Re potting a Hoya after MANY years !!

Hi ..

I have a beautiful Hoya that is EXTREMELY 'pot bound' and has been for OVER 10 years .. the plant hasn't bloomed for me in 3 years .. it used to bloom quite often.
I have avoided re potting as it is going to be a tough job .. actually I do believe it'll be a 3 person job .. one person to hold up the vines so person 2 can get at the old pot and person 3 can put the new pot into position so as to give person one a rest .. I'm opting for the person 3 position :-)

The 'other scenario' would be to 'cut it back' before repotting ... uggggg ... I just felt my heart grow heavy .. I really do think that this scenario is a bit tough to take !!

I will post some pics of the plant, as it is now, later .. actually .. there is a pic of it in the 'Hoya Forum' somewhere :-)

Cheers

~Marilynne~

Marilynne: I remember someone posting awhile back about repotting a large hoya ... it might have been Hoya24 or dmichael. If I remember correctly they made a slit in a plastic bag (like a grocery store bag) placing it around the base of the plant with all stems and foliage inside the bag so that only the root ball was exposed below the slit ... made it easier to reposition the plants root ball into it's new container. I will try to find the post and come back here to link you to it. It was a great idea and sure made things a lot easier for repotting a larger hoya.

Ooh, found it a lot quicker than I thought I would! It was dmichael319 who posted about it. Here's the link:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/799207/

Sure would be hard for me to cut back a large specimen just to give it a new container. Hope you will post pic's of your plant!

Hi Lin


I have 2 pics in which you can see my predicament ...

First now .. sorry .. didn't have 'crop time' :-)

~M~

And #2

M

Whoa .. just looked at the link and the explanation .. only problem is going tobe the length of the 'vines and the fact the pot is hanging with the use of one of those macrame plant hangers .. which I have NO attachment to :-)

I have rooted a group of three of the leaves from this MOMMA and will be planting them today .. but .. as I said .. it took me YEARS to ge this one to this size ...

Thanks so very much .. it's gonna be an experience :-)

~M~

Marilynne,

Gorgeous hoya! I'm just wondering why it hasn't bloomed in 3 years. Did you prune it and maybe cut of the peduncles while doing so? But even if you did cut them off, they should be growing back by this time. And it looks so healthy.

Anyway, repotting will be difficult, but I think you have the right idea - get 3 people and you'll get the job done!

Good luck :)
Gabi

I repotted my first hoya, a carnosa, many times over the 22 years I had it, and its not as hard as it seems. And in the end it was in a pot that was as high as my knees and the foliage densely covered a six foot high four foot wide trellis. (I gave it to the new owners of my house when I moved!) You will definitely need to cut it out of your macrame hanger though! I just laid mine on the floor (alone!), eased it out of its pot and into the new pot that I prepared beforehand. Having someone hold the foliage steady would help.

Christine

Yes, if the pot is in one of those macrame hangers you will definitely have to cut the macrame to get it all untangled for re-potting!

Forgot to ask, what's the name on that hoya? It sure is a Beauty ... I would never have the heart to cut up something that pretty ... I would just do whatever it takes to keep it all in one piece and get it into a new pot.

I bet there is no soil left in that pot, I have a feeling it is full of nothing but hoya roots and if you've been feeding and watering, it's just going in one end and out the other. As for not blooming, I don't know what would cause lack of blooms.

I think not being able to take up nutrients might cause the lack of blooms. If there is very little soil left, the water's just running straight through and the plant may be absorbing just enough to stay alive.

C

Gosh .. i haven't a clue what type of Hoya it is .. my Mom brought a cutting back from her winter in Florida over 20 years ago .. rooted it and .. voila .. the Hoya began :-)

I rooted it once before and took that one to the unit I work on at the hospital .. it did pretty well until someone stole it !!
So .. this one has major sentimental value attached to it .. and re potting is going to have to happen sooner as opposed to later as I am noticing that every so often a leaf yellows and falls off.
I am positive the 'screwmajiggy'thing is in a stud .. so .. hopefully it can support a bigger pot!! Actually .. it FER SURE needs a BATH!!! It hangs about 4 feet away from the woodstove and It has ash on it :-( it doesn't get full sun .. but indirect sun from the south .. hm .. it seems to do well anywhere in the house .. was even wondering about the bathroom .. but then I don't know about the humidity factor .. such angst over a plant LoL ...
That plastic bag method is looking and sounding better by the minute.

Thanks to all of you for your great advice .. I so appreciate it :-)

~M~

Marilyn, I would guess that your big beautiful hoya is a carnosa, just by the leaves. But, since that's fairly risky, do the flowers look like the attached picture? The colour is a little faded out from the flash, but they are a pale pink with a dark red centre.

C.

I do believe you're right C :-) I am wracking my brain here .. the flowers weep a clear fluid and the peduncle itself looks totally fake :-) Someone once thought I had bought artificial flowers and stuck them on the vines ..

Gorgeous photo C. here's hoping the re potting will give my Hoya the BOOST it needs to bloom !!!

~M~