I am hoping that my ever increasing bella bloom will actually make it to opening for me because since i added the water in the saucer that its sitting in, this plant has really taken off with 2 blooms now and more new shoots too...it only has 3 vines in a 4" pot so its not a very large plant to begin with....i thought that its against anything you do regarding watering to have it sit in water but i am amazed the bloom is getting more plump and not turning yellow and dropping off...i am probably jinxing myself by typing this post and it will happen or something!...I know its only a bella but would be my first bloom to actually do something!...thanks Carol and everyone else on here for great advice :)
I took Carol's advice and..
GOFERIT! H. bella is is real water lover...like H. multiflora...likes being constandly hydrated. Caution: soil should not be so soggy that it gets "sour"...aerated soil is best...nothing soggy.
Terrific, Sandy! Enjoy!
Thanks Carol, ....how do you mean "sour"..like smells sour?.....that might sound like a silly question....maybe i am overdoing it with the water?...if it is sitting in water via a saucer and the soil takes up the water, the soil is very wet to the touch.....i am probably making this too much of a science...lol
By sour, I mean that the soil gets soggy....like EA soil. There needs to be some movement of the water within the soil (either UP or DOWN)..roots need water, but they need movement too so they can grow.
And, yes...sometimes it CAN smell sour. :)
OH okay.....i will keep that in mind....i am not sure what EA soil is like since they dont sell them here..assuming its Exotic Angel?....thanks for the answer though, i dont want to kill my bella before i get it to bloom !
Sandy,
you are correct, most of us are used to abbreviating EA for the Exotic Angel brand. THe soil is like a sponge. It soaks up a lot of water and stays wet for a very long time. I had one pot once that stayed moist for upto a month. I finally changed the soil since this particular hoya didn't like it.
Good luck with your bella. I hope it blooms its head of for you. I've yet to see mine bloom but others have made up for it.
Gemila
Thanks Gemila, i hope it will get to bloom for me and not drop off like the rest have..blooms on the bella i mean, not on the other hoyas, i havent been so lucky yet with the others to bloom!..
I probably wont ever run into EA soil in my travels to the nurseries and home Depot and such around here....what would they use in the soil to hold so much water and and stay wet for such a long time? partially sand in there?....
Sandra
They use it so they can ship fresh plants, not dried up. They also know once in the store, no one will water, this plant then can have a shelf life of one month. They always look so nice in Frank's so the customers buy them. Norma
I was thinking of that after i posted.....that makes sense...seems to be like that at Walmart here...thanks....
Carol would Hort. charcoal work in the soil to keep it sweet?
Just a thought, a know it's a stupid question but still like to know.
Lots of people swear by some Hort charcoal in their mix... I haven't found my hoyas really liking "sweet" or alkaline soil... For folks who use a really heavy mix, I would think it would help it from getting full of algae and slime....
No such thing as a stupid question, Norma... :)