Best potting mix for hoyas

Hi,
I'm new here and I'm not a member yet. I have a question if you don't mind. I have five small (4") pots with different hoyas. The plants are very small but look healthy. I got them over the internet. I was told that I can change the soil but I have no idea which is best for hoyas.Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you Maria

Maria,

I have probably 6 hanging baskets of Hoya's and a few small pots. I just use Miracle Grow potting soil for everything because it's what I can find at my local garden centers. I water my Hoya's well once a week. They do dry out between waterings, but all seem to be doing really well. I have 5 blooming right now. I have some hanging baskets out on my front porch facing East. They get a little sun in the morning but not much .... just real bright light. The others are on my covered deck out back .... again, no direct sun but bright light.

Good luck with your new plants and Happy Growing!



p.s. Welcome to The Garden .... You will love it here!




This message was edited Jul 21, 2007 9:34 PM

Hi Plantladylin,
Thank you very much for the info. I guess it'll be a long time before I get one to bloom.
I have them indoors because I have no room in my porch and we don't have any shade in the back. However they get afternoon sunshine and so far they seem ok. Do I move them? That is the only location wher I have windows and room for the plants.
Thank you for the welcoming and the advise.
Maria

Maria, as long as they seem to be doing well for you where you have them, I would let them be. I have a couple of small ones in my windows ... one is an east facing window so only gets morning sun like the ones on my front porch. I do have one that is in the bedroom window which is the west side of the house. We get real hot sun in that window in the late afternoon, so I just tilt the blinds so they don't get direct sun which would burn them. Hoya's do like a lot of bright light so I think yours will do find as long as they don't get real hot direct sun.

I guess they'll stay were they are,but I'll keep checking them because they do get some hot sun, it's a west window,
Thank you
Maria

You are welcome Maria. There are some real "experts" here on the Hoya forum, you might want to post your question over there and see what response you get from some of those folks. Some of them have lots and lots of Hoya's and know a lot about this particular plant: http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/hoya/all/

After a long time of having hoyas, I have found a mix that works great for them, and I also use it now for most of my plants - mix approximate equal parts of African Violet potting soil, small to medium chunks of orchid bark, and perlite. It is lightweight, loose and airy, does not stay wet for too long, and allows lots of air to get down to the roots. With this kind of mix, you don't have to worry as much about overwatering and/or root rot. You can buy everything you need at a garden center or Home Depot. Schultz makes the orchid bark. I just buy a bag of each and then mix it up in a big plastic container with a lid.

Hi Bhavana34,
Thank you so much for the info. I will get all the things today and start transplanting my plants.
Thank you
Maria

Hi, All: I have a friend who started me two Hoyas and put them in an 8" pot. I have another friend who started me two Hoyas and gave them to me today. I have heard that you should plantmore than two starts at a time; so in that event, should I plant the new starts in the 8" pot with the other two that I have? I live in Idaho and am going to Arizona for the winter and plan on taking the Hoyas with me. Will the transition hurt them? I understand that they are pretty hardy. Thanks,

Are they all the same variety of hoya? If so, you could plant them together in an 8" - typically starts/cuttings should go in small pots, like 4" at most, but way back before I knew better I stuck them in big pots and they did fine, especially the easier to care for varieties like carnosa, which I am assuming you have.

And yes, they ARE hardy and will probably be ok on the trip. I used to move all the time and dragged my poor plants all over the place with me.

Thank you, Bhavana34, for helping me with my dilemma. I do not know anything about the different varieties of Hoyas, but these leaves are solid green, no variegation that I can see. So, I'll just plant them together and see what comes of them. I had a great one years ago and my aunt planted it in a soup can with no drainage whatsoever and that thing grew and grew and grew and bloomed pink blossoms and it was so fragrant, I could smell it all over the house. But, that was almost 40 years ago and it has since then died. So, I want to start some again.

It is probably the solid green carnosa variety, and should do fine. Not a fussy plant at all, good light and water when dry! Good luck!