I have read all the stickys or most and still can 't find the recommended methods to fertilize hoyas. Does anybody have any suggestions?
Fertilizer?
Jeri11, other folks will probably have better advice but here's what I do:
If the plant is freshly potted or newly purchased (already in dirt) I don't fertilize for at least a couple of months
I always fertilize at 1/4 strength of the listed instructions with pretty much every watering
In the fall through winter months I use DynaGrow "Grow," and in the spring and summer months I use DynaGrow "Bloom".
For new starts I don't fertilize, but do use a small amount of Superthrive in the water.
Hope this helps.
Ann
Hello Ann
Thanks. I just learned about dyna grow. My shippment came in yesterday but I didn't see dyna grow. I bought the dyna bloom, dyna foilage-pro and pro-tekt but no grow.
I only had 1 hoya before and I used miracal grow and osmokote. I thought before I do something wrong I had better ask.
Annie W. had sent me 8 cuttings and I've had them since Sept. I potted them up as soon as they arrived but I didn't know with it being fall if I should fertilize them or not. They look happy to me and I want them to stay that way. I had 1 leaf fall off out of the whole bunch. I feel like a new mama.
Jeri
Jeri...so much depends on the potting medium you use: does it have soil amendments added? If so...what are the NPKs?
As soon as I pot up from cuttings, I use a mild -maybe 1/3 strength-fish fertilizer. I spray with Eleanors. When the newly potted up cuttings go onto the shelves...I use 1/2 to 1/4 strength DynaGro....or the foliage pro. They are basically the same...I think....I prefer foliage to in the pot as I think it gets better coverage. Miracle Gro contains a lot of salts (not good) if you use it exclusively. Osmocote is unpredictable in the release pattern....I have stopped using it due to bad experiences. Osmokote should not be used in conjuction with anything else or you may get leaf deformations from fertilizer imbalance. K I S S is the key here. (Keep It Simple Stupid....lol)
Hoyas don't need a lot of fertilizer. They perform best when igored, I think. I rather prefer to give them a little bit all the time than a whole lot at once!!!!
I spray with Eleanors or Superthrive or Hormex on the cuttings that are rooting...when I remember to....I mist once or twice a day...when I remember to.
Thanks Ann & Carol,
I appreciate your replys and I will heed every word.
Jeri
Jeri11 - what I failed to say is that THIS is the regime that works for me. My potting mix does not contain any added fertilizer...yours may. Your water will be different from mine (we use pure rainwater and there are no chemicals to act/react with those in fertilizers). Growing conditions are also different... If it were me...I would research, locally, for someone knowing about growing orchids indoors...or more folks growing hoyas in your area. What works for you might be totally different than what works for me.... Good luck.
P.S. Another idea would be to have your soil tested by your University Extension Agent...
Thanks everyone,
I was under the weather yesterday. Took all 5 grandchildren to the State Fair Sunday and something I ate didn't agree with me. Of course I ate everything so don't know what it was. I'm out of bed today but weak, weak weak!!!
Like I said earlier Annie W. sent me cuttings and they have been in pots since around August or September. I lost 1 leaf within the first 2 weeks. So far everything else looks great and that is how I want them to stay.
Jeri
Jeri, I have been using the beer/amonia/epsom salt concoction that many epiphyllum growers swear by. There is a recipe posted on one of the epi forums. So many growers swore by the amazing results they were getting......7 pages of posts, that I made some, and tried it only on one hoya carnosa and my epis. The results as far as color and rapid, healthy growth were pretty impressive. I was rather cautious about using it on my hoyas, but the way everything came through the summer, I really like it. I also like knowing exactly what is going into my fertilizer....since it comes out of my kitchen, I know what it is. A lot of people much smarter than I, figured out the chemical breakdown/ nutritional components, and it sounds like what is in other ferts.
Sara
The search engine is down I'll try to look up that receipe later. I've started to use epson salt on alot of my plants this year but for some reason I have not used it on my hoyas.
Thank you for this info. Your plant is wonderful. How old is it?
