Hoya (flower): how to care at home, transplant characteristics and recommendations

Hoya is a beautifully flowering wax ivy, which is an evergreen vine belonging to the family of fins. This flower, numbering about two hundred species, is named after the British gardener Thomas Hoey. Later in this article we will talk about how to take care of hoya properly.

Growing and caring for plants, as you know, is a very fascinating and demanding process. However, to grow a beautiful hoyu, a lot of time will not be needed. This plant is rather unpretentious and will blossom well if you observe several simple rules: you do not need to water it too often, do not change it unnecessarily and do not transfer it from one place to another.

General information

In the wild, the hoya flower grows in tropical Australia, the Malay Archipelago, southern China and parts of India. Its lianas can travel along stony slopes and tree trunks. It is an evergreen plant with twisted and creeping shoots. Its leaves have ovoid, oval or cordate shape and fleshy leathery axillary inflorescences. Flowers are formed in the form of an umbrella and have five rounded petals, collected in the inflorescence.

In general, hoya, the secrets of care for which are described below, a rather unusual and beautiful ornamental plant. It can perfectly feel as in warm and moderate, and in cool enough premises. The main thing for her is a reliable support.

Varieties

Homeland of Hoya majestic, or Hoya imperialis, is considered the peninsula of Malacca. This species of curly bushes has oval-shaped leaves, oblong, reaching a length of up to 20 cm, the plates themselves are smooth and leathery. The flowers inside are dark red, and outside - yellow-green, form umbrellas. Their petals-asterisks have a rather pleasant smell.

Hoya is beautiful, or Hoya bella, grows mainly in Burma. It has the appearance of a small shrub with creeping shoots densely covered with ovate lanceolate leaves no more than 2.5 cm in length. They are dense, slightly convex, with pointed tips. The flowers are small white with a bright red crown and hang with umbrellas. Abundantly blooms throughout the summer. This ivy is often used in warm rooms in the form of an ampelian plant.

Hoya multiflorous (Hoya multiflora) in the wild can be found in abundance in the forests of Malaysia. It is a climbing plant with linear oblong leaves. Its flowers with narrow petals of yellow color are collected, as well as at other versions, in umbrellas.

In the subtropics of Asia and Australia, in the wooded terrain and on the rocks, you can meet Hoya carnosa, or Hoya motoskei. It is a liane about 6 m long, with creeping stems down. The leaves are dark green, oblong or cordate, shiny and fleshy. They reach up to 4 cm in width and up to 8 cm in length. Flowers are pale beige or white with a pink crown in the center, collected in umbrellas and having a very pleasant aroma.

Watering

It is known that most of the ivy growing in the wild, prefer a tropical climate, they include hoya (flower). How to take care of such a plant to create comfortable conditions for it? The answer to this question is quite simple: starting from March until October, watering should be rather abundant. For this, soft, room temperature water is suitable . Since November, watering is somewhat reduced and produces it two days after the top layer of the soil becomes dry. If watering is very rare or even stops moistening the ground, then the hoya will gradually begin to die and the growing season will begin.

Every spring and autumn this house plant undergoes the following procedure: it needs to be lowered into warm water, heated to 30-40 ⁰C, for about half an hour. The very earthen lump with roots should stay there until two o'clock. Such actions significantly accelerate the approach of flowering, and also contribute to the rapid growth of such ivy as hoya (flower).

How to care for a plant during flowering

Ivy love light, therefore, getting it in abundance, they will please their owners with beautiful inflorescences. After the buds of hoyi are formed, it is better not to touch the plant, let alone try to transfer it to another place. The fact is that any actions at this time can lead to a partial or complete shedding of them.

Grapes of flowers should be securely propped, so that the branches of the plant are constantly in an upright position. After the flowering, long shoots must be cut off, and short and blooming ones should be left. In no case do you need to cut off the peduncles, since buds will again appear in them after a while.

Hoya flower: care, transplant

It's no secret that in more spacious pots the plants feel much better. Specialists recommend replacing young specimens of hoyi at least once a year, and adults - every three. The plant grows well in neutral or slightly acidic soil, where the pH does not exceed 6.5. Although this ivy is unpretentious, however, it also requires a special mixture consisting of two parts of clayey-turf and one measure of leaf land, peat and sand.

In turn, Hoya beautiful prefers a different mixture. It is made from equal parts of leaf land, peat, humus and sand with a small addition of charcoal. Virtually all plants require good drainage. Hoya (flower) is no exception.

