Now I'm confused. . .

16 years ago

I pretty much dove into the hoya thing head first and not knowing a lot about them. Just put a clipping in some soil, a few months later I had a root ball, then I got lots of leaves, now I have a nice compact little kentiana, what I am concerned about is. . .

Due to the fact that it is setting so many leaves at one time (sometimes 12-14) is too much energy going into leaf manufacturing and forgoing the flower production? It is a new plant so I don't expect it to flower anytime soon, although some say it is possible. I do like the foliage but to me a true test to hoyas is getting them to flower.

Since it is growing so well I don't want to change anything, but is my theory that more leaf production will hinder flower production correct?

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Comments (10)

ines_99
16 years ago
It is possibly true that flowering plants do one thing or the other as far as foliage and flower production is concerned. I noticed on some of my plants that once they start blooming consistantly, you don't see much new growth in the foliage. Having had hoyas for years not thinking they could flower outside of a greenhouse, I initially kept them because I liked the foliage, so getting a bloom here and there is exciting, but not a priority for me. I think if your main priority or reason for wanting hoyas is the flowers, then you should get the hoyas that are known for flowering young, because with alot of them, flowers on a young plant are the exception, not the rule. I have a kentiana that is several years old and hasn't flowered yet. I have hoyas that took over a decade to flower. Though it does happen early with some of the ones that notoriously take a long time, if you count on it too much you will probably lose interest in hoyas, because even growers with perfect conditions wait a long time for flowers in most varieties.

But there are pretty reliable bloomers that bloom as young plants, like lacunosa, bella, multiflora, and a few others. Let your kentiana do it's thing and become a big bushy plant first - from a "decorative" point of view, you have to look at the whole plant, the flowers need some kind of background to show themselves off against, they really aren't as attractive if you just have a bloom hanging from a skimpy little plant. So, let it grow and in the meantime, look for the early bloomers, you might be able to find bella and multiflora at home Depot or Lowes, I would get those plants to keep me happy while I wait for the others to bloom!
gabro14
16 years ago
To add to what Ines said, there's really nothing you can do even if the leaf growth was preventing flowers...it's not like you can cut all the foliage off! Either way, I really don't think that growth of leaves slows down the development of blooms...AT ALL. Actually, I think it's quite the opposite...the more growth there is on your plant, the more likely it is to bloom. Growth means that your plant is happy, and that means that you should eventually get blooms. But as Ines said, it could take quite awhile...so patience is needed (something I DEFINITELY lack!!) I agree with what Ines said about getting some fast bloomers in the meantime.

Gabi
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maidinmontana
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks gals, and I didn't mean to mis speak, I do appreciate the foliage, very much, and like you said Gabi, there isn't anything I can do to prevent it from forming leaves, and honestly that isn't something I want to do. I was just thinking if there was mulitple leaves showing up on a very regular basis (this is the 2nd time in the past month that 10 or more leaves have formed) that most of the energy would go to foliage in lou of flowers. But. . .

After re reading my post I kinda feel like a geek. Most everyone agrees hoyas like to be pot bound/tight to produce flowers, well if there isn't a lot of foliage, there won't be a lot of roots, so makes sense you can't have one with out the other.

I am still perfectly happy with my hoya and very proud of it. I check it almost daily, and still get as happy about the new leaves as I did when it got it's first set of new leaves. When I tell friends/family that I started it from a cutting of two leaves, and now it looks like it does, it gives me great pleasure.

The flowers will come, when they are ready, and I will be jumping up and down for joy, that will indeed be the grand finale to my new baby. As for getting other hoyas that bloom faster/earlier, I don't think I will, but I sure appreciate the advice. I do have a DS-70 as well, and they two seem to be very happy. Besides I have far too many plants now as it is.

Supposedly, my neighbor is going to give me one of her very old mature hoys for taking care of her yard and flowers while she was gone for 2 weeks. She is getting home today we'll see.
ines_99
16 years ago
No, your're not a geek - it is a valid question you asked, and I have heard many times that foliage and flower production can't happen simultaneously - but not everything we hear is true, that's for sure...

