This type of hoya carnosa (tri-color or Krimson Queen) grows slowly for me as well and I am not sure why. That is pretty small for 6 years, though. I would leave it in the pot it is in for now, maybe add some fresh soil to the top and make sure it is getting good light, bright indirect with some direct sun in the morning or late afternoon. Also, have you tried fertilizing? I don't see it as the "big answer" because for years I didn't fertilize my plants on a regular basis and my hoyas grew like weeds AND bloomed... but it can't hurt. Just don't overdo it, find a fertilizer for foliage plants or look up the directions for whipping up that beer fertilizer everyone raves about, try watering with it every 2 weeks during the growing season.

Other than that, I would say good light and good quality potting mix are your best bet right now.

Another thing that could be contributing to slow growth is the age of the cutting - the best cuttings are not the newest growth from a plant, and the oldest growth (very woody stems) takes a long time to do anything. I got some cuttings in a trade that I suspect where very old and it has been a year and I have only seen one new leaf grow from them. When years ago I took cuttings from my own carnosas, I found the older the cutting, the longer it took for it to take off and start doing something. The best age for cuttings is somewhere in between brand new growth and old woody growth. So, that with a few other things, could be part of the reason why your plant is growing so slowly.
hope this helped!

I think you should repot it and put it into a smaller pot. My variegated Carnosa is in a 5" diameter pot (4" height) is MUCH MUCH bigger than yours. I recently combined my 2 carnosas, and they are completely rootbound in the pot. Since then, it has grown a ton! If you pot yours down, it will probably grow better because they like to be rootbound. Otherwise, too much of the plant's effort is spent into root growth as opposed to leaf growth.

It definitely is a slow grower for me too. But like mentioned above, I would also fertilize and give it good light. I would also change the soil mix, and use fast draining mix (like 50% perlite and 50% regular potting soil).

Here's a pic of mine:

{{gwi:947925}}

I hope that helps.
Good luck,
Gabi

though I agree about carnosas doing fine when rootbound, I don't think the pot size is the reason this one is lagging behind, I have grown alot of carnosas from cuttings started in 4" pots and once rooted, they quickly take over and outgrow the pot...I do think that changing the soil to something more fresh is a good idea though, add some orchid bark to the perlite/potting soil mix.

That is a pretty tri-color, Gabi!

Hi artzypantz, I am not hoya expert but I heard that when you start a plant from leaf cutting, it never grow to a full plant and if some one is lucky it will take 30 years to mature. Probably that's the reason why your plant is the way it is. I do use weak beer formula for every watering and the hoyas love it. You might have a better chance to see the blooms from a different plants than that one.
Jan

Yes, Ines...I agree that the pot size isn't the reason for the slow growth. Just pointing out that downsizing could help speed up the growth though. Thanks for the compliment on my plant :) I love my rarer hoyas but my Carnosa is by far my favorite of all...probably because it was my first hoya. I didn't even know it was a hoya when I bought it (nor did I know what hoyas were), but I knew I just HAD to have more of whatever it was!!

Tonia,

I'd pot that down smaller as well, it's usually the first thing I try for a Hoya that's inactive or growing very slowly.

Yeah Gabi,

Yours really does look spectacularly Happy & Healthy, wish it could have a talk w/ mine, (slow & pokey) & I think I'm gonna pot mine down (again) too. I too consider this Hoya one of my all-time favorites.

Thanks PG. I'm not sure whether to attribute all the new and healthy growth to downsizing or to Eleanor's, but it's never grown this much before. Now if I could just get it to BLOOM.

Well, after seeing the picture of Gabis tri color, last night I took my slow poke plant out of it's 6" pot and popped it into a 5" hanging basket. This plant has done next to nothing for a year so if it goes nuts now, then you small-pot-people are right. I was planning on repotting it but into a nicer looking same size pot...but I also like the baskets better, I think hoyas are happier when they can hang, like they do in the trees, and I also agree that root space is not something they need as much as other things.

So....we shall see.

Keep us updated Ines!

Well, we're really in sync on this it seems. I too potted mine down last nite, just soooo slow & pokey I can't stand it anymore. I looked at the tag w/ the date I got it & I've had it for 3 yrs. now, it's done very little; throwing a new leaf once in a while, I can see mine is old growth, maybe that's why. Just recently it made 1 new leaf after I started giving it VF-11, which leaf just pooped out after a while.

A friend & Hoya mentor had given me this as it got too big for his apmt; I took periodic cuttings to try & make it fuller instead of longer & the cuttings never took (except for a single one that did). Over time the plant's actually gotten shorter & smaller so I potted it down once before.