Jeri
That is one huge nice looking plant! WOW!
Christina
Thanks Jeri and Christina. The plant is very old. I purchased it in 2000 from an estate sale......The lady who passed was 89, and the plant belonged to her mother. It was wound on a floor to ceiling light stand, and took hours to unwind, it covered my entire driveway. It is now on a 6 foot tomato cage, and loves it. I will attempt to add the link to the beer recipe. Sara
http://www.epiforums.com/showthread.php?t=321&highlight=hoya
Sara
I tried the link but it said I wasn't logged in. Do you have another link?
Jeri
Green, WOW and double WOW. Do you know what kind of hoya that is?
Jeri, I tried the link, and it worked, but it did welcome me back. It is a free forum, so you may need to sign up to read all of the testimonials.....I can d-mail the recipe to you though if you need me to. They do have a hoya section now. I only have 2 epis, but came across the forum in a search. It is pretty good. Maybe try epiforums.com and you will get the home page?
Pdoyle, the hoya is just Hoya carnosa. It is the first hoya I ever bought. Honestly I didn't even know what a hoya was, and when it bloomed, I didn't initially see the flowers. I accused DH of using a glade plug in, as I couldn't figure out what the really intense floral smell was. I did an internet search to the effect of " vining plant with fragrant golf-ball flower clusters", and came up with hoya. The rest is history, and I am a bona-fide hoya addict.
Here is a pic. of Hoya bella, I have been using the fertilizer on it for about 3 months.
Green, too funny. I have been watching 'Becky's beer formula' for a year now too. I was way too skeptical to try it until recently. I made up my first bach 3 weeks ago and the results are ammazing! I have new growth up to 8" long on nearly everything. My H. glabra has a new leaf in just 3 days from first use.
I have even experimented with rooting in this mix. What I found is that the beer formula gets nasty within about 4-5 days so I change it out for my regular method of water, ST and Elenors. The cuttings that got the beer formula first have MANY more roots than the other. I used my basic carnosa for this experiment.
Here it is:
12 oz beer
1 cup Epsom salts
1/2 cup ammonia
2 cup water
1/2 cup molasses (I use black strap)
4 tbs bloom booster
vit B12 (I use 250-500mg)
You use 1 tablespoon per gallon of warm water.
I am not recomending you use this but I am sorry I waited a year to do so. Becky bought the original recipe on the internet and passed it on. They claim it will make plants bloom up to 250 times faster. If you go to www.epiforums.com search for 'Becky's Formula'. You don't have to be a member but it does not cost anything to be one.
Just my 1.5 cents worth :~)
God bless, -joanne
I got the receipe off the link but it stopped with the 2 C. water. Where did the molasses, bloom starter and B-12 come from?
Jeri
Jeri, if you continue reading the posts ( I think that there are about 7 pages of them) Becky continues on with her additions. I did add the molasses to mine, but didn't have the bloom booster and vit B on hand, so I haven't bothered to get it yet. I talked to her via phone this morning, and she said to go ahead and share it.....Thanks for getting it Joanne, I would have had to search for the "extras", as Becky really thinks the bloombooster and vit. B make a huge difference. I too am sorry that I waited so long to use it. I wanted to try it on something that would be easy to replace, so I bought a 4 inch crimson queen from a local nursery for about $4 and it went crazy.
I am glad to hear that you use it on your hoyas too Joanne, I was pretty scared to risk all of my hoya investments to a new formula, but thought that everything in there is something I could eat, except for the amonia, and it is just nitrogen.......so I took the plunge, and LOVE it. I won't go back to using commercial chemical formulas now. I do still use Eleanors, as a foliar spray, and probably won't quit that.
Sara
any particular beer?
did you crush the b vitamin?
and what bloom booster?
::looks at sad sad plants around the house::
We have such an ant problem here in the South I was afraid of the molasses but after all the strong recommendations I'll give it a try.
