I couldn't find much info on here regarding H. Kerrii....I know its a slower grower but does it requiring less water due to the thick, succulent leaves? Can it handle more sun?....
And slightly off topic, are any species of hoyas particularly toxic if ingested by cats? Thanks .....
Sandy
Hoya Kerrii
I could be wrong here, but I am pretty sure hoya's are non-toxic to animals. We have two dogs and two cats, and when I first started buying hoyas I know I researched it pretty well. Hope this helps.
Heather
Lo and behold...I can't figure H. kerrii out! Some grow like topsy, others go to sleep!! I put one out to climb a tree and it took off like a scalded cat and bloomed...the sister pouted. I water them all the same...maybe that's the problem...maybe it should stay a bit drier. I had one in a spot I kept forgetting about and it grew faster than the others....
Don't think they are dangerous to any animals...except collectors. They seem to make money disappear!!!
:-}
I have found that my Kerrii's like to dry out before watering. I've also noticed more growth since re-potting them into clay pots. My solid green one hasn't stopped blooming all summer.
Blessings,
Awanda
Hi all,
thanks for the info.....Heather, i thought hoyas might possibly be not great for cats as my kitty had ingested a bit of my krinkle 8 and she had some GI problems after but probably not even related but thanks for answering....my cats aren't usually plant eaters...lol....
i have had my kerrii for only a month and its in a 4" pot with roots coming out the bottom.....I have had it mostly under growing lights and it seems to be doing well....it has a new vine growing out of the ground and some new nodes on the existing vine and such...Like you Awanda, i have been letting it dry out between waterings and so far, knock on wood, it seems to like that....maybe clay pots are the way to go with them......I will have to remember that when repotting it...
Yep Carol, if i lived in the states, I would be ordering from you way too often and no pocketbook to speak off !!
Sandy
I find H. kerrii slow to start, but once it roots down, off it goes up and across the greenhouse, climbing on anything it can touch. I stay out of it's way. It also comes up between the bench slats, and holes in the flats, there is not stopping this plant.
You're right, Norma...that one likes to climb! I have a theory that they go towards "dark" like crevaces and corners because in the wild, that's where the nitch in the bark is they can grab hold of and climb up! Perhaps keeping it AWAY from something to climb, slows the growth. I know when I put mine out to climb a tree it took off. Now, the variegated one didn't take off so quckly....(thank goodness).
Mine also does well in a clay pot with the soil allowed to dry out between waterings. It also seems to like being potbound to the extent that it dries out quickly between waterings. Months back mine was just growing vines with no leaves or peduncles. I repotted it into a smaller pot with a lighter mix, and it took off--started getting leaves, then peduncles. It's had two blooms since then, and now I have three more peduncles.
Interesting idea about why the vines grow towards darkness. I've always wondered about this--thought it would make more sense for them to grow toward the light.
Yes, I do think that is the trick letting the soil dry out a bit during your cold months, give them a rest. and in the spring here it is April 1
start to water and fertilize.
Often changing the soil will jump start the plants. The ones at the Huntington climb up the metal poles, and they are really heck to get down. I noticed the one closest to the pole grew early, the rest didn't. I don't know why that pole attracted it so much, it looks nothing like a tree. We do water and fertilize weekly in the Spring.
We now have two variegated H. kerri taking over the greenhouse, we do keep them away from the poles, however they seek out any plant that is growing tall, they must have long feelers, like the antenna on insects, or the whiskers of the cat. LOL Norma