Important! Hoya grown indoors practically never goes into dormancy. The flower can grow and even bloom at any time of the year.

But usually, in winter and autumn, gardeners stop abundant watering and fertilizing so that the hoya gains strength and rests. It is recommended to propagate and transplant in early spring. when daylight hours increase.

How to select and prepare soil?

For hoya, a neutral or slightly acidic substrate is preferable. Many gardeners use ordinary garden soil. You can prepare a special mixture for growing hoya.

Based on leaf soil

• Leaf soil - 1 tsp.
• Humus – 1 hour.
• Clay-turf soil – 2 hours.
• Drainage is required.

Based on turf land

• Turf soil – 2 hours.
• Greenhouse land – 1 hour.
• Leaf part - 1 tsp.

Another option

Reproduction methods

Seeds

Pros and cons of the method

Hoya usually does not propagate by seeds at home (read about whether it is possible to keep hoya at home and why it is dangerous). Hybrid varieties do not produce viable seeds. Sowing is usually done in special conditions, in humid greenhouses.

How to select and prepare seeds?

The seeds usually ripen after flowering and are found in pods. To sow, they must be well dried.

Important! Use seeds within a year; hoya has a short seed viability.

How to plant - step by step instructions

The procedure for sowing and germinating seeds is long and labor-intensive:

1. Burlap or artificial fibers are added to the sand and peat substrate.
2. The seeds begin to germinate within a week.
3. Seedlings are kept at a temperature of at least 20 – 22°C.
4. Additional illumination of seedlings and regular watering in small doses are required.
5. Seedlings are grown for up to 2.5 - 3 months.
6. When 3–4 leaves appear, the seedlings are transplanted into small pots.

To prevent rot of seedlings, spraying with copper-containing preparations is necessary.

Cuttings

Advantages and disadvantages

Hoya propagation by cuttings is the most reliable and easiest way to grow. Cuttings are best done in spring, when transplanting young flowers, cutting off long viable shoots.

Preparatory stage

Cuttings are taken only from healthy, undamaged stems. Cut diagonally 6 - 7 cm in length.

Each planting cutting should have 2 - 3 pairs of leaves and nodes. The cut is made below the nodules; it is in the internodes that the roots develop.

Before planting, the cuttings are dipped in a solution of root growth stimulator for 1 - 2 hours.

You can root cuttings in water or a special substrate:

• Drainage layer.
• Sand – 1 hour.
• Peat – 2 hours.

How to root - procedure

The procedure for cutting hoya is simple and is carried out sequentially:

1. The pot is wrapped in foil or thick cloth.
2. Cuttings are carried out without light entering the substrate.
3. The treated cuttings are lowered into the substrate by 1–2 cm.
4. The pot is placed in a warm place – 21 – 23°C.
5. For better rooting, the cuttings are covered with film or foil.
6. The greenhouse is ventilated daily, after 10 days the shelter is removed.
7. After 2 – 2.5 weeks, roots appear.

Attention! Roots should not be allowed to grow, this makes replanting into the ground difficult, the root shoots are brittle, and the flower may take a long time to take root and become sick.

Small pots for planting cuttings are used - 9 - 10 cm in diameter. You can plant 2 - 3 cuttings in one pot.

Substrate for replanting hoya after rooting cuttings:

• Leaf soil - 2 hours.
• Turf soil – 1 hour.
• Sand – 1 hour.
• Humus – 0.5 tsp.
• Mineral fertilizers.
• Drainage.

It is also easy to grow hoya using stem layering:

1. A shallow cut is made on a long shoot, the cut site is covered with moss or sprinkled with substrate, secured, and wrapped with film.
2. After the roots appear, the shoot is cut off and planted in a separate pot.

Video about rooting hoya:

Leaf

Pros and cons of the method

It is almost impossible to propagate hoya from leaves.. The leaf must be planted in light soil, where it will take root well.

However, flower growers note that leaves planted in the ground take root well and quickly, but do not grow or develop. In other words, an adult, beautiful flower will never grow from a leaf.

This method of growing hoya is not practical and is not used by gardeners at home.

Preliminary stage

The rooting process is long, for the effectiveness of the method it is important to use leaves only from natural varieties, growing in natural tropical conditions.

How to reproduce - algorithm of actions

Hoya propagation scheme by leaves:

1. The sections are treated with a root stimulator.
2. It is important to preserve the petiole of the leaf.
3. The leaves are planted in a special substrate at an angle of 45°.
4. Within a week, a new shoot appears.

The root hormone - heteroauxin - is applied with a pipette to the base of the leaf.

How to grow in expanded clay?

Experienced gardeners grow hoya in hydroponics or expanded clay. The method is used when the root system is well developed, when the root processes are quite strong and large. Most often this method is used when germinating cuttings.

Photo

In the photo below you can see what wax ivy seeds look like:

And these are Hoya cuttings:

Wax ivy aftercare

Temperature

For flowering and development, hoya requires a temperature of 20 - 25°C. An increase in temperature in summer is undesirable for the flower; the hoya will begin to hurt.

