General description of hoya traits, recommendations for cultivation, transplantation, soil selection and reproduction, growing problems and pests, species. Hoya belongs to the genus of plants that never change the color of their leaves, growing in tropical zones and belonging to the Asclepiadaceae family. The homeland of this unusual flower is considered to be the southern and southeast Asian regions of the planet, as well as the western coasts of the Australian continent and the Polynesian islands. Most of the hoya representatives prefer open woodlands for their growth and use woody plants there for their support.
This exotic liana-like bush got its name in honor of the English gardener and greenhouse worker who cares for various plants from the tropics - Thomas Hoya, who lived in the late 18th and early 19th century. He served for a long time with the Duke of Northumberland, who was an amateur botanist and devoted a lot of time to exotics. In those days, such a hobby was very fashionable among the aristocracy and the duke, traveling the world, sent all the interesting specimens of the planet's flora to his chief gardener. Hoya tried to keep all heat-loving plants alive and gradually taught them to grow in cold Europe. For these merits, an ivy-like liana with delicate and unusual flowers was named in his honor. To date, about 200 species of representatives have been described and registered in the genus.
Hoya is distinguished by a shrub or semi-shrub form of growth. The branches of an adult plant can reach the 10-meter mark along the length. Creeping or climbing shoots requiring support. Young branches, which are still devoid of foliage, are cast in a brown-purple color, and then, as leaves begin to grow on them, they acquire a green tint. These thin and flexible stems usually have a lot of aerial roots. Over time, the branches become lignified.
The leaf plates are oval in shape, there is a sharpening at the top, when the leaf has just appeared, then its surface is shiny and glossy, later it becomes dull. Basically, the length of the leaf plate is measured 5-8 cm with a width of 3-5 cm, but there are species with tiny parameters. Also, many varieties have a fleshy surface and are classified as succulent plants (they can collect moisture in the leaves in order to survive periods of drought). However, with age in hoya, this property is lost, and the thickness becomes less and less. The color of the leaves is rich emerald and eye-catching.
Flowers are of particular value in hoya. The plant usually has buds of both sexes (dioecious). The shape of the flower is in the form of an asterisk with five petal-segments. Umbrella inflorescences are collected from them, which grow on special twigs-rods, which, after the end of the flowering process, do not die off, but lengthen from season to season. The length of the reddish pedicel reaches 5 cm. In diameter, the flower measures 1–2 cm (but only in the Hoya imperialis variety, the flower can open up to 8 cm in diameter). In the center of the flower, as is usually the case with representatives of the Lastovnev family, in the corolla itself is visible a crown of five segments - a convex formation that forms the spliced parts of the bud and it rises above the petals. The color of the flowers is also quite varied, there are pink, snow-white and yellowish shades. The tone is very dependent on the illumination. The petals of the buds, as if sculpted from wax, for which the people call hoya "wax ivy".
The flowers have a strong aroma, as nectar is released from them, which accumulates in the form of translucent shiny droplets. This sweet juice attracts a lot of all kinds of insects. Flowers on a bush can last from two to three weeks.
Recommendations for caring for hoya at home
- Lighting and choosing a place for the plant. The location and illumination for each type of hoya is significantly different. For example, the Karnoza variety prefers to grow in a well-shaded place, although it is hard to wait for flowers in this case. But forms with variegated leaf plates must be grown with a good level of light, otherwise the lack will lead to a loss of patterning on the leaves. Therefore, it is necessary to install the wax ivy pot on east or west facing windows. On the windowsill of the window of the northern location, it is necessary to arrange supplementary lighting with fluorescent or special phytolamps. On the south-facing window, harmful ultraviolet fluxes should be shaded with curtains made of lightweight fabrics or with gauze. The plant tolerates jumps in day and night temperatures without problems. When the days of spring heat come, you can arrange a hoye "air vacation" by taking the plant out onto a balcony, terrace or garden, choosing a place without direct sunlight and drafts. He does not like the flower when it is often rearranged from place to place, as this will postpone the time of the appearance of the buds, but if you move the plant further, then they can soon crumble.
