OK, I think some of you helped me with my Hoyas when I posted last about them. Basically, I’ve had them for a year and they’ve both grown very little. I took them out of their pots once again today and I think the problem is that I’m over watering them because the soil was slightly moist and although there are some healthy roots, there are also some thin dark colored roots. I’m going to have to repot these but now I don’t know what to put them in. Thoughts?
I keep all of mine in Cactus Mix, Espoma’s Organic Cactus and Succulent Mix, to be exact. Avoid Miracle Grow’s soil for this, but any pre-made cactus or epiphytic mix should do just fine. If you want to make a mix yourself, getting some Espoma or FoxFarm Potting Mix as a base and adding some orchid bark and perlite to it for more aeration could do, but I find Espoma’s Cactus Mix to work just fine for mine and at much less of the cost of getting the same ingredients in their mix to make a mix myself. I get mine from my local nurseries. In terms of repotting, opt for smaller pots that match the size of the plants root ball rather than the size of the plant as a whole. Try for a pot no more than 1-2 inches wider than the width of the plant’s root ball. Before repotting it, soak the roots in a cup with hydrogen peroxide for 10-20 minutes, then take it out and pat the roots dry. It’ll kill any lingering bacteria from previously rotted roots and provide fresh oxygen to the roots to help grow new roots. Then I’d cover the roots in Bonide’s Rooting Hormone Powder. You can find that at any nursery, Ace Hardware, Lowe’s, Walmart, and Home Depot. The root powder will help reduce the risk of shock from the repotting and help it grow new roots. After the peroxide and powder treatment, you can add it to some fresh soil in a new pot. Putting it in a well draining mix like cactus mix will help it dry out faster to greatly lower the risk of overwatering and root rot. To know when it’s dry enough to water, use a toothpick or bamboo skewer to stick into the soil for dryness. If the soil sticks to it, hit snooze for 2 days and check again. If the skewer comes out dry, with nothing sticking to it, after sticking it in 2-3 different spots in the soil, it should be safe to water. Hope this helps! 😊
Ok thank you so much. I’ll try this
1 me gusta You’re welcome! As a rule of thumb in the future, try to have some peroxide, rooting powder, and soil on standby before you reduce it completely to its roots for a repotting, especially in the winter. A plant is at its most vulnerable when reduced to its roots. While you’re gathering the supplies for repotting, I’d recommend putting it in peroxide first, patting it dry after it soaks, then keeping it somewhere where it won’t get cold while you’re out. It’s gonna need soil within the day if they’re currently bare root. If you can’t find small enough pots to put them in at the store/nursery, many nurseries will often give you nursery pots for free if you ask (and I’d mention the need to repot it asap), and while I don’t love relying on amazon, especially in this weather, they have lots of options for 1.5-2 in pots if there aren’t any nurseries open around you.
1 me gusta
Pon, leca or a chunky mix that includes small orchid bark are good alternatives too. Also recommend treating for flat mites if growth seems stunted
1 me gusta I’ve definitely seen those alternatives to soil, but I’d worry about the high risk of the roots dying off completely to try and grow roots suited for water if transferred to a hydroponic option like pon/leca right now, especially in the winter and if the roots have already been stressed from overwatering/root rot. While flat mites are microscopic, they show signs of damage to the leaves like the photos I’ve attached, which I’m not seeing in the photos you’ve posted. If you haven’t found any damage to the leaves on your Hoyas, then it’s very likely the slow growth is from the winter or that Hoyas are notoriously slow-growers. They can be infuriating to watch them barely grow, but even with fertilizer, they can take an eon to develop. Changes in their environment, being recently repotted, or health issues with the plant can also contribute to slow growth, so it might take some time to grow anything new after the repotting, but once it’s in a soil it enjoys, hopefully it’ll start working on something new to grow.
I get my hoya soil from repot me - they have some great, but a bit pricy, premade mixes. I usually mix this with orchid mix and a tropical soil mix. Also, don’t be afraid to give them lots of light! Mine are in a south window that gets some shade from a tree and they grow like crazy! If brown spots appear on the leaves, that means they’re getting too much sun and adjust them a little farther from the sunlight
2 Me gusta Ok thank you all for your comments. I live in Hawaii so I don’t have to worry about the temperature too much. It’s validating when you say that Hoyas are slow growers. I have them both in smaller pots with chunky mix and under grow lights. I did use a root nutrient when I went to repot but I didn’t do hydrogen peroxide because I’m out. I don’t see evidence of flat mites so I’m crossing my fingers that this was not a mistake. Maybe part of my problem is that I compare these guys to my other tropicals which are thriving very well.
