Yeah....it came today. What a wonderful feeling that is to look on the porch & see that big box & know your hoyas have arrived.
Anyway, here are my new toys for "playing plants".
First group is:
H. benguetensis
H. dimorpha
H. thomsonii
H. aff. cardiophylla
and a little H. cv 'Jennifer' in front (she had a broken leaf, but I taped it back together..ha ha)
The big ones are:
H. cv "Joy (with 3 blooms about to open)
the 2 in the middle are two different kinds of H. Erythrestemma, but I can't remember which was which.
& the last one is H. aff Anulata
I'm waiting for a FedEx box today! I love FedEx tracking.....something else for me to be neurotic about. LOL. It's been on the truck, out for delivery, since 7:30 this morning.....30 more minutes and I am off work. Can't wait to go home and "play plants" too.
Here is a shot of the almost blooms on H. cv Joy. Hope she doesn't blast them now that she isn't in that nice humid Hi. anymore. I will have to spray them often till they get used to this dry climate. Ha.
Wheeee.....off to admire my loot.
Marcy
PS: you should have seem me do the "big box hide" until I convinced Paul to go get a haircut so I could unwrap & mingle them with my others. Ha Ha. It is amazing what we we hoya holics will do to hide our obsession. Ha.
Woops...forgot the shot of the blooms.
One more of Miss Hoya cv "Joy' & here beautiful buds
I am INSANE with jealousy because my pimpette FedEx isn't coming until this time next week.
Marcy, they look fabulous - you lucky woman.
Ann
Ok for those who are new..who is Pimpette?
Lovely plants by the way :)
Chris_Lorry, the Pimpette is our code-word for one of the vendors who is also a contributor to this forum.
A while back there were some folks who did not approve (for whatever reason) of her company's name being discussed frequently (since many of us buy from her) and they complained to management that this person was "advertising" even though she wasn't. The unkind behavior cast a bit of a pall for a while over the forum and made the Pimpette feel badly - as though she was doing something wrong. We are now back to our old cheerful selves, but we simply banter about our treasures from the Pimpette (somebody made the name up and it kind of stuck) and some of us call ourselves tramps (ok, namely me).
I'll D-Mail you with her "proper" name...
By The Way, in case you're wondering - also - about the HJM acronym when we refer to Awanda, it means "Hoya Jedi Master."
Ann
Nice plants, Marcy!!! I, too, am jealous!
I also recieved my box from the pimpette today and it came in the AM so the DH didn't have to go get a hair cut! I am totaly thrilled and can't wait for them to get "unsqished". They are a little flat but that's what I expected since I ordered several at the same time. I still have one more to come, H. pattela (pink) and am looking forward to it more than I can say! After that I think that the only ones I HAVE to have are: H. onychioides, megalaster, serpens and............ well yes, you all have created a moster! -joanne
(so much easier to blame it on this forum than take responsibility for my own actions :~)
Hi, Joanne. I usually set all of mine together in the sink and spray some nice cool (not cold) water over them (like rain) - making sure they also get a drink - and they perk right up quite nicely.
Given your message, I think it is safe to say you ae officially one of us (you'll notice none of us take responsibility for our hoya pillaging).
Piggishly yours,
Ann
Oh Ann, I am so glad I have 'friends' to share the guilt, blame, fun and total joy with! I did shower my new babies and then sprayed them again later. I would like to know what soil mix you all use. I have been using coir/pearlite mix and it is wonderful for rooting them and they all seem to be growing well but there are no big chunks. Is it orchic bark?
Thank you for enabling me! -joanne
PS- I spoke with the man who does the plant ordering at the HD off of W.11th (Seneca?). He told me he would order as many hoya as possible. Yea!
The mix I am using now, Joanne, is fine orchid bark, #3 perlite, peatmoss (coarse), black cinders (lava...pumice works too)...and I am adding in Promix for more organic matter so they don't dry out so quickly!!!
Hey, Carol. Is it ok to use the charcoal that comes with the orchid bark in the mix?
