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Hoyas House Plants garden

Hoya obovata woody stem?

3 years ago

Just got this hoya obovata recently and the entire stem is rigid and woody, unlike most obovata stems I’ve seen. It pretty much stands by itself, it’s

not bendy and green like I would expect it to be. The leaves are also bendy and dull. I repotted it into chunkier soil but the roots looked fine, no rot or anything, although they are a little short. Should I leave the plant as is? Will there be any new growth even with the woody stem?

Thank you! I’m pretty new to hoyas so I’m still figuring things out.

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Comments (5)

popmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
3 years ago
That stem looks perfect to me. Older hoyas have a tendency to have thicker, woodier looking stems. Your plant likely propagated as a cutting from an older plant which is good news!

Here are some pictures of one of my obovatas. This one was a cutting from a very very old and enormous plant.

And just to show woody stem on another hoya. These are stems on my 30-year old carnosa. See they are also very "woody".

And yes, you can expect new growth from the woody stem although it may take a while. My obovata cutting sat for nearly a year before it put out a new leaf. All the other leaves suddenly got larger too. Then it put out this huge new leaf which is quite shiny.

Here's a picture of the mother plant.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5982068/my-friend-s-obovata-is-in-bloom#n=2
Jenna Richard (Tucson, AZ)
3 years ago
This woody stem means you have a good strong specimen. (As opposed to something younger, newer, weaker.) Your hoya will become even more beautiful over time. Cheers!
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dixiechic28
3 years ago
Popmama what do you have your Hoya planted in?? It looks happy
popmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
3 years ago
The obovata is planted in a chunky mix that is relatively fast-draining. I make it myself based on a lot of information I gleaned from other hoya heads. It's about 1/3 good quality potting soil, 1/3 smaller orchid bark, 1/3 perlite and a dash of horticultural charcoal.

I don't love the way the perlite looks on the top of that one. I'm sure some nice top-dress gravel would look better. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow!
dixiechic28
3 years ago
🙏 thanks!

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