Has anyone here had experience with h. thomsonii? Most of the internet sites I found with information were European, so I was wondering if anyone in the U.S., maybe even the northeast ? :), had any experience....some sites say it's easy to grow, others that it's not for beginners....any info or photos would be greatly appreciated...thanks!
SR
hoya thomsonii info?
Here's the link to PF for that one: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57798/ The only photo there is from AlohaHoya. When she comes along and sees your post maybe she will have some tips for you on growing that one. It sure is pretty!
I received H. thomsonii in the Spring D. Lidldle order, and knock on wood, so far it seems to be very healthy with three active growing tips. Since it has a fuzzy leaf, I'm treating it kind of like H. serpens - cool and kind of damp, not letting the soil dry out between watering. However, I would also love to know what would be its preferred conditions.
Doug
Mine grew wonderfully at first. Then it budded up and blasted and blasted and blasted again. Then it just sat there for a year and did nothing. So I chopped it all up and started it over. I have some new growth, but by watering it like most of the rest of my hoyas - drench and dry. Hmm, a fussy but contrary hoya? Maybe it just likes the chunky potting mix its in now.
Christine
Thanks guys....Doug, I think you're on the right track...I did read somewhere that it's from near the Himalayas and I think cool is probably the way to go...unless I hear otherwise I'm going to try for the same conditions you have...
And Christine, I can't tell you how much I admire you people that are willing to just chop up a misbehaving hoya, stick it back in the pot, and start over again...I'm SUCH a wimp :)....It's just sickening when they bud and blast like that---it probably felt pretty good to chop that little sucker up...LOL...
Shelley
Thanks Shelly; yes it did feel good! I have it on a stand in a south-facing window, but its behind a few others so it doesn't get any direct sun. I think I'll move it to my north room and see how it does there; and maybe I won't let it get so dry between waterings too - maybe I would have seen new growth sooner. Good advice Doug, thanks.
Christine
I have 2 plants....the first is a few cuttings I rooted 2 years ago, and it has proved to be very very slow to get started..the second is a plant a friend found me in Europe which was alreay a good size, and it has doubled in size this year and at present is full of buds.....Ill post pictures next week or whenever it finally opens the buds. I have grown this one cooler, but let it dry out between waterings, then soaked it with water, and it has seemed to like it
Dominic
Years ago (maybe 6) when I first started growing hoyas I had a beautiful H. thomsonii - it grew outside in the rain, in the shade with a bit of sun....bloomed to beat the band and then it went south. It kept going south. I repotted it and it went further south. I cut it up and half of the cuttings rotted and the other half pouted.
I have no clue about this hoya. I would like to try it again (maybe....). I think it may have gotten a fungus which can happen especially to the densely leafed plants. Maybe I will try it again!! It is a beauty!!!!
Shelley,
I got mine in a David Liddle order (last year) and it's been growing really well. It seems to grow better in the colder months...it hasn't done much this summer. So it probably likes to be kept on the cooler side. Anyway, I have mine in a dark colored solo cup with holes poked in the bottom, and I water once a week (I don't think I keep it too wet, but not too dry either). It's in eastern exposure.
Hope that helps,
Gabi
Thanks so much....Carol--your report is kind of depressing, but if it does prefer cooler temps maybe I'll have better luck with my nasty Pittsburgh winters :)
Gabi--I ordered this plant in the DL order too, and lost it, which is why I'm trying again...it seems like our growing conditions are probably similar, so I'm pretty encouraged by what you have to say...thanks!
Shelley
I have been growing Thomsonii almost 2 years and I find that letting it dry out before watering works best for me. It hasn't bloomed yet, but it is healthy and full. So far I've grown it inside under grow lights.
Blessings,
Awanda
Awanda....good to see you posting!!! Can you go to the Propagation thread and explain how you grow your hoyas in dry arid AZ. You do such a great job!!!
Carol since I grow all of my hoyas in a greenhouse, I doubt that it would be of help:-).
Blessings,
Awanda
Still watching my buds swell on my thomsonii.....seems like a lifetime.......never flowered it before, and I have 9 umbrels each with between 9 and 11 fat white buds ready to burst forth and impress me...!!
Dominic
Wow, that will be impressive with so many buds ... especially if they all open at once!
Dominic---how exciting!!!!! Could you tell me what your conditions are? Warm, cool, wet, dry? Also, how long have you had the plant? Years? Thanks so much...
Shelley
I grow it outside, under shade cloth. The area I grow in at the moment is cooler on one side, and warmer on the other where it is more protected. Its on the warm side, although I had heard it likes cooler conditions. I have 2 plants. One is from cuttings I rooted, which has sat idle for over 2 years and not really done anything, the other is a plant I got which has grown quite quickly, but Ive only had this plant a year or so. It quickly threw out peduncles with its new growth, tho it already had about 5 on the original growth. All in all I had nearly 20 peduncles start to bud up, but the others really didnt do anything, and will drop quite soon, as the buds are small and reddish. The plant isnt big enough to support so many
These other ones left look fine and are all about 1.5cm across, very white and look ready to open any day. This one I let dry out in between waterings. The leaves are quite hard, and, well so far, its responded well to my conditions.
I have a lot of new growth starting on a lot of Hoyas at the moment, and a lot are budding up..it seems a bit late in the year for a new burst of growth....but, maybe when its the height of summer they slow down for a break...only a few more years growing here will tell me that.
Dominic
When I had this hoya I remember that it liked cool temps... at least when it was budding up and boy did it bud up a lot! And just as often blasted over and over again... However, I often had several umbels open at the same time and the fragrance/smell was nice but way too strong for me! In my opinion, one or two umbels are more than enough when growing this one inside...
It often dried up from underneath, i e the stem closest to the soil dried up, and I chopped it up and started over. I did this several times during the years I had this hoya and now that I don't have it I honestly can't say that I miss it!
/Christina
http://www.myhoyas.com/Hoya%20thomsonii%20min.htm
It IS a pretty thing...but then I detected a faint odor of rotten horse poop in the flowers. Do I watn to grow it again?
Rotten Horse poop???????????
:))) Ill let you know Carol. They have to open some day soon
Got a faint whiff of something off my H retusa today late morning....it's smothered in flowers, but until today I had smelt nothing. Strange Hoya, retusa..... dont quite know what to think about it. Looking at it from the top of the basket could be mistaken for grass
Strong smell...tho not as strong as expected. If you sniff too clase, you cant get rid of the smell in your nostrills for a while
Ahhhh, but the question is, what does it smell strongly of????? Did you, in fact, detect any odor of rotten horse poop?
Gorgeous photo!
SR
Smells strong, but not too strong.Kinda lacunosy with ginger..not unpleasant, quite nice, but not my favourite and if you sniff too close, you cant get the smell out of your nose for a while..and its addictive, so while youre thinking .'Im not going to have a close sniff again cos it'll linger up my nose' .then you go back and do just that..again and again.
8 more umbrels to open today and tomorrow..might be a bit too much
Thanks Dominic.....I'll look forward to flowers now :)....even though that's probably years in the future for my little plant....
Shelley