I pretty much pick all my plants based on the foliage, hoyas and all other plants. With hoyas being as diverse as they are, you could have a house full of them with no two alike, which is pretty cool. I love the foliage on them and would grow them even if they NEVER flowered, but the flowers are like the icing on the cake, a reward, proof that you are the Master Hoya Grower!! Or...in the case of NO flowers, proof that you are a total loser and all your hoyas hate you! But seriously, if it was the flowers I was depending on for enjoyment of all of my hoyas, I'd have thrown them all in the trash by now, cause they are NOT cooperating! I know, though, that it just takes time with some of them, or some are more dependent on certain conditions than others, and may take years. I take comfort in the fact that even greenhouse growers long for flowers on some of the varieties they grow.

For some reason, kentiana is a very slow growing plant for me. I bought my plant unhealthy, but that was a long time ago! You would think it would be over the abuse it suffered at Home Depot by now, I guess it is post traumatic stress or something, cause it is still barely existing...it sounds like your cutting has gotten more growth lately than my plant has gotten all year. Who knows if it will ever flower!! Oh well, it's all part of the fun, and something to look forward to..
Denise
16 years ago
Maid... Sounds like your kentiana (wayetii) is very happy, so it's just a matter of time. Mine is growing like a weed, AND has a couple flowers going on it right now. Here's how I think it works - a stem with a flower developing stops producing leaves. However, it doesn't stop the WHOLE PLANT from producing new leaves, just that stem. Of course, if you have a large plant with a LOT of buds & flowers in different stages of development, it will likely slow the growth of the whole plant.

You can encourage blooms with a bloom booster fertilizer if you want, but until your plant is a nice, large, bushy plant, I'd just let it do it's thing.

And speaking of those darned non-bloomers, I've had this Hoya australis ssp. sanae (some people call it keysii) for YEARS and it grows wonderfully for me, but can I get the darned thing to bloom? Heck no!! I've begged it, threatened it, fertilized the crap out of it, given it a sunny spot, given it a semi-shady spot, in the GH, out of the GH... GRRR... Anyone have the secret to this bugger?

Denise in Omaha
mairzy_dotes
16 years ago
I agree with most everything said. Most of the common ones will bloom withing 3 years if they are happy with the light and other conditions.

Denise--are you talking about the australis that is light apple green with felt-like leaves on top & bottom? I got that one labeled as keysii, but believe it to be australis subsp. australis. That one likes and can take some full sun. I have one hanging in full all day sun outside (althou that one's leaves look a little paler than the other one in half day (morning) of sun. After I put mine in some sun..they started blooming in late summer. Try a little more sun on it.
Marcy
Denise
16 years ago
Thanks, Marcy. I'll put it BACK on the top shelf in the GH (where it was for a few months this spring...) I got mine years ago unidentified, and over the years, I've had different labels on it. Ssp. australis was one I had at one time. I've taken this name from Ted Green's site - he describes ssp. sanae and has a pic that matches it perfectly, and he has no description of ssp. australis. They may be one and the same - I don't know. I'll have to pick his brain and see if he can set me right on this... But as for ssp. keysii, it sounds like it's leaves are much smaller and rounder than mine.

Ah, the name game drives us all crazy, doesn't it!?

Denise in Omaha
Denise
16 years ago
A follow up... I heard back from Ted Green and he says the differnce between australis ssp. australis and ssp. sana (a correction - no "e" on the end...) is ssp. austrlis is smooth and ssp. sana is fuzzy. Mine is definitly ssp. sana.

Denise in Omaha
mairzy_dotes
16 years ago
Gosh...then I guess mine is too. Mine has very fine hairs that are so close that the underside of the leaf feels much like felt or velvet. There is also some fuzz on the top of the leaf, but not as much as the underside. One thing very different about these ones I bought as keysii is the color. It is quite a bit lighter green than all the others. I best relate it to the color of light green apples.
Is that the way yours looks?
Since mine has bloomed, I do have a flower to compare. It looks very much like the other australis except there is only a very slight blush of pink up under the coronas (not the big splash of rosy color that the others have).
Marcy
Denise
16 years ago
Marcy,

According to Ted's site, keysii's leaves are about half the size of australis ssp. sana. Mine has light green leaves, too, and are fuzzy and are the size described, averaging around 2" wide x 3" long. I haven't gotten flowers (I'll say "yet" as if I actually expect to get them someday!!)

Can you post pics of your australis ssp. sana flowers?

Denise in Omaha

Now I'm confused. . .

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