To reduce the air temperature in the summer heat, you should shade the windows, increase the air humidity - place containers of water next to the pots, spray the flower every day with a fine spray, you can wipe the leaves with a damp sponge.

In winter, the temperature drops by 4 - 5 degrees, but it is recommended to avoid sudden temperature changes. Temperatures below 14 - 16°C are unacceptable for tropical hoya.

Watering

Hoya loves moisture; the substrate should be moist, but not damp, especially in autumn and winter.

Attention! The earthen clod must not be allowed to dry out. Hoya's roots quickly die when they dry out.

Water for irrigation should only be used that has settled, soft, warm, 35 - 40°. In summer and spring it is necessary to water abundantly and regularly., every day in small doses. On especially hot days, be sure to irrigate the bushes, wipe the leaves, removing dust from them, refreshing them and preventing diseases and infections. You can use a warm shower and bathing once every 2 weeks.

Light

Hoya prefers a bright place in the apartment, but the flower will not survive in direct sunlight for long - the leaves will begin to turn yellow.

It is better to install pots on the eastern or western part of the house. In summer, it is advisable to shade southern windows with light, light fabric. Young seedlings are not recommended to be immediately exposed to the sun., the flower needs to gradually get used to bright light.

In winter, on the contrary, hoya may experience a lack of light and begins to shed its leaves. In this case, artificial lighting with special phyto lamps is required for 2 - 3 hours a day.

Pruning and replanting

It is recommended to replant young plants every year in spring. An adult Hoya can be replanted once every 3 to 4 years.. The crown of the flower grows quite quickly and needs reliable support.

When replanting, it is advisable to trim long stems. They can be used for further cuttings.

After flowering, do not trim the peduncle, new buds are formed on the old peduncle.

You can graft branches when 4–5 leaves appear on them; this procedure promotes branching of the hoya.

Feeding

Hoya needs to be fertilized only in spring and summer., during the dormant period the flower is not fed. Fertilizers are applied once every 15–20 days.

Important! If the leaves begin to turn pale and lose their elasticity, the substrate lacks nitrogen.

Pot

During the annual transplantation of young seedlings, it is necessary to use large pots 2–3 cm in diameter.

Pots, planting containers, flowerpots, and tools should be treated with boiling water or chlorine-free disinfectants before planting.

It is important to make drainage holes in the planting containers for breathability and drainage of excess water when watering. Several seedlings can be planted in one flowerpot at a distance of 7–9 cm from each other. Hoya in a group planting looks dense, this makes the flower especially decorative.

What to do if the flower does not take root?

In order to grow a healthy hoya, maintain the bright variegation of the leaves, and achieve bright, dense flowering, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of caring for this flower, avoid overwatering and drying out the soil, dose fertilizing, monitor the lighting and temperature of the exotic content.

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Hoya: how does reproduction occur?

Hoya, propagated by layering, seeds and cuttings, is a common houseplant. Most often found in homes is Hoya fleshy. Its shoots can reach up to 7 meters in length. The plant is called wax ivy. It belongs to the evergreen type of vines. More than 200 varieties are known. Flowers can be found wild in Australia, China and India.

Hoya is a flowering plant that belongs to the evergreen type of vines.

Hoya propagates using layering, seeds and cuttings. The most commonly used method is cuttings, but other methods also produce a healthy plant.

Propagation by seeds

A mature hoya plant can produce seeds that can be planted.

Hoya seeds are very rare, so they are a real treasure for gardeners. When the seeds are ripe and slightly dried, they can be collected. It is advisable to plant the seeds already in the same year. The substrate must be loose. It must be composed of an earthen mixture and sphagnum moss, which should be thoroughly crushed. In just a week you will be able to see shoots. As soon as the plant begins to sprout, you need to make sure that the soil does not dry out, but it should not be excessively wet. It is recommended to keep the container with seedlings in a warm place. Seedlings need light. As a preventive measure against fungus, you need to spray the seedlings with Bordeaux mixture.

You can use any product that contains copper for this, but use must be carried out strictly according to the instructions for the product. After about 2.5-3 months, the seedlings will have several leaves. During this period, they need to be seated in individual containers. This method has a certain problem. It is practically impossible to get hoya seeds from a home plant, but small plants are already sold in stores, but the seeds are very difficult to find.

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Reproduction by layering from the stem

As a result of this, propagation is most often carried out by layering from the stem or cuttings. If you use the stem layering method, this will allow you to have a flowering plant already in the year in which the plant was planted. To propagate using this method, a small incision is made on the old flower (more precisely on its shoot). Next, you need to cover the shoot with moss and make sure it is always wet. Then everything needs to be covered with polyethylene.

As soon as the roots begin to form, the shoot along with the root must be completely cut off and then planted in a pot. Part of the stem can be laid out in the soil of a new container and secured near the surface. Additionally, everything is covered with moss, which should be damp. When the hoya, which was propagated through layering, has completely taken root, it can be separated from the mother flower. By the way, for propagation it is better to select only mature plants that have already bloomed at least once.

