If it is not a case of too little water it may be "wilt disease" which is fungal in nature and looks like under watering.
Is your plant in a pot? If your plant is not suffering from lack of water I have a wilt prone garden friend that puts a cup of bleach in a quart or more of water and uses that to water the plant, or you can use a fungicidal soil drench. You may not save all of the infected stems but it could save the plant. Over watering sometimes causes fungal wilt, but a tiny injury to the plant or even leaving a spent bloom on to rot can allow fungus to enter.
Name: Anne Summerville, SC (Zone 8a) Only dead fish go with the flow!
If that were mine, I'd cut the stems back to the crown and root prune hard (at least half the roots), spray off every bit of soil around the root ball then soak the root ball in a half strength solution of insecticide fungicide for an hour or two then pot it up in fresh soil and use the half strength solution to water down the soil. It's 50/50 whether or not it will survive. In my experience this treatment has saved a lot of mystery sick hibiscus.
Healthy pot bound hibs actually respond very well to this sort of treatment but instead of insecticide fungicide I use a half strength fertilizer.
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Sorry to take so long responding but I just now got the hibby dug up. All of the leaves are dead but most of the stems still look good ~ the roots, not so good.
Noticed several black spots, a couple holes and some general 'ick'.
Where are we going, and why am I in this hand-basket?
Name: Anne Summerville, SC (Zone 8a) Only dead fish go with the flow!
Cut off all the roots with icky bits and repot in soil that drains very well and fast. If you have the time, water it at least 3 times a day with plain water til it comes out the bottom. The idea here is to get rid of any pathogens remaining in the roots and not have it stay in the soil. You'll know within a week the outcome.
If you start to see new growth at the crown, pot it up in regular soil.
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Name: Anne Summerville, SC (Zone 8a) Only dead fish go with the flow!
That's awesome!
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.
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