It could be either bacterial or fungal.. probably from too much moisture and some microbes taking advantage of it.If you go to your HH store you'll probably find a good bactericide and/or fungicide.

I have both Kerri species, solid green and variegated. And while the solid green one grows like gangbusters in the summer time, the variegated one has shrunk in the year since I got it. The new leaves come in deformed and fall off or sometimes turn black and fall off. It's a very frustrating plant, especially considering how well it's cousin is doing.

Here's the green beast:

http://community.webshots.com/scripts/editPhotos.fcgi?action=showMyPhoto&albumID=153664728&photoID=208120448&security=abWbaH

Julia....I never can see your pictures, as when I go there, it always says, "An error has occured...you are not the owner of this album."
Marcy

Sorry about that...it must have been in edit mode.

Does this work?

http://community.webshots.com/photo/153664728/208120448abWbaH

yes it does.

Yes, I do! I'm about to send the brat into the compost bin!

I wonder why it's such a fussy beast compared to the plain green one.

Julia

Hi,

I think the mix is pretty fast draining. Apparently it's just fussy. I have had a net gain of 1 leaf. I got 2 over the summer and one of the old ones died. I've just started watering even less so that's it feels totally dry for at least a couple of weeks. It looks a little better.

It does seem to be one that like to go very dry between watering. Mine has done better in a clay pot. I also notice that mine like some sun. Since I moved it to a location where it gets several hrs of sun, it has put on several new leaves that stayed on.
Marcy

Mine is VERY crunky all the time too. All new leaves were distorted and ugly and didn't stay. But I know that in Hungtington gardens (CA) they have variegated kerrii going crazy and growing all the way to the roof of the greenhouse.

Well, if we had Calif weather, I'm sure mine'd be growing much faster. Mine does get some (almost) direct sun for a couple of hrs. Maybe I'll try watering it a bit less often (like every other wk, even tho' that does sound too infrequently to me, but several of you are saying it likes it better drier). ...Hmmmm ... Guess that's what I'll try next.

Meanwhile ... in the bathroom, the green Kerrii, just goes on its merry way, throwing another long vine that wants to invade my shower (I posted abt that in Spring/Summer asking if I should cut it back). I DID cut that one back, into 3 new cuttings (2 made it, progressing happily). I'm deciding that must be in its nature, to just grow these long dang vines.

I wish the green Kerrii would tell its varieg. cousin to "straighten up & fly right" as I heard more than once growing up!!!

I moved to Orange County, CA from Los Angeles in August. I have my neighbor my variegated H. Kerrii to hold until I bought a home. Yesterday I visited them and brought it home. It was dry as a bone but otherwise looked great and healthy. I gave it a good watering when I brought home.

It grows so slowwwwwwwww .....

Well Tammy,

Good luck w/ yours, better luck than I had anyway.

Mine bit the dust last week. One leaf slowly died off which I removed, then came home a week later to find black spreading up a vertically situated leaf from its petiole. I removed it thinking it was some evil fungus but that I might be able to save the stem/leaf/root node. Well, I was wrong, took it out of its mostly pumice (w/ a bit of mix) mixture, to find that it was softening & on its way to mush. Frustrating indeed! Esp. since I got that one from Dr. Barad (of Stapeliad fame) & kinda really liked its form.

I guess in my book this now qualifies as a more difficult Hoya! :

I got mine last summer off of eBay. I've gotten no new leaves as yet, but what really ticks me off is that the variegation of the old leaves is all but gone. I give it plenty of sun, but not enough to fade the leaves (I think most of us have seen Hoyas that have downright yellow leaves form "too" much sun, though those are the ones that bloom the most profusely!) I paid a pretty penny for this rooted cutting, so I'm a little frustrated. I've learned, though, not to buy certain plants off of eBay, Hoya being one of them...

Denise in Omaha

I have three variety's of the H. kerri. I found with each of them that they like to be on the dryer side. So when I water my other hoya's I don't water the kerri's unless they are all the way dry. Since I started doing this , they have grown more and look healthier.

