hoyas in hydroponic pots

I knocked my little hydro hoya over this week and was pleased that the cuttings stayed in place even though about half of the little clay aggregate balls were rolling off in every direction...that had to mean that there were some roots in there, anchoring them in. I cleaned up the mess and then looked at the bottom of the inner pot, and it was loaded with nice, white, healthy roots....it took about 6 weeks but the plant has some new growth too, a set of leaves and 2 vines peeking their way up and through.

I am a little suprised that it took so quickly to this way of growing, even though alot of people told me it would. I need to get more materials, I would love to start more hoyas and other plants this way. From what I have been reading, almost every plant, including succulents/cacti, will do well in hydroponics.

Here is a pic of the bottom of the inner pot, sorry it is out of focus, my batteries in my digital are half dead, I am surprised it took any picture at all.

This message was edited Jul 23, 2007 8:04 PM

Whoa...I am really impressed!!! It is fascinating to learn how to grow other than the tried and true always used. Thanks so much to all of you!!!

Carol

ewdy, I just put it together that you are the same person with the Hoyas.ca website which I just found this week, following a link from somewhere. I am glad I found it, I like the site alot, you did a great job and I always like seeing more pictures and reading about hoyas.

Doris, since I had such quick sucess with my carnosa, I am dying to try some more hoyas in hydro. I am going to just start with cuttings rather than convert any of my current plants, so I have two questions - as a beginner, are there any hoyas that you would recommend I NOT try at this time? And two - do you use those heart shaped pots for your hanging plants? Do they hang straight or does the shape cause problems with balance? There are two things I can't stand - crooked pictures on a wall and crooked hanging plants!

Do you sell or are there available any hydro pots that are meant to hang? I suppose what I mean is pots that are more shallow as opposed to vertical, or pots that have holes for the insertion of either metal hangers or the macrame/synthetic hangers. The woven hangers either have a sling to set the pot into or have the little hooks on each "arm" that go into the holes around the rim of the pot.

Thanks!

I used to have hoyas as a teen--you folks are tempting me to get more...Carol, I am sooo jealous of you, as I was stationed on Oahu at Tripler from '88-'92, and I miss being able to grow such fun plants outdoors all year 'round!

Hi Bhavana,
It will be easier to let me know the hoyas you plan on putting in hydro, so I can give you the best advice…
About the crooked stuff, I am the same! On the pictures, you can see what I have been doing, I always take a larger plate, it is easier to care of my plant.
I am working on a hanger for our hoyas in hydro, I hope it will be ready in the fall, just watch my web site once in a while (hope I am allowed to write that on the forum!).
there will be a few post for the pic...on this one you can see how I made the hanging with a kind of a small rigid doily, I made 4 holes in it to attached 4 cords, i ajusted them at the top.

the same small doily today, I added another hoya, the advantage with having a bigger surface than the planter, is that when i want to remove a plant for any reason, it is very easy.

Hope this help for now!
Have a nice week-end everybody

I kinda like the way you fit two or three onto one platform, plus you have the option of making them back into non-hanging plants pretty easily.

For hydro, I was thinking of trying bella, shepherdii, and possibly australis, curtisii, or vitellinoides - vitellinoides is one I have had trouble with in soil from time to time.

Hi Bhavana,

At the moment I am trying bella, I am not satisfied yet with the results, I have heard that it is a slow grower, and may be i am too much in a rush to see her beautifull flowers???? I have tried different rooms, and different light, but it doesn't grow as fast and as solid as my other hoyas.

But the other hoyas: australis, curtisii and vitellinoides are doing very good in hydro.
To see vitellinoides, just click on the pic, my post on July 27 at 7:04, it is with finlaysonii on the rigid doily.
and Australis is the following pic.

Shepherdii has flower for the second year, and it is giving me a second flowering, she smells so sweet!
Hope that helps!

Here is curtisii, it is growing nicely since i put it in a miniature greenhouse, and it doesn't take much water, same for australis.

the last for curtisii, hope to get flowers soon...

Bhavana,
My bella is not going to make it! If you try it in hydro, make sure you have a spare plant in soil, and please let me know if you succeed, i just dont know what i am doing wrong for bella????

I am getting a few cuttings from a friend, and this time bella will go in soil, anyone has suggestions for growing bella in soil, i kind of lost the habit of soil!!!!
Have a lovely day,

Hi Doris, I am sorry I missed this post, I didn't see it till today, I have been busy with school starting and haven't been checking regularly.

I am sorry to hear about your bella, I wonder too why it isn't working for you, you seem to have so much success with other hoyas. Was it the first time you tried this variety? Maybe it was the cuttings and not you. I have bella in soil, but a very light and loose mix (mostly orchid bark and perlite, a little potting soil thrown in) and I let it get 90% dry between waterings, it does ok and blooms alot. It also spends most of it's time under artificial lighting.

Just this past month I have linearis cuttings (about 15 or 20 of them) growing in clay aggregate, but not in a hydro pot. They are doing much better than I thought. I need to buy some pots before mid october for the linearis and a few other cuttings I will be getting. I can't remember if you have linearis in hydro of not ? I have it in soil as well and if does fine, but I have a feeling it will do better in hydroponic medium.

Let me know how the bella does!

Hi Bhavana,
I do not know what I did wrong, may be the light?? I don't remember if these cuttings were in a good shape....I got some new cuttings, and i am trying again in hydro and in soil, i will take no chances this time!
I do not have linearis yet.....
have an excellent week-end,