Jeri
I use regular beer - not lite. I think Miller genuine draft. I remember someone saying on the epi forum that it needs to be lager, and the Miller says lager on the lable. DH has always drank lite beer, and was quite impressed with the flavor difference, and is now a convert to regular beer. I think that he was a little put out that I bought better beer for my plants than I did for his football get-together! HA!
There is a liquid vit. B solution that you can buy at Home Depot, I was assuming that one, but I do have vit. B in the cabinet that I take, maybe I will crush and dissolve that. I don't know about ants, I strictly grow indoors.....we are at 3600 feet, and zone 4a, so I don't want to risk my hoyas in a July snow storm/blizzard, and they have been known to happen. Also, I am too darn lazy to do a huge indoor/outdoor plant migration for a measly 3 months of summer. :)
Sara
Sara and Joanne,
have you both been doing a weaker beer solution but watering with it every time or full strength but not watering with it as often?....i have tried it too and been noticing bella having more blooms so far...i have been doing 1 tsp per gallon and watering everytime with it....
Sara, your carnosa and bella look great!..what kind of light do both of them get? i assume they stay inside all year round?
Sandy
I'm gonna try this on my hoyas!!
Questions first though. Concerning bloom boosters, I have dyna-gro bloom (3-12-6) can/should I use this or is there something else I should try first?
The liquid B vitamin soultuion at Home Depopt. What name dose it come under or is it something that I would notice right away from the label on the container?
What kind of shelf life does this solution have? I'll also have to buy a different kind of beer for the hoyas as the freezer cold ice house in the fridge is all mine!!
dmichael
Do you use this solution EVERY time you water? Or during certain season?
Dawn
What about liquid B complex for people? (I have that)
I use it every time I water. My watering can is 1.5 gallons, and I add 2 tablespoons. All summer long I was watering twice a week, and yes my plants are indoors ALL year. Now that the temps are colder ( 11 degrees today, and trick or treat was a pay off this year - each of my kids got $10, and a bag of candy of their choice as long as DH and I did not have to go door - to - door!! HA!) I am only watering weekly. I use this solution on all of my freshly potted cuttings also, and have had no problems, and my Ann W. cuttings have tons of new growth.
I am sure that the beer brand is negotiable, I think personally I would just avoid the "lite beers" The vit. B solution that I saw at HD, I didn't notice a name, it was next to the fish emulsion, and in a gallon container $8.00 I think? I just noticed the Vit. B, so it is pretty obvious.
I too noticed lots of blooms, and my Christmas cactuses are going banannas with flowers. I really like the idea that I could probably eat everything in this fertilizer but the amonia, and at 1T per gallon, that probably wouldn't hurt me either.
I didn't add bloom booster, but wasn't lacking in flowers, even without the outdoor exposure. Most of my hoyas are in south /west or south/east light as there are large windows on all sides of my house.
Hope this helps. I started using in May, and still use it every time.
Sara
I'm going to mix mine up now. I feel just like a chemist. If you hear a loud explosion from this area. It's just me mixing. LOL
Jeri
Go for it Jeri. When I started, I just used the initial recipe. Since, I have only added molasses. You won't be disappointed, and I have seen no harm to any plants. I even use it on my son's carniverous terrarium, with no ill effects.
S
I did it. I'm hoping for better color. My old h. compacta had started yellowing. I guess I need to bring it inside.
Jeri
I looked at home depot for the vitamin b solution and didnt find anyhting. Is superthrive the same thing?
dmichael
dmichael,
the vit. b solution at home depot that I saw wasn't by the houseplants, but up in the fertilizer/seeds/pesticide isle. I think that it was labled as a starter solution that claimed to help develop roots faster. I never did add the vit b to my beer fert. and haven't seen that the plants are missing it.
Sara
edited to add: the recipe says 250 -500 mg of vit. b....it might be cheaper to just add a couple of vit b tablets, and let them dissolve in the solution, than looking for the liquid. Then you would know that it is ONLY vit b, and not other chemicals that may be in the solution. Just a thought.
