Growing conditions forum: Hoya pubicalyx 'pink silver'
After 13 years online, Cubits.org is scheduled to be shut down. Please make sure you have the contact information for all your friends, and that you download whatever content you want from this site.
Page 1 of 2 • 1
2
|
Views: 42, Replies: 39 » Jump to the end |
|
|||
| Trying to figure out whether to move this plant to my covered porch.Bought from nursery(Gardino) a few months ago, I think in July or August along with 2 others when I just got interested in these plants. I hung it up in a small tree,by the porch -fairly protected location (from sun and wind) and it has been mostly living on the rains we have here.The vine is now growing/twining into the tree and is difficult to pull out. Leaves of the tree surrounding the pot provide fair amount of shade and wind protection and perhaps the area is a bit cozier than open lawn.It looks very healthy and happy right now. Question- Should I leave it there or bring it in the porch for winters? Our temps may get down to 40 sometimes,specially in January. I am in South Florida, 1 hr north of Miami. I am wondering what people do when plants grow so well into the supporting tree. Thanks a lot. |
|
|||
| Seems a pity to have to bring it in...it sounds SO happy. It will be more protected on the tree as it will get warmth (not freezing cold) from the tree...would it work to throw a blanket over it? Tho' pubicalyx are related to carnosa which withstands very low temps...it comes from Philippines...but my experience is that it withstands cold and dry a whole lot better than most... Leap. The net will appear. |
|
|||
| If you leave it outside, would it be an idea to take a few cuttings now....just in case ? |
|
|||
  Posted 2 pics above of actual plant hanging on the east side of porch shaded by the tree.Yaaaay, my first attempt at posting pics on the forum.Actually, since my first post, I was able to untangle the branches and wrapped them around the hanger.2 branches of tree hide the plant but I pulled them aside to take pics. As you can see in first pic, the porch is open and faces northeast, The west side (north west) of porch has a counter height wall. It is cozy enough for my Plumeria plants during winter,specially when I cover them with a light sheet or a stole.It can get cold but the wall protects them from winds.They have no leaves left during winters so no worry about any damage. Would this be a good idea to leave Hoya pubicalyx in porch ? Or the tree? Tree location is fairly cozy too. It gets dappled sunlight and some wind and rain there.I can cover the plant but that might affect the lighting....and wonder if plant will drop leaves..... I can take cutting although I am not sure if it would root since I never rooted Hoya before,or affect blooming on mother plant.I understand that I am to take cutting with at least 3 leaf nodes intact.It has only 3 branches(2 long ones and one of them has a peduncle.One branch is too small for cutting). What kind of soil mix should I use? I have potting soil (miracle grow), black cow manure,orchid bark and orchid mix,perlite,small rocks(smaller than pea gravel), some medium size leca balls(unwashed and never tried before) and of course plenty of patience. I am a fast learner(at least I think so) and if you guide me I can try rooting. I assume I will have to bring the cutting indoor to root.Not much light available indoor but I can try placing it in a bathroom that gets some indirect light. Your help will be highly appreciated,I have Hoya kerrii, wayettii (EA basket),Variegated Carnosa rubra(EA basket),crassicaulis,australis ssp australis 'brookfield',mathilde also and will use the guidance from here on them.I also saw hoya temp tolerance and soil mix article. See, I am trying to learn....   Sorry ,so many questions. Thanks for your patience with me. |
|
|||
| I'd leave them out. Almost all of my established plants are out right now. I only bring them in or cover them if we are going to get down below 55 or so....And we generally know well ahead of time when that's going to happen and I either bring them in or cover them. Some that I'm not too sure of, or if they are smaller plants I keep in the greenhouse or on our porch where I can keep them a bit warmer if need be. Otherwise I really try not to move them around a whole lot. Your alot farther south than me, and think you would rarely have to worry to much about it, especially since this winter we are predicted to have more of our "normal" winter temps. |
|
|||
| OK...first thought: leave a thermometer in the hoya area and find out how cold it gets where it is growing. Compare that to the cold in the rest of the area. You mention H. crassicaulis...is that a real one or a pretend one? Leap. The net will appear. |
|
|||
| I have several pubicalyx outside now. It has been going down to 40 degrees at night for a few hours before dawn. Then it has been going back up to the upper 60s during the day. All the carnosas and pubicalyx out there are doing fine. They hang under my olive tree and under the house overhangs on the South side. Sheltered from most wind. Of course these plants have been out there through out the fall & going INTO winter. I would not take a plant from a warm greenhouse & suddenly place it outside now. |
|
|||
I think that if the temp is a 'dip' and recovers, it's less tragic potential than sustained temps. I know a huge H. australis living at 4500' where it can be in the 40's but the plant is under and overhang and therefore isn't 'cold' from the rain when it happens. I would make sure the plant isn't WET...  Leap. The net will appear. |
|
|||
