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This Hoya Mathilde is fairly new to me (like 2 months). It was doing… | Hoya Hoarders | Planta community

Courtney (newbie)

This Hoya Mathilde is fairly new to me (like 2 months). It was doing fine until I noticed these yellowing and dropping leaves today. I haven’t watered it for 19 days, it’s in a super chunky soil mix with drainage, and the chopstick came out completely dry which makes me think it’s not from overwatering. But the leaves are still plump and firm, not dry or wrinkly, so it doesn’t seem like underwatering either? And it only gets indirect light so probably not scorch and I don’t see any sign of pests? The only thing that seems off to my inexperienced eyes is that the root system of this plant is really loose, like I can almost pick the whole plant up without it sticking in the soil. (there are two separate plants in the pot). Any advice would be so appreciated! I’m pretty new to plants but I really don’t want to lose this one.

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11 comments

  1. Von

    I reakon you're on the money with the roots being too loose. Hoyas like to be slightly root bound, so maybe try tightening those roots up by popping some more soil in - they don't need to be in a super chunky mix. I've got mine in a mix of all purpose soil, Perlite, and orchid bark, and it's very happy.

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  2. Belle

    I’m having the same problem with my Hoyas and it spread really rapidly!! The app says they were under watered and getting too much light even though it wasn’t direct. I never thought to check the root system because they were doing so well and as the sun ☀️ in FL is getting hotter their health started declining so I did what the app said to do and moved them and also watered them, if that doesn’t help now I know to check the root systems in them!! 🌱💚🌱

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  3. Adrian

    19 days sounds pretty long for a hoya your size. I’ve got a Mathilde that’s been thankfully incredibly low-maintenance since the day I got her, but what seems to keep her happy is letting her get rootbound between repottings (opting for a pot no more than 1-2 inches wider in diameter than the plant’s root ball), keeping her in a chunky mix, and I water mine every 12-14 days depending on how long it takes her to dry out, but mine’s in a 3.5 in pot and considerably more mature than yours, so it should take more time for mine to dry out, which is making me think it’s likely too long of a wait between waterings for your plant at its size. My best advice would be to take a look at the piece that seems easy to yank right out of the pot and inspect its roots, especially if only the one piece is struggling. They have a pretty shallow root system, and can be prone to shock from aggressive repottings where the roots are really fooled with, so if it was recently repotted, it’s possible one piece went through shock. If you’re unsure if the roots look healthy or distressed upon inspection, feel free to attach a photo of them and I’d be happy to take a look. If the roots are distressed, I can walk you through treating them or propagating that piece. My money’s on it either being repot shock or underwatering, cause your soil definitely looks to have plenty of amendments, and the pot doesn’t look too big given the size of the plant. I’ve found my Mathilde to do just fine under bright light, so I don’t think lighting’s the issue unless it’s more than 1ft from a light source, in which case it might want more light. If it’s really taking 19 days to dry out given how chunky that soil looks, then it might need to be closer to the light to dry out faster. Hope this helps. 😊

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    • Adrian

      Mine originally started off as two pieces as well before I combined her with another Mathilde. It came in a pre-made Hoya mix from an Etsy seller, and I kept it in a 2-in nursery pot before I found the other Mathilde I combined her with. When you have to repot them, I highly recommend covering any exposed roots with Bonide’s Rooting Hormone Powder. It helps reduce the risk of shock during repottings and helps plants grow new roots in case of shock as well, which helps them adapt to their new home a little faster after a repot. It’s great for propagating cuttings too.

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    • Lisa Anglim

      Good information.

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    • Courtney (newbie)

      Thank you so much! Here are the roots, I’d love to hear what you think? I’m also wondering if I should repot both plants or just this one

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    • Adrian

      The root system looks like it’s lost some roots. I’d get some rooting powder and generously cover the roots in it, then place it back in the soil with the other piece. You could place it in a tiny pot on its own, but that’s if you have a tiny nursery pot to repot it in. Something with a 1-2 inch diameter should do the trick for a piece with that small of a root system. Regardless of whether you keep them potted together or separately, I’d try watering it more often. Especially with how small the pieces themselves are at the moment and how chunky your soil mix is, I wouldn’t be surprised if it only takes a week for it to dry out between waterings. I currently wait 12-14 days to mine, but I’d probably start with checking around 7-11 days for yours, waiting until any skewer you use to test it comes out dry before watering.

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    • Herektty

      I’d trim the stem to the point of sap and reroot. Roots are desicated. Rooting hormone may stimulate new roots but will not remedy old dry roots.

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  4. Lisa Anglim

    It’s way too dry.

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  5. Herektty

    Agree with Lisa. My exp with both Mathilde and her sister Chouke in particular (but really most Hoya) is that the leaf yellows like that at the base due to underwatering. There are other types of chlorosis due to other etiology.

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