Learn to grow and harvest roselle for delicious hibiscus tea.
Roselle is an ornamental plant related tookra.
Young leaves make a spicy addition to salads or can be cooked likespinach.
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It has an upright, multistemmed habit; its attractive lobed leaves are held on red stems.
Its 3-inch wide creamy whitehibiscus-like flowerssport deep red centers.
Although each bloom lasts for just a day, a continuous parade of flowers appears from midsummer to frost.
Credit:Bob Stefko
It also creates an excellent, fast-growing hedge to separate garden spaces or a screen to disguise an eyesore.
On a sunny deck or patio, it can be grown in large containers.
Space plants 24 to 36 inches apart in well-prepared soil.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Keep your new plants watered and the area weed-free until your roselle is established.
Alayer of mulchwill help maintain moisture and reduce weeds.
Plants grow quickly and will eventually shade out weeds.
Credit: Jason Donnelly
Its a fast grower, so give it plenty of space.
Light
Roselleneeds full sun(more than 6 hours per day) to produce flowers.
Shade will reduce its bloom and therefore, its production of calyxes.
Credit: Christopher Hirsheimer
In regions with very hot summers, it benefits from some afternoon shade.
Soil and Water
Anywell-drained soilwith a fairly neutral pH will do for roselle.
It will, however, do best when watered during extended dry spells.
Be sure to harvest calyxes before thefirst fall frost.
It grows best in regions with high summer humidity.
Fertilizer
Before planting,work some compostor balanced, slow-release fertilizer into the soil.
Additional fertilization is not usually required and may cause plants to grow tall with abundant leaves but few flowers.
Unpruned plants may need staking.
Plant seeds in individual pots, two per pot, and cover lightly with potting mix.
Seeds germinate quickly, usually within two weeks.
Thin to the strongest seedling when it has developed a few leaves.
Transplant when the weather has warmed, about the same time you set out your tomato and pepper plants.
Roselle can also bepropagated by stem cuttings.
Cut 5- to 6-inch-long stems, making your cut just below a node.
Remove large leaves, leaving a couple of smaller ones near the top of the cutting.
Place the bottom 3 or 4 inches of the cutting in well-draining potting soil.
Roots will begin to form after two to three weeks.
A hard spray of water will often reduce aphid populations sufficiently.
Root knot nematode can sometimes infect plants; the best solution is to rotate the crop yearly.
Overwatering can cause root rot.
Be sure to plant in well-draining soil.
Burmese roselle(shown above) is also known as chin baung or sour leaf.
This variety is traditionally grown more for its leaves than calyxes.
West African Greenbears edible green calyxes that are used the same way that red calyxes are used.
Victoris an heirloom variety that performs well in southern Florida.
Select varieties that include burgundy or red, such as ColorBlaze Rediculous or ColorBlaze Wicked Witch.
Nasturtium
Nasturtiumwill provide a flowering skirt at the base of a roselle plant.
And like roselle, its leaves and flowers are edible.
The more often you harvest, the more flowers will be produced.
To avoid breaking stems, use clippers.
Roselle can be used fresh, dried, or frozen for later use.
First, separate the pale green seed pods from the fleshy calyx.
Once they are completely dried, store them in tightly sealed glass jars.
In the morning, place the frozen calyxes in a labeled freezer bag and store in the freezer.
Once it boils, cover and remove from the heat.
If you want to experiment, add other herbs such asbasil,lemon balm, ormint.
Allow the tea to steep for 15 to 20 minutes then strain.
Add honey, lemon, or lime if desired.
Serve hot or over ice.
However, it should be avoided if you’reallergic to hibiscus flowers.