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Propagation by cuttings

Hoya cuttings are transplanted after the root system and several leaves have formed.

In order to propagate by cuttings, you need to choose cuttings that have at least 2 pairs of leaves. The incision itself is made between the nodes. You can root the shoot in water. A mixture based on sand and peat is suitable (for 2 parts peat you will need 1 part sand raw material). You can even use regular sand, but it must always be damp. Within a month, small roots will appear. The temperature should be at least 20 degrees. It is best to carry out this procedure in spring or autumn, although rooting can occur in any season. The roots themselves do not appear on the nodes themselves, but between them, so the cut should not be under the node, but slightly below it, so that there is room for root germination. When the cuttings have already taken root, they need to be transplanted into containers whose diameter should be at least 9 cm.

It is allowed to plant several cuttings at once in one container. For planting, it is better to make a special mixture. You will need 1 part turf soil and 1 part sand. Next, add 2 parts of leaf soil and 0.5 parts of humus. It is allowed to add a little complex fertilizer to such soil. If you use this method for propagation, then the plants obtained this way will bloom only after 3-4 years.

By the way, you should definitely monitor how the crown is formed. To develop branching, you need to pinch the flower after the 4th leaf has formed. If the shoots become too long, it is better to cut them off. This will contribute to the intensity of flowering, because the shoots will not take on all the power of the flower. The stems need additional support, especially if the hoya is very lush. You can tie the stems and branches with threads and fix them against a wall or window. Special rings are also suitable for these purposes. They can be made from wire. The ends of the material must be placed in the container itself. The flower requires a heavy pot to prevent it from tipping over due to the weight of the plant.

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General rules for caring for Hoya

In winter, the temperature for growing hoya should not fall below 15 degrees.

Hoya is not a very capricious plant. It does not require a high percentage of humidity and a lot of watering. It can grow well even in very poor soil. Even frequent transplants are not necessary for the flower. However, in order to achieve flowering, you need to follow a number of rules.

1. Temperature.

When the period of plant activity begins, the optimal temperature is 18-24 degrees. But in winter, even 15 degrees is enough. Although the plant can survive wintering at 10 degrees. However, you need to make sure that the soil is not too cold. This is harmful to the roots. There are certain species that are distinguished by their heat-loving nature, so they cannot survive a cold winter. As a result, the shoot sheds its leaves.

1. Watering.

You need to water the flower moderately. Each subsequent watering is carried out when the soil has dried out a little. It is prohibited to pour hoya. In winter, you generally need to limit watering. This flower can perfectly survive the lack of moisture. But in winter you definitely need to water very little so that later flowering will be intense.

1. Fertilizer.

Since Hoya needs high humidity, you can use a humidifier.

The soil needs feeding twice a month during the entire growing season. It starts in March. There is no need to feed the flower in winter.

1. Humidity.

Humidity is not a very significant parameter for hoya. In hot summers, you need to additionally spray the foliage. There are certain varieties that need high humidity, so they require separate care.

1. Illumination.

Wax ivy grows best when there is sufficient lighting, but bright direct rays, on the contrary, can harm the flower. Hoya feels great in the southern sector of the room. It will perfectly braid the surfaces of the walls. It is prohibited to change the place of the flower pot. Such a thoughtless rearrangement will entail the loss of foliage and loss of buds.

1. The soil.

Hoya is not very picky about the soil. In the wild, it grows on rocky screes or is generally attached to trees. The flower feels great in any type of soil. It is best to make a mixture of turf, leaf soil, peat, humus and sand. At the bottom of the container where the flower will live, you must put small pebbles that will serve as drainage. You can additionally sprinkle a little sand on top of them. Drainage prevents the soil from becoming waterlogged so that the roots do not rot.

1. Transfer.

Hoya rarely requires repotting. It is enough to do this procedure once every 3 years. Sometimes you can do this less often, depending on the growth and development of your pet. In order to stimulate flowering, you can use this trick - take a tighter pot. To make the shoots grow faster, on the contrary, choose a larger container. The pot must have a hole at the bottom to drain excess water.

Ripe seeds are slightly dried and sown in a substrate with good air permeability (for example, with the addition of sphagnum moss, pieces of burlap or felt). The ability of seeds to germinate quickly disappears; they should be sown fresh (no later than 1 year after collection).

By the end of the week, the seeds germinate and require careful care:

• the substrate should not be allowed to dry out;
• Do not over-moisten the soil;
• lighting should be good;
• should be treated with a fungicide for preventive purposes (Bordeaux mixture). The use of drugs containing copper is strictly contraindicated.

You can sow seeds into pieces of sphagnum moss, wrapped in a nylon mesh: the moss is damp, the seeds grow through the mesh cells. Seedlings are transplanted into pots together with moss, the roots are not damaged.

In about 3 months healthy seedlings are transplanted into separate pots. About 80% of plants can be grown from seeds; if the percentage of germination is less, it means the seeds have lost their viability or the roots of the seedlings have rotted.

It is difficult to find hoya seeds; more often they use other methods for propagation.