- Content temperature. This is a fairly thermophilic plant. For the normal growth of hoya, heat indicators are maintained in the range of 22-25 degrees. But if the temperature rises to 35-40 degrees, then this will not destroy the flower, you just have to raise the humidity level. In winter, the temperature regime should not fall below 18 degrees Celsius, however, some varieties can grow even with a greater decrease of 12-15 degrees and withstand 9-10 degrees for a short time. But if in winter for the hoya the heat indices are not reduced, then in the future the plant will not give abundant flowering.
- Air humidity. If the temperature in the room does not rise above 20 degrees, then the plant does not make any special care requirements. In the case when the heat indices increase, it will be necessary to raise the moisture content in the air by all available means. To do this, you need to use mechanical humidifiers, spray a bush, put vessels with water next to the plant, or install a pot with hoya in a deep and wide container, at the bottom of which there is a layer of expanded clay or broken brick and a little water is poured. For spraying, it is recommended to take only rain or distilled water, since hard water will leave whitish lime marks on the leaves. You can regularly wipe the leaves with a damp cloth or sponge, this will remove dust from them and slightly reduce the dryness of the air.
- Fertilizers. In order for the hoya to please with exuberant growth and flowering, you will need to make additional fertilizing with regularity once every two weeks. It is good that there is a sufficient amount of nitrogen and phosphorus components in the solution. As soon as the dormant period ends, the hoya needs to be fed. After the soil has been slightly moistened, liquid fertilizer is applied so that there is no burn of the root system.
- Watering the flower. The main requirement that a hoya can make is not to flood the soil. The dry top layer of the substrate becomes the signal for moistening. If the summer period is very hot, then the flower is watered up to three times a week, and with the arrival of autumn, the moisture is reduced by half. For irrigation, use the collected water from the rain or melt the snow, then it must be brought to room temperature. If you cannot get such water, then you can use tap water, but first filter it, boil and settle. After a couple of days, you can use this water for irrigation without harm to the plant.
- Transplanting process and substrate selection. While the plant is young, it requires an annual change of the pot and soil, and when the hoya grows up, it is transplanted every two to three years. When changing containers and soil, before planting a new plant, everything needs to be disinfected (steamed or treated with a fungicide). In the bottom of the flowerpot, it is necessary to make holes for the drain of excess moisture, and before filling the pot with earth mixture, a layer of drainage material is poured onto the bottom: medium-sized expanded clay, river pebbles, broken brick or shards.
The substrate for the transplant is chosen lightweight with good air and water permeability, this will allow the root system to breathe. Some flower growers recommend making up the soil mixture yourself from the following components:
- sod soil, leafy soil, peat, river sand and humus (in a ratio of 1: 2: 1: 1: 1);
- peat soil, perlite, crushed tree bark and coconut fiber (all parts are equal).
Hoya self-breeding tips
Hoya propagation is carried out vegetatively: using cuttings or layering.
In the first method, it is required to cut the tops from healthy and young shoots, which will not be less than 10 cm in length. There should be at least a couple of leaves on the branch. You can root cuttings in water, in wet sand or peat-sandy substrate. Before planting, it is recommended to treat the branch cut with phytohormones to accelerate root formation. The container with cuttings is wrapped in a plastic bag or placed under a cut plastic bottle. For early rooting, it is required to maintain heat within 18-24 degrees. This will make it possible to create conditions for a mini-greenhouse with high humidity and heat.
After young new leaves appear on the cuttings, it is required to transplant into small separate pots with a diameter of 7-9 cm. plant a twig in a pot with prepared soil.
To propagate hoya using layering, part of the leaf plates should be removed from the lower branches. The shoot must be tilted and covered with earth. To keep the branch in this state, you can use a hard wire or hairpin - it is stuck into the ground, and the branch is fixed to the soil with its help. The plant and the cut are looked after in the same way, and soon the cut takes place. With the help of a sharp sterilized knife, a young hoya is separated from an adult plant and planted in a new container with prepared soil.
