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I think Hoya linearis has decided to like it here

14 years ago

I'm excited. I rooted cuttings of Hoya linearis in Hydroton, or at least, I was pretty sure I rooted them, since the leaves were staying green and I saw hints of roots clinging to the Hydroton at top. But now I see stems growing. Funny, though, they seem to be growing from well below the top line of Hydroton. Basically, I have a clear plastic cup filled with Hydroton up to about an inch from the top, and I keep about an inch or inch and a half of water at the bottom. The stems are coming up from midway down the cup. At first I couldn't decide what I thought they were, but they definitely look like stems now, with the little starts of leaves on one. Anyone else growing linearis in Hydroton in a clear container like this? If so, did you notice stems coming from midway down like this?

Anyway, I am happy it has decided to grow. I had an uh-oh moment when I received these cuttings as a surprise, because I thought it was going to be a quick death for them, as linearis seemed notorious for being difficult, plus I'm a relatively new Hoya grower. I'm definitely glad for the Search function on this forum that let me find that people were growing it successfully in Hydroton. Woo hoo!

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Comments (4)

therealmrsdoodlepunk
14 years ago
When you grow in hydroton, do you use special solutions and fertilizers? Is it considered hydroponics?
kellyknits
14 years ago
Yea!!!! I have a few stems of linearis growing in hyrdoton in a see-through blue cup. Know what your saying about new growth - I had that happen with an obscura cutting!

Congratulations!
Kelly in WV
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It has not been my experience at all that linearis is difficult, either to root or to grow. It is one of the more aggressive growers of my collection. I grow mine in coir chips and let it dry out between waterings. I believe what makes it difficult for some people to grow is that its preferences fall on the cooler end of the spectrum, for Hoyas. I know Doug grows in Vermont, but I suspect the sun hall in which he grows many of his Hoyas must get quite toasty. Joni/SRQ also states that it is a fussy grower in FL. Although some people do root in water, it is generally more effective to start the cuttings in the medium you intend to grow them in. Their roots develop with different characteristics depending on the environment they find themselves in, and water roots don't translate well to soil, so the plant more or less has to rebuild a whole new root system once you pot it up. When I was rooting linearis, I just stuck it right into the pot it's in now. I probably put it in an aquarium or tupperware for extra humidity, too. I did an experiment once where I compared rooting in water to rooting in soil and although the water roots formed soonest, the cuttings planted in soil started putting out new growth much faster.
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May I just say that this is the one plant that I am growing well? I know, I know, what's the deal? I can't grow many hoyas that are for beginners, and this baby came as a few cuttings and is now a very full 6 inch plant in just under 2 years. I'm stumped, but hey I'll take it's steady and reliable growth. We have coolish summers and my house is downright cold in winter (cheap on heat). I got one umbel last winter and there were many more, but then it started to warm up and I'm not too sure where they went... I do let mine dry out slightly between waterings, mostly because I forget to check frequently. It seems to like a very fast draining mix, as I've put it in a mix meant for phalaenopsis with the odd bit of moss, grit and charcoal thrown in (I'm experimental - actually I like to use up whatever is laying around in open bags). I have it right next to polyneura and they are like the odd couple. Linearis is Felix. I hope it grows well for you, as it is really a neat plant. Kelly in Victoria
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Kelly, I did get my hydroponics supplies but I haven't used them yet. I thought about using them with either my small serpens or my linearis, but now that I'm getting the big linearis I don't care too much about the little one! I will leave the EA linearis in the original pot and soil - I don't like to repot EA hoyas...I've had bad luck with that. Also, I only bought two 4" pot sets (came with inner pot, outer pot, clay aggregate, and water gauge thing), so I don't have a big enough pot for it. I probably should've bought 2 off of the EA site and tried growing one in the regular EA mix, and the other via semi-hydro. Oh well...next time linearis comes out again! Keep me updated on your progress with this new linearis. Glad I'm not the only one buying duplicates, but I just LOVE the look of those big pots of linearis. Gabi
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My cutting has done well since last fall and is now a small plant with four growths of which the largest is 20" long. I have my plant in a 2.5" plastic pot with an open mix of soil, perlite and pebbles instead of the usual bark. I water my plant one or more times a week and it dries completely before I water again. I think this plant would be easier in each growers own potting mix, one that dries out quickly. I can't imagine growing this one in the mix that most Exotic Angle plants come in. Mike
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quinnfyre
Original Author
14 years ago
No, I fertilize very lightly with whatever is on hand - sometimes it's my African violet formula which is 14-12-14, sometimes it's my orchid fert which 30-10-10, and sometimes it's Dyna-Gro Grow which is 7-9-5. I use these chemical wash bottles with a bent tip nozzle that shoots a fine stream to water my mini African violets and my orchids, so since those are on hand, I use those to water my linearis (and others too). Basically, a squirt or two of water with fertilizer mixed in, and then top off the rest with distilled water, til the water level is about an inch or inch and a half.

I believe this method of growing is called semihydroponics.

Kelly, so you've seen growth come from midway down the cup, seemingly from nowhere, too? Isn't it strange looking? I almost feel like I left pieces of stem from the cuttings that didn't make it down there somewhere, and they decided to regenerate. I know that's not true, but that's how it feels.
kellyknits
14 years ago
I have! Obscura totally surprise me - kept watching the part of the cutting that was above the hydroton and one day saw growth coming up about an inch or so away from cutting!

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