What do the seeds look like?

Hoi grown in apartments do not produce seed pods. There are no insects that pollinate hoya in our latitudes. Hoya seeds are small in size, have light “parachutes”, reminiscent of dandelion seeds (they look just as “fluffy”)

When to plant?

Regardless of the time of year, you can sow hoya seeds, if they are fresh and have not lost their germination.

Propagation by cuttings

This method is the most popular; when favorable conditions are created (high humidity and the right temperature), rooting occurs well.

There should be 2 nodes on the cutting (these will form leaves or form roots).

There are several ways to root cuttings:

1. 1. In water(leaves are removed from the nodes on the cutting, treated with root hormone and placed in water). Place the container in a warm place (22 degrees), maintain high humidity (you can cover it with plastic wrap, a greenhouse will form). After 2 weeks, the roots that have appeared will be noticeable; they should be transplanted into pots without waiting until they grow long (they become fragile and break off).
   2. In hard substrate(porous soil mixture, perlite, peat tablets, vermiculite, sphagnum moss) cuttings are planted after treatment with a powder that accelerates root formation. Humidity should be maintained (excess water should drain out), protected from moisture evaporation (spray regularly or cover with glass).

To root hoya, the peat tablet should be moistened, the dried cuttings should be placed in the recess of the tablet, and covered with a bag on top (creating a mini greenhouse). After 2 weeks, roots will appear; you can plant them together with the tablet in a pot.

1. Step-by-step rooting instructions in breathable soil:
   • the cut cuttings with 2 nodes should be dried;
   • pour soil with a high peat content into a plastic container;
   • place the cutting in the soil (up to the internode), water lightly;
   • cover the container with a lid, making holes in it for ventilation;
   • place in a warm place (22 degrees) until rooting.

When is the best time to propagate from cuttings?

Hoya can be propagated using cuttings from shoots from the previous year. at any time of the year except winter.

From a sheet

This method is labor-intensive and may not always be successful. Before planting, the leaf should be treated with a growth stimulator (kinetin, adenine sulfate). Leaves can remain leaves for a long time, even after the appearance of a powerful root system. To grow Hoya from a leaf, it is necessary that the leaf has a piece of cutting (the growing point is located in it).


When trying to propagate hoya by leaf, it must be planted in a tight pot and fed periodically. Some gardeners managed to get shoots after stimulating the hoya leaf with roots (driing the substrate, lowering the temperature, creating good lighting). Shoot growth was observed after the first year of leaf life.

How to root?

For better rooting, you must follow the recommendations:

• take short cuttings;
• plant several cuttings in one pot;
• take healthy cuttings for rooting;
• Rooting occurs faster at a temperature of 22 degrees;
• spraying is required (humidity must be high);
• place pots nearby to increase humidity;
• stir into the soil (for large hoi) 1 node with leaves and 4 nodes for small species;
• you need to place the growing end of the cutting in the ground, not the cut end;
• as long as the cutting is green, you can hope that it will take root;
• cuttings should not be rotated during rooting;
• when placed in a warm place, growth is noticeable after 2-3 weeks;
• some species grow a long shoot that needs to be tied up.

An adult plant will need support to make it easier for the vine shoots to develop.

Photo

Next you will see photos of Hoya seeds and propagation:

The easiest way to propagate hoyas is from cuttings. At a comfortable temperature and high humidity, they take root without problems. This is the simplest and most common type of reproduction. A few tips to ensure that the cutting produces roots as quickly as possible: you should cut as short a section as possible with one or two pairs of leaves. In this case, you need to pay attention that the cutting has at least two nodes. At the nodes, roots will form in the future or leaves will form, since root hormones are concentrated in the nodes. Long cuttings can dry out at the ends, since such cuttings do not have enough moisture and evaporation is high.

There are several ways to root cuttings.

Rooting in water

The book “Hoya Basics” describes the following method. The wide pot is wrapped in aluminum foil, which blocks the water from light (green algae does not develop) and keeps the cuttings in an upright position. The leaves on one or two nodes of the cuttings are removed, since at least one node without leaves must be under water. The cuttings are placed in water through a small hole in the aluminum wrapper. Before doing this, it is advisable to dip their sections in the root hormone. The vessel should be placed in a warm, damp place. The temperature of water and air around the plants should not exceed 22*C. If the air humidity is high, the temperature can also be maintained higher. If the cuttings wither, this means that the air humidity is insufficient. In this case, you should loosely cover the cuttings along with aluminum wrappers. This creates a small greenhouse with a tropical microclimate. Under such conditions, a mass of small white roots will soon form on the cuttings. This usually happens after 14 days.

It should be noted: when the roots on the cuttings grow too long, they become quite fragile and easily break off when the cuttings are separated from each other. Therefore, it is advisable to plant plants in a permanent place at an early stage of root formation.
The method described above requires some effort.

I simply place my cuttings in a dark vase or other opaque vessel. I top up the evaporating water and spray the cuttings daily. The vase stands in a warm sunny place. Roots form without problems.