Problems when cultivating hoya in an apartment or office
Of the pests that annoy the plant, spider mites, mealybugs, scale insects and aphids can be distinguished. At the flower, leaves turn yellow and fall off, a sticky or cotton-like bloom appears, small bugs crawl.
After detecting signs of a harmful insect, it is required to process the leaves of the plant with a soap, oil or alcohol solution. The agent is applied to a piece of cotton wool or a cotton pad and it is required to remove the pests by hand with careful movements. If sparing agents do not work too much, then you will have to resort to treatment with a systemic insecticide.
There are also problems associated with the violation of agricultural technology:
- leaf spot may appear due to watering or spraying with hard water, sunburn, or an excess of fertilizing;
- leaves turn brown at the ends from drying out the soil;
- if flowers fall, then there was a flood of soil or with a lack of lighting.
Interesting facts about hoya
The plant has a great power of positive energy, which spreads in waves throughout the room, destroying any negative manifestations on its way. According to Feng Shui, hoya has the property of stabilizing energy flows, it helps a person to forget their problems and get distracted from them, tries to balance the mental and emotional state of those present. The plant makes it possible to find peace and harmony in the inner world of a person. She opens her eyes and gives a chance to look realistically at the events taking place, to make the right choice in life. And since hoya helps to establish relationships with others, the potential for career advancement opens up for a person.
The hoya flower is considered in the East as a plant of the family, which helps to improve the sex life of partners, to return old feelings and emotions if they began to fade away in a love couple. Therefore, Chinese masters advise putting a pot with this vine in the bedroom, its presence will stimulate the life energy of lovers. You can also put a flower in the children's room if the child cannot find the strength to make his own decisions correctly, raises confidence in a person.
The delicate and fragrant aroma of flowers and the presence of hoya in the room makes it possible to find proper relaxation, calm angry emotions, and find complete relaxation. It is interesting that for people who like to be lazy and prefer not to change anything in life, this plant should not be started, since hoya can even aggravate this situation. But if a pessimist person lives in the house, then the liana will only have a healing effect, help to perceive the world and life situations not so tragically.
That is, to summarize, the hoya is a plant of positive and unhurried life, it brings with it comfort, tranquility and complete harmony.
In medicine, tinctures and applications from the leaves of the plant help with headaches, skin problems and pustular eruptions.
Hoya types
- Hoya Kerri. Liana-like plant, popularly called "hoya in love" or "valentine". Long shoots need to be tied up, as they can turn the flowerpot over. The leaf plates are fleshy, varied in size - they measure from 5 to 15 cm in length and width. The inflorescence has the shape of a spherical umbrella, and consists of 15 to 25 pubescent buds. The color of flowers depends directly on the illumination; there are pale pinkish, yellow and lemon shades. If you rearrange the flower, you can experiment with the color of the buds. Also, when the plant is very old, the escaping nectar will begin to color the flowers first pinkish, then red, and later brown.
- Hoya pale (Hoya acuta). Liana with climbing shoots, leaf plates have a pale green tint. Their shape is elongated-oval, reaching up to 10 cm in length and 4 cm in width. The flowers have a pleasant lemon or mint scent. The buds are painted in yellow tones with a crown of carmine color. In diameter, the flower opens up to 1 cm, in the inflorescence in the form of an umbrella, their number reaches 50 units. The flowering process occurs in the summer months.
- Hoya fleshy (Hoya carnosa). The plant is found under the name "wax ivy". The branches of this bush reach up to meter indicators, but it looks more decorative than all types of this culture. Its shoots require support and a garter. Possesses fleshy leafy plates. They are painted in a rich dark emerald shade with a glossy surface. The apex is pointed, and the size is smaller than that of other varieties. If you look closely at the leaves, you can clearly see the whitish and yellowish spotting. The leaves never change their color and the plant forms dense bushes. Small umbellate inflorescences growing on short pedicels are collected from the flowers. The flowers are arranged singly of a rather beautiful star-shaped form. A whitish shade with a red crown corolla in the center of the bud, which gives variegation and a special decorative effect to the flowers.
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