Well on turning it out last night, I see it's way overpotted, got some roots on the smaller cutting now, but far more soil than it could ever use, so I went from a largish, square pot (4-5")down to my more usual 3" pot. Am hoping that, continued afternoon direct sun, some kind words & some VF-11 (including misting w/ it) will kick this guy into gear!

Hi all! Gabro thats a gorgeous hoya you have there!
Sounds like i need to repot! Thanks everyone for the help!
I would have had no idea that i needed to go down in size instead of up! If i remember i was in a very big hurry to snip a cutting of x-boyfriend plant! (ha ha!) At the time i didn't even know what this plant was, so i just grabbed a leaf and cut it off. It barely had any stem to it, i guess i was really lucky it grew at all! I had stuck it in potting mix with a deep layer of sand on top & put it in a south window sill and left it.
Thanks to all here, now i know its true name!
It seems fairly healthy & has put on the 3 new all white leaves since putting it to better light. It gets full afternoon sun thru a west window. Its in a corner with west windows on one side, and north windows on the other.
Not the best for plants, but better than just north as was before. One thing is some of its larger older leaves are wavey and not flat & smooth. Hope this is not due to improper food, all it gets is miracle grow 1/2 strength twice a month.
I'm going shopping tomarrow to find him a smaller pot!
I have no idea what VF-11 is. We don't have much for products around town, (were small). Is it just fertilizer or some other type of product?
I'd probly have to find it online to purchase.
Thanks every one again for all the help! & happy hoya to ya!
Tonia

Hey Tonia,

Wavy leaves are fine on this one, sometimes they're curvy, sometimes almost cupped looking, that's characteristic of this Hoya, not anything abnormal. Look again at Gabro's plant, you can see this on some of her leaves, even on such a healthy plant.

VF-11 is actually Eleanor's VF-11, a supplement (sort of fertilizer but more(?)) which many of us use. Sorry, I don't know how to post links, so pls. do a search here at Hoya forum, I believe you'll find a prior link to the site. If not, do a Google search for the actual site; you can write them & for $3 (to cover postage I think) they'll send you an 8 oz. sample to try. It's to be used alone, w/out any other fertilizers. I've used it for abt 2 months now & plan to continue, my plants are liking it.

Yes, Eleanor's VF-11 is great. I use it both as a fertilizer and as a foliar spray. It has lots of nutrients aside from what's in "typical" fertilizers. Also, it is pretty weak, so it can be used with every watering. I'll post the link on the bottom. Like PG said, you can get a free sample. If you do so and then decide you'd like to buy more (I think Eleanor only sells them by the gallon), here's the link to where I get mine (in case you don't find it locally):
http://www.reedsgreenhouse.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=4&products_id=144
They sell a 16oz bottle with a bonus 8oz bottle for 7.99 (not including shipping).

You mentioned the "true name" of your hoya. Let me give you the full name of your plant (since there are many varieties of Hoya Carnosa), it is called Hoya Carnosa 'Krimson Queen'. You can see there are many nicknames for it, like tricolor and some others I can't think of right now. But I thought you might like to know the actual name :-)

Good luck with your plant...keep us updated.

Gabi

Here is a link that might be useful: Eleanor's VF-11

I had the same problem with mine. So, I tried an experiment and the link below is the results. I still believe that we MUST cut all white pink leaves off young plants and cuttings! Mine have been growing like gangbusters since I started removing ALL the white/pink leaves.

MHO
Diane

Here is a link that might be useful: white or no white?

Hi Diane,

I have read that many like to remove the white leaves off. However, I personally had quite a few white leaves on my above hoya, and I wasn't sure whether to take them off or not. Well, I just thought they looked so beautiful, so I kept them (the plant was a baby when it first had white leaves). Anyway, when I look at my plant now, there are no more white leaves (and they've been on there for at least 2 or 3 years. Maybe just one white leaf is left. Some are half white/half green, but all my beautiful pure white ones changed color. And my plant is very healthy, so I can't say that I regret keeping them on.

I don't think it's a "MUST" do thing, but I can see why you'd think it's best to take them off (scientifically, at least). Still, I can say from experience that it does not harm the plant, and the plant can in fact grow VERY healthy if some white leaves are left on.

