I have told many people in private about the struggles that I have had with my Hoyas over the past 12-18 months, but now I am letting everyone know. I don’t know if I have lost my Hoya growing mojo, or what but I have had more root rot in the past year than I have had in my 15+ Hoya growing career. It is hard to put my finger on what is causing the issues and I have blamed everything from too cool temperatures, to bad potting soil, to water chemistry, to changes in fertilizers. I have been exploring all of these and about a dozen other variables, and so far I’m not giving up, but it does get discouraging.

This week I am trying to save a number of Hoyas by water blasting the roots, cleaning them up and re-potting them. Ordinarily I would restart them from cuttings, but it is too late in the season to take dozens of cuttings so I’m trying to bring them around by cleaning as much rot off as possible to see if they will reestablish.

Below is Hoya hanhiae ‘Pink’ which had flowered a lot this summer, but never grew a leaf and looked worse and worse. I have re-potted using a clear pot to give be a better idea of when to water the plant.

I think that it is hard to find more unusual or cooler looking flowers on any other Hoya. It is unfortunate that the flowers are so short lived and have no scent. The blooms only last a couple of days and fall off.

Hoya ruthiae opened her flowers today. This is another Hoya that is incredibly prone to root rot and must be constantly guarded against.

If you are lucky enough to receive a rooted cutting with an old peduncle, you can get flowers in record time. Here is an example:

I am a little discouraged that my Buntok cuttings won’t grow for me, but continue to put on buds and want to flower. Many times this is a species last ditch effort at survival because they are stressed. I really don’t want to lose this plant, but if these cuttings don’t make it, I have nothing else to fall back on.

I am so pleased at how well this Hoya australis ssp. Oramicola did for me over the summer. Not only has it flowered repeatedly, it has also grown prodigiously.

This plant has flowered its heart out this summer. Here is a photo from this morning:

I thought I was going to lose this one for a long while, but it is gratifying to have two of these plants currently in bud. They were both recently transplanted to clear orchid pots with slits in the side. They are now growing in homemade pon with fine orchid bark and limestone added to the mix.

Hoya nervosa makes a spectacular foliage plant even if you never get it to flower. If you really want to see the blooms be prepared to wait a very long time. I believe that only time can produce these flowers. Also, I don’t think that it can be flowered under lights, but needs a specific day length cycle, which is difficult to achieve artificially. It is a lovely plant that gets my highest recommendation!

Hoya nervosa is endemic to Vietnam and was first described in 1974. The name is in reference to the raised nerve like venation of the leaves.