I was very discouraged after failing with Hoya soidaoensis for the second time. Once again I had rotted the roots out on the plant from my too heavy handed watering. This time I took cuttings, used my regular mix, and put them into a two inch net pot. For the first time, I could see by looking at the sides of the pot when I needed to water. It was critical with this plant. Just before the plant became totally dry, I watered. I began to get much better results.
The orchid mix never seemed to hold enough water and I could not get my finger into it to judge the moisture so I over watered, and the plant began to shrivel. I pulled it out of the mix and found that the roots were rotted. I started it over in my regular mix, where it quickly rooted and formed a peduncle. I was very excited, but the excitement was short lived; the peduncle fell off and the plant went downhill rapidly.
I received Hoya soidaoensis as a very tiny plant from AH Hoyas in the spring of 2015. I potted it up in a orchid bark mix of large bark, perlite, and charcoal. This mix caused me big issues with all of my Hoyas, proving that you should never stray far from what you know the best.
Final day with Hoya Kaimuki; tomorrow back to the saga of first-time-bloomer Hoya soidaoensis!
Hoya Kaimuki has just opened her flowers and I bought a new photo/video light to hopefully be able to take some photos without using a flash. Here are the results on Kaimuki day one:
While we wait for the rest of the buds on Hoya soidaoensis to open I’ve got a couple of other Hoyas that have just opens their buds. Here are the flowers of Hoya kanyakumariana for this year. It only flowers about once a year for me because of the unfavorable conditions, but I’m always thrilled when it happens.
I’ve said that you can jinx blooming by speaking of it too soon, and actually experienced it. Right after showing the buds and saying that I was going to flower Hoya soidaoensis, eight large buds yellowed and fell right off the plant just before opening! Fortunately I figured out the problem, and am confident that the rest of the buds will open soon. Here is the first flower to open on the plant so at least now I can say that I have flowered this difficult little Hoya.
When I received Hoya soidaoensis as a cutting from AH Hoyas three years ago, it was called Hoya sp. Khao Soi Dao named after Khao Soi Dao, Chanthaburi Province, Southeastern (SE) Thailand where it was discovered. Below the foliage and buds of Hoya soidaoensis:
It has been a very long road from cutting to flower with Hoya soidaoensis. I have had to start the plant over twice, but now it will flower in a very big way, as it is dripping with peduncles in various stages of bud.
Hoya sp. Gunung Gadig is a beautiful Hoya that is fairly expensive to buy and difficult to grow, but the leaves make it a must have for the avid collector. I recommend it for advanced grower, but be very careful not to over water.
