She was so stunning when I got her đ Looking for advice – I couldnât find specific suggestions for this situation in my search but apologies if I missed it!
I fell for the classic blunder of overwatering her in my excitement (I thought she was fully dry đ ), treated her for root rot. I added more chunky soil mix to try to prevent this from happening again – it was standard looking soil with perlite before. I waited a few days before watering again to set the new soil + roots, and checked her again today, but now Iâm (more) uncertain of what to do.
One of the plants (there are multiple sections in this pot, itâs how she came) is still firm and looking good. The remaining plants are yellowing and flimsy – they appear underwatered to my novice eye.
How do I approach this? Separate them or leave them together? Water now for the flimsy leaves? Take the weaker plants and try to water propagate what can be saved? Panic?
Thanks in advance, I hope your Hoyas are doing better than mine, have a wonderful day!!
by NaniTheHeck
4 Comments
Hard to say for sure but it looks like a rather large pot for what is now a small plant. This can cause issues when watering as there aren’t enough roots to soak up the water, leading to further root rot problems.
I would separate the plants into about 2 or 3 in pots. Put in a warm place under a light. Use a chunky soil for them I use miracle grow with added perlite, reptile bark and charcoal. The smaller pots can be drink cups from the dollar store, just punch holes in the bottom for drainage. Don’t water them for at least a week. You could also propagate the plant.
It looks like youâre at real risk of underwatering now. Root rot in Hoyas is caused by a lack of air to the roots, not too much water. They get suffocated in normal soil, but thatâs the soilâs fault, not the water. Now that you have your Hoya in a nice chunky mix, your bigger concern becomes dry rot because your substrate will dry out much quicker than before. Make sure you water regularly enough that the mix never fully dries out – when the top layer is dry, water again. This could be as little as three days depending on your conditions. This is also why chunky mixes and self-watering pots are a great solution for Hoyas. Good luck!
get a moisture meter so you arenât watering when itâs still quite wet