The Complete Guide for Beginners about Hoya plant

Do you know about waxy flowers?

Hoya is a evergreen plant that grows well in rocky areas. It is a low-maintenance tropical indoor plant often called as a wax plant or Hindu rope plant due to its thick waxy leaves.

Hoya plant care is very easy for all indoor plants and you can enjoy them for decades with little care. They grow in moderate temperate regions  for their foliage and strong aromatic flowers. Hoya flower petals are  used in perfumes, powders and lotions. They are mostly sold at nurseries or garden centers that are an excellent airpurfiers for indoor  environment.

Here are some guidelines for the beginners who would like to grow hoyas in pots or landscape.

Varieties 

There are more than 200 species of Hoya plants and each of its species has unique color and shape.  These are popular houseplants that often bloom in the 1^st year when you implement landscape method. Here is the list of 5 popular varieties of Hoya plant that are listed below…

S. No	Plant variety	Specification	Requirements
1	Hoya carnosa	Large dark green almond-shaped leaves	Indirect sunlight
2	Hoya carnosa variegata	White, green and pink color leaves	Bright indirect light
3	Hoya carnosa rubra	Foliage with cream, yellow and pink	Bright  indirect light
4	Hoya obovata	Round dark green speckled leaves	Medium sunlight
5	Hoya kesii	Soft and spade-shaped leaves	High humidity and sunlight

Some other popular hoya varieties include…..

Variety	Origin
Hoya siamica	Cambodia
Hoya serpens	Australia
Hoya revolute	Indonesia
Hoya potsii	Queensland
Hoya obscura	Phillipines
Hoya multiflora	China
Hoya meredithii	Malaysia
Hoya magnifica	New Guinea
Hoya longifolia	Bhutan
Hoya latifolia	Myanmar
Hoya lacunosa	Singapore
Hoya imbricata	Indonesia
Hoya finlaysonii	Thailand
Hoya engleriana	Vietnam
Hoya elliptica	Malaysia
Hoya calycina	New Guinea
Hoya bordenii	Phillipines
Hoya bilobata	Phillipines
Hoya australis	Australia
Hoya thomsonii	China
Hoya anulata	Indonesia
Hoya verticillata	India
Hoya vitellina	Indonesia

 

How to Grow Hoya Plant Indoors

To grow hoya plant indoors, choose a Hoya plant variety to grow them in pots. Buy them from a nursery or online store that has high productive properties in different growing conditions. Here are some factors that are responsible for the growth of hoyas at home.

Choose Pot and Soil

Select a clay or ceramic pot of size 6 inch tall. Fill the pot with well-drain fertile soil with pH 6.0-6.5. The spacing between each plant should be 20 centimeters long when you prefer landscape method.

Water and Sunlight

Water Hoya plant thoroughly that provides sufficient nutrients. When planting mature increase water supply and provide full sunlight of 8 hours a day to thrive quickly. Some of these Hoya plant varieties grow well in moderate temperate regions. The best temperature to grow Hoya plant in pots is 50 F.

When the plant matures it reaches a height of 4 feet tall and produce flowers available in white, pink, orange, red colors that bloom in spring and summer season.

Hoya Flowering 

Hoya flowers are like 5 pointed stars and petals of the shape round o ball like.  They bloom flowers after 1 year of planting provided with waxy texture and are available in white, red, pink colors.  They need to be pollinated either self-pollinated or cross-pollinated to produce seeds or fruits. You have to plant hoyas outdoors so as to attract insects for pollination purpose (transfers pollen from stamen to stigma).

Pruning and Repotting Hoya Plants

Hoya plant has vines with smooth, thick fragrant star-shaped blossoms. Cut the damaged, dead leaves or stems using scissors or shears to promote faster growth. If the plant is too long then cut at the back and propagate it from cuttings.

Prefer repotting method only when the plant starts coming out of the pot with its roots. Use a peat-based potting soil that contains perlite for proper drainage when shifted to bigger pots.

