Table of Contents
- Why You Want A Hoya Bloom
- How To Grow Your Own Hoya Blooms
- Watering
- Foliar spray
- Proper Soil
- Mimic the temperatures of its origin.
- Resist pruning your plant.
- Lighting
A Hoya bloom is the ultimate goal of most Hoya gardeners. Hoya blooms are spectacularly unique and often come in vibrant shades of pink, white, yellow, and red. Unfortunately, it can take a Hoya two to seven years to bloom, depending on the plant’s maturity. If the proper care requirements are not met for the Hoya, it can be even longer. Today we are going to explore why Hoya blooms are so coveted and what exactly you can do to grow your own.
Why You Want A Hoya Bloom
There are many reasons as to why these Hoya blooms are so sought-after, and it’s not just because they look pretty.
1. Scent: Every Hoya bloom has a different scent. Some smell like lemon, lilacs, or chocolate, while others smell like decay and feces. Hoya scents are incredible to smell because they can smell slightly different to different people. The scent is also lessened depending on the conditions, like humidity or temperature. To get the best whiff of a scent, smell your Hoya bloom in the evening, when it is strongest.
2. Identification: Hoyas are shapeshifters in the sense that their foliage can look different depending on the conditions it is growing in. They have found Hoya growing in the cold in China that looks one way and the same Hoya growing in the tropics of Brazil that looks completely different, but when the blooms were compared, it was actually the same plant being called by two separate names.
Validation: It can take years for a Hoya to bloom, and successfully getting a Hoya plant to bloom can be a very satisfying achievement for a grower. It requires patience, consistent and proper care, and an understanding of the specific plant’s needs. When the plant finally does bloom, it is a validation of the time, effort, and skill spent growing such a plant.
4. Reproduction and Propagation
Another huge reason for trying to get a hoya bloom is to get seeds to grow more hearty varieties of the same plant. Hoya seeds are not readily available for purchase. For most plants grown from seeds, they thrive better in the environment they grow in. It is also an incredible but rare experience to grow a hoya from seed.
How To Grow Your Own Hoya Blooms
Watering
A lack of water can cause the new vines and Peduncles to dry up, wither away, and die off. Watering regularly and preventing the hoya from drying out completely can help prevent this.
Foliar spray
If you fertilize with a foliar spray (a fertilizer sprayed on the leaves), it can promote better, faster growth and blooming. Hoyas are epephytic plants that naturally grow on trees and absorb nutrients in the air through their roots and leaves. By providing nutrients the way they naturally absorb them, you can give them more energy to produce and grow more blooms for longer.
Proper Soil
Because Hoyas are epaphytic, they grow better in a well-draining mix. They grow in trees, so bark and moss make a great mix with a little perlite. You can also use a mix of standard potting mix and perlite. A well-draining mix is key.
Mimic the temperatures of its origin.
Different Hoyas grow in different areas and need different temperatures. For example, Hoya Pubicalyx thrives at higher temperatures, while Hoya Bella withers away at too high a temperature. Generally between 60%°F and 80°F for most Hoya. Experiment and adapt based on your research.
Resist pruning your plant.
Pruning your Hoya prevents peduncles from forming and slows growth. It can have your Hoya produce multiple vines, but it could spend all its energy on new vines instead of on peduncles.
Lighting
Hoya needs as much light as possible. Mature Hoya are the ones that bloom, and they require bright light to have the energy to maintain such beautiful blooms. If a Hoya is in too low a light, they will take longer to mature, have slower growth, and be unable to maintain blooms.
With over 900 cultivars of Hoyas, one method will not always be the right one. Remember that different hoya species may have specific care requirements, so it’s a good idea to research the specific needs of your hoya plant to ensure optimal blooming conditions. Using the methods here today, you can adapt them to your specific Hoya and grow your own beautiful Hoya blooms.