| H pubicalyx roots easily..if you wanted to take a cutting to be on the safe side, you only need 2 nodes..I often root with 1 node. Might take a bit longer this time of year but it's easy. Leave at least 3 inches of stem below the set of leaves. Small pot....some orchid bark..if its big lumps, just break them up so they are a bit finer and a clear Ziplock type food bag with a 'zip' at the top. Cut 2 ventilation holes about 2/3rds of the way up from the bottom to allow air circulation ( just fold the bag over at that point and cut 1 small hole.about half an inch square....un fold it ), and you'll have 2 holes either side of the bag. Pop the cutting in the bark, wet the bark under the tap, put the cutting in its bark in the bag and seal it. Every couple of days or so, open the bag and spray inside with water from a fine hand spray to keep the humidity up, like a mini propagator..if the bark dries out, water it. I always cut a little corner off at the bottom, so any excess water pours out when slightly tilted and dosent sit in the bottom of the bag. Keep indoors in a bright, but indirect light spot, and ...probably in a month or so this time of the year, you will have a newly rooted plant. If your outdoor plant has no problem thru the winter...you have a nice present for someone later....:)). It's a good idea to practice taking cuttings...as if people start to exchange in the future with you, or you buy mail order, almost certainly they will be unrooted cutting....... |
|
|||
| Carol- As far as I know, Hoya crassicaulis is a real one (from Gardino).It is throwing an inflo now, do not know if I will get to see blooms since weather will get cold soon. I do not know what is a 'pretend one'. I would be willing to try 'pretend one' if you have some to share. Dominic- I will see if I can get a cutting from pubicalyx. The rooting process sounds just like Plumeria. Do you dip these cuttings in rooting hormone? I placed 4 cuttings of my wayettii in a pot today but forgot to dip in rooting hormone. It is a chunky orchid mix with some soil. Let us see how that goes. My first attempt at Hoya rooting...huh. Marcy- Temp here has been warm mostly. Today 81 during day and low is predicted 69 .So far so good. MJ- nice to get advice from a fellow Floridian. I will try to leave it where it is right now.If temps get too cold for it, I will bring it in patio and cover it . I use regular cardboard boxes sometimes to insulate plants too. I will just put them all together . I have very few plants right now so no trouble doing that. Many thanks to everyone helping this newbie. |
|
|||
| plumania, I often just take a blanket ( Goodwill is a great place to find old blankets to cover plants with) and toss it over the plants to keep them warm. And what Carole said, if we have gotten a rain before a cold front comes thru, is the most dangerous part. If your plants are wet they are more apt to have problems, Wet and Cold is not a good mix. "Generally" and I say this -with the thought of our Normal winters you should be fine, just keep tabs on the 7-10 day forecast, and if need be move them to a more sheltered position. If you are working on blooms NOW, that's a bit different, but just to keep them happy till spring, you should be fine. They are a lot tougher than we give them credit for and often warm days and cool nights bring on the best blooms. They are not all that different from alot of orchids that way. And there is so much info out there, and you can be like me..LOL...do the "Middle of the road approach" when I see "Do this and "Do that" I take a bit of each and go from there...So far, so Good !! |
|
|||
| Rooting hormone is good...but sometimes I forget to use it and it doesn't seem to matter. I think one of the major think it does is keep it from rotting.... I often times think that rooting is easier in a very airy mixture like Perlite... By "Pretend One" I meant it was called that name but not proven to be that one. Leap. The net will appear. |
|
|||
| I agree with Carol. I used to bring some rooting powder back from the uk with me to use...then forgot one trip after i had run out. I really dont see much advantage using it, apart from possible rot or fingus infection which it might deter. I dont use it anymore . Took me a while to get my rooting mix correct. When i first arrived here I used Vermiculite as I had done in the UK...was a disaster...tried perlite and had limited success, now I just root in finer bark, and find the young plants transfer better into the chunky bark I use here after.......but that's all down to where I live,climate etc. Might be a little different for each persons location. Some people root in water............bit of trial and error needed maybe....just dont let it dry out especilly when the tiny roots start to form |
|
|||
OK. I would stop worrying about the rooting hormone. Looked at the vines on pubicalyx. Seems like it has couple of peduncles- I think one on each long vine. Also vine has either no leaves yet or very tiny ones for half of its length. Basically more tender part of vine is kind of leafless. I am starting to feel encouraged to root more and more. Only wish I did that during better part of the year.  