comes out, then you can harvest the calyx.  I found it takes 2 to 3 days for the flower to be spent.  I noticed if the weather turned cooler, it took longer for the flower to dry up.  (Watch the video if you are the visual type like me!)

Once you pull the flower out (which by the way is a lot of fun) simply snap off the calyx.  If you miss one and they are too hard to snap, simply clip them.

If you pull the flower and it tears, then it isn’t ready to harvest.  I tore my fair share of flowers. (Because I am totally impatient.)

The downside to tearing the flower is that it is harder to remove the flower when it is spent.  You have to put your finger inside the calyx, and dig it out.  The flower can be a little gooey.

Word of warning!  The seed inside is the size of a pea.  In fact it looks like a light colored pea.  If the inside is a huge hard big mound, then you took the calyx before it was ready.  I honestly don’t know if it alters the taste, but it is just a little more work to get the huge seed out.  (I show the seed at the end of the video.)

Okay, back to once you harvest your calyxes.  I simply stuck my finger in and knocked out the “pea” size seed.  I kept a few and dried them in the house to see if I can germinate them next year.  (Ah, another adventurer. I am such a garden adrenal junkie.)

I gather from  the article by the late Julia Morton, Research Professor of Biology and Director of the Morton Collectanea, University of Miami, growers let the calyx in Florida simply dry on the stems.  However, she did note, the more you pick, the more it flowers.  And I am a picker!

A hard frost hit my garden twice and I didn’t think I could save the plants.  I did take a few stems inside to see if I put them in water if they would bloom.

Nada.

I probably gathered about 50 calyxes which I thought was lame for 4 plants. Calyx production in warm areas range from 3 to 4lbs (California) to 16 pounds (southern Florida.)

I extended my growing season another two weeks using cold weather row covers.  There was a downside to using the row covers.  The combination of the wind and weight of the covers caused several of the branches to break.  So I lost many calyxes.

Next year I might plant them in huge planters and roll them inside each time below forty temperature threatens.  The plants may not get as big, but I might be able to harvest more calyxes.

But, it was still fun growing it. I will be using the leaves more next year and perhaps keeping the plants in large pots to extend their growing season.

Or just maybe finally getting a greenhouse?

Join the Conversation:

Do you grow hibiscus sabdariffa? Any tips on how to harvest the hibiscus calyxes?

Disclaimer:  There may be affiliate links in this article. Thanks for your loyalty in supporting Green Talk.

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About Anna

Anna Hackman is the editor of Green Talk, and owner of The Naked Botanical and a avid (okay obsessed) gardener. She also loves video and podcasting and hosts Green Talk TV and Green Talk Radio. Her most important role is being a mother of four boys.

Chat with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest , and Google+.

Comments

  1. 1

    The Food Hunter says

    November 15, 2016 at 11:10 am

    This is very interesting…thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  2. 2

    linda spiker says

    November 15, 2016 at 11:32 am

    So interesting! Thanks.

    Reply
  3. 3

    Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says

    November 15, 2016 at 5:44 pm

    I love hibiscus but had no idea about this. Thanks for sharing this information.

    Reply
    • 4

      Anna@Green Talk says

      November 15, 2016 at 7:11 pm

      Emily, they are such beautiful plants. Anna

      Reply
  4. 5

    Carol Trimmer says

    November 15, 2016 at 6:19 pm

    Wow – you are an amazing gardener. I feel lucky when my lettuces sprout from seeds! Loved reading your post!

    Reply
    • 6

      Anna@Green Talk says

      November 15, 2016 at 7:11 pm

      Carol, LOL. Thanks. I love a challenge. Anna

      Reply
  5. 7

    Kelsey says

    November 15, 2016 at 7:19 pm

    Wow! This is great! I think I’ll be needing a greenhouse too, up in the North we have a super short growing season.

    Reply
  6. 8

    Dena Norton says

    November 15, 2016 at 10:07 pm

    I’m not sure I could bring myself to snap off one of my hibiscus blooms but I have friends who love the flavor of it in tea! Great info here!

    Reply
  7. 9

    Megan Stevens says

    November 16, 2016 at 7:47 pm

    Thank you for all these details. I pinned this and hope to apply it one day!

    Reply
    • 10

      Anna@Green Talk says

      November 17, 2016 at 2:11 pm

      Megan, thanks for pinning. Anna

      Reply
  8. 11

    Pat Bush says

    November 26, 2016 at 10:16 am

    I have grown for a few years-the year i got the highest yeild,I planted it in a an unheated cold frame in the ground on a drip line. It did not mind the extra heat in summer and seemed to like it dry. The cold frame postponed freezing by about a month-here in NC -so I harvested every other day. Last winter cold frame went down in an ice snow heavy rain-so just planted it outside this year-we have had unusual warm fall -so got some yeild but frost took it out. Here it does not begin to bloom until late sept-like snapdragons -I think equal day and night might be a trigger. So having some cold protection ensures more harvest. thanks for great pictures and clarification on when to pick. I will keep growing it-might try big grow bags and putting it in greenhouse before frost -like I do with ginger.

    Reply
    • 12

      Anna@Green Talk says

      November 28, 2016 at 5:25 pm

      Pat, how big did yours grow. I have 4 of them and they were 3 to 4 feet wide by 3 to 4 feet tall.

      Reply
  9. 13

    Linda says

    June 10, 2017 at 5:13 am

    Enjoyed your video. I love hibiscuses! They are so pretty; wish they had a fragrance. As for as making tea from the blooms of the large flowering type, it does work. A friend made us some hibiscus tea from the dried blooms from her own plants. She would watch to see when the blooms would close & gather them before they fell onto the dirt. She dried them & kept them in a jar. Makes wonderful tea.

    Reply
    • 14

      Anna says

      June 13, 2017 at 2:41 pm

      Linda, I collected them one year and dried them. I thought they had no taste. I have several different tropical and perennial. I wonder which ones she dried? Anna

      Reply
  10. 15

    R says

    December 16, 2017 at 3:20 pm

    Thank you. Perfect video, informative and trustworthy.

    Reply

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