Rooting in hard substrates

Cuttings can also be immediately planted in loose stone mixture, sphagnum, porous flower soil or other moisture-retaining substrates. The most important thing here is that the substrate is of medium humidity, but not too damp. The soil must have such a structure that any excess water can drain out immediately. It is also important that the substrate and rooting vessel are sterile! Rooting powder greatly speeds up the appearance of roots. There should always be one leaf node in the substrate. Evaporation of moisture must be prevented in some way. To do this, you can again use a foil bag or regularly spray the leaves. Several hoyas together in a small room, due to their “breathing,” significantly increase the humidity of the air.

Here are some useful tips:

1. cuttings should be short.
2. If possible, it is better to plant several cuttings of the same species in a pot.
3. cuttings of small Hoi species should be planted in the substrate horizontally or at an angle. One or two nodes should be covered with soil.
4. use only fresh, healthy cuttings for rooting in hard substrates.
5. the temperature should not fall below 22*C. Then rooting occurs faster.
6. Maintain high air humidity (spray regularly).
7. Place pots next to each other, which significantly increases air humidity.
8. in small species, 4, 5 or even 9 nodes can be buried in the substrate. For large hoi, one node with leaves should be pressed into the soil.
9. it is important to know which end of the cutting is the growing one and which is the cut end, which is not always clear. If the growing end is planted in the ground, the cutting will die.

As long as at least one leaf or one stem, even without leaves, is green, there is a chance of successful rooting. Don’t lose hope and, especially, don’t throw away the plant prematurely! Constantly looking at and inevitably turning the cuttings can also lead to “sad” consequences. If the pot with cuttings is placed in a bright and protected place, then after 2 - 3 weeks signs of new growth should appear. Some hoyas first form a long shoot, which should be carefully tied up if you want to grow a beautiful climbing plant. The tip of their new lash never wants to “voluntarily” grow down and growth stops. This, naturally, does not apply to hanging hoyas.

Cuttings that arrived from afar (by mail, etc.) are usually overdried. They should be kept in warm water for several hours, to which a little sugar should be added. If the cuttings were properly packaged during shipment and retained natural moisture in the leaves and stems, then the chances of rooting are much higher.

Hoi propagation from a single leaf

Sometimes you have to grow hoya from a single leaf. It takes a lot of luck to get a new plant out of it. You can’t do without rooting powder here.
In 1856, Dr. Atillo Tassi, professor of botany and agriculture, director of the Royal Botanical Garden of the Royal Academy of Lucca, managed to grow the plant from seeds that he discovered in a bag containing a single pod of Hoya carnosa, which had ripened 20 years earlier. In his report, he talks about methods of propagation of Khoi: he describes the method of propagation by cuttings and also mentions propagation by a single soil leaf. Many botanists have conducted such experiments in the past. The leaf was planted in the mixture. Roots usually appeared without problems and the leaf did not die. But it never grew into an adult plant. Many Khoi collectors later tried this method with the same result.

Several years ago, Dale Kloppenburg received ten beautiful khoi leaves and flowers from Chanin Thorut, collected during an expedition in Southern Thailand. Kloppenburg measured and photographed them, then planted each leaf in a separate dark green plastic pot filled with loose soil mixture and placed it in a greenhouse. He buried the bases of the leaves into the substrate at an angle of 45*. In favorable conditions, roots appeared quickly. In the following months, these eight leaves sprouted and today have grown into beautiful, strong and healthy plants. Kloppenburg later received some exotic leaves and flowers from Ted Green of Kaaawa (Hawaii). These are the leaves of H. finlaysonii and H. verticillata. He also wants to grow them into adult plants.

Kloppenburg claims that plants collected from nature sprout more readily than those grown in culture. He explains this by saying that the important factor here is the vitality of the plants, which they received from the intensity and exposure to sunlight and from the proper nutrition that the plants had in nature.

Here some tips to successfully achieve the emergence of a sprout from a single leaf.

Essentially, the petioles at the base of the leaves produce masses of roots. The art is to stimulate the leaves to produce growth cells and develop shoots. You can try to “excite” the leaves with chemical stimulants, such hormones as adenine sulfate [one of the three nitrogenous bases of DNA, which is found in all living cells], kinetin [a hormone from plant cells that regulates their division and brings dormant buds out of dormancy] 2- 4D [?] or gibberellic acid [a growth-forming substance, one of the most active gibberellins]. By the way, 2-4D is, in fact, a weed killer. But in a very weak concentration (one drop per 4 liters of water) it stimulates root formation. Dale Kloppenburg used an eye dropper for his experiments. He dripped the solution onto the center of the leaf above the cutting and it flowed down to the place where the roots formed.

Experiments with gibberellic acid showed weak, depleted growth. Kloppenburg carried out additional experiments with indolyl 3-acetic acid [this is the abstruse name for heteroauxin]. He diluted one small crystal in a glass of water and, after roots appeared from the leaf, applied the solution to the base and cuttings. Experiments were carried out only on strong leaves. H. carnosa, H. verticillata, H. kerrii, H. diversifolia and H. finlaysonii successfully sprouted. Dale Kloppenburg in his book “Hoya Basics” writes that the process of propagating hoya from a leaf is possible, but requires additional research.

