Ready to dive into the world of Hoyas but not quite sure where to start when it comes to caring for them, supporting their growth, and most importantly how to encourage them to flower? Well, I'm sharing my top five tips you need to know if you're new to Hoyas or still trying to figure them out!
I've put together a short video but feel free to scroll and read too if that's your thing :)
Tip 1: LOTS of light!
I think a lot of beginner plant parents struggle with understanding how much light plants actually need to thrive (Often putting them in a darker room with a small window assuming they can still thrive). Hoyas are 100% not the plant you want to place somewhere that has you questioning if the light is enough or not (It's not.)
My recommendation is always at least 6-8 hours of birght, indirect light or a 2-3 hours of direct morning sun followed by some more bright indirect light should be enough (Hoyas will sun stress if they're given too much light especially if they're a bit juvenille and can't handle that much direct sun). Keep these as a rough guide as I can't measure the light in your home without being there but If you need to supplement light you can light you can always use a Grow Light like a Treeger's Grow Bulb in any E27 lamp (Your Hoyas will thank you!).
Tip 2: Get your potting mix right
Hoyas have really fine roots that can be a bit more prone to rot (Dry rot if left to dry out in a mix with too much air ciculation or wet rot in a mix that's too boggy and dense). My preferred mix is actually a 50-50 mix of our Chunky & Funky Indoor Plant Mix and Succulent Savior. Chunky & Funky is a great aerated base but Succulent Savior's finer grit makes the particle size of the mix smaller to better suit Hoya's fine roots.
I've recently created our Fine & Funky Bundle which allows you to grab both mixes and mix up what you need when you need it or use separately.
Tip 3: Hoyas can trellis or trail (It's up to you!)
Hoyas are epiphytic plants that traditionally grow on other plants so they can climb up trunks of trees or trail down from branches which allows them to grow either way in your home. Some types of Hoyas will look better growing one way over another depending on their leaf size and the size of the plant.
Keep in mind Hoyas send out long vines (Often referred to as runners) looking for something to grab on to before leaves grow in at a later time so don't prune these back like you would on a pothos! If you provide a trellis or a hanger like the ones from Woljam your plant will likely look fuller faster!
Tip 4: Feed your Hoyas regularly!
I think all indoor plants need very regular feeding but Hoyas can consume a lot of energy especially if they're producing flowers so make sure you give them the nutrition they need and often. I feed all my Hoyas both Foliage Focus and Rootzone (Available in our Biggest & Best Bundle here) but if I'm trying to encourage flowering on a more mature Hoya I'll for sure swap Foliage Focus out for Flower Focus until I see the flowers forming on the penduncle and then resume Foliage Focus + Rootzone.
Tip 5 - Prevent pests instead of treating them!
Some people have heard Hoyas can be magnets for pests and while I don't fully agree with that they are more prone to mealy bugs (just like cacti and succulents) than a soft tissued foliage plant. Rather than fighting pests when they are discovered I recommend regularly doing a few things to prevent them from ever coming.
Every water or every other water at least I'll do a quick once over on my plant to make sure I don't see any pests. Every eight weeks I'll spray the foliage of my Hoya down with Broad Blue to prevent mites and mealys allowing it to drip dry before putting back in it's cover pot. Around the same time I spray down with Broad Blue I'll top up a tiny amount (1/2 a teaspoon per pot up to a teaspoon for larger pots) of Bug Killa Granules to the top soil before watering (This gets into the soil and thus into the roots preventing leaf munchers from falling in love with you plants and staying alive).
And there you have it folks - my tips to keep your Hoyas happy and thriving and hopefully see some flowers in your future! Shop all of the products I mentioned here on the site and also look at our range of Hoyas available ready to ship to you too!