Carol- I get it . I think you were mentioning 'pretend one' like an 'actor' who pretends to be someone but is not. I would not know because I am not too familiar with these plants yet. Bought as crassicaulis at Gardino and from leaf pics it does look real one. I would post pics of leaves and flower, when it blooms. That will help confirm the identity.I dream about making a trip to Hawaii one day. Also may be I will get to see your garden then....and learn more from you. Dominic- I do not see fine bark here. So I will try to break the chunkies into smaller part or just use finer part of the mix.It has big and small pieces. UK weather is very different but they have some of the most beautiful gardens in the world. Many plants that grow well there, do not do well in Florida. That long soggy, foggy, drizzly,snowy and grey winter weather there is an experience in itself.Yet plants thrive there too.I am sure Canary Island weather is quite different and it must have taken a while to figure out how and what to grow. Your plants seem very happy the way you grow them. MJ- good advise. I do and will watch the 7-10 day weather predictions. Living in Florida you know how it is.Florida Clouds decide where they are going to pour all they got and leave surrounding area dry.  More questions- What would happen to peduncle if I cut somewhere below that . Does the peduncle fall off or has trouble blooming again for a season or two ? It seems that tender part may rot instead of rooting if there are no leaves there yet. Cutting should have at least 2-3 leaf nodes. Right? |
|
|||
| Try going by one of the nurseries that specialize in Orchids for your bark mix. They often do their own mixes. I go to the local one here, he fills a 5 gallon bucket each of small and med/large for me for $5.00 per bucket. The small has smaller perlite mixed in and the med/large has larger. I then customize it for whatever I happen to be using it for either Hoya's, Orchids, Aroids etc. |
|
|||
| GREAT suggestion, MJ...really brilliant!!! Plumania...what is your name?????? Yes, on MOST hoyas the peduncle never drops...a few drop their peduncle after blooming. Best luck is with green mature wood: not new growth and not the woody old growth. If you feel really hesitant, lay the cutting down on a biggish surface of medium, pin it down with rocks at the nodes and keep it moist, NOT wet..... Let it dry out a wee bit because the vine will feel the moistureunder it and send roots down to get it. HTH....Carol Leap. The net will appear. |
|
|||
AlohaHoya wrote:GREAT suggestion, MJ...really brilliant!!! Hi Carol, my real name is Alka. Thanks for gentle reminder to put my name here.Edited my profile to include real name. I use plumania because this is what my husband came up with when I got obsessed with Plumeria plants.I am still obsessed with them but they went on winter break.;) Few months ago I read about Hoyas and bought 2 plants knowing nothing about them (yeah,I am like that).They bloomed and I fell in love with them too.I remember seeing them around in my childhood but I had no interest in them back then. I learned about Hoya cubit from a fellow plumeria collector when I started posting pics of my Hoya plants ,with bunch of questions . I put some cuttings of wayettii and carnosa in 2 separate pots this morning.They are from EA basket hence plenty of material available.I am not sure if there was some woody growth but basically I pruned couple of long branches from just above soil surface and chopped them up so each piece had 3 set of leaves,trimmed lower leaves and potted them up level with the lowest node touching the soil.Already watered whole thing once. I will only water again(lightly) if soil gets dry. Put each pot in a sunny window in laundry room in a grocery bag and tied knot on top-makeshift greenhouse. I will probably put them out in porch later if temps remain high. Both plants bloomed this summer and flowers were so lovely.  Hopefully I did OK with the process. Please feel free to advise if there is something I should know. I will try untangling pubicalyx tomorrow and see if I can get some cuttings. Otherwise I will just protect original plant for now. |
|
|||
| Well I can't really take credit for it. I was up there one day bemoaning not being able to find the mixes I wanted in the quantities I needed. He looked back at his bin grinder and asked me just how much I needed ?? Told me bring my buckets and he'd fix me up. |
|
|||
| Alka...being so lucky with some big plants...why not try a couple of different methods and see which one you like: plastic bag, just perlite, soil, .... tweekl the systems...make it work for YOUR climate and growing conditions..... Your present method seems good!!! Be careful of opaque garbage bags...the plants need good light to produce the carbs they use to sprout roots and grow.... Leap. The net will appear. |
|
|||
| Thanks Carol. I will try some additional methods of rooting like you suggested. Don't you think it would have better results in summer. That way I would really know what works.I did that sort of thing with Plumeria and some other plants. Here, I found heat of summer is best for rooting and there are less chances of losses from bugs, over watering etc.Humidity is also very high those days and probably helps. You are right about possibility of opaque bags interfering with light. I should just remove thee bags . I will try finding some clear covering and make tiny holes in it. MJ- There is a small orchid nursery nearby.I will check with them but I doubt they will be so generous.But you really had a brilliant idea and I will keep it in mind whenever I travel to Homestead or Miami area. There I may have better luck.It is just that these areas are too far for me. I find it strange that I did not see any nurseries selling Hoya in those areas even though lots of them grow/sell Orchids.I think it is because that area has more South Americans(Cubans, Colombians etc) and they are more into Orchids. |
Page 1 of 2 • 1
2
| « Back to the top « Cubits.org homepage « Hooked on Hoya cubit homepage « Growing conditions forum |
You must first create a username and login before you can reply to this thread.