By the way...I looked at your link, and it really seems to me that the top photo is much larger with longer vines (how many white leaves did you take off? I can't imagine you took off enough white leaves to make it THAT much smaller than the top photo!). Interesting though, thanks for posting about this. I'm sure we'll get some interesting discussions :-)

Gabi

Sorry Diane...I misunderstood that blog! I thought the top pics were taken BEFORE removing the white leaves. Anyway, you do have a good case there...but I still can't understand why mine got away with keeping those white leaves :P

The name "Krimson Queen" - just like "Krimson Princess" is a name given to this carnosa by a grower, kind of like a commercial thing. Different growers have different names for it, for example Exotic Angel calls it "Tricolor" Anyway you look at it, I believe this is a hoya carnosa variegated or variegata. I love this one because it is the first hoya I ever saw in a friends greenhouse in Fort Worth Texas in 1982. I carried home cuttings from this plant and the plain H. carnosa, the variegated cuttings didn't make it but I still have descendents of the plain green to this day.

I wouldn't exactly compare the well know 'Krimson Queen' label to whatever bogus name EA chooses to (mis)label their hoyas. For example, 'Mini Wax Leaf' (labeled by EA) is a Lacunosa! They also tend to put "Carnosa" or even "Bella" at the bottom of some labels (like Lacunosa or Kentiana).

The most well known name for the above Carnosa is 'Krimson Queen'. If you call it a "hoya carnosa variegated or variegata" (which it is of course, because it is "variegated"), then how would you differentiate between 'Krimson Queen' and 'Krimson Princess'? Both are variegated, but in reversed patterns.

If you look on the EA website under the plant descriptions, they have a clear photograph of variegated carnosa (or Krimson Queen if you prefer) labeled as "Tricolor." They have Krimson Princess labeled as "Rubra". Yeah, their labeling is screwy in some cases but not all. The differences between the two variegated carnosas are pretty obvious, the former being a deeper green with white markings, the latter a grassier green with a more cream colored markings. There is a slight difference in the leaf shapes too. I guess what I am saying is that Krimson Queen is what I think would be considered a trade or maybe what you'd call a commercial name, that has stuck to it and it is identified as such by some people. EA is not the first to use the name "Tricolor", I have heard it called that for years, before ever hearing Krimson Queen...but neither are the plant's official name. This is why there is alot of confusion - for example, a grower I find online might call it "Berries and Cream" (there IS a hoya with that trade name, not sure if it is the one we are speaking of) and if I don't see a clear pic of the foliage, maybe just a pic of the flower, I may order this plant thinking it is something I don't have - and what I will get in the mail is just another variegated carnosa. Alot of serious collectors don't use those trade names for that reason, they use the plants official Latin name, that way there is no mistaking what they have. Or what they will be ordering in the future. Actually, most serious collectors wouldn't waste this much time even talking about Hoya carnosa! Myself, I don't care how many hoyas I wind up with, I will always grow carnosas.

I just looked in one of my notebooks where I keep lists of my hoyas (names, where and when I got them etc) and it seems that Exotic Angel got this one right - the correct horticultural name IS H. carnosa tricolor, followed by some number that I didn't write clearly. "Krimson Princess" is H. carnosa variegata...

Actually, the main difference between 'Krimson Queen' (or "Tricolor") and 'Krimson Princess' (or "Rubra") is the way they are variegated. However, I absolutely agree that the green coloring and creme/white coloring seems to be different on each one (just as you described). But basically, 'Krimson Queen' has creme/white colored edges with green in the middle, and 'Krimson Princess' has green on the edges with creme/white in the middle. So they are both variegated, but in opposite ways.

Please see the linked thread, which discusses EA mislabeling and also the 2 Carnosas discussed above. Ines, I know you know quite a lot about hoyas. This is more for those who aren't so clear on labeling.

But yes, I have seen 'Krimson Queen' called many different things (just like 'Princess' has been called "strawberries and cream" on Ebay!!), and 'Krimson Queen' is known as Tricolor by people other than EA. I see what you're saying...but I think of these as "nicknames". Speaking of correct botanical names, does anyone know what the correct botanical name would be of Carnosa 'Krimson Queen'? There MUST be an "official" way to differentiate the two.

By the way, I do the same thing (keep a notebook of my list of hoyas and their descriptions!). I have my 'Krimson Queen' listed as Hoya Carnosa Variegata...interesting that you have your 'Krimson Princess' labeled the same way. That's what makes it confusing. I think that's why we need to add the 'Krimson Queen' or 'Krimson Princess' in there, since they are both variegated.

I must ask though...why wouldn't "serious collectors" discuss Hoya Carnosa? If anything, it is the grandmother of ALL hoyas!

