How do you take care of a Hoya plant?

Question

i just need details on it. I've had it for almost a month now and the leaves keep dying and im not sure whether to put it in the sun or shade. please help.

Answer 1

The first answer provides some good resources to check on Hoya plants. I can give some quick tips I've found after growing them for over 10 years.

First of all, give them loads of light -- they love to be baked in the sun as much as possible -- at least in the northern half of the country. In the South, I'd give them either bright indirect light or shade them for half of the day during the spring/summer.

Next, don't go crazy with watering them -- they are semi-succulent, as their thick waxy leaves attest to -- they don't lose water easily and have stores of it. If the leaves are going soft and falling off, this is most likely the problem. I water mine about once a week or so.

Hoyas like to be pot-bound -- they will grow and run rampant once their roots can't spread too much further. I'd think about repotting them every 4-5 years or so, but they are honestly a vining-type plant and spread primarily by their long shoots/tendrils that will root if they find a suitable medium.

Probably most important is not to move them once you've found a spot -- they do not like to be moved, as the angle and intensity of the light is important to them -- they'll drop any flowers if this happens.

To get them to flower, do all the above, and wait (ugh, it's the worst part) -- don't cut off any bare shoots unless they are brittle and dry (obviously dead) -- these are often where the flower clusters appear. Once they start blooming, it's hard to get them to stop. They will typically bloom for a continuous year on various stems. When the blooms fade and fall off, leave the little "stump" intact, as a new set will reappear there, up to 15 more times.

Good luck with them -- they're one of my favorites! Hope this helps!

Answer 2

there's a whole forum here, dedicated to Hoya....

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hoya/msg1120073528326.html

you should find what you need there...or here, at the top, in the FAQ's.......

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/hoya/

if you don't, join up and then post a question.....luck to ya!...