Sara (green071) has declared herself to "suck" at growing the carnosa hindu rope and so she gave hers to me (bless her, I think it's beautiful).
So, I need some advice on how to successfully grow this glorious plant - does it need to dry out or stay moist, direct or indirect sun, etc., etc., etc.
Thanks!!
Oh how darn pretty, I suck at this one too, but I keep on trying. Oh David, this one is for you, your rope is beautiful...
I water mine a little more than the other outside hoyas. Most I let get almost dry...this one, I feel the top & if it is starting to dry out or the pot is feeling "light"...I water it.
Sara didnt "suck" too much at growing it, what a lovely rope you inherited!...I agree with Marcy, this one likes it a bit more on the moist side...
Sandy
Thanks for that info Marcy and Sandy!!
I grow one around a coconut palm which it is hugging with fond affection. It gets rained on often...and grows in high indirect light...and blooms.
There is another in the greenhouse which I grow in a low light area, I water it when it is dry and it is growing like a weed and blooming all over itself!!!! I DO keep up on the BATS with this one as the mealie bugs just LOVE to cuddle in those closed spaces!!!
I do get the impression that it, like all of the rest of the carnosa family, DOES like humidity even tho it doesn't like soggy feet!
Sara...what a loving thing to send your plant to Ann... You want a smaller one to play with? Your plant looks beautiful...
Carol
Ohh no, Carol, but thank you so much for the offer. This is NOT my first hindu rope, but my 4th or 5th!! Ha! They seem to do really well for about 1 1/2 years, then all of a sudden I will begin loosing leaves, then stems, then the whole darn plant. No bugs that I have ever found, just watering issues for me.
That particular plant has bloomed twice, and has actually done the best, but I found it likes HIGH light, and when it was moved for painting it began sulking, and even after being moved back, it continued sulking. I figured I would pass it on, before it "passed on"
Tami, LOL, good to know that I am not the only one out there that can't grow a hindu rope! It is a bit frustrating though, as I love the appearance and the texture of the leaves.........
Yes, I too will watch with interest to see what the experts suggest, as I can't ever seem to get this one right.
S
Sandy, thank you for the compliment, it is a really pretty plant, but one that I just can't seem to get right. If you look closely at the picture, you will see that there are yellow leaves up at the top. There would be considerably more, if I hadn't spent a bit of time "cleaning" it up before shipping it off to Ann.
S
I I totally drown my compacta when the top inch of soil is dry, even letting it sit in water until its soaked up. I keep it 3 feet back from a window that faces south-east - a very hot sun comes in there a lot of the day but it doesn't get too much of it. Mine is 15+ years old and blooms like a fool.
Christine
What is so amazing is that this plant seems to run the gamut of light and watering. I am going to do my best, but wow, I am stumped as to the best course of action. I think I will start with bright light and let it get almost dry before watering it and see how that works. If, in a couple of weeks it's unhappy, I'll try some direct sun and more water.
Thanks everyone for your advice - I truly appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge with me!!!
Ann
Ann, try it in your new office. I have a huge compacta blooming in a bright window at work. It is quite the conversation piece!
Mel
Sara, I would love to see your growing habits with the hoyas you really do well with!....although you have posted pics and they all look awesome.....i had to cut mine into cuttings as it got that lovely black spot and spread to other leaves..
Christine sent me cuttings quite awhile back and traded with my Mom also and hers is doing well ....slow but growing...so is mine...I am a sucker for it....even for the variegated forms....and as Carol said, BATS and compacta go hand in hand!....
Sandy
Excellent - Thanks Mel! I think I will take it there. I know the window is bright, but I don't believe any direct sunlight gets in until quite late in the afternoon, so I agree with you, it will be a perfect place for it.
:-)
Ann
I had a gorgeous compacta that I killed by leaving it out on a "frosty" night, but before that I treated it like I do all my hoyas, and especially the carnosas, I water when dry. With the carnosas, that sometimes means bone dry.
The frost didn't actually kill the plant, but almost, and weakened it to the point that it was never the same. Foolishly I tried extra water to rejuvenate it, and it was that overwatering that was the final straw. I have some consolation in knowing that part of the plant is alive and well and living in California, thru some cuttings I sent there before MamaCompacta passed on to that big greenhouse in the sky.
Here is all I have left of my poor compacta, I love the color pink of compacta flowers....
Well I talked with Ann on the phone tonight and I filled her in on all of my little secrets on how to grow this hoya. But as I always like to tell people what works for me may not work for you.
My way of growing it has produced a 10ft long plant with somewhere around 25-30 ropes that at last peduncle count had over 130,yes I had to give myself a pat on the back here as I think i've done a great job growing this plant.
Now just close your eyes and try to imagine what a 10ft long hindu rope with over 130 clusters of fully open flowers would look like!!!! If any one wants to know I can tell you what it smells like!!! Can you say S@#T----!!!!! probably my least favorite as far as hoya fragrance goes.If I can ever figure out how to use my Kodak easy share i'd be glad to show everyone just what one like that really does look like!!!
dmichael
Mine had been on it's way to being pretty big as well, before the frost incident, the ropes where a little under 4 feet long...but I take no credit, I hung it in a very bright northern window, watered when dry, no fertilizer, and basically ignored it. It wasn't my favorite plant, not until it started to flower, which it did pretty regularly. It was very depressing when I had to cut it all back after the frost damage.
