Susan,for me this plant is a fast grower,though I have heard a few on here say that it isn't one of their best growers. I've cut several feet at a time off of this plant to share with people and it just springs back with an abundance of new growth each time.
I grow mine in bright indirect light,keep the soil moist but not soaking wet,plenty of air movement and I fertilize it using the beer formula for 3-4 waterings and then I do 2 waterings with just plain water to flush the soil.
dmichael
Hoya Subcalva....
David, has it ever bloomed for you? Mine is much smaller, and developed a peduncle, which it subsequently dropped....Julia
Wow, that's great that you were able to get a peduncle so early, Julia. Good growing! You will get another one in no time. It's obviously very happy. Do you happen to have a picture of yours?
It's in my office, alas, so I don't have photo...I'll try to take one with my camera phone next time I go. It also had the leaf distortion that Mark mentioned, but seems to have outgrown it.
Julia
ps. I think it was just luck that it had a peduncle so young for me...Or the fact that Carol gave a a very healthy start!
I got my subcalva from Logee's today!! Here's a pic. Very healthy, and very well packaged. There are 2 cute new leaves on it - they are an interesting color, but I couldn't get a nice close-up for some reason.
Ah..Ha....so Logees gets those weird colored new leaves too. I sure wonder what causes that. Some of mine come out like that & others are just green. Strange.
Marcy
Oh, so that's the weird color you guys were talking about, huh? I wonder if it's just the new growth that has that coloring, and if it will turn the regular green when the leaves grow out. I'll have to see - I'll keep you all posted.
Gabi
I have this color on new growth, in H.pazia and H.macgillivrayii,when the leaves grow out
they turn green.
I think it depends on how much sun light those hoyas gets. Another H.mac that I have
with less light,dosent have this maroon color.
Gabi,enjoy your new hoya.
Julia,my plant hasn't bloomed yet but that's probably because I always seem to be so clipper happy with it taking cuttings to share that i've probably cut all of my would be peduncles off!!!
I grow this hoya in high indirect light and it always has those rosy bronze new leaves but as they mature they turn a nice shiny green.
Interesting, maybe subcalva has peculiar new leaves - on mine, the leaves were weirdly contorted as well as being strangely-colored. But like Maykela, says, the new leaves that seem distorted developed into normal green leaves. My macgillivrayii also has funky-colored new leaves.
David, I bet yours blooms before you know it - that plant is huge!
Julia
Wahoo! My Logee's order arrived today too! Had to wait until after work to open- made the day seem forever. My subcalva newest leaves were that same strange color but they were large. Hmmmm.. ALso got the lauterbachii! Didn't realize that would be fuzzy. My first fuzzy Hoya! Wahoo again! Also got lacunosa, purpureofusca. Then 2 other non-Hoya plants. Ahh Hoya heaven
It's not just a maroon color like the new leaves of some hoyas (pubicalyx Red Buttons, cembra, montana, certain australis, and Iris Marie.) It is more like a fall colored maple leaf. They seem to have various shades of red, gold, green and maroons that are scattered throughout the leaf & then after a time ....turn into the normal green leaves. It is a strange hoya.
I will try to get a picture soon.
I ended up breaking down and ordering the one from Logees too. Just have to see if it is different when it blooms.....that is assuming I can keep them alive until then. Ha Ha.
Marcy
Exactly, Marcy. Like fall leaves. Well put. And the leaves are funky shapes, too, but grow into normal leaves.
Julia
This is a late response to Gary's Out of Africa. He is one of my very favorite growers. I buy streptocarpus and other gesneriads from him. He is one fine guy and grower. You will never be disappointed in him.
gail
Hi gail
I did get my order from him and the plants were wonderful! I was extremely pleased. I got Episcias. Ordered 10 - he sent me 11. I finally found him on the vendor list and left a comment. I've never grown streps. But then I've never grown the Episcias before either! LOL Don't get me started on another addiction...
Diane
Diane,
I am not good with episcias though I love them. They require a lot of warmth and humidity especially in the winter time. Mine are on the gro light stands right now, but they really are best in a terrarium environment.
They can be propagated so easily by either stolon on leaves (assuming they get lots of warmth and humidity again)
I am addicted to streps, the easiest flower I have ever grown. They bloom for 2 months and take about a 6 week rest and start up again. Streps can take temps ranging from 55-75 but don't like heat.
gail
I have them in an aquarium-converted terrarium. Hmmm...might move it though. It's close to the front door facing north. What do you do with your streps in summer? Assuming you're part of Texas is hot like mine. Probably hotter! Do they go completely dormant when resting?
Oh and when you say propagate by leaves, do you do it the same as Afr. Violets? Sometimes I even do those in water.
First of all, my streps never ever go outside. They enjoy the air conditioning but my episicas enjoyed being outside on the porch in the shade (but we have real high humidity in south Texas)
There are several ways to propagate the leaves of streps. If you use the petiole and about 3" of leaf you only get one great strong strep from the one growing point on the leaf (the petiole).
However, if you take slices of the leaf in wedges about 2" long you will get the growing point of the stem plus each vein on either side of the petiole; thus you will probably get 3 good new streps.
For safety and sure growing I use 1/2 perlite and 1/2 vermiculite to grow them in under a dome of some kind. Some people use their regular av mix with perlite and vermiculite but they rot easily this way.
Here I just got one big strep from each leaf.........they are actually blooming in 21/2" pots right now.
For all the streps you could want, you can take the leaf and turn it over on the kitchen sink...........take a razor blade and cut the mid vein out of the leaf giving you two pieces to plant in the perlite and vermiculite.
Let me give you a few pictures of comparison........may tell you more than i can in words.......
Here they were in wedges...................getting more than 3 each from a wedge sliced across the leaf........
I meant to find the pic of the deveined leaf..........will find it for you. These are just grown from seed pods i gathered and opened. Now I have 2 big trays full of these half grown from seed. They won't come true from seed but you most definitely get the trait of the mama.
I found a picture of taking the mid vein out and planting the two sides of the leaf but I put her in vermiculite........which slows it down a bit as opposed to 1/2 perlite and 1/2 vermiculite. I wish you could see this picture now as she is a leaf of Spiritual Corridor and babies galore!!!!!!!!
Wow! Nice setup there. I've never owned a Strep before but have tried the leaf cuts on begonias with no luck. As for seeds, I've bought seeds online several times but usually only 2 will germinate but then would die later. Finally this past spring-summer I bought Cissus antarctica seeds- the 2 usual came up but I actually still have them going! Yea!
I set my Episias in a 10 gal aquarium with plexiglass lid but want to plant them in a larger one. DOn't think they would make it outside here. WInds would get them. I also had a lot of damage to my tropicals outside a few weeks ago from an unexpected hail storm. Beat everything to death. But winds are really bad here. Does your part of Texas battle the winds we do? Less humidity for us so it's hot drier winds.
Diane,
From early March until October we battle 30-45 mph winds every day. The only good news is that we have high humidity so it keeps us cool in the heat.
You and I may have to visit sometime (I have to take a nap now) about propagation. Begonia leaves root faster than any plant. You probably don't have good enough domes as covers to keep in high humidity.