For three years now, I have had 2 rooted leaves of H. kerrii in my collection, which I bought at a flower shop for Valentine’s Day. Over the first two years, the leaves became about 1 cm thick, but they never produced any shoots or new leaves. One hoi collector I know gave me the advice to replant the leaves and carefully examine the root system. While replanting store-bought rooted leaves of H. kerrii, he noticed that their roots were compressed into a hard piece of wood. I followed his advice and was amazed! Both leaves of H. kerrii were sticking out of the pieces of wood. The roots were so powerful that they had already partially destroyed the wood. I removed it and planted the leaves in Hoi substrate from Haage. After this, both leaves became noticeably stronger and healthier. But they still remained “only” leaves. On one English forum for gardeners, I read that there is a high probability of growing a plant from a leaf if such a leaf has a piece of petiole. All the same, even under these circumstances, hoyas are reluctant to give new growth. I think they only tend to germinate when they have enough leaves and don't want to grow in unacceptable conditions.

Growing hoi from seeds

Having a seed pod, you can propagate hoyas in the most natural way. Fresh seeds must ripen, for which they need to be slightly dried. For sowing, a well-permeable substrate is used. It’s good, for example, to add chopped sphagnum to the earth mixture. You can also mix artificial materials into the soil, such as felt, burlap or other fabrics, or use them directly as a substrate. Hoi seeds very quickly lose their ability to germinate, so they should always be sown fresh, in the year of collection.

Seeds germinate quickly, often within the first week. From brown they turn green and soon sprout. First, two cotyledon leaves are formed on a short stem. From now on, the young seedlings are exposed to all sorts of dangers. They should never dry out. From excessive dampness they rot and fall. Therefore, it is advisable at this time to spray the seedlings with some fungicide, for example, Bordeaux mixture (oil-based solutions cannot be used) or other substances containing copper. Follow the dosage strictly! The lives of seedlings can also be threatened by snails and slugs if they climb into the seeding bowl at night. Seedlings should be kept moist and warm with good lighting. Fertilizers should not be used at first. In the collections, many cuttings and seedlings burned due to fertilizers! The substrate in which the roots develop well has all the necessary nutrients.

It is very convenient to use small sphagnum balls wrapped in a nylon mesh for germinating seeds. Wet moss holds its shape. Small seeds easily germinate through the mesh. Young plants are planted in pots directly with these balls. This way the fragile roots do not break off.

About 90 days from the moment of germination, seedlings are considered young plants and are kept in a sowing bowl. For the first transplant into an “adult” pot, they must have strong roots and several pairs of leaves. Often they differ in size and strength even in the seeding bowl. Only healthy ones should be transplanted into separate pots. Let the “lagging behind” grow up in a bowl for some more time. Some remain weak forever and must be discarded. Particular attention should be paid to mutants or seedlings of unusual appearance. Perhaps a new interesting form of this species will grow from them [this happens among cacti, although quite rarely]. The chances of growing a young plant from seeds are about 80%. If this fails, in most cases it is because “old” (not capable of germinating) seeds were sown or the roots of the seedlings have rotted due to excessive moisture.

It is impossible to find hoi seeds in Germany [even more so here]. All Hoi sellers grow their plants from cuttings. This is not due to the reluctance of traders, but to the difficulties of fruit formation in Khoi. Hoyas in cultivation very rarely form seed pods. Most Hoi lovers, like me, keep their plants indoors and never see seed pods on them.

Prepared for publication by Svetlana Shavelina

The hoya plant, so beloved by modern landscape designers, became known to the general public back in 1770, when the ship of explorer and traveler James Cook landed on the northeastern coast of sunny Australia. The plant was discovered by scientists Solender and Banks, they became interested in a new species that had never been seen before in any country or on any island; botanists were also attracted by the original, attractive appearance of the plant, which was a beautiful, evergreen shrub, which also bloomed with snow-white inflorescences .

From this moment begins a long history of selection and careful study of this species. In 1810, Professor Robert Brown introduced the term "Genus Hoya", which included two discovered species, Hoya viridiflora and Hoya carnosa; years later, over two hundred subspecies were discovered that grow in the forests of Popua New Guinea, some areas of India and on the shores of the Malay Islands an archipelago known for its humid, hot climate and some other tropical areas. The study of hoya does not end today: scientists around the world are working on developing new varieties, each of which is a real work of breeding art.

It is also worth saying that the plant received its name in honor of the famous gardener of past centuries, Thomas Hoy, who worked in the greenhouses of the Duke of Northumberland and made a great contribution to world botany.

Description of the plant and photo of Hoya

Hoya is a variety of evergreen shrubs, as well as vines of the Kutrovye and Lastovnevye families. It grows in the tropical zone of Polynesia, Southeast and especially southern Asia, Australia, Indonesia, Popua New Guinea. The liana prefers open forests that are well lit by the sun, but also retain moisture, which is so necessary for good growth; the plant also requires support, rocky slopes or a powerful tree, which the liana entwines and grows upward.

