Blister-like bumps on cv. Joy

My cv. Joy has had these blister-like bumps on it since I received it in May 2005. They seem to be less apparent on the newer leaves, and haven't spread to surrounding hoyas, but they won't go away.

Interestingly, they look somewhat simlar to the blight on the photo of the h. fuscomarginata on page 114 in "The World of Hoyas" book. The leaves of the cv. Joy are similar to that plant as well.

I really love the huge leaves on this hoya and don't want to toss it. Has anyone else experienced this blight or have suggestions for getting rid of it?

Many thanks, Julia

Here are a couple of photos, though not the most focused.

another photo:

Julia...a lot of light on the leaves will do that. As one of the parents is H. fuscomarginata, they share the same weakness. cv. Noelle can get it too.

Really? I was just admiring Christina's pictures of her cv. Joy and they are bump-free and have this gorgeous red tint from being grown in bright light. Wonder what her secret is.

Thanks.

I think it may be a fungus of some sort- I've gotten that on cv. 'Noelle' too, which is related to cv. 'Joy', isn't it? Neem oil or funginex might be worth trying. When I've had this problem before it seemed pretty stubborn, so maybe I would go with the stronger chemical solution (funginex).

thanks for the suggestion, Mark. I'll pick up Neem at Floorcraft. Can you use funginex inside?

I'd take it outside to spray, and let it dry before bringing it back in. Aside from being a harsh chemical, funginex smells hideous. There is a Bayer product that has a systemic fungicide built in, intended mostly for roses, but I haven't had good results with it. There are some systemic fungicides that work well, perhaps a greenhouse grower might know better. Carol?

There are systemic fungicides but they are mucho muy pricey and are used in rotation with eachother so...can't use just one. I rotate between Rally and Clearys # something...use one or the other every week. Could be a fungus...funny how some of the leaves have them and others not....

I have those bumps on my cv. Noelle and cv. Joy. They don't seem to appear if the leaves are in high, but indirect light. However, they seem to appear if the leaves are in direct light. I think of them as charming additions to my leaves and as an indicator of blooms to come.

My sister, Joy (after whom I named the hoya) is the same way....so is her daughter, Noelle.... Both are lovely, large as life (in the good sense) but prone to unexplicable bumps, growth spurts and lovely flowers.

Thanks for all the advice - as I mentioned, the new leaves don't have them yet, so perhaps it's beating the fungus, or whatever it is. Talk about huge leaves, the last one was as big as a dessert dish! The quilting of the leaves is groovy, too. What an honor to have a hoya named after you! Is your sis into hoyas, Carol?

Julia,

I don't have the cv. joy, but my cv. noelle has those bumps. Every now and then I spray it with Tinactin, and it seems to keep the spread of the bumps in check. I guess I really don't even notice them anymore, and like Ann mentioned, mine seemed to become more prevalent once the plant was moved to a more direct light exposure.

Sara

Joy? Kinda into plants... Not OCP like me!!!

You mean I can use my hubby's athelete's foot spray on them? Fabulous! I was told to use Tinactin on the black spots on my Kerriis, and it seems to clear them up a bit.

Julia, I have used tinactin and its generic counterpart for a couple of years now with no adverse effects. It is handy too, as I don't have to move anything, just run around spraying......It doesn't really stink either, I just have so many plants, that I tend to get gassed by the are sol........:) I don't think my husband knows that I use his stuff on my plants! HA! Not much is just his, and I am sure that he wouldn't appreciate knowing that his tinactin is common property too.

Sara

Funny, my husband groans every now and again about how I've taken over all the windows for hoyas. I did it when we moved in together and he was on his best behavoir, so he really can't change the arrangement now. There are over 100 plants in our flat! When he makes a comment about my hoya addiction, I tell him it's healthier than smoking crack, LOL.



This message was edited Jul 27, 2007 10:19 PM

Hey Julia, how is you cv. 'Joy' doing now?

Hi Mark, all the new leaves are bump-free - and gorgeous, I might add. They are HUGE, and quilted. I'd post a photo, but I'm at work.

Good to hear! Did you move it to a different light exposure?

Julie, did you move your plant into less direct sunlight? Or, was it a case of anti-fungal treatment?
Ann

Ooops- great minds think alike, and at the same time, huh Ann?

Actually, I moved it to my office window where it gets direct light until 2 or so. My office is a lot warmer than my flat so I wonder if that has something to do with it? Or maybe it just miraculously healed itself - the new leaves are as big as the ones I got on a latifolia cutting rec'd from another member of this forum yesterday. It seems very happy in its new environment, as it's sending out three new stems, one about 12" long....

Okay, here a few pictures. The entire plant, bumps and all, and the new leaves, which are clean so far....

new leaf:

That's a beautiful leaf, Julia. Don't you love the texture?

I do...it's billowing. I can't wait to see flowers some day.

Carol, cv Joy and Noelle are your creations? I didn't know that.