My Hoya plant wont bloom

Hot Springs National, AR(Zone 7b)

I bought the plant about 2 years ago and am taking good care of it, it's big, but has never set blooms. Any idea's on how I can get it to get blossoms?

Thumbnail by trudy28
Poughkeepsie, NY(Zone 6a)

Usually it's either a light level and/or fertilizer issue. How often do you feed it?

Well grown hoya!

(Zone 1)

Wow! That is a very well grown hoya! It looks plenty large enough to bloom and it looks like it's in good light in front of the window. You wouldn't want to give it direct sunlight or it will burn the foliage. I bet if you give it a shot of bloom booster fertilizer you will see flowers before long! Have you fertilized it at all in the two years you've had it? Have you cut it back at all? If you've pinched or pruned it at all, you could very well have snipped off the little bloom spurs.

I feed my hoyas with a diluted solution of a bloom booster orchid fertilizer, 15-30-15. I use one called Better Grow Bloom Booster but Miracle Grow makes a bloom booster also. You should be able to find bloom booster plant food at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowes etc. Look for a plant food with a high middle number, which promote blooms.

This photo shows what a peduncle (bloom spur) looks like with the progression of the little spur, buds and bloom: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/kuehlapis/hoyastalk2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://gardeningwithwilson.com/2009/02/10/dont-cut-your-old-hoya-flower-stalks/&usg=__ptvDYCpVTu5ycbnzzKKofNcvqUs=&h=500&w=375&sz=160&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=3adV7gQenlgTDM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=98&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dimages%2Bof%2Bpeduncle%2Bon%2Bhoya%2Bplant%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1

Hopefully before summer is over you will see blooms on your lovely hoya!

Hot Springs National, AR(Zone 7b)

Thanks for the information. At first I just let it grow and made a wire "ring" to get it to circle. Yes it has grown so large maybe I "fed" it too much? It gets fed every three weeks or so. So far I haven't had any problems with over watering, since I water it only every 10 days or even less, but still no blossoms. Oh well, I wont give up yet.

(Zone 1)

But, are you feeding it with a fertilizer that has a high middle number? If the plant food doesn't have a high middle number, it is only promoting root and foliage growth, you need a plant food with a high middle number for blooms.

Fredonia, NY

I have had difficulty with getting my Hoya Carnosa Variegata to bloom also. These plants seem to be extremely finicky with there light requirements, but it is also important to know that they do like a rest period. I would try to I.D. the specific hoya it is so you can find out what time of the year it blooms. My Aunt had a huge Hoya Carnosa, I took some cuttings from it and it bloomed almost year round, but I still stopped fertilizing it during the winter months, as it was mainly a summer bloomer. It was excellent advise to not prune it or to prune very carefully. If you remove any spurs you have lost your flowers.

Hobart, Australia

Hoyas can suffer from too much fertilising. They are best STARVED! and kept just wettish. Most fertilisers make them grow too lush so that they produce fewer flowering spurs.
Above all, chck and look after the flowering spurs because they flower from the same spur EVERY YEAR. Be very aware of this so you never prune them off.
Good Hoyas can be grown on the fertilizer from one rotting banana skin!
If you grow a well fertilised Hoya as a cutting, it may look green and healthy but the initial fertilizer boost can stop flowering from up to 2 years! Best Hoyas are bought from old house sales when they have sat in a window and neglected for years by their original owner!

Medford, NJ

It is true that too much fertilizer can be a bad thing, and to be honest, I grew carnosas and pubicalyx for years, never fertilized, and they bloomed like crazy. I think the most important thing is light levels. If you introduce them gradually, they will not burn, but alot of direct light will turn them yellowish. You will get fllowers, though, once the stems are long enough.

Since I like pretty foliage too, the best thing is to just give them as much indirect bright light as possible.

Edmonton, Canada

My Hoya never blossomed, and I had it for over ten years at that point, until I moved into a place where I had no choice but to put it in an east facing window. Now I get countless bloomings during the times of the year with longer days, with at least 30 blooms in its first blooming in Spring!

Hi, I'm new to Dave's Garden Forums. :-)

Thumbnail by brendajean
(Zone 1)

Hi brendajean! That is one gorgeous Hoya you have there! Great growing ... and Welcome to Dave's Garden!

Edmonton, Canada

Thank you!

Hot Springs National, AR(Zone 7b)

I know this is a late "THANK YOU ALL" for all the information you sent, but moving and a lot of other stuff kept me from thanking you all. You might be interested to know, that my plant has bloomed profusely from the last time I wrote. Besides I now know what to watch for. Do NOT let to many "runners" grow, that will help with getting the Hoya to bloom earlier. Meanwhile I started several more plants from my "mother" plant, and given a lot to friends.
Again, thank you all for very helpful hints.

Tampa, FL

i would like to order the hoya plant, the deep pink one. showimage was
15825, by panamon creel. msw 20 april 2003. please let me know how
much it is for a cutting of the plant. rose billingsley
rmb31554@juno.com thanks.

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