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Lee Anne, It has taken 2 years for my DS-70 to look happy. I don't think it is the easiest Hoya for us northern gardeners. I find it likes even watering and does not like to dry out. I have to soak mine twice a week. It is in a 5 inch pot with a fairly loose mix. It resides in my regular house so it can take less than ideal humidity levels. I also give it a full shower every couple of weeks.
Name: Carol Noel Hawaii (near Hilo) It's all about choices.
Check for aphids too...they can be really hard to see. You could dunk it with a bit of detergent in the water....it will suffocate the aphids. Sooty Mold is mold on the honey those things produce for the ants.....it will eventually brush or wash off....
Name: Lee Anne Stark Ontario, Canada Perpetually happy!
I checked it close for aphids too. Do you think it might have got cold from the window? I had it back about 6 inches from the window...but they're 150 year old windows and it was -20F for a few nights.
None of the other Hoya in that window have it though, but they're harder leaved types...maybe?
I had two very large baskets of DS-70. The first Hoyas I ever bought, unfortunately they got freeze dried from the extreme cold we had last month! Both are totally dead. They were on the deck with blankets over them but almost everything that was out there under the blankets is dead, croton hoyas philodendrons. I have hopes that my three very large Philo's will re-sprout but it's doubtful. I guess they didn't like ten nights of temps @ 27º!
Anyhow, my two DS-70's were bought back in late 2006 after I began lurking on the Hoya Forum when I joined DG. They stayed out on the screened pool lanai in filtered sunlight. I sprayed them with the hose about once a week or in the extreme heat of summer if we weren't having any rain, twice a week. It's very humid here but other than the moisture in the air I'd say I kept them on the dry side. They bloomed non stop almost year round.
Name: Carol Noel Hawaii (near Hilo) It's all about choices.
Hmmmmm. Consider this....that little hoya, in the wild, clings to trees etc. - i.e. the many little rootlets. Have you tried misting from beneath. Those types of hoyas 'live' through their little advanticious roots as much as thru their main roots...even more....
Just occured to me...if this seems spacey, I am thinking out loud....
Is there any sap left in the infected stem? Also, is it an EA hoya? Re: the EA's, I have lost almost all my EA's with the exception of linearis. Had a beautiful lacunosa until this winter when it steadily declined to the point of death and out of no where! How is the air circulation around your DS-70? That can make a huge difference esp. with plants with compact growth. Hope you can get some viable cuttings from your plant for insurance.
Name: Lee Anne Stark Ontario, Canada Perpetually happy!
Yep, the stems are healthy. I'm not sure if it's an EA hoya or not.
Air circulation...good idea, I'll move him into the living room where the ceiling fan runs all year.
