Just got my first Hoya, I really don’t know anything about them at the nursery didn’t have any ID on it so if anyone knows what specific type of Hoya this is that would be awesome. It’s currently in soil but I have other plants such as monsteras and alocasias in PON, do these guys like PON? LECA? Keep it in soil? It’ll be in a plant cabinet with 68% humidity and 12 hours of grow lights
by Digitalexx
2 Comments
That hoya mathilde very easy hoya .i have both in leca and soil they grow fast although the one in leca grows in faster pace, so its al about yr preference i also blast ot with 12 hour grow light and its doing great.
Hoya mathilde! In my opinion, it’s the #1 starter Hoya. Fast growing, hardy, and easy as pie to take care of. It’s a hybrid cultivar of H. carnosa and H. serpens. Like other plants, hybrid cultivars tend to take the best genetic traits from each parent, making them easier to care for and robust growers.
H. mathilde, in my experience, does well in most lighting conditions. With the exception of very high light (new growth will look lime-green, with small leaves). It will grow slower in low light conditions, but it will produce beautiful, dark green leaves, and often times, start producing more splashing (the silvery freckles on the leaves, which a lot of people think is a desirable feature). Your substrate choice should be decided in tandem with light conditions and watering schedule.
Hoyas have very similar care to Orchids. A lot of people think they should be treated like succulents, which isn’t true. They are a moisture and humidity loving genus, but require very aerated soil with lots of air pockets and structure, like Orchids. They are epiphytes that grow in trees and cliffs, like Orchids. A lot of people say to wait until their leaves are wrinkled and soft to water, but they will grow very slowly if you this, and you risk having dry-rot issues. Leca is my preferred choice of semi-hydro for Hoyas, they seem to love it.
Dilute your fertilizer more for Hoyas, as they aren’t heavy feeders like most aroids. Also, like Orchids, they prefer foliar feeding, but if you’re going semi-hydro, don’t forget to put nutrients in the water.
You have a very full plant here, and it will branch out with new tendrils, like H. serpens do. You can trellis it, but this Hoya specifically doesn’t mind trailing down. You might even get lucky with some peduncles/blooms!