Patricia

Thanks Patricia,

Other than the all green, I do have a small one node cutting of reverse Kerrii (w/ one leaf). Will try & remember to water this one less often in hopes it will do something. I appreciate the tip.

I hope no one minds me bringing back an older thread.
I have one variegated Kerrii , which I obtained as a small cutting Dec. 2003
I have the same problem as mwedzi
My plant has grown fairly well, because of the Florida environment. It has always been in the screened in porch.
Last year's growth is beautiful. This year's growth has been minimal ,( compared to last year) and the few new leaves that grew this Spring are distorted , poorly variegated and look diseased or blighted.
Recently, out of disappointment, I decided to do something different and drastic for an experiment. I took the Hoya out of the porch and put it on the patio ,( in a safe place ,out of the 'traffic zone' amongst other plants ).
For a week and a half ,the plant experienced excessive weather; more sun , wind , tons of rain/thunderstorms etc.
What a difference. The leaves went a richer colour and the plant has flushed out into new growth everywhere. I now see about 15 new leaves and a couple of small peduncles.
No cause for celebration.....the 'bad' leaves did not improve and most of the brand new leaves have this problem.
I need to add ,that this plant does not abort it's leaves , and the vine itself looks healthy.
I'm determined to figure this out. My previous cultivation sounds similar to everyone elses.....well draining mix , maintaining on the dry side etc. This kind seems to acquire some type of blight , fungus or disease either by bad luck , or there is a cultivation secret that we need to learn. I have many other Hoyas and they live in close proximity to each other , yet 'no one' else gets this , so I don't believe that it is 'contagious'. Also , it's the newly developing leaves. The older 'original' ones don't succumb to this.
Variegated Kerrii needs something. Maybe there is a specific mineral deficiency.
Yesterday , I fertilized the plant with liquid Miracle Gro and fish emulsion. Then I 'hit' it with Orthene and Dithane ( fungicide ). It looks none the worse for wear today. Next , I'm going to pop it out of it's pot. I might change this pot from plastic to a clay one , and I might change out some of the soil mix.
Any more input on variegated Kerrii would be great. What else has anyone learned since this posting was first started?

Thanks ,
Florajilly

I'd be glad for any cultural information, too. My reverse variegate is the plant I mentioned in another post. After its taking forever to put out any new leaves, I broke the new growth off just as it started to form. Now I feel even worse about that!
It used to have distinct color contrast, but now its variegation is kind of "muddy". It does have one new set of leaves forming (I'm almost afraid too look at it too intently!) so I'll see what happens. Like most of you, I'm growing mine with quite a bit of direct sun, in a very porous mix, and letting it dry between waterings. I'll let you know what happens.
My solid green kerrii (which I got from a nice Hoya lady who has been all too scarce around here lately) has done beautifully. I also have the fuzzy kerrii (hairy clone?), but got that only recently, so I don't know how it performs.

update...
I am now convinced that variegated kerrii is susceptable to some type of fungus or blight , and not necessarily due to a human cultivation error.
Unfortunately , I do not have the solid green kerrii , and only have one variegated ,in which to experiment and make comparisons with.
After posting to the above thread , ( June 9 ) I 'hit' the plant with a systemic fungicide weekly for 4 weeks.
Unless there is high wind or a heavy rain , the plant is living outside on the patio , in the elements and receiving a great deal more sun.
Variegation is returning , new leaves are not distorted anymore , but flat and pleasant feeling , as they should be.
Some of the previously affected leaves have improved dramatically and the blighty looking splotches/spots have almost completely faded.
I forgot to mention that almost all of the plant's adventitious roots had gone brown months ago. Now, new ones are starting to grow and they are pale green.
Several peduncles are still there , but they are 'sleeping'.
I never did repot. Decided to make one change at a time.
My next part of the experiment , is to carefully snip off the 'worst' leaf and see what happens - see if it will regrow in time .... and if it does ...will it grow normally.