How to care for a plant during the breeding season

In order for a young plant to have flowers in the year of transplantation, it is necessary to plant it with stems. For this, an incision is made on the shoot and covered with moss, and then wrapped with polyethylene film and tied. Soon, roots will appear on it, after which they cut off its top and dig it into the ground. In order to get a thick bush, one pot is planted at once three, four, or even five shoots.

As you know, many house plants can be propagated by cuttings. These include hoya (flower). How to care for her in this period, even a novice lover knows. Reproduction of this plant is carried out throughout the growing season, and the cuttings can be of various lengths. However, it is preferable for them to have one or two pairs of leaves.

The stalk is always cut below the knots, since the roots can grow not only from them, but also between them. Root them either in water or in a substrate consisting of peat and sand in a ratio of 2 to 1. At this time, it is necessary to monitor the temperature of the soil so that it keeps at a level of 20 ° C. Usually the cuttings take root after three weeks, after which they are planted in a mixture of one part of the turf and two parts of leaf land and sand with a small addition of humus in pots with a diameter of not more than 10 cm.

Slow growth

It is difficult to find a more undemanding plant than a hoya flower. The problems of its growth and flowering still exist. For example, it happens that the leaves turn pale, twist and gradually wither. The reason for this can be too low temperature or excessive light. Also falling leaves provokes very dry and hot air.

The inhibition of growth and blanching of hoyi can be caused by a lack of nitrogen in the soil. To remedy this situation, it is enough to feed the plant with urea at the rate of 1 gram per 1 liter of water. In addition, the leaves can turn yellow and subsequently fall off due to lack of watering or, conversely, from its overabundance.

Bad flowering

Such problems appear mainly due to poor lighting. However, it is worth remembering that a similar situation can arise due to the transfer of the plant during its flowering to another place. Buds of flowers can be strewed and in excess or inadequate watering, as well as too dry air. By the way, do not forget, excessive moisture combined with poor drainage can lead to the fact that the lower part of the stem, and then the roots will begin to rot. In this case, the plant will not be able to save.

Pests: aphids

This plant most often suffers from insects such as aphids and spider mites, as well as mealy moth, whitefly and scab. The question arises, what if the pests attacked the hoya flower ? Care in the home in this case should be more thorough.

Wingless aphids can grow to 2.5 cm and have a pink, light green or yellowish color. It affects the entire plant, from leaves to buds. Hoya, affected by aphids, loses its bright color, leaves turn yellow, twist and fall. Growth completely stops, buds that have already appeared do not open, and the flowers are covered with nasty sticky secretions. The greatest harm this insect can inflict in the spring period, when the plant throws out tender young shoots.

If the aphids recently appeared on the flowers and the lesion site is small, care of the hoya at home should necessarily involve regular shower washing. Also, the most infected areas of the plant can be cut off, but this is done only if a small colony of insects has settled on it. In the most severe cases, special oil solutions are used, as well as insecticides such as "Carbophos", "Fitoverma", "Actellik" or "Kinmiks".

Fighting the arachnoid mite

This pest is one of the most dangerous, it affects almost all domestic plants, including the hoya flower. How should I take care of him? How to quickly get rid of ticks? These questions are of interest to many amateur growers. It is known that adult mites are small: the female grows up to half a millimeter and is painted in bright red color, the male is almost half as large. The warmer in the room, the higher the rate of their reproduction.

Spider mites live in colonies and affect all the elevated parts of the hoya: branches, leaves and shoots. In this case, the entire plant is dyed pale yellow, and from the stems to the leaves stretch a lot of thin and barely noticeable cobwebs. When insects begin to suck the juices from the plant, pale dots appear on its leaves, if not taken emergency measures, they quickly expand and take the form of large whitish spots. Hoya begins to drop diseased leaves, gradually weakens and stops growing.

Dry air in the room also contributes to the rapid proliferation of spider mites, so you need to monitor the level of humidity in the room. Also, you need to regularly clean the fallen and damaged greens, remove dead flowers, gently wipe the leaves with a sponge or a soft cloth soaked in warm soapy water.

Against harmful insects, special chemicals are used that are safe for both humans and animals. The most harmless are "Aktofit", "Vermitik" and "Fitoverm". One has to be prepared for the fact that one of the drugs will have to be applied repeatedly, since it will not be possible to get rid of the ticks from one-time use. The number and processing intervals directly depend on the temperature in the room.

Conclusion

In order for any home plant to please the eye with its lush greenery and beautiful flowering, including a fairly unpretentious hoya, care is needed day by day. Moreover, it does not take much time. It is enough just to water the plant properly, transplant it in time and periodically inspect it for the presence of harmful insects.