Ann
Carol, thank you so much. I will try to add some of those things to my mix in the future. I have used crushed red lava rock for my epiphyllum mix in the past so may try that. Our dormant Oregon volcanos put off pretty RED lava rock, not that nasty black stuff from your heighborhood! (Big smile) I have never been to your neighborhood, I'm just searching for the pearl of living on the mainland :~) May be a Hawaiian vacation 40 pounds from now............. Hmmmmmmmmmm.....
-joanne
Your new plants look great Marcy. Lucky you....they even come with blooms.
Sandy
Humph! Nasty black stuff, eh? LOL
Careful of the Red Cinder...it is red because of the iron content and we avoid it like the plague!!! The blacker the better!!! Charlies Greenhouse sells Pumice... and i know that Awanda found a source for black cinder as well as pumice. If you are really rich, Charlies Greenhouse sells a great orchid mix that would be great for hoyas too.
Ya'know...it doesn't really matter about the cinder...you can use cut up wine corks, terracotta pots that are smashed to smithereens or other crockery you want to get rid of....the purpose is to provide a loose mix that water can run thru and the roots can find H2O. Since we have 160" of rain annually (that is correct folks...mostly at night but recently we had 74 days of rain...non stop) I want/need a mix that drains very fast. Tropicals essentially grow hydroponically unless they are in a single monsoon season zone ...that is why they become epiphytic so they can adjust from LOTS of water to ZIP. Life is too short to go around mixing up different compounds for indoors, outdoors, in the shade, lots of rain, less rain...so I mix one for the outdoor plants and water a lot indoors. I add the Promix now for the GH but not for the outdoor plants which grow in about 50% cinders and 50% other stuff. Mainlanders come here and plant gardens with lots of 'soil' and everything rots. We plant things in the ground with 75% cinders and 25% anything organic.
There are times when my plants, in the ground/trees whatever, have had NO watering...but lots of humidity...and they are fine. My trip last month really hit home to me that everyone has such different conditions and no ONE method/system/mix/fertilizer is the answer...it is so dependent upon where and how you live....
Speech over. Now...what were we talking about?......LOL
Nice hoyas you got there, Marcy!
And thanks, Ann, for the history behind "the Pimpette". I've been hanging out here for almost a year now and didn't know WHY you-know-who was called that. I just assumed it was because she was our beloved "John" and we were the "hoya harlots"!! hee hee.
Ahem, would someone be so kind to tell me about the "John" this "hoya harlot wanna be" can order from???
I have this urge to become a complete addict like the rest of y'all!!
I'll Dmail you...
ROTFLMBO....Hoya Harlets with our John. I love it!
Thanks for the compliments and the jealously all. Lord knows, it is usually me who is drooling and moaning with pangs of hoya wants when viewing all of YOUR plants.
I think that "Pimpette" (or "Hoya Pimp") name came about in some thread where we were all teasing her about leading us into her lair of hoya needs and wants with all her beautiful pictures of blooms, etc. and before you know it we were all obsessed and craving more. Ha. Wish I had saved that thread.
At any rate, I for one am enjoying my life of hoya sin. :-D
Marcy
Hehe Ok now I am in the NOW :)
I got plants from Pimpette also and they are FABULOUS :) Just like the lady they came from ":)
Nice haul Marcy. Wasn't it good to get your FIX ? I got a very nice order last week too, but I am having problems with my camera, I may sit down today and get things figured out. LOL on hiding your box.... SOunds very familiar.... tee hee
Well Pooh! I didn't know about the iron level of the red rock. Thank you SO much for the info cause I want these to thrive and BLOOM!
Now, since I am a sculptor/ceramics teacher, I have LOTS of broken pieces of unglazed clay that can be smashed smaller and used. I think you have just solved my problem and I thank you BIG time! -joanne
LOL!!
I received a box yesterday too....I'll take photos this weekend.
Now I'm wishing I'd ordered H. Deykei, after viewing some nice photos, here......there's always a 'wish list', isn't there?
Well, Joanne...how lucky is THAT! Yes, broken bits are terrific and you have a limiless supply! WOW. Perhaps you could get those students to crush their own!!! Is the clay fired?
Carol, I have both fired and unfired but figured that only the fired clay pieces would work. THings 'break' durring the fire or don't turn out like my brain thought they would. With the kids, they tend to leave a lot of air bubbles in their projects and we end up with nice fired little fragments of clay.
