Soil For Hoya

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By threegardeners (threegardeners) on March 14, 2010

This fussy member of the Milkweed family has been giving gray hairs to growers for decades. One of the most important factors in successfully growing these plants is the soil, and there are as many soil mixes used for Hoya as there are Hoya themselves!

There are as many different soil mixes as there are Hoyas. Each grower has their own special blend.

The one factor most predominant is a fast draining mix. A lot of Hoyas in the wild are epiphytic (they grow on trees). Their roots take hold in the leaf debris that is found in the crotches where two branches meet. When it rains the water runs right through the mix. We need to simulate the conditions they'd find in the wild to, hopefully, have happier plants. True, a looser mix means we need to water more often. Small price to pay for a healthier plant.

Of course your mix should reflect the conditions according to where you live. Somewhere in the desert and you might want to add a bit of peat to retain moisture for a bit longer than half a day. The tropics would make an even looser mix, expecially if rained on daily.

Most mixes are a combination of perlite, bark mulch, orchid bar, cinder, hydroton, and gravel.

My mix of choice uses regular potting soil, perlite and lots of orchid mix. Nice and chunky. If I don't have orchid mix handy I will throw in a handful of Hydroton, little clay marble-like pellets used in semi-hydroponics.

2010-03-14/threegardeners/e8c27c 2010-03-14/threegardeners/6500e4 2010-03-13/threegardeners/2dcf3d

Carol's mix used in Hawaii Hoya mix components by carol
Christine's mix used in Canada

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