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Shooting Star Hoya needs to branch out....help!!

colorado_av_guy

19 years ago

I have a Shooting Star, Hoya. I started it from a 3" cutting of two leaves. I have had it now for about three years.

It grew to about 8" in height, straight and up. I then cut about 3" off, thinking it would branch out and make a nice sort of bush. It grew another branch, off to the side and that was it. I put a stick in the pot and fasten the branch so it would grow up as well. It continues to grow skyward.

How do I get it to branch out?

Thanks for any advice.

Greg

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Comments (8)

terry1989
19 years ago
sorry to burst ur bubble but hoyas don't usually branch out multiple side shoots well (they usually do one...kind of a lazy plant lol)
u can try multipule plants in one pot for the bush look tho...good luck

~terry
Panamon_Creel
19 years ago
Hoya multiflora is a hoya that actually "multi" branches but sometimes several trims are required to convince it to branch out more. If you can cut down the main stem to 3 nodes and see if it branches out thereafter.

Milan
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@ Amber Mine is in a heavy pot. It's unsupported atm because it had that setback over the winter, so it's just getting bushy again. In the past, I put a hoop in there just to give it a better center of gravity. When I need to do so again, I'll probably just bind the lower section of each branch to a couple not-too-ugly short stakes. The hoop looked so stupid! @ gmadarr Hoyas on a boat = awesome!!! I wouldn't use vermiculite with Hoyas at all. They really don't need that extra water retention, so save it for your other plants. I had assumed you were rooting in 100% perlite using the semi-hydro method. There are some who use it in place of hydroton, as a temporary rooting medium. Or, do you mean that you were using a medium of perlite + potting soil, and you are concerned about having some algae growth on the top level? Or you just don't like the aesthetics? You can kill the algae with a bit of hydrogen peroxide mixed with water. Or there are various algae killing solutions available for sale that can be mixed in when you water. But, really, the algae is just growing in the aquarium context because it never fully dries out and there is little air flow. Once you remove the plants from the aquarium, after they are rooted, the perlite will whiten up again. So, I don't get too bothered about it, myself, even though I do have algaecide on hand.
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User
19 years ago
Well I'm on my 2nd Multiflora (I don't seem to do well w/ this Hoya, even tho' I'm keeping it wet enough). I had cut mine back before & just got one side shoot (2nd time its happened like this). This one seems even less willing to branch for me than other Hoyas.

I will try Milan's suggestion tho, so thanks for that!
razz
19 years ago
mine does better on a wick. so does my picta...My muiltflora is brancing out after three cuts.
razz
razz
19 years ago
hoya serpens on a wick. not picta..;-)
razz
julias
19 years ago
I found this hoya loves to be misted -- or high humidity. I learned this the hard way when it kept blasting its buds and the newly-forming leaves kept dropping off-- since I've been misting, this hasn't been a problem.
colorado_av_guy
Original Author
19 years ago
OK, thanks for the advice. I'll keep experimenting and let you all know how it goes.

I have had no trouble with the leaves or flowers dropping, even though the climate here in Colorado is "high desert." Very low humidity here. I keep most of my plants near each other and most have a basin of water beneath them with pebbles in the basin. Micro climate might be just right in my situation.

I like the idea of multi-plants in one pot. That might serve my design plan.

Thanks again for all the advice!

Greg
florajilly
19 years ago
I have had one for about 1 year , and I learned the hard way about keeping the soil wet enough , ( bud blast ).
The idea of multi-plants in one pot sounds really good. It never occurred to me to trim it back , partly because mine seems to have a different growth habit than the rest of my Hoyas , ( not trailing out of a hanging pot ,like pubicalyx or compacta ) and not clumping and stubborn to shape , like the kerrii or australis keysii ).
Mine has 2 branches that go straight up , then they curve over near the top. I don't know what the plant would do , if it wasn't tied to a bamboo stake .
I would love to see a photograph of a large mature plant , as well as a photograph of multiflora in the wild.

Florajilly

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