In nature, Hoya can reach ten meters in length. Young shoots have a brown color with a purple tint, young shoots do not have leaves, but over time, when the shoot begins to develop, it becomes covered with elastic, fleshy pointed or semicircular leaves, and the branches themselves lose their elasticity and are prone to fragility. The length of the leaf is about five cm, the width does not exceed eight cm.
In spring, hoya blooms wildly with white flowers, sometimes the white comes with a pink tint. The shape of the inflorescences is star-shaped, the flowers are collected in small umbrellas. In most types of hoya, the diameter of the flower is 2 cm, but in the imperial species they can reach eight cm. Flowering is accompanied by a strong aroma and the release of nectar, so hoya is also a good honey plant.

Over time, the plant was cultivated and divided into two categories: indoor and outdoor.

The domestic subspecies is divided into the following categories:

• Ampelnaya;
• Shrub;
• Ivy.

Hoya varieties

Kerry is a heat-loving and light-loving plant

One of the most common plant varieties is Hoya kerrii, which can be found in China, Thailand, Cambodia and the island of Java, also famous for its tea. The variety was first discovered in 1911: the American scientist, Professor A. Kerry, went to northern Thailand to study the flora. This variety was discovered in the Chiang Mai region, in the highlands; it was later given the name Kerry, in honor of the discoverer.

The Kerry variety is very beautiful, it has thick, leathery leaves, shaped very much like a heart, the length and width of the leaf reaches 15 cm. The flowers, on the contrary, are very small, only 1 cm in diameter. Unlike many other hoya varieties, which bloom exclusively with white or pinkish flowers, Kerry's inflorescences have a slight lemon tint.

Caring for Hoya at home is not at all difficult; here you only need to know two basic rules:

• Kerry does not tolerate dampness, she does not need to be flooded, just dry soil suits her much better. In the hot season, it is better to simply spray the plant, but not water it. In winter, it can do without watering at all.
• Kerry is a heat-loving and light-loving plant, so you need to try to ensure that it receives as much sunlight as possible and does not freeze.

Kerry is good for everyone, the only thing you need to know is that it grows very slowly, unlike other varieties.

wax ivy

The second most famous variety of hoya is wax ivy, which has been widely used in indoor culture since 1802.

The advantages of wax ivy are its unpretentiousness and good growth. Attractive appearance also belongs to the category of plant advantages.

Wax ivy blooms three times a year. At the same time, the flowers give a pleasant smell and aroma.

In nature, ivy grows in the forests of Indonesia, India, Burma and Australia. The plant is an evergreen shrub or vine that creeps along the ground or twines around a tall support, tree or rocky outcrop. The leaves of wax ivy are fleshy, dense, elongated and pointed at the end; they seem to be cast from wax, which is why the variety got its name. The plant itself cannot boast of brightness and showiness, but everything changes at the moment of flowering: hoya is covered with many fantastically beautiful constellations of white-pinkish flowers, having a burgundy corolla in the middle that looks like a pearl, in addition, the flowers emit a very pleasant, strong aroma .

After the wax ivy has faded, under no circumstances should you cut off the “stumps” formed after the flowers fall off; this is a platform for future inflorescences; if you cut them off, there may not be a flower next year.

As a rule, wax ivy blooms three times a year.

When talking about this plant, the thought immediately comes to mind: is it possible to keep hoya at home? The answer is clear: of course, especially in temperate zones, this plant does not grow outside, it loves warmth and light, which can be provided right in the house.
So, what do you need to know in order to grow wax ivy on a window?

• Firstly, it should be provided with good lighting, but again, it is important to know moderation in everything, because ivy does not like direct sunlight, it is not for nothing that it grows in nature in open forests, and not in open meadows.
• In winter, do not water the ivy and keep it at a temperature of 16-18 ° C, this is an ideal temperature close to natural in winter.
• In the spring, in order for the plant to grow better, you can place it together with a lump of earth in a bowl of warm water and keep it there for 30 minutes; this procedure will be a good stimulus for growth and flowering.
• It is better to replant ivy no more than once every two to three years.

Carnosa

Carnosa tolerates cool air well up to 12 ° C

The third variety, Hoya Carnosa, is no less popular. The variety grows in the woodlands of southern China, India, Taiwan, Japan, the Fiji Islands and Australia. Carnosa was included in the general list of plant names in 1810 by the American botanist Robert Brown.

Hoya Carnosa is a vigorous, evergreen vine. The shoots have a pale gray tint, young ones are flexible, elastic, over time they lose their smoothness and often break. The leaves are dark green, sometimes with silvery-white markings, elongated, pointed, about 10 cm long, 5 cm wide.

The diameter of the flower is one and a half centimeters, the color is white or with a pink tint. As a rule, there are 24 flowers in an inflorescence, this is the largest number of flowers, compared to 19 in wax ivy, and even less in other varieties. The moment of flowering lasts for ten days.

