We love connecting with so many plant parents who have varying levels of experience in the plant care department! Which is why we love to share plants that are long-lived and easy to care for. Introducing … The Hoya plant! This popular house plant has been around for a while as it is a beautiful classic that will be sure to brighten your spaces. 

Their leaves have a thick waxy texture to them that is a deep vibrant green colour. Known to be a vining plant, the Hoya will also produce fragrant, light pink and red heart shaped flowers. When they are taken care of well enough to bloom, hoya’s will flower year after year!

While there are different species of hoya’s which are very hard to tell the difference between with an untrained eye, the care routines for them are very similar and therefore make these plants easy to care for popular house plants. 

Light

Hoya plants thrive in bright, indirect light. A room with lots of natural light is perfect for these plants, but not right on the windowsill. Southern facing windows will most likely cause their leaves to burn. North facing windows will give the best lighting possible! If you don’t have much light in your space they will still grow in lower light, but likely won’t bloom year round. Since most of the Hoya species have traditionally grown in the gaps in the forest floor, they are accustomed to getting diffuse, indirect light. If you are wanting your Hoya to produce their beautiful flowers, then the light they receive will be a key factor in this. 

Potting

Hoya plants like to be squishy in their pots, so you likely won’t have to repot for a couple years! People say they can go two to three years before repotting their hoya plant. A great pot specifically for your Hoya would be a terracotta pot as they are more portus than other pots and can drain water quite effectively. 

Watering

Watering hoya plants is easy as well. You will want to water regularly throughout the spring and summer, waiting for the top layer to get dry before rewatering. Be mindful that in the cooler months and winter, growth slows down so less frequent watering will be needed. A tip for checking your watering: drooping flowers can be a sign of too much water. We recommend potting your hoya in a pot with water drainage. Hoya plants can be sensitive to water, so having draining at the bottom of your pot helps give you some more wiggle room with your watering.

Temperature & Humidity

As the Hoya plant is a tropical plant it loves humidity! Therefore, you do not want to keep them in extremely cool areas of your house. This makes them a perfect plant for bathrooms or rooms with humidifiers. However, you will want to keep your hoya away from the cold. Avoiding cold windows or spots near outside doors in the winter months is ideal for this heat seeking plants.

Fertilizers 

Hoya’s tend to be a light feeder and don’t need much fertilizer to help them keep strong and healthy. However, they do benefit from a bi-weekly to monthly small dose of your favourite fertilizer. In particular, this will help your hoya bloom easier during its peak months. Plant Vitamins Boost will help this process speed up during the spring and summer seasons! As we move into the Fall and Winter months, cut back on your fertilization or not at all as your plants shift into their dormant stages. 

Pests

Hoya’s are quite resistant to pests, however mealy bugs can show up on the leaves and aphids can be found under the flowers. A great solution to this would be the Protect neem oil product (link to our product page). With a quick wipe down with this product, your pests will be gone in no time!

Propagation

Hoya plants are wonderful for propagation, and can be easy to grow with from the initial cuttings. However, be mindful that leaves and flower clusters develop from the long tendrils, so don’t cut them!

Now you know everything there is to know about Hoya plants! If you have a Hoya plant at home, or are planning on getting one now that you’ve read up on them, let us know in the comments! We love to hear from you! If you have any questions or other tips to share about hoya plants feel free to leave a comment as well! 

Until next week, 

Plant Vitamins Team