The kids LOVE to smash anything so I think I will put them to work! Thanks again and again! -joanne
I DID it, my first order of Hoyas from the Pimpette, I will now join the ranks of "Hoya Harlots"....I ordered primarily cuttings, might as well start there! I can't wait to receive them, I'll go and get soil and pots for the new babies and work out a new home for them! Wish me luck, this might flop!!
Can anyone steer me in the right direction on HOW to root the cuttings, I have searched the forums and can't seem to find the right links.....:( And what soil do I use, I have one Hoya I used C&S soil on mixed with regular MG and it is doing well, but where do I go from here??
Try this link: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/471942/
its the sticky at the top of the forum....go down to the very last post in the above link and you will see all the links on propagation...hope that helps :)
Sandy
You are a brave and fearless woman!!! Most would shake in their boots but you have stepped into an unknown world (to you) of hoya propagating and I think that is GREAT!
I did find this thread....search for Propagating cuttings in the Hoya Forum. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/536817/ I hope you ordered some easy ones...you are going to have fun!!!
Carol
Well, only Mrs Pimpette can tell me if I did or not!! :) I have no idea! Guess I will find out eh? I seem to have incredible luck with everything else, hubby says I have "green arms" not thumbs, so how hard can it be?? Hehehehe
Ah, I just read the water rooting thread, and since that is what I have always done I think I will do that once the cuttings get here. I managed to root and grow a very healthy Persian Shield that way (had no idea what it was). So I will get my little "rooting glasses " out and have some fun!
So, Hoyas like a lot of water? I have the one Hoya I mentioned and I have been watering it every 10-14 days or so, guess I need to add some more water to them , I also have a Hindu Rope, that is a Hoya too?
And why in the world is the ONLY book about Hoyas I can find more expensive than a tank of gas??
REALLY? You get gas that cheap?
Well...there always is a balance, isn't there? The #1 rule is that hoyas are not succulents. A few can be grown as such...but even cactus need water!!! #2 is that the thicker/denser your potting soil is the less water you need as it doesn't drain out/dry up. and conversely...the loser, coarser/chunky your mix is...the more you will need. Remember...there are NO absolutes in growing hoyas...it is all very individualistic. 'Hindu Rope' is H. compacta....a carnosa like hoya...gets along very well growing dryer than most....low light too. The really kewl thing about hoyas is that they all have t heir little tantrums and quirks....and it is fun to try to maintain a balance where YOU (the human in charge) don't have to do lots of handstands!!!!
Carol
LOL, they sound like my dogs.....and they do think I need to do handstands!! :) I am so exited about this, it's like any of my ventures into unknown territories, I read, I study and learn as much as I possibly can before I take the plunge. I do like the thought of starting with propagation, I like to "build my plants from scratch". Makes 'em more mine. (Now I did order a rooted collection as well!! Just in case....:)
I think the easiest to root are the big stemed varieties that get arial roots along their stems (like H. kerrii). The pubicalyx and carnosas are easy too. The hard ones seem to be ones like H. multifloria and H. lasiantha. Also keep hearing that H. compacta is hard, but I have never tried that one.
I got my fed-ex box!!!!!!! Yuhuuu, I am now officially a "Hoya Harlot"! The new babies are in water for now until I make up my mind on HOW to go about doing this. So, wish me luck y'all, I'll be playing in dirt all weekend it seems! What an experience this will be, I will be happy JUST to get roots on the cuttings! Whatever else comes of this, is gravy! :)
I have received the Messenger for spraying, I took Carols advice and got DynaGro (also some root gel) and that is on its way as of today, I got the C&S & Orchid soil, now it is just up to a little TLC and more than a little TLC!!
Ok, that's just it - between Marcy, Ann and now Bec_No_Va getting terrific orders from the pimpette, I'm feeling quite the urge to place an order. Can you all help me out here??? I need 10 ways to avoid placing an order just because I'm a jealous pig!
Karen
Oh, yeah, Karen. Like any of us would tell you to NOT place an order...(LOL)
You are talking to a bunch of addicts & enablers.
Ann