This message was edited Nov 1, 2006 12:52 PM
Thanks for the info. I just watered yesterday using dyna-gro grow. I want to let my plants dry out completely then water them using nothing but water and then on the next watering i'll start with this beer thing!!
dmichael
I use the Dyna Grow bloom or the regular Dyna Grow in mine and Budwiser for the Beer (cause that was what has been lurking in the back of the fridge for months). I have been doing this for just about a month and can't believe the results. This summer I posted a pic of a carnosa I got for $5 at a local nursery with the top leaves totaly yellow and I mean YELLOW. in less than a week after the first use the leaves were more green and now nearly as dark as the rest! My pimenteliana came with yellow leaves from too much sun and I have had it for about 8 months with no change. Now it has dark green seeping out from the center vein much like if you soak a carnation in food coloring. I will try to post some pictures later.
THe vit. B I use is a quick disolving type for human consumpion. I know it can be purchased as 'root stimulator' in garden centers.
I highly recomend anyone who is interested in using this formula to check out the epiforums.com and search for 'Becky's formula'. It is a lot of reading but worth while and Becky is a Doll!
Once again, I am not recomending that anyone try it, but I will continue to use it. I use 1-2 tbs per gal of WARM water and I use it every time I water a bunch at once. I only one or two hoya are dry I use my regular Dyna Grow mix.
God bless, -joanne
dmichael, I think ST would be a good sub. -jo
Well, kids. You are tempting me with your witches brew. My only concern would be is if this were to behave the way Messenger does to plants - makes them think they are under attack so they push out more growth and blooms, but ultimately weakens the plants because they are on overdrive. Do you think this recipe is just the right mix of nutrients that tropical plants like? Or, do you think this is a recipe to fast-track growth and blooms?
Ann
After mixing up my first batch let me recommend not doing it in an enclosed environment. The amonia is overpowering until you mix in the beer. I watered my plants and now we'll see.
Jeri
Ann, the original formula was sold specifically for cactus and succulents but I have seen the same basic formula for orchids. If you don't want to buy all the stuff I can give you some to try. LMK. -joanne
this stuff will go along way. How long will it last? I'm assuming you'll need to keep it in the fridge?
Dawn
Dawn, I actually keep mine under the sink!! :O I have never noticed a bad smell, mold, or any other 'negative' effect from that. Mine lasted about 1 1/2 months, but I was watering really frequently. I actually contemplated doubling the recipe, but maybe I won't as I really never have tons of space in my fridge, and would rather keep it under the sink.
Ann, I don't know what is in "messanger", and haven't really ever been temped to force my plants to bloom. I know what is in beer - hops, carbohydrates, alcohol. I know that amonia is nitrogen, and epsom salts magnesium sulfate. Molasses is carbohydrate too. Vitamin B is something I take regularly.........I guess I wouldn't really compare the two products. I started using this fertilizer with "nutrients" in mind much more than forced growth and blooming, and as I said earlier, I tried it on one plant first, only using it on others after seeing no ill effects. I totally understand your hesitation in using this concoction.......I was skeptical too, but not anymore.
Sara
This message was edited Dec 13, 2006 4:40 PM
This message was edited Dec 13, 2006 4:45 PM
Sara
What kind of plants have you used it on?
Jeri
Jeri, I use it on everything. So does Becky, the lady who posted it on the epiforum. I use it on all of my hoyas, my 2 epis, my 2 christmas cactuses (I just have a white, and a yellow) and the pathetic easter cactus ( has never looked good, until I started with the beer formula), I use it on succulents, begonias, African violets, a huge cissus tetrastigma, that has taken off, and is growing all around the ceiling of my BASEMENT of all places......it is a dark basement too.
Let me think....I use the beer formula on cuttings while they are rooting in liquid, and in soil, and I water my staghorn fern, and my son's carniverous plants with it. Basically whatever is growing gets it when it is time to water. If there are any plants that you want to see, let me know and I will post a picture. The two hoyas just happened to already be downloaded on my computer. I have a ficus triangularis that loves the stuff too. I know this is a hoya forum, so please forgive me, but I included a picture of the ficus triangularis too.
Sara
