PG, these mysterious plants certainly do what they want don't they? Glad your finally getting growth from your speckled H. Ovata. A year and 1/2 is certainly a LONG wait. I've waited 6 months for growth on H. Australis Lisa. And finally I've got some growth! So I know the feeling, you must be very relieved after such a long wait.

TFS!

Pardon my error, not seen til now.

It should have read: MORAL of the story (not morale, I do know the difference) ;>)

Thx Teisa, that may be the the record yet, for the longest I've had a Hoya sit doing nothing.

Six months for an H. Australis, that's not too bad, enjoy their nice growth!

Hi Karen,

I know how you feel. I've had Hoyas that sat for so long, I thought they would never, ever grow. I had a finlaysonii I got as a cutting from Yale years ago and I bet it sat for at least a year, put on one big, beautiful leaf, then proceeded to go downhill. I lost that one big leaf and was back to the original plant that sat again for probably 18 months or 2 years. Well, it finally started growing a couple years ago and though it's still not exactly big, it looks lush and wonderful. I agree, patience pays off.

And another thing that pays off - don't throw away a desiccated Hoya until you're SURE it's dead. I probably mentioned this here before, but my HUGE Hoya australis ssp. tenuipes began dieing back last winter. By spring, there wasn't much left, and I'd taken gobs of cuttings before it got too bad and took what was left and whacked it down to the pot. So there were only bare sticks in the pot, which I just left in the GH until spring. No signs of growth. But I decided before I would toss it, I'd give it the summer in the back yard in a shady spot to see if any of it would come back. See what it looks like today below...

Denise in Omaha

> Morale of the story is they apparently have their own timing.

Maybe its morale was low, and THAT's why it wasn't growing.

(alright, it sounded funny in my head :-)

On a more serious note... What do you guys make of the opinion that hoyas (and maybe some other plants) often need to grow their roots to a relatively tight state in the pot, and only THEN they start growing above the ground? Another related thing I hear is that hoyas bloom better when root-bound. I understand the need for good root systems before the plant can look healthy above ground, but in nature tight space for the roots cannot be a good or a sought-after thing by the plant, no? Would't roots want to naturally roam far and wide and be happiest when that is allowed to happen? Doesn't quite make sense to me.

Excellent! New growth on a stalled plant is exciting.
Might as well hit if with a dilute fertilizer dose since it's growing (assuming you haven't done so already).

Josh

GreenToe,

I don't think they really need to be potbound to bloom, but some have to be pretty mature to bloom, so it may seem that way. But Hoyas grow fine when they're somewhat rootbound because they're epiphytic in nature. Yes, they will set roots in the soil at the base of trees, but then they grow up and where there are pockets and crevices, they set roots to pick up moisture when it rains or when it's foggy/misty. So to grow them ideally, use a very fast draining or porous mix, and water as soon as it starts to dry, which should be fairly often with the right mix. Given the right care and conditions, a lot of Hoyas will bloom early.

Denise in Omaha

Hey Denise,

Boy that's quite a comeback that Australis made, from bare sticks, hard to believe. I'd forgotten what nice leaves Australis have; been a while since I had one.

Glad to see you've defrosted from that deep freeze. I was keeping you & my uncle in mind (He lives in Lincoln, but hails from NY's upstate snow country, so he knows how to do super cold winters better than most). He says add more layers.

Yes, thanks Josh, when I saw the new growth was more than one leaf, I did give it some dilute fertilizer.

I've had to move some plants around (put in an AC this summer, lost me 2 window sills worth of west window growing space), so I've had to experiment with moving things around. I realized after the fact, this Hoya cutting ended up right next to a radiator, which has been cranking some serious heat on & off. Wonder if maybe that acted somewhat like bottom heat & gave this plant a boost.

Yes, as to the dessicated, 'you never know' examples, that can be a bit true sometimes of bare vines too.

Last Sept. I got some cuttings from SRQ (enabled by GreenToe, ;>) thx) among them a lovely Verticillata variegate, which I didn't realize til later had a break in the end of a bare vine. So I saw the break & snipped first, THEN saw the peduncle on it, ACKKKKK.

Well, am happy to share saving that bit of stem & peduncle, w/ a lovely new leaf, a happy & lucky little save, may it make it to Spring!

I DO love variegates, so pretty.

Am happy to share I was pleased w/ all of Joni's cuttings as most of you all seem to be.

Congrats Pirate Girl...great job!!

Congrats, PG! I can relate with my verticillata cutting. It sat there, not doing a thing, and just a few months ago, a long new vine shot out :-).

Brad AKA Moonwolf

I think the variegated verticillata is my favorite of all the variegates. It's pretty care free and blooms freely. I love it! Congrats on getting that leafless stem to take, Karen - that hardly ever works for me!

Denise in Omaha

I know right? Doesn't usually work for me either, that's why I'm relishing it so. That & the fact w/ that the orignal cutting, that I'd already cut in 2, I now have 3 cuttings of this beauty, so hopefully they'll make it to Spring & beyond. Glad to learn it's pretty carefree.

How'd your greenhouse do in all that wicked, bitter cold? Hope you didn't have any losses.

Thanks for the congrats folks, it's always nice to share a happy, hopeful thing!

PS: GreenToe, that WAS funny, cute too!

Karen, it took 3 1500 w heaters to keep it above 50 degrees during the worst of it. Mind you, it's only 100 square feet and I keep the slider open to the kitchen. It was brutal, but I think none of the plants are any worse for wear. Thanks for asking.

Denise in Omaha

Sure Denise, thought of you & Oojenn in MN, remember her? Just surving in all that brutal cold, never mind getting the plants over it, yikes!

Was tricky here too, am on the top of 6 flrs & don't have control over my heat. My only recourse is to open the windows when it gets too warm.