Thoughts??
Happy Friday! Houseplant care is relatively new to me, but so far most of my plants have been thriving. I checked on my Hoya this morning to look at her new growth, but I noticed that two of the white leaves are suddenly thin, soft and turning brown. This literally happened overnight. Does anyone know what could have caused this so suddenly? I appreciate any help!! #SucculentLove #PlantAddict #NewPlantMom
0ft to light, direct
4” pot with drainage
Last watered 4 months ago
4
Hey @Ashnw that doesn’t look like a sunburn, because there is no sun stress around the “injury”, aka no red or pink edging around the edges. That looks like the start of dehydration from lack of humidity. I can see you’re in Arizona, I’m in Utah, and I’ve dealt with a similar issue.
Do you have a hygrometer to test the humidity around this plant? Has the wrinkling spread or have you watered this plant since you posted this?
To survive Hoyas need humidity in the air and airflow to their roots. Very few people will speak on humidity, because most people believe Hoyas can tolerate any humidity level, but that is not true. Hoyas are humidity *dependent* and cannot survive in less than 40% humidity, some need 70-80% to thrive and flower. This plant cannot meet its water needs via only its roots, the roots are incapable of doing so on their own, it needs water in the air to survive. A Hoya uses its leaves to pull water from the air, thats how it can go as long as it does in between watering; the leaves and roots work together to provide enough moisture for this plant. A Hoya is an epiphyte, in the wild it grows on other things, like trees, logs, etc. Their roots like to be root bound and its roots like to really fill in, around, and through the soil; to accomplish this, it needs light chunky airy soil with a lot of aeration.
Prolonged dehydration from lack of humidity can escalate into dry rot. I’ve attached screenshots from ChatGPT for reference.
Do you have a hygrometer to test the humidity around this plant? Has the wrinkling spread or have you watered this plant since you posted this?
To survive Hoyas need humidity in the air and airflow to their roots. Very few people will speak on humidity, because most people believe Hoyas can tolerate any humidity level, but that is not true. Hoyas are humidity *dependent* and cannot survive in less than 40% humidity, some need 70-80% to thrive and flower. This plant cannot meet its water needs via only its roots, the roots are incapable of doing so on their own, it needs water in the air to survive. A Hoya uses its leaves to pull water from the air, thats how it can go as long as it does in between watering; the leaves and roots work together to provide enough moisture for this plant. A Hoya is an epiphyte, in the wild it grows on other things, like trees, logs, etc. Their roots like to be root bound and its roots like to really fill in, around, and through the soil; to accomplish this, it needs light chunky airy soil with a lot of aeration.
Prolonged dehydration from lack of humidity can escalate into dry rot. I’ve attached screenshots from ChatGPT for reference.
@EZLennyLance thanks for the info!! I’ve watered the plant shortly after this post and the two leaves broke off, and now the rest of the plant seems to be doing fine. I will definitely invest in a humidifier for my plant shelf.