Here is a link that might be useful: EA

My brain's about to explode, but I think:
Hoya Krimson Queen is correctly known as Hoya Carnosa Variegata
Hoya Krimson Princess is correctly known as Hoya Rubra

My Carnosa Variegata has just started growing again, and it's growing very fast - it's even created a new branch (thought it was a peduncle, :( ) I blame the beer fertilizer, although it may be overpotted, oops! Mine has those weird bumps on the leaves too, and one leaf that only has the smallest bit of green in the middle. I think it's a rather attractive plant.

I just found this, randomly, while searching for info about Hoya Curtisii (just got one through the post, and trying to figure out if it needs special attention) and I thought it would help. It helped me anyway.

Hoya carnosa cv. Rubra is a cultivar of Hoya carnosa var. picta. It can be distinguished by the green leaf borders.It was a patented variety put out by Cobia in FL. The patents expired about 25 years ago. It was more commonly sold by its Trademark name of Hoya Krimson Princess.

Hoya carnosa cv. Tricolor is a cultivar of Hoya carnosa var. variegata. It can be distinguished by the white or cream border on its leaves. It too was patented by Cobia in the 1950s and its patent expired in the 1970s. It was more commonly sold by its trademarked name of Hoya Krimson Queen.

I don't know, I see some differences in the looks of these 2 hoyas, not just in color - for example, "princess" has more uniform shaped leaves, "Queen" has leaves that vary in shape here and there, the leaves on Queen are flatter in some cases, not as perfectly smooth on the edges, more likely to be dimpled or wavy...I think the overall growing pattern is different too - Princess being fuller and "fluffier" and Queen being more dangly and flat on top and viney - not quite as full...it is subtle, but I think if both plants were solid green, you would be able to see a difference.

I got my original "list" info from some university plant expert blah blah blah - I believe it was a list of carnosa cultivars...Hills is right, on that same list "Krimson Princess" was labeled as Rubra - these were under a column entitled "horticultural names" - not sure if that is the same as botanical, I am assuming it is. I will have to keep looking, the info is out there, it is just a matter of tracking it down. Chris at HoyasRUs has a list of all the carnosa cultivars on the planet, I should see if I can get it. If anyone will have the correct info, it will be her.

As for carnosa and some hoya collectors not wanting to be bothered, maybe that was a strong statement to make - what I am saying is that alot of serious hoya people are so far beyond carnosa, I guess they get less interesting when there are so many other hoyas out there. But I am sure there are plenty of people who have tons of hoyas that still have a fondness for carnosas, because it usually is everyones intro to hoyas. I absolutely love them, and pubicalyx too...

Sorry Hills about your exploding brain, that sounds very uncomfortable...I am a little obsessive about names - I don't know why I can't just enjoy my plants and watch them grow - does it really grow any better if I know what it is called??? NO! But I HAVE TO KNOW!!! And I do beleive this is important info for people to know, especially new collectors, and the way we buy things today online sight unseen - people buy the same plant over and over under these different "trademark names". If everyone just used the correct botanical name, and growers sold them under such, then that would not be a problem.

Thanks Hills! That's the exact info I was looking for...perfect :-)

Ines, I hear ya about the "name obsession"! I NEED to know all the names of my hoyas and other plants. I would love to compare notebooks! I'm sure we keep the same type of info. You gave me a great idea though...last night I put the exact dates of when I received each hoya (I had records of that somewhere else, but not in my "hoya book"), and it's approximate size when I received it (e.g., cutting, small plant, large plant).

As for new collectors, I agree that it is important to know the correct names. You wouldn't believe this, but I was perusing around Ebay listings yesterday, and there was a hoya listed as "Red Button Hoya", but the flowers shown were white and the leaves were nothing like Pubicalyx!! What a shame that someone is going to buy that plant thinking it's a Pubicalyx, and it's probably just a Carnosa or something (I couldn't get a good look at the leaves).

Yeah, the naming thing can get a bit out of hand, I try not to let it get me toooooo badly, but sure, I can see it's a potential problem for those who are either new or buying from online only.

The one distinction abt the diff btwn Krimson Queen & Krimson Princess that struck me is that only the KP (EA called it Carnosa Rubra) has or can have red stems, or red juvenile stems, I no longer have it, but seem to recall I've never seen KQ w/ red stems.

I do agree w/ whomever mentioned that the KP leaves are seem largely flat, whereas the KQ has those various wavy, curved or "cupped" leaves. The cupped quality in particular really appeals to me abt KQ combined w/ the white-edged leaves; KP much less so, for me anyway.

