Now that I have some cuttings rooting from our swap, I'd like to know what medium folks are using for their plants. I'm new to hoyas. Thanks.
What do you use for hoya medium
I could only find one thread with this info. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/535965/
Everyone seems to have great luck with different mediums....I would probably use something very different than someone in Maine...I know Ann Wayman uses medium very different from mine (she grows them indoors mostly and mine are basically outside.
I CAN share that I had terrible luck with coir, others love it. I use lots of large perlite and chunky stuff. Folks in your like situation should come in here and sound off!!!
I like a loose chunky fast draining medium, I mix my own with equal parts of a regular potting soil, orchid bark, and perlite. I use if for all my tropical plants as well as the hoyas and for rooting cuttings.
That's what I use for my epis. I will try it! Thanks.
I use a medium that I mix myself that seems to work really well for me. I begin with a very good top quality soiless potting mix that I get from a local nursery. It comes in 3 cubic ft bags.
To that I add 16qrts perlite,16qrts orchid mix,8qrts spaghnum moss and about 2 1/2 -3cups of milorginite.
dmichael
What is milorginite?
I think if you grow your hoyas in your epi medium you should be OK. I like using perlite in the bottom of the pot for good airflow and drainage.
I agree w/Carol that the mix you use for Epi's should work well for your hoyas.
I have a few Epi's and many Rhipsalis, and I use the same mix for those as I do for my hoyas.
Like dmichael....I use good quality soil-less potting soil (I had been using ProMix but haven't been able to purchase it recently) and mix it almost 50/50 with a commercial (Shultz, I think?) Orchid Mix that includes fir bark, charcoal, perlite and some type of rock that may be lava rock.
I wish I could find a coarser perlite around here like you use, Carol!
I was gonna start a new thread, but since it's kinda the same topic...when switching hoyas to a lighter mix...how do you keep them in the pots until they take hold? Would it be ok to weight them down with a rock? Mine are all in hanging pots.
I do that all the time, threegardeners!!
With lots of plants, not just hoyas.
The only thing you'll need to watch out for is mold that might grow under the rock....happens sometimes, but not always.
I've had good luck with commerial potting soils specialized for cactus and succulent. With this, I've successfully root cutting as well, and I fertilize mine in early spring before new growth immerse. Now my hoya is making flower buds. :-)
I sometimes put a stake in the pot and clip the plant to the stake...or the hanging part...or the rim of the pot...I use hairpins too...
http://www.milorganite.com/about/history.cfm
Boojum,you'lll find some interesting reading within the article once you open the link. Kinda nasty but you asked!!!!!
dmichael
Ackkkkk
:))
Yes, I did. Pretty cool recycling. Glad we don't have good senses of smell!
The milogrganite does have a fowl odor to it,not such as the one as when it actually leaves the body but it does stink!!!! You can always tell when someone has used it because of the smell .
I wear gloves when I work with it even though it is supposed to be safe to handle,I dont care how many times itst been treated. I like what it does for my plants though so I use it.
There was a time when we could go to the local treatment facility here and buy an entire truck load for the same price as one bag of milorganite but i'm not sure if they still sell it or not. I beleive the city now uses it for public landscapes.
dmichael
Heh,
you guys should try living with a bag of Dynamic Lifter in your potting shed - it is made from pasteurised chicken manure - and it has the most disconcerting chook-yard smell with an overtone of bitter chocolate. I keep mine inside a galvanised metal rubbish bin and I can still smell it a little bit all the time, even when the lid has been on the bin for several days! However, as with most organic animal based plant foods you certainly can't complain about what it does for the plants so I will happily put up with it. It is odd though - I don't know whether it is because I have been using the stuff for years but I don't actually find the smell offensive any more, just strong.
Ciao, Kaelkitty.