how long do you let your hoya vines grow

16 years ago

I have a hoya carnosa that is in a six inch pot. The pot sits in a basket with a tall handle and the vines wrap around (and around) the handle. I've had blooms the last 2 years but not this year...yet. My question is how long do you let the vines grow. Do some people keep trimming their plant and will a trimmed plant bloom more often then one with lots of longer vines.

How often and with what should I fertilize.

I have had a hindu rope for several years that has looked like crap. For some strange reason I repotted a cutting into some terrible looking soil. It is very slow draining and looks like mud. This plant has never looked better. What is the lesson to be learned by this. My plan was to repot into better soil but why change if it seems to like what it is growing in

Thanks Diane

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Comments (4)

gabro14
16 years ago
Hi Diane,

There is a very recent thread about this. I will post the link at the bottom.

As far as fertilizer goes, we all have our own favorites. But it seems that many of us use Eleanor's VF-11 (not so much a fertilizer, but a plant food). You can use it with every watering.

About your third question, I would say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!". However, you should also consider the future root health, and you want to be careful about the roots not getting enough air. But again, if you're happy with the plant's health, I guess it's ok to just leave it be. Let's see what others think.

Gabi

Here is a link that might be useful: Recent thread about cutting vines
cena60
16 years ago
Diane, many folks contend that cutting vines stops blooming. Mainly because Hoya's bloom from exiting peduncles and rebloom regularly from those. Many folks won't even share cuttings as cutting the vine removes mature blooming capability, and sends it along with the cut vines.

Really, since I have a unique growing situation, my vines get as long as they choose...

Hope you find an answer that fits your space and your options.
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If the plant is that old, it must have a huge root system/root ball in that pot...so even with the lack of foliage now, leave it be for a while, it will probably start to re-establish itself. It may be a while before it looks like it's old self again, but with the great weather down there it will be quicker than anywhere else. Here is an example - I had a carnosa and pubicalyx growing together in a 6" pot for over ten years. Theplant was frost damaged last year and was looking bad, so this spring I decided to repot, separating the two plants in the process, and cutting off the damaged foliage on both. The rootball was so thick with roots, there really was no soil left to even shake off. Once I got the two varieties separated, I had to cut the rootball in half with a steak knife, it was that dense! I planted each half in it's own smaller hanging basket with some fresh soil, and both plants are already showing new growth, even with a chopped up root ball. My plant looked bad, that is why this "surgery" was necessary..In your case though, if the plant is doing well and bouncing back on its own, I wouldn't mess with it. It probably has the same type of root mass mine did, which means it IS rootbound, even without it's foliage. You could slip it out of it's pot and shake a little soil off (if you can) and add some fresh mix, but for the most part, if it looks good, don't change it. Carnosas are tough and not as picky about soil, and probably fine with regular potting soil. I add perlite and orchid bark to my regular soil to make it a little more loose and airy, which also helps alot with drainage. Also, with older more established plants like yours, you needn't worry as much about overwatering and things like that. I have the one half of my above mentioned plant outside under a wisteria arbour right now, it is getting rain every 3 or 4 days, I put it thru "heck" with that separation, and it is happy as anything. And usually damp. There is one thing different though, even after chopping them up, both of my plants have quite a bit of foliage left on them. WHat might concern me with yours is the lack of foliage supporting the plant as far as photosynthesis or any other plant functions go, so for now maybe move it to a spot where you control the water, and don't overstress it with fertilizer it can't use or too much direct light, give it some time to grow a little more first. This is just my instinct talking, maybe someone else will have an opinion on how to treat it while it is re establishing it's foliage. But for the most part, they are forgiving and resiliant plants.
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Denise
16 years ago
My only criteria about vines is that I don't like them climbing across the ceiling, so when they reach the top of the pot hanger, I cut them back. It won't actually STOP the blooming process, but new peduncles do form on the newest growth (logically), but new growth will pop out somewhere else when you trim it back in one place, so stands to reason that new peduncles will form there as well. So it's more a matter of what look you like...

About your Hindu Rope - there will come a point where you need to repot it and when you do, I would just give it a looser mix. For now, though, I'd let it be.

Denise in Omaha
shanna5
16 years ago
Diane

I do not cut my vines because leaves eventually grow at each node of the vine. In my case I haven't had a vine "yet" that hasn't grown any leaves. Recently I had a vine grow and only one leaf at a node grew but then later the other leaf popped out (opposite side but same node, different timing). To me hoyas are such slow growers anyway I don't want to cut anything on them to slow down the growing process even more!! Unless of course your vine dies for some reason, then of course I'd cut it back. I have only been growing hoyas for about a year though. I usually just wrap the vines around whatever support or macrame hanger I have it in once the vines long enough to do so.

I also use Eleanor's VF-11 everytime I water and I also put (the water and eleanors that I mixed up to water my plants with) into a spray bottle and I try to mist my plants with that every morning but I ran out of time this morning and yesterday. I read somewhere it was better to mist them in the morning than in the evening so that's what I try to do.

Third Question: If your hindu rope looks good I wouldn't change a thing. "if it aint broke, don't fix it" (I agree with Gabi) Everyone's growing conditions are different, some specific things work for everyone regardless of growing conditions and some just depend on your individual situation.

Hope some of this helped you.

shanna

how long do you let your hoya vines grow

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gabro14

cena60

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