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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!
ive tried a lot of mixes. When I lived in the UK, most were grown in more of a Cactus medium....Sharp Sand, fine Gravel, Peat and John Innes...Altho it was successful, there were fewer Hoyas around then ( bout 30 years ago ), it would be the kiss of death to my Hoyas here, I think
In the UK....cold grey skies in the winter, but warm as toast indoors and the mix didnt take too long to dry out. Here its outside growing all year, and Ive slowly cut down and down with the mix until it is now just chuncky Orchid Bark. This generally stays wet/damp for a few days here. In london, this mix would have dried out too rapidly in a heated house, it does inside the house here on the few I keep indoors. However, due to the high humidity now , especially at night, anything with Perlite, Peat or the likes, just wasnt drying out at all and remaining a heavy mush and I was geting root rot a lot.
I use clay pots where I can, and make my own hanging baskets with Chicken wire and line them with what I can only decribe as Palm Fibre which has been treated with some form of water repellant. These also drain fast, and will allow the Medium to dry out rapidly after heavy rain.
The Clay Pots I hang with chain for 2 reasons... 1 to keep the critters from eating the plants by hanging them off the floor, and 2, it makes easy transfer from Clay Pot to Basket when the plant is big enough without damaging any growth around the Chain..which is then used to attach to the basket..plant intact.
For me, the potting medium is very much dependant on the environment the plant is grown in. Something to wet easily, but something to also dry easily so you can regulate the watering better. If the pots dry out almost daily, I would add a little something to retain the water better, Peat, Perlite etc, and if the medium is not drying out at all, its too heavy for your conditions and start eliminating whats retaining the water from the mix
Name: Carol Noel Hawaii (near Hilo) It's all about choices.
Good article, Dom.!!! I have never seen the Palm Fibre basket liners but I have seen the Coconut husk ones.... great drainage!!!
Dom, do you have coconuts there? Have you used 1/4 of a whole husk to plant yours ON the tree...the husk eventually rots away but the epiphyte has taken off from a good base.
I bought a Finca with absolutely nothing growing on it's land Carol, ompletely bare land, so all the Palms and Trees I have planted and those I will plant in the future, are only small at the moment Carol, so not suitable for a while yet, Im afraid.
I have many stone walls tho which Im only just starting to use as supports. I had worried about temperatures here and had been keeping everything cosseted , but, Im more than confident now everything will survive without any protection. I was a little concerned at first but at about 1100 feet above sea level, min Winter temp at night about 55º lowest and max day in summer temp summer up to 90º ( sometimes hotter, but not for too long )
I dont think my temperatures are too different from yours, so Ive become more confident they will be ok. They have all been outside for 4 years now but under shade cloth. Shade is my only problem
We dont get nearly as much rain here however, but as its a small island, humidity is high, especially in the eve.
ive just planted out a H lauterbachii and a H ciliata at the base of walls.....vamos a ver
I might just try that idea of the coconuts ( yes they do grow here ) with some shell leaved Dischidias tho. They probably would like the stone walls as they are quite 'Lichenified'....if thats a proper word....:))
Name: Carol Noel Hawaii (near Hilo) It's all about choices.
Sometime back I stuck some H. curtisii in a coconut perch...it is growing up the palm tree and the moss. The small leafed ones, like lacunosa etc. seem to really like to creep along....
I use this stuff to line the baskets. I buy it on a big roll..not sure what it is, but it has some waterproofing on it. Its the same as you get when you buy a basket with a liner in a garden store
There is so much useful information here! But..I Wasn't able to narrow in on anything specifically about indoor hoyas. What sort of soil mix could be recommended for a house with central heating?
I'm also concerned with keeping my hoya humid..but i didn't want to use a humidifier! does the type of soil effect humidity at all?
I'm not very experienced in different types of potting mediums!
Name: Carol Noel Hawaii (near Hilo) It's all about choices.
Ren, the type of soil doesn't really affect the humidtiy....but the humidity can affect the type of soil.... MOST EVERYone grow their hoyas
indoors and you will do well to listen to folks like Doug (Vermont Hoyas), LeeAnne, CeeDub, LauraCarnosa and the other Canadians who grow their hoyas indoors and deal with similar conditions that you do. Simply bunching plants together increases humidity... I am out of the loop as I grow all my hoyas outdoors or in a greenhoue open to the elements. I use the greenhouse because I have to be certified to ship plants and I have to control bugs etc....but MY hoyas grow outdoors. You might start a thread asking questions of the northern growers.....
MOST EVERYone grow their hoyas