Like all varieties of Hoya, Carnosa is a honey plant and is famous for its wonderful aroma.

Rules for caring for Hoya Carnosa

• The first thing you need to know is not to get carried away with watering;
• The second rule is good lighting;
• Third, don’t forget about fertilizer.

It is worth noting that Carnosa easily tolerates a drop in air temperature to 12 ° C, so some florists plant hoya in the garden in the summer, replanting it again at home with the onset of autumn coolness.

Hoya plant care

Hoya grows well at home; in warm weather, it can also be taken outside, in a flower pot, or buried with the condition of replanting it back with the onset of cold weather; some varieties can withstand air temperatures as low as 7°C. Supports are installed for the plant to support it. In order for hoya to grow well, it needs to be provided with lighting conditions, but avoid direct sunlight, which can lead to scorching of the leaves. You should also avoid overwatering, as mentioned earlier.

Questions from flower growers

Sometimes gardeners wonder: why doesn’t hoya bloom? It seems that the lighting is ideal and watering is rationed. What could be the reason? If the basic conditions: temperature, lighting, humidity are met, then it is possible that flowering does not occur due to poor soil, in which case simple fertilizing will help. Liquid fertilizer should consist of a 3:1:2 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, in an amount of 0.5 g/l. This simple procedure will force the vine to awaken from sleep and bloom.
For the ideal condition of hoya, its temperature in summer should not exceed 24 ° C, and in winter it should not be lower than 7-10 ° C, depending on the variety.

Breeding Hoya

Hoya propagation is a simple process, but it is based on certain rules. Reproduction is carried out in the spring in three ways:

• layering;
• vaccination;
• cuttings.

In order to propagate hoya by cuttings, you need to take cuttings 10 cm long, but only from the tops. For further planting, a peat-sand mixture is prepared. You can also use phytohormones, which improve the process of root formation and growth. After the cuttings are planted in the peat-sand mixture, they are covered with a small piece of polyethylene; the temperature should be no lower than 18 ° C and no higher than 24 ° C. After the cuttings have taken root, they are transplanted into separate cups filled with a mixture of peat and sand.

Hoya transplant

Transplantation is also a very important issue. As stated at the beginning of the article, Hoya should not be replanted often, correctly - once every two to three years. Hoya is replanted only when the roots have filled the entire space of the pot; it is not recommended to simply change pots, since after replanting, even the neatest hoya gets sick for a long time. For replanting, drained soil is used; it is good to use phytofertilizers.

Hoya diseases and treatment methods

Hoya is harmed by insects, one of them is scale insects; a soap solution helps well against this disease

As a rule, the most difficult period for hoya, as well as for other plants, is autumn; at this moment there is a sharp change in temperature, lighting and humidity, which is a problem for tropical plants. For home hoya, the difficulty is that the heating season begins, and the fumes that come from hot radiators always negatively affect the green foliage. In Hoya, aversion to climate change is expressed in the yellowing of the leaves. What to do in this case?

• Firstly, to prevent the foliage from turning yellow, you should not move the hoya close to the radiators.
• The second condition is not to forget that during the cold period you should not overwater the plant.
• Third, don’t forget about lighting; the lack of sunlight can be compensated with lamp light.
• Yellowed leaves must be carefully removed.

But these are ways to solve the simplest of problems, but what to do when the plant is affected by a disease? A simple potato decoction helps to cope with plant diseases; it contains potassium, which makes the plant stronger, more resilient, and with good immunity.

An equally serious problem is mold. It appears for several reasons: either the plant was watered too often, or the water has an increased hardness coefficient. But if everything is clear with overflow, then with hard/soft water everything is more complicated. How to soften water? Just settling the water is not enough here. To make the water softer, you can use the following advice:

Take 100 grams of peat and wrap it in a gauze bandage. Then place the bag in a small watering can (about two liters) and leave for a day. After this procedure, the water becomes soft, and it becomes suitable for watering flowers, including hoya, which is so sensitive to the level of hardness.

If it turns out that the soil itself has become moldy, then the top, affected layer must be removed and freshly added. If all the soil is affected, then replanting is necessary, and the pot is disinfected with a solution of vinegar and water (1:2)
Hoya is also harmed by insects, one of them is the scale insect, which sucks the juice, and therefore the vitality, from the stems. In order to cope with scale insects, you need to manually remove the insect, and then the plant is washed with a soapy solution and rinsed with warm water.

Cherventsy also cause a lot of harm; they are removed with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. Afterwards the hoya is washed with water.

And, finally, an excellent preventive measure is to wash the hoya with onion or garlic infusion. It is prepared as follows:
15 g of garlic or onion is poured into a liter of warm water, left for an hour and filtered.

And a few words in conclusion

Using these simple tips, you can become a true friend of Hoya, and this plant will repay you with the same kindness, bright, fresh appearance and fabulously beautiful flowering and fragrance.

And in conclusion, we invite you to watch a video about how you can make a hoya bloom. We assure you that these gardener tips will be useful for you.