Ten best Hoyas as houseplants for the beginner
hoyasahoy
15 years ago
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Comments (18)
Jan Sword-Rossman Realty 239-470-6061
15 years agotreelover3
15 years agoRelated Discussions
What houseplants benefit from slef-watering containers?
Comments (24)Well, I don't think I'd rely on it as a filter. Most filters use carbon chunks or, in the case of the Clear2o, a carbon block. For hardwater I reccommend the Clear2o. I was raised on well water from the farm. When I came to the city I found myself doing what I used to make fun of people for: buying water. It's like paying for the air we breath. Well, that's what I thought until I tasted the nasty chlorine, iron and yuck! Sinks and bathtubs with rust staining just days after scrubbing them really *stinks.* I've tried everything from Pur, Brita, DuPont, Culligan (okay, but still not for my taste), Rubbermaid and more. The only reason I sprung for another system is b/c it boasts the Good Housekeeping seal. My husband laughed when I had him taste the Clear2o filtered water and told him, "It's water!" I'll never go back and I won't have to haul heavy jugs home anymore. Now using this little terracotta pot is a great idea. I use it mainly for propagation purposes for even moisture. Also great so you don't have to get a plant sitter for the times away from home. However, I don't know for a fact, but I'm betting if used all the time your plants won't get the proper fertilization. Some of the fertiizers might stick to the inside of the pot like hardwater deposits do. Also, this would not work for leeching. I'm not sure how well wicking works for fertilization. You might ask around. What purpose/plant are you wanting to use a "self-watering" pot for? What do you want to acheive by using one? I.e. do you have a tendency to over/underwater?...See More***GASP** I watched my hoya open!!
Comments (15)Hi Valerie, Hoyas can take awhile to bloom. I see compacta and possibly carnosa...what's the one in the white pot? Looks like mindorensis? Anyway, carnosa and compacta can take quite a while to bloom. Do you have east facing windows? Your hoyas might do better in that direction rather than west. Other than that, just patience! The only one that seems that it may do better in a smaller pot is the compacta...that pot looks a little big for it. But if you don't want to repot, no big deal. I would just keep taking good care of them...they will eventually bloom if they are happy! If you want a quick bloomer, try lacunosa. You can find that at most Home Depot's or Lowes. By the way, you're not doing anything "wrong"....my carnosa (first hoya I ever bought) still hasn't bloomed, and it's about 4 or 5 years old. It's growing like crazy, but no blooms. You're plants are gorgeous by the way. Good luck! Gabi...See Morequestions from a beginner
Comments (19)Thank you again for the replies, I really should slow down...BUT I'm the sort of person that once I see a plant I like, I become obsessed til I own it. But I have recently learned to just not look, cause if I don't see them, I cant want them lol. I have been buying smaller plants to see if I can even care for them before investing in a larger one...except I did get two large plants for $5, a swiss cheese plant and a corn plant. I do a lot of research on all the plants I own, I also own a small library of house plant and succulent books (around 15 books), but some plants are just not in them. Like I cant find any information on my string of bananas and peperomia prostrata in them, not even hardly online. I think most of my house plants look pretty healthy except for a small few...I use distilled water cause truthfully I live next to a place that use to make nuclear bombs in the 50's, who knows whats leaked into the water LOL. I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only person alive who has a passion for house plants, it makes me feel a little less crazy LOL. The ladder thing sounds interesting, I'll have to look into it a little more. I would like to see a picture of it too... -flowerpottipper...See MoreBeginner setup?
Comments (1)Welcome to "terrariuming"! A 10-gal tank should be fine; I have 2 of them. "The lid to the aquarium has a fluorescent light fixture ... it has several "holes" punched out..." Is it a regular aquarium hood? If so, I think any light you find for it should work. I have a plant/aquarium light in one terr., and had a cool white bulb in the other. The cool white was brighter, and I think the plants under it grew better than the ones under the plant light. The cool or warm bulbs are cheaper to buy, also. You might be able to put the terr. in a north window and use natural light, as long as the plants don't have a high light requirement. I have not heard of doing this or done this before, so I really don't know much about it. If you get demanding plants, you might need more air circulation; otherwise, it should be fine without it. Neither of my 10-gals have a fan of any kind. The best substrate? Now that would be a loaded question. the more exotic you get (water features, animals of any kind, orchids, etc.), the more specific kind of soil you'll need. With just plants, you shouldn't have to be nearly as specific. I have regular potting soil in both of mine, but it is not ideal. If you want a very easy substrate that is fairly cheap, coir (coconut husk fiber) will probably work just fine. Many people have their special soil mix that they always use, and maybe someone else will pipe up with theirs. I probably have less experience than most of the other people on here; from my experience I would recommend coco husk fiber. One brick of it will probably be enough for a 10-gal, though I don't know for sure. For plants, there are many, many options. I personally like English ivy a lot. It has worked well in both of my terr.s, and it isn't one of those ones that will die if you take your eyes off of it. It does grow fairly quickly, so you will likely have to trim it some. Trimming is not very difficult, though. Some other good ones are Polka-dot plants (Fittonia), ferns, mosses, bromeliads, and Pothos (devil's ivy, will also probably need trimming). There are a lot of others, but they're not coming to mind right now. Most of the plants you are likely to want can probably be gotten at a local nursery. For moss, and maybe ferns, you can collect samples from your yard, or anywhere where you have permission to. I believe that the reviews you've heard for Black Jungle are correct. I have not had any first-hand experience with them, and I don't plan to (at least on plants). I have heard various people here give their much-less-than-favorable accounts of plants from Black Jungle. I think Black Jungle would be a fine place to buy supplies from, but not plants that you want to receive alive. I hope this helps! -Jmcat...See MoreMentha
15 years agoDenise
15 years agohoyasahoy
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15 years agohoyasahoy
15 years agogoing_green9
15 years agoMentha
15 years agocena60
15 years agotreelover3
15 years agohoyasahoy
15 years agoMentha
15 years agohills
15 years agohoyasahoy
15 years agoCatherine Earl wormuth
3 years agoEllen Anderson
3 years ago
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Meyermike(Zone 6a Ma.)