A few weeks ago I started a thread for your slowest growing Hoya. Now I'm starting a thread for your fastest growing Hoya. I nominate H. magnifica, which has gone from three chopped up, unrooted, one node cuttings to 12 inches of new growth in six weeks. Right now it seems to be growing at a rate of over an inch per day. The four inch pot is so full of roots, they are coming out the bottom of the pot. It is a little scary, and will be interesting to continue to watch.
Doug
As a side note, Its still really early, but I'm very encouraged with the positive changes my Hoyas are making under my new T-5 lighting system. Good growth and the leaves are greening up really nicely. My H. retusa is going from yellowed leaves to nice dark green ones in a short period. Most of the plants have new growth. So far so good. I will update periodically.
Doug
I don't have a picture right now, but I nominate H. guppyi as my fastest growing hoya. It's an eriostemma, and is growing gangbusters in a south-east facing window. It was a 2 node cutting a year ago, and is still in the 4" pot that I rooted it in. The longest vine is at least 10 feet, and I've taken several cuttings from it, which just prompts it to send out new shoots.
Christine
Doug...H. magnifica is getting ready to bloom...thus the fast growth, I reckon. Your little ones will shortly (next year?) be putting out fabulous blooms!!!
I nominate H. cv. Ruthie.
Christine, it will be hard to top that kind of growth that you H. guppyi has put on. Carol that would be really cool if that thing bloomed for me in the next year. It is my only Hoya with fuzzy leaves - they are fun to touch. Susan, I am going to try to get cuttings from H. obovata next year. I got a cutting of it in the Round Robin, and it looked like it was doing great, and then it almost died instantly. I had to have over watered it. One of the few cuttings that I have ever lost. I loved the shape of the leaf so I am for sure going to try it again.
Doug
Doug, I will send you a rooted plant and I think I still have your address. How much longer do I have to ship before it gets too cold in your parts? I'm a bit of a procrastinator but will let you know when the package is enroute. I owe Nan some sans, too, so maybe I can get going. The shipping charges are on me.
S
This message was edited Oct 11, 2007 1:45 PM
Susan,
There is probably a three week window of opportunity before I would no longer trust the weather. I would absolutely love a rooted plant! but I insist on at least paying for the shipping. I will dmail you my shipping address for plants, which is my work place. My other address is a P.O. Box and I don't generally send plants there.
Doug
For me H. albiflora (similar to magnifica) and H. 'Iris Marie' have been the fastest- both I received last year as small rooted plant and this year they are among my largest hoyas. No blooms yet, but perhaps this fall/winter.
Doug, your lighting system is the bomb!!! What a great setup. I would say that two of mine are equally quick in growth: H. lamingtonii puts out new growth like gangbusters, and H. pubicalyx 'Royal Hawaiian Purple' just doesn't ever seem to let up - it seems like I always have those really beautiful dark purple leaves and vines on that plant.
Yes, I would say the pubicalyx top the list here. However I have a H. pusilla that I got from Carol as a little plant in 2005, and it is now a big full plant that hangs down about 4 feet from the pot. Now that is some serious growin.
Doug...you should get a H. calycina. It is like an australis only with VERY fuzzy leaves and grows like gangbusters. Mine hasn't bloomed yet but it has had buds that blasted for some reason. I have read that the blooms are like those of australis too.
Marcy
It constantly amazes me all the names of these Hoyas that keep coming up thatI have never heard of. H. calycina, and H. lamingtonii are new names for me and sound like really cool plants to own. I will look for pictures in the plant files.
Ann, my lighting system really would be the bomb if I didn't have to pay for the electricity. If I ran all the lights that I currently have for 16 hours per day, it would cost me about $80.00 per month. Our electric rates are in the top 10 percent in the country. If electricity were free I would fill the house with them, because even with windows in the house, VT is just too cloudy. It is nothing for us to go 10 days with no sun. It gets depressing after a while.
Mark, I ordered an H. albiflora over the summer from an ebay vendor who did a very bad job of packaging. The plant had two leaves and a stem when pictured on ebay. When I received it, the box was crushed the stem was gone, and both leaves were very damaged. I eventually lost the leaves all together. There are two little nubs of growth that have been sitting about an 1/8 of an inch out of the pot now for about seven weeks. I've pulled the plant apart and the roots look really healthy so I've still got hope that maybe those nubs will grow and the plant will pull through.
Doug
I'll bet it will, Doug. Albiflora really wants to grow.
Some of the plants that have been mentioned here are closely related- from the same general region and with similar (but larger on some plants) leaves and white, fragrant flowers with a tiny bit of red around the corona.
Australis- 1/2" to 3/4" flowers.
Calycina- 1" to 1-1/2" flowers
Albiflora- 1-1/2" to 2" flowers
Magnifica- 2" to 2-1/2" flowers
(all those are approximate.)
They are all very vigorous growers, and have very strong root systems that quickly fill up their pots.
Thanks for that information Mark.
Doug
