Krimson Princess Hoya problem
#Hoya I noticed that a few of the lower leaves have been falling off..yellowish with brown areas that are translucent. Some leaves on the plant have a tan colored scarring look to them. I always let the soil dry out before watering. I have it in a terracotta pot and am using a sansi grow light. Thanks for any advice.
10ft to light, indirect
8” pot with drainage
Last watered 4 hours ago
8
Best Answer
@Suzanthophile sorry! I just responded and didn’t see the watering comment. So I have my princess in a 6” unglazed pot similar to terracotta. I have that mix in her pot. I use the faucet to drench her. I let the excess run completely through. After about 15 min I drench her again and let the excess run through. About every 2 months I drench her, and then leave the run off in a pan to bottom water so she can soak up what she needs and after about 15 min I let her drain on a baking rack. I don’t use a measurement on my Hoyas. I just drench them and let them drain. They are far more forgiving if they are under watered than if overwatered. And I water every 14 days. But I live in Utah. I run my central air or heat depending on the season, and I run a humidifier 16-20 hours a day and the relative humidity gets up to about… 40% 😂
@Suzanthophile the terracotta pot and sansi lights sound great. I have a few questions… what’s the humidity like around the plant? What do you have it potted in? How much do you water when you water?
Hoyas, despite what this particular app says, and what many blogs that copy and paste from each other say, are humidity *dependent* plants. The minimum I have seen them survive is about 37% relative humidity. They are epiphytes, so their roots cannot support them getting the water they need through their roots alone. They absorb moisture through their leaves. What I see here is potentially a result of too much water in the soil, that cannot be absorbed in time and cannot be dried in time, therefore leading to potential suffocation of the roots. And like Ashley @Herbologybadger) said… will lead to a fungal infection. Those brown spots on the leaves indicate that.
Hoyas, despite what this particular app says, and what many blogs that copy and paste from each other say, are humidity *dependent* plants. The minimum I have seen them survive is about 37% relative humidity. They are epiphytes, so their roots cannot support them getting the water they need through their roots alone. They absorb moisture through their leaves. What I see here is potentially a result of too much water in the soil, that cannot be absorbed in time and cannot be dried in time, therefore leading to potential suffocation of the roots. And like Ashley @Herbologybadger) said… will lead to a fungal infection. Those brown spots on the leaves indicate that.
@TheOddAsity @Herbologybadger thanks for the speedy response!
It's potted in epsoma organic cactus mix. humidity measures 60%. Should I check the roots? Repot in a different soil? I have We the Wild protect spray with neem oil, or Captain Jack's copper fungicide that I use on my perennials outside. I also have small humidifier if that would help.
It's potted in epsoma organic cactus mix. humidity measures 60%. Should I check the roots? Repot in a different soil? I have We the Wild protect spray with neem oil, or Captain Jack's copper fungicide that I use on my perennials outside. I also have small humidifier if that would help.
@Suzanthophile yes, the copper fungicide will work fantastic. But the potting medium should be changed. So that’s a pretty heavy mix for a Hoya. Over the last little bit I have really shied away from anything that is a peat based soil, even a commercial potting mix, because I feel like peat moss type soils are just so heavy and suffocating. I went through the wringer with my Hoyas when I first got them and through lots and lots of research have learned they do best in a super chunky, light airy mix. I use coco coir, chunky perlite, coco chips, and charcoal. This is what my mix looks like (it’s missing some coco chips as I just ran out and need more). But this is what has given me success with my Hoyas and plants in general.
7-10 parts of both coco chips and chunky perlite
1 part of both charcoal and coco coir.
Use less chunky stuff if you need more “soil” properties.
7-10 parts of both coco chips and chunky perlite
1 part of both charcoal and coco coir.
Use less chunky stuff if you need more “soil” properties.
@Suzanthophile I’m sorry, hopefully I’m not giving you a drink with a fire hose! 😂one more thing… when you repot, *lightly* grasp the roots in between your fingers and kinda drag them along the shaft of the root. If any of them break off or feel soft/squishy/slimey there might be root rot setting in. spray with a 1:1 ratio water and hydrogen peroxide solution and trim away any that are mushy or smelly. Hoyas do pretty good to reroot in the right medium. If you lose a lot of them, you can reroot in sphagnum.
@TheOddAsity Thank you so much for helping me out.. I'm in Central NY. Water is pretty hard here, so I've been letting water sit out overnight before using. I'll be shopping for new potting ingredients you suggested. I too use central air and heat. I have and inexpensive temperature and humidity meter.