Nutrient Deficiency

S. No	Element	Growth
1	Nitrogen	leafy growth
2	Phosphorus	for stem growth and movement of water in plants
3	Potassium	develops roots, flowers, seeds, and fruit

Hoya Pests and Diseases

Pests	Diseases
Aphids and Scales	Botrytis Blight
Spider mites	Black, gray or mushy roots
Mealybugs	Root rot
Sooty moulds	Wilting
Slugs and snails	Powdery mildew

Fertilizing Hoya Plant

Provide right Fertilizers to the Hoya plant for every month in a year. During the growing season use a general purpose fertilizer N-P-K in the ratio of (5-10-5) or a liquid fertilizer at the base of the plant. You can also Neem oil or insecticidal soaps to deter pests & diseases problem.

How to Grow Hoya Plant From Cuttings

Instead of growing hoya plant from seeds or a baby plant, you can start growing from cuttings. It makes easier and grow vigorously with little or no damage. Propagating hoya plants from cuttings  is done in 2 ways and are explained detaily i.e.

Rooting Hoya plant in Water

Propagating wax plants without spending too much of money may increase your houseplant collection. It’s very easy for home gardeners to implement this method. Here is the step by step procedure that explains the propagation of Hoya plant in water…..

• Take Hoya plant cuttings of 6-8 inches height.
• Place the cuttings in a glass or jar of water.
• Now change the water in the jar for every couple of days.
• Within 2 weeks root develops and you can transplant it to outdoors.

Rooting Hoya plant in Soil 

Propagating Hoya plant from tip cuttings is the most successful method. For this, you need to take a mature plant stem and place it in the soil. Make sure the stem has enough leaves and foliage before you plant them. Trim off the lower leaves that protect the rooting from contamination. In this method, you can water very little at regular intervals.  Within few weeks the roots start developing and you can shift it to your favorite location.

Hoya Plant Care

Hoya plant care is easy among all other indoor plants as it requires low maintenance in right growing conditions. Here are some tips for wax plants that help to thrive quickly.

• Do not place the Hoya plant in extremely cool conditions.
• The pot or container has holes at the bottom for proper drainage.
• Make sure the plant receives sunlight for a minimum of 6-8 hours a day.
• Use clay or ceramic pot that has holes at the bottom for proper drainage.
• Keep children and pets (dogs & cats) away from the plants when you fertilize.
• Do not overwater the Hoya plant as the plant cannot survive and may result in root rot.
• Adding mulch at the base of the plant to improve soil fertility and maintain moisture levels.
• Follow the instructions & warning labels on covers when you purchase online before planting them.

Is Hoya plant poisonous?

Although Hoya plant varieties are not toxic to cats and dogs they can still be dangerous as they can cause the animals to sick. The digestive tract of cats and dogs are unable to break down the leaf and severe health problems.

Where does the wax plant come from?

Wax or Hoya plant is a tropical plant that is native to Asia, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, China and the great diversity of species are found in Philippines and Australia.

What is the structure of Hoya plant?

Hoyas are evergreen perennial plants that have simple leaves arranged in opposite pattern and roots. Leaves are available in different forms smooth or hairy with irregular silvery spots.  Flowers bloom in warm conditions clusters with star-shaped petals and available in white, red, pink, orange and green flowers.

How long does it take to bloom flowers?

Flower blooming time may depend on maturity time of the plant and its growing conditions (like soil, light and temperature). Some hoya varieties may bloom flowers in the first year while other will not produce flowers until it reaches 2-3 years  of age.

Why Hoya leaves are turning yellow?

If a Hoya rope plant does not get enough nitrogen, the lower older leaves turn yellow or pale green color before it gets falling off. It can also be due to the over watering, lack of sunlight and nutrients supplied to the Hoya plants.

For more information refer:  Why are my plants turning yellow?

What are the benefits of Hoya plant?

Hoya plants are popular houseplants in moderate temperate regions grown for their foliage and strong aromatic flowers used in powders, perfumes, lotions and other beauty products. They are mostly sold at nurseries that are an excellent remover of pollutants in the indoor environment.

Start growing wonderful hoya plants in pot or container that produces beautiful fragrant wax flowers and monitors your health. If you have amazing ideas about growing hoya plants in your home, please share your experience with us in the comment section below.

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