Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Semi Hydro Hoyas, 1 by plantladylin

plantladylin wrote:
I have not tried the semi hydroponics with the hydroton stuff but it sure sounds like something I might have to try it at some point.

In the past, I have wick watered Gesneriads and have a few of those two part self watering Ceramic African Violet pots. The outer reservoir pot is ceramic and the inner pot is unglazed on the bottom so that it absorbs water. I was having problems with the shooting star hoya (can't for the life of me think of the name!) Leaves were turning yellow and falling off right and left. I was so afraid it was going to die, but someone on here suggested using one of those pots for that hoya because it likes to stay moist. It seems to have worked. The past 4 or 5 months it's been in one of those pots and as long as I remember to keep water in the reservoir pot, it seems very happy and has bloomed a few times.

I know some people wick African Violets and other Gesneriad plants by cutting a piece of felt or old blankets to line a nursery tray (or one of the shallow tupperware type containers) and just keep a small amount of water in the tray to keep the material wet and sit the potted plants on the material. The plants wick up the water from the wet blanket material. Only problem with that is the possibility of algae building up on the material and then you have to use something like Physan 20 as a fungicide/algaecide/disinfectant. I am a lazy gardener and it seems like a lot of work to me. I like the idea of the semi hydroponics for some plants.

I found two peduncles on this Hoya today, it will be the first time it's bloomed for me so I'm really excited! I think I posted a photo of this one awhile back and someone said it is possibly australis. I have another plant that looks exactly like this one so once it blooms if they are the same I will pot them both together. I can't wait to see the blooms!