Hi Mike,

Although my mother is probably right when she says, "Plants have a life span just like people" when I whine about losing a plant, I think you're right about it needing to be repotted. You'll probably find that there is little if any soil left, and that the roots have all but stopped taking up water.

Don't sweat the repotting procedure, though. Just keep in mind that if some stems break, you can just root them and in the end, you'll have a better looking plant. When you repot, give it a good draining mix, though, because it might take it awhile to bounce back since it's been in decline for a year or so. In a case like this, I would probably do some root pruning, too. I don't usually do that with healthy Hoyas because it slows the process of flowering when they have to put their energy into root formation. But since you have a plant whose roots are probably faltering, root pruning will initiate new root growth, which will help it in the end.

Good luck with your compacta and let us know how it turns out!

Denise in Omaha

Yeah, repot it, dude! Soil eventually wears out. A friend who is a horticulturist (college educated and degreed, not just backyard like most of us) told me once that the most common mistake people make with all containerized plants, especially houseplants, is not to repot enough. Every year is needed for some types of plants, every 2-3 years should be the longest interval.

Why, you ask? Well, a few reasons.

The soil in the pot comes with a finite "lifespan" as to its ability to nurture the plant. It has a set amount of macro and micro nutrients, and a set colony of beneficial microorganisms available to break down nitrogen and do other stuff. Even if you fertilize regularly and add the trade elements, after a while, your soil just gets tired and the composition changes as things break down to being unusable in the microscopic mix. ALso, in that situation, the water soluble elements of the fertilizer you use (the "salts") may no longer be broken down properly and can accumulate in the soil and start to adversely affect your plant.

Too, your plant grows and demands more of the small patch of soil you have it in. Roots get bigger, and a larger plant places a larger demand on the existing soil. Over the years, as root volume increases, soil volume can actually decrease.

Go on and repot! Don't be scared! Your plant will reward you.

Thanks Denise and bihai. Repotting it is. Any suggestions on the potting soil? NM sunshine makes up for my basic ignorance, I normally use commercial blends right out of the bag for my other plants with no problem. But I'd like to get it right this time. Probably more critical now that it's not exactly well. Regarding the repotting itself, any hints? As you might have guessed, I don't have a lot of Hoya repotting expertise. I'll admit I haven't checked the forum for tips, I'll do that now.

Mike

I have to routinely repot a lot of things, like palms and rhizomatous plants that develop large root masses. When "stepping up", just choose a container that's big enough to accomodate all the roots comfortably.

Some people try to remove all of the old soil from the plant when repotting, but that can be detrimental as it can disturb and destroy the fine root hairs that uptake water. Its better just to gently shake off the loose soil and leave the rest.

I make all of my own potting mix, and I can't really advise you about that, because I make it to the specifications of my growing conditions. (I use an equal mix of bagged potting soil without added fertilizer, peat, wood chips, and perlite, so my mix is light and fast draining). My only requirement in a bagged base substrate is that it be without the added fertilizer.

You'll want to use a loose and chunky potting mix. I use equal parts of regular potting soil, perlite, and orchid bark.

Gabi

Thank you both. That's more than I knew before. Hopefully I'll still have my plant after this weekend.

Mike

So Mike how did the repot go?

I'm doing it this weekend assuming I can come up with a good potting mix. I'll let you know what happens and what an untouched-for-17-years root ball looks like.

Mike

Depending on the state you find the rootball to be in, you might consider slicing an inch of the bottom of it, just to help make new contact w/ the new mix, etc.

This way, when you pot it up new in fresh mix, fluff out the roots & push the mix down well around the roots after cleaning them up & trimming them (cutting off any dried or brittle roots), the refreshed roots will make direct contact w/ new mix & its nutrients.

You'll do fine, I'm sure!

Well, I did it. The rootball was very sad looking, with the top inch or so hard as rock and the rest not much better. How it lived and flowered like that I have no idea. I loosened it up and trimmed it as best as I could. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but this may be a case of many years of neglect coming back to haunt me. I'll post an update in a week or so. Thanks again to everyone for their advice.

Mike

Mike,
plants are very adaptable. The fact that it kept blooming in the face of adversity just goes to show that it is a tough specimen.

Many an orchid grower will tell you the same story of that one orchid that looked so sad and then bloomed the best it had ever bloomed...then promptly up and died.

Blooming is a plants "last hope" of self propagation. A plant can literally be on its deathbed, and it may still bloom, because if it can produce a flower, that flower can be pollinated, and a seed can result that will continue that particular plant's lineage.

Any horticulturist will tell you that, no matter what type of plant you are talking about, be it a hoya, a water lily, or a cone flower, the flower is NOT the best sign of the health of a plant...the FORMATION OF HEALTHY NEW GROWTH is what you need to be seeing.

So don;t worry about blooms for a bit. Look for new growth, and once you see it start, you will most likely be back on your way to haveing a great healthy plant