Do any of you have a "spring routine" of hoya care? Things like, BATS, haircuts, repotting? Spring is finally here in central Illinois, and I want to make sure I give all my hoyas good hoya care! Thanks - Karen
Spring routine
I do some of these things on a regular basis...some just in spring:
Turn the trays around so that the *other* end faces out towards more light. At that time I inspect the pots...repot any that need it...
Spray a 20% solution of Clorox under the benches and where water collects and on the concrete footings of the GH. It will kill nematodes (if we had them) and it kills moss and fungi.
Alternate fungicides every 7 days and spray the entire GH. I do this for a month and then begin a month later on another round.
I go thru all the trays and unpot everyone who looks sleepy...check to see the roots are healthy...
...and if they don't look healthy, what do you do? I'm about to do this to a h. nummarloides that hasn't shown signs of life for 2 years....
Julia
Julia,
My H. Numm hasn't done anything in about a year either!!
Gabi
Mine either Julia.
Although it is just a cutting still that I received in Sept. last year. As long as the leaves are still firm, I will probably just leave mine alone.
Sara
I have killed more of that hoya than I care to remember. Usually from too much water.
Spring is in the air! I love this season;)
In the Spring I too try to check for bugs on all the plants, I have been cutting any unhealthy parts hoyas off to encourage new growth (though I am not certain how well this works!) - and repotting as well, the bleach idea is great, I am certainly going to use that!
I have also been giving new fert and adding more compost/peat to those I am trying to grow out of pots, they seem to be enjoying the extra nutrients as well as more water, it has been really warm here for the first continuous week finally in supposidly sunny san diego!
A bit off topic, but in accordance with the disussion;) - I have been abiding by the theory that less water is better than more in terms of making sure I don't kill my hoyas, would love to know if anyone else finds this true or if maybe I am just stunting their growth? Also I am always really afraid to water them when they are in bud as I have lost a few this way, anyone else? It's likely just my obsessivness that kills them every time (though thankfully not that often!)
Happy Growing!
Abbie...I find that more hoyas are lost from too little water....and too much. There is a happy medium...water when they need it on their schedule, not on a watering schedule. Hoyas often set blooms when they are stressed and they bloom out of survival mode....when you suddenly drench them with water, they blast the blooms because 'maybe they will live'. I think maintaining a constant situation with water is important... I have been told to water when the surface of the pot becomes dry 1" down into the pot.
HTH
Abbie,
I have blasted a few buds by overwatering as well. I always thought that a blooming hoya needs "more" water. But Carol, you explained it really well. My Multiflora had 3 peduncles in bud at one point, and I upped the watering, and all buds got yellow and fell off. 7 buds made it, and so I reduced the watering back to its "regular" schedule, and now the 7 buds are in flower, and 3 more peduncles are pretty close to blooming! Something similar also happened to my Pachyclada (all buds blasted RIGHT before opening), and when I went back to ITS regular watering schedule, they formed new buds and bloomed! So it does seem like giving the hoyas the same amount of water as usual is the key to keeping buds from blasting.
Gabi
Yes...it is like with us....get us off schedule or change something when we are about to go out to a special function and we would get peeved as well!!!!
Yes - thanks so much Carol - great explanation (as always;) maybe with a bit more of your advice along the way I will have more than one blooming next April;)
I try to keep an eye on the top of the pot for dryness and then just let it go a bit after that, certainly doesn't seem to be the most sensible guesstimate of a watering sched. ;) - I will check it with my finger from now on like I should have to begin with - They are all happily a bit moist now - & I think were maybe a bit starved before. Maybe I will get some blooms this year afterall... though I am really enjoying all the pictures from DG either way!