Gabi, (don't shoot me pls. ;>) ), but I believe Red Buttons really is a form of Pubicalyx, I have one (if memory serves it's from Norma). I've never seen it bloom but I believe it is real.

PG...'Red Buttons' IS a form of Pubicalyx. I know that. I have one too! I wasn't saying that it wasn't. If you look at what I wrote, I was saying that her plant wasn't even a Pubicalyx. The flowers were white, meaning it could not have been 'Red Buttons'. I don't know where you misunderstood me in what I said...maybe I wasn't clear. My head is just one big fuzz today.

By the way, some of my KQ stems are red at some areas. If memory serves my fuzzy head right, that is! I'll take a look later and check.

Ok...I looked at my KQ, and I think I was thinking of something different. PG, I guess you were talking about the actual "stem" that could be red, but I noticed that there is some red on the "little stem" which attaches the leaf to the node (on my KQ). Not all are red, just the juvenile ones I think. I don't have a KP, but did you mean that there are entire stems that can be red? Very cool. I love the little red stems on my KQ. Here is a pic of what I'm talking about:

{{gwi:947926}}

I think it is just the new growth stems. I have seen it on tricolor and rubra, but it is not a given and definately on new growth. Unless Rubra is someones name, it is possible that it is red in another language and that may be where the name came from, but don't hold me to that!!

I have a 'krimson queen' that now has red leaves as well as stems. It only does this in the spring and summer when it gets direct afternoon sun. And I'll add (just to be difficult) that mine is WAY over potted in a 10" hanging basket and grows like crazy. It grew 'ok' until I started using the beer fertilizer and then it went nuts and hasn't stopped.

Hoyanut, where do you live? A hoya potted in a 10" pot would grow MUCH faster in Southern Florida than if it "lived" in New York. So keeping it rootbound in a colder state is a way to make it grow and bloom faster. But I'd bet if you put that hoya in a smaller pot, it would grow even faster than it's growing now :-)

I have them growing in both and it makes no difference for THIS hoya. With others it may make a difference. When I bought this plant it was less than half the size and was in a 14" basket so I have actualy potted it down some.

I live in Oregon where it is cool and overcast a lot of the year.

Carnosa plants are just growers and the beer fert. is amazing. I also use the MSU fert. and am conducting my own experiments on which works (for me) better/longer etc. One thing I have learned from spending years on these websites is that NOTHING works for everyone. What works for me may or may not work for anyone else. I have to repot all the hoya I get from AH in Hawaii or they die within a few months. Most people love her soil but it does not work for me or another gal who lives close to me. Our enviroment is just too different from Hawaii.

BTW, I potted up the cuttings you sent me and they are all doing well :) I prefer to be anonymous on this site. I don't contribute often and only about what I feel confident in saying, so please don't use my name. THanks, HN

Gotcha HN :)
Did you get to smell those blooms yet?
You mentioned that it may just be with Carnosas (that it doesn't matter if they are overpotted)...so do you keep your other hoyas rootbound?

I have been using the beer fertilizer on my office plants...no results yet. I just looked into MSU fertilizer and it looks pretty interesting. I think I'll stick to Eleanor's for now...I really like that stuff.

Like you said, "NOTHING works for everyone"...I COMPLETELY agree. Sometimes you have to play around and figure out what works for YOU. I've been given plenty of great advice on these forums, but sometimes I decide to go with my gut in the end.

Amen, Hoya sister!

No open lacunosa blooms yet but it's setting buds again so maybe this time.

Yes I do try to keep my plants rootbound but when you start with cuttings they can't be rootbound in the begining. The cuttings I recently got from David Liddle are just begining to root but some have new leaves and stems. Some people say you should cut them off and let the roots establish.......NOT me. SO, I will keep these cuttings in the pots they are in until they don't seem to be growing or blooming anymore.

Let me be clear, I am not telling anyone to do what I do or use the beer fert. I am telling what I do and what does and doesn't work for me ;) Have a great day and see you elsewhere.... HN

I sure wish that beer fertilizer would start doing something to impress ME. Been using it since early spring and other than the typical growth I see at this time of the year, it hasn't done much for my plants. I will keep using it, though, because it is economical and I like "homemade" products. Everything I read about it said to expect almost INSTANT results, so maybe my expectations are too high...

Gabi,

Pls. excuse me, I read too fast & misunderstood yr. comments abt Pubicalyx Red Buttons & the bloom color, I do apologize.

(PG) Karen

Whats the beer recipe ? I would like to try it on my hoyas. And also can you you use that on any plant?

If you do a search on "beer recipe" or "beer fertilizer" you should find the recipe.