Oh, pretty H. obovata bloom! I have a small obovata that I got in my very first trade on the houseplant forum when I joined DG! Can't wait for it to bloom!
January Blooms
My australis 'keysii' is blooming again. It's hanging in the bathroom because it's too cold outside.
I never noticed the strong scent of it before. We're usually inside in the evening when the smell is stronger. My hubby says it's hanging in the "right" room. He said "too bad we don't have a horse barn. It smells like horse $^&@*"...
I have to keep the door closed, the smell is so strong. LOL
That is a really pretty one! Looks like a very large plant. Does it really smell that bad? I used to not like the scent of DS-70 but it has grown on me and I really like it now.
edited to say: But, I wouldn't want one that smelled like Horse doo doo!
This message was edited Jan 4, 2008 11:01 PM
I think anything can smell bad if you don't like it..... I love the scent of H. australis.....but too strong could be unpleasant....maybe?
Hanging outside it's ok, not too strong. But it was in a small bathroom. We had to keep the door closed. It doesn't smell like doo doo, but like a perfumy urine. At first I thought my granson (who is six, and staying with us for a week) missed the bowl. On closer inspection, we figured out it was the australis. The weather has wamen up and now all the hoya are back outside. Thank goodness.!!!
Wierd! I read somewhere they smell fresh like spring time...Maybe they meant springtime in the pasture?!
LOL
I guess noses are different, huh? Just as some of us prefer one type of cologne that others can't tolerate ... same must go for plant perfume!
Must be what it is,Lin!
christina thinks H. magnifica smells like a stable...i love it...others agree with her, others with me. Goes to show you CAN'T TRUST ANYONE TO MAKE YOUR DECISIONS FOR YOU!!!!
yUKYUKYUK....
my shooting star just opened up yeah! no smell though i guess it might be a good thing.
Hi Candela, Your Multiflora (shooting star) looks really healthy. Can you tell me what growing conditions your have yours in? I am having a devil of a time getting mine to take do good. The leaves keep turning yellow. Every one of my other hoyas are going great but this one.
Thanks,
dawn
dawn
all of my plants are outside. one of the benefits of living in miami. this one gets filtered sun and quite a bit of humidity. i do give it a slow release fertilizer every once in awhile. it is funny that you mention that your shooting star your having a hard time with but all your other are going great. i am having the opposite my shooting star is doing great but my others look wilted.the leaves on this one looks flimsy
That one reminds me of my shooting star. It's living but questionable. I've tried givng mine some supertrive too hoping this would pick it up but I dont' know. I haveit in a room where the temps don't go below 65 when we're not home. It's in a room with a big bay window facing sw. So it gets bright light. I don't have it on the window sill b/c the sun can be too intense. Even in the winter I think. But like I said, EVERTHING else is doing good, great actually. It's eating me b/.c this is one that I really want to see bloom. Figures you know?
I find multiflora/javanica really prefers deepish shade!!!!!
So does H. shephardii...and all of the carnosa/pubicalyx clan.....
HTH
When my multiflora/javanica starts to get yellowing leaves (always on the bottom though) I know it went too long without water. What some people don't realize is that multiflora LOVES water, so make sure you don't treat it like most of your hoyas (letting them dry out). I keep my multifora constantly moist.
Pdoyle,
It seems like we live in a similar climate. I keep mine in full morning sun (eastern exposure), right next to my balcony door. Try keeping it moist (not wet, but evenly moist) and see if that helps. Good luck.
Gabi
Gabi: That is one Beautiful plant! I have a small multiflora I got in trade a couple of months ago. It had buds when I received it but the plant quickly went into shock and blasted the buds. A few weeks later it budded out again, and again blasted the buds! The leaves were yellowing and someone told me this Hoya loves water .... that was the problem - I was not giving it enough water. It looks a lot better now and I hope it takes off this spring and eventually gives me blooms!
How old is your plant pictured? It sure is huge and looks wonderfully healthy and happy!
Gabi, That is a vary healthy looking plant! Here is mine - poor thing.
pic #2
# 3 - This spring will make this cutting one yr old.
Pdoyle...I am going to hazard that your soil is too heavy. I would tip it out of the pot and check the roots! Your pot may also be too large. Try putting large chunks of anything in the bottom of the pot. They LOVE water but they also need to drain really really really well.... When I have a plant that is lingering, the first thing I do it to tip it out and check the roots.....
Carol - HTH
I use a mix of a little potting soil, a little perlite and a lot of orchid bark for my hoya.
Sounds good Lin....everytime I pot up, my mix gets chunkier and chunkier. i am now mixing medium orchid bark and large perlite in the bottom of my pots, and then my regular mix which is really chunky...they are loving it.
Well, then first thing tomorrow, I'll take it out its pot and check the roots. I'll also repot in a smaller pot with chunkier soil. I thought I was doing good using alot of perlite in my potting soil. I guess this one needs. Thak you everyone for your input.
Dawn
Dawn,
That wasn't what I was expecting! I would do exactly what the guru (Carol) says...hopefully it will recover. I have to agree - the mix looks pretty heavy. Good luck with it.