Florajilly

The ugly markings that I get on mine, remind me that I seriously sunburned nearly all my plants when I brought them over here... I am mixed about what I think of this.

Some of you will remember that I put two rooted plain green cuttings into a self-water pot, BEFORE I read that most of you keep this one significantly dryer. It is receiving less sun than before, but is out in the elements all the time, with wind and wild critters.

I am pretty excited as one of my sleeping peduncles (which all this time I thought were air roots!) is developing and I should have a bloom in three or four weeks, if the creek don't rise, and I hold my mouth just so!

I tend to do a lot of misting under the tree. I have epies, and mostly hoyas out there. The Epi society recommends daily misting to deal with heat, so I crank up the wand, and spray everything in sight! Two days after I made sure to get the Kerrie, two leaves up and showed black markings, like following veins. I backed off a bit spraying, the marks are still there, but not spreading.

I am wondering if the 'orginal' environment does not have something like mountain elevation with lots of sun, and humitidy that could be tough to replicate. In the gallery there are awesome shots of blooming Kerriis... makes me really grumpy that this one is soooo tough to figure out.

My v. Kerrii cutting spent the winter nearly dry to the bone, teeny cutting, potted up, behind someone else. Emptying the plant room in Spring, and Surprise! Poor thing. Still alive, still two leaves. No sign of three showing up any time soon.

All I can offer is that it is a plant that can get seriously ugly!

Dear Cena,

I hate to be the harbinger of doom here, but black spot -- that sounds like the beginning of dreaded Kerrii fungus (how I lost my varieg one). I'd stop misting that one & watch the watering carefully. Mine was a fast decline after the appearance of the black spot.

Hope to be wrong on this, but pls. be forewarned!

On a happier note, remember our recent discussion on how copiusly Kerrii weeps white goo? Well, right then I'd curved mine rather hard onto a hoop & am happy & proud to report 3 new growth spots appeared this week, one of them is growing visibly DAILY. In the last 3 days it's become 2 baby leaves & a growth stem -- wooooo hooo, kicking into gear this one!

Has anyone tried to root a variegated kerrii cutting? I just a received one and have it in damp sand now. I started rooting a plain green kerrii this way (started cutting a couple of months ago) , and although it's not showing any top growth yet, it is sending roots out like crazy. Just wondering if I should keep the variegated cutting a little drier?

Onca, you would get better response to this if you posted a new thread. This particular one has been around awhile, so folks who've read it before may be unlikely to come back to it. Its just as simple as posting to an existing thread.

I really can't say, I potted my up after water rooting it, watered it maybe twice, then left it for winter, pretty dry. I just 'found' it again recently!

Bad Plant Mommy.

Sorry, will post to a new thread, didn't mean to change the thread...
Thank you for the info Cena.

My variegated Hoya Kerrii is really taking off, producing one long vine, with baby leaves and perhaps a tiny spur!!!!

I paid $26 for her about 5-6 years ago, did nothing by way of growing, now she's on a roll.

I would get a fungicide for your hoya's leaves. That is what it sounds like. Good luck.

Well, I'm happy to report back that, since using Eleanor's VF-11 on my variegated H. kerrii, it's doing much better. I've got new growth and a peduncle that will hopefully, one day, produce a flower. More than I had hoped for... I was a little discouraged with this one early this spring. I'm feeling less disgusted with the variegated H. kerrii.
And maybe my better attitude will help in & of itself!!

Denise in Omaha

Hello everyone,
I am new here and in Zone 3. Can someone help me please in locating hoya suppliers in Canada? I know of only one Pike Lake, Saskatoon. Is there a hoya society/club in Canada?
Thank you.

Venuscat - You should start a new post to ask this question as this is an old post with a different topic. Go to the main Hoya page and to the very bottom to start a new post.

Denise in Omaha