I wonder sometimes why the compacta was in it's prime, and all my other hoyas were at their best, when I lived near the water...of course the bright light was a big help, but never have I seen my plants (and not just the hoyas) so healthy and vigorous....I really think it is all the minerals in the air that evaporate off of salt water.
I know what you mean, Christine. My compacta hangs right over my office chair. When it is in bloom, I suddenly develop a craving for chocolate!
Mel
Dr. Kitty,
Do you happen to know a cat psychologist? I think Oscar has a problem. He does not realize he is to big for his kitten condo. I guess he thinks he is a "cat in the box".
As well, I fear he has a sleep disorder!
One thing you gotta love about cats, they know all about being comfortable!
Really cute, Mel.
LOL, Mel. Oscar is HILARIOUS!! Don't you just love how cats try and jam themselves into the smallest of places? What a cutie!!!
Ann
FINALLY!! I've been searching for months to identify this hoya. I even went back to the place I bought it and they only knew it was a hoya but had no idea of the cultivar. So it's Hindu Rope is the common name. Does anyone have the botanical name? I'll have to read up I guess to find out what makes them bloom. I've had mine about a year and it's grown like crazy and I've divided it off into several pots now...but no blooms. I bought it for its interesting foliage. What a bonus to find out they flower!!
Hi Schemichael and welcome to the Hoya forum.
Its bontaical name is Hoya compacta. It will bloom when it is rootbound enough and it gets enough light and is watered properly. This thread covers most of that I think. I got mine as a small plant and it took four years to flower. Keep it in very bright light, but out of direct sun, unless its very early morning or very late afternoon. Make sure the pot you keep it in is small as it won't bloom unless its rootbound. And cutting it to make new plants will only serve to cut off new growth that flowers will form on, so you might not want to do that anymore if you want it to flower.
The main message I could give you here is that you'll have to be patient to see flowers on your compacta. But they will be a joy once you do.
Good luck!
Christine
Mine blooms when I ignore it, don't water it and yell at it!
Mine is blooming like crazy right now. It gets ignored most of the time and is totally root bound, I have never pruned or trimmed it, wouldn't want to prune off any bloom spurs. I now have it located on the back deck area, bright light but no direct sun. I originally had it out on the pool deck in full sun (filtered somewhat by the screen) but the foliage started to not look so great, and some leaves were a bit sunburned. I keep it on the dry side but spray it with the garden hose about once or twice a week in this hot weather, and a couple of weeks ago I gave it a shot of diluted bloom booster fertilizer when I was feeding my orchids.
... I need to go take a close look at it and check for mealy bugs ... compacta seems to be a mealy magnet in this hot, humid climate. I used Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub last year, gave the entire plant a good dunk, and it took care of those little white cottony critters!
Hoya compacta is a lovely hoya, and it is very easy to take care of. It likes a bright place but not in direct sunlight but that is almost the rule for all hoyas. My plant is growing 40 cm (15,7 inches) from the a small south facing window. And I water it once a week, but then I water it wet through.
My plant has 5 clusters of flowers now, and maybe about 10 buds in different sizes.
Good luck, it is a very nice hoya to grow.
Wow Marie and PL, both of your plants are very nice!! I have this one, but it's not as long as either of yours.
Blessings,
Awanda
Thank you Christine! With your information and a little more digging I found it's Hoya Compacta "Krinkle Kurl". Cute. I appreciate all the care info. It would never have occurred to me to let it get rootbound to get it to bloom, but I will now!! The little pot in the picture ought to be just small enough and, for now, it's sitting on the table on my deck where it gets tons of bright light but no direct sun. And, with lots of other plants to worry about, it'll get ignored plenty.
I'm loving all the info here on DG. It's fabulous as are all my fellow fanatic gardeners.
Thanks again! Michael
I suspect this will be my first of many more hoyas. Maybe get me off my hosta obsession.
Michael, Don't count on it! I went from streps to hoyas to hostas to hoyas again, with hellebores, hibiscus, ferns and orchids mixed in. Kinda like chocolate and gold....you can never have enough!
Sarah
lol! You're probably right Sarah..It's just varying degrees of obsession. I'm only limited by the amount of space in my yard, my mom's yard, my son's yard, my daughter's yard...hehehe
You can also have multiple obsessions...mine are Hoyas, begonias and Pelargoniums.
Oh yeah. I forgot to mention clematises! LOL.
Sarah
Yep, multiple obsessions - clematis, dischidias, hostas, passiflora (although I only have one currently) and hoyas!
Kelly
LOL, Christine. Watch out. It takes only one flower that catches your fancy, and you're hooked. Kinda like hoyas! Or epiphyllums, another obsession which I forgot to mention above.