Lin,
Not to worry, this hoya is such a great bloomer, and now that you're watering it more and using a chunkier mix, I'm sure it'll be a bloomin' fool soon! When I first got mine in March 2007, the same thing kept happening (it would keep blasting buds). But as soon as I learned to water it more, it grew HUGE and has not stopped blooming since! It was about 17" tall in March, and it is now 3.5 feet tall. The picture below is from when I first got it in March (as you can see it's actually on the plant stand that is in the picture above, to the left of the "current" multiflora...that's how much it has grown! It had to be moved to the floor!).
Following great suggestions, I started using LOTS of perlite in my mix...especially in the bottom of the pots. Then, I found that the perlite was forming a congealed mass in the bottom of the pot, not allowing any air into the root area...BAD BAD BAD. So now i make it really chunky...heck...small gravel would work too!!!! The key ingredient here is air to the roots....
OH...and never be afraid to check your roots. They are not delicate and they are not sacred...they are the life force of your plant and most ills of the plant come from them. I tip plants out OFTEN, checking on root growth and development.
Carol, when you tip your plants out do you do it when the soil is completely dry, completely wet, or somewhere in the middle? I would think dry would be best, but I'm just curious how you do it. And I agree..these are tough plants with tough root systems. I think I repotted one of my hoyas about 5 times one season, and it never cared.
Gabi
Pdoyle, I just noticed that you wrote in your above post that you are using a lot of perlite in your potting soil. So I'm guessing that you use regular potting soil mixed with lots of perlite for your hoyas (and nothing else)? I used to do that (about 50% perlite, 50% reg. potting soil), but it was still way too heavy. I also think that the perlite floating to the top (after continued watererings) is not a good thing, because then the bottom must be mostly heavy potting mix without much perlite! So last year I started to add orchid bark to my mix (for ALL my hoyas) - so now the mix is equal parts of reg. potting soil, perlite, and orchid bark. My hoyas have never been happier (and healthier).
Again, good luck. Let us know what you find when you check out the roots.
Gabi
OK, I just dumped my pot. The roots looked white and healthy I guess. They are really small though. Real fine looking. I took a pic but you really can't see them in the pic they are that fine. The soil did seem heavy to me and it was wet. The soil I would say was dense. So I will repot it with some orchid bark in it and also use a smaller pot.
Gabi...I just tip them out whenever, but if they are dry I add a smidge of water(I want to cause the least amt. of stress to the roots and if the mix is dry I am afraid I might 'rip' a root loose). My mix is so 'fluffy' that unless there are roots it all falls apart anyway...perlite or hydroton sticking to the roots.
Dawn, aha...now you can strive for a chunkier mix. Sometimes you can find really fine gravel, or river stones, at a hardware store or a Pet Store (for fish tanks). Anything that won't compress and lets air thru....
Let us know how it goes...
I thought I would just throw my two cents in. I got a cutting of multiflora from a member back in the fall. It did terrible at first; I kept finding it wilted and the bottom leaves kept turning yellow. Once I figured out that water was key, it began to do much better. I now keep a tray below the plant filled with water at all times. It is doing great! I've already had to move it up a pot size and I have three peduncles forming buds.
Pdoyle, Everyone had great suggestions on potting mix and watering and fertilizing practices. I would have to say though that if that was my plant, I would cut it off and reroot the healthy top half, and repot the bottom half in a propper mix that way you might end up with two plants. I find they root pretty easily. I currently have five peduncles on mine ready to open. I used to only get one per year until I learned how much moisture they really like. It has not been without a blossom in nine months now.
Doug
OMG, I can't believe all the success everyone else is having. I repotted mine in small terra cotta pot too. I thought this would help with the soil. I'm scared to cut on it right now. Shouldn't I wait until spring to do that?
I try to stay away from clay pots with my hoyas, especially moisture loving ones like multiflora. They take away the moisture pretty quickly, and I think hoyas generally like plastic pots better.
I tend to agree with Doug about cutting the top part - you may end up losing the plant altogether, and if you cut off the top part then at least you have a chance in saving it. If you don't, then it might be ok, but I'd increase the likelihood by taking a cutting. I live in NY, and even though it's freezing here I still take cuttings at this time of year if I think a plant might fail on me. Just use bottom heat if you root in soil (but multiflora is the one hoya that I root in water).
Gabi
While not REALLY obvious...the days are getting longer. I notice a difference starting about now in new cuttings and the new growth in plants. We are seeing longer days... I wouldn't hesitate starting cuttings/new plants now...while I stop in October because they just sit and sulk!!!
Well then, When I get home, I will cut it up, repot the bottom part in a plastic planter and then root the other in water with some superthrive. Thanks for all the tips. I'm gonna get this thing growing I just know it! My thinking for the clay pot was to help keep the roots from staying too wet. I guess that's the reason for chunky soil.
Good thinking! It is hard to know 'who likes what'...and H. javanica (syn. multiflora) is the odd one who LOVES water!!!
Ok, well I now have 2 multiflora (Javanica).
A few photos from Carol's greenhouse, which I was lucky enough to visit last week.
H. 'Optimistic'- I think.
H. walleniana.
This message was edited Jan 24, 2008 5:45 PM
H. sussuella- I think.
