Hoya Obscura > Home plants

Creepers are not the most popular plant among our gardeners. But it’s very in vain. Using weaving plants you can create the most extraordinary floral arrangements that will attract the eyes of your guests and cause rave reviews.

In the sun, the leaves become reddish. It blooms with small umbrellas in orange. Today we’ll talk about this type of creeper as a hoya, or rather its variety - obscura. Hoya Obscura has light green glossy leaves, veins are darker and clearly visible. Young leaflets are first small and thick, and then, expanding, they become much thinner and lighter.

Appearance of hoya Obscura

During flowering, a very pleasant aroma with vanilla notes. It has a little similarity with the scent of lily. Usually, no more than two or three leaves grow on the shoot, which in the overall picture create the effect of a dense carpet.

Inflorescences include about 20-25 small flowers. Externally, the inflorescences resemble saturated pink stars.

The leaves of the Hoya Obscura itself are very narrow, as if squeezed. For this sign obscura got its second name - squeezed. It was first found at the end of the 18th century, and brought into an independent form already at the end of the twentieth.

Photo

Growing

Seeds

Minuses:

The plant rarely forms seed pods.
Seeds quickly lose their germination ability. It must be planted in the first year after collection.

pros: We did not find any special advantages in seed propagation. This method of cultivation is generally not suitable for wax ivy.

The only advantage is the ability to order seeds by mail.

Leaf

Minuses:

From one leaf it is very difficult to grow a full-fledged plant.
Have to resort to the help of chemicals.
Often, growth points do not form on a leaf plate.

pros: One leaf will be enough to get a whole healthy plant in the future.

Cuttings

Minuses:

The ability to ruin all planting material with one wrong move.
Very painstaking work.
It will take longer to wait for the result than in the case of seed cultivation.

pros:

It is considered the most optimal way to grow hoya.
It has several rooting methods.
Has the greatest chance of survival.
Create the necessary conditions for the growth of the root system is not a big problem.

Care

Location selection and lighting

Hoya belongs to shade-tolerant plants, but in this case the liana will only grow with its green part.

In order to see beautiful colors on wax ivy, you need to provide the plant with a lot of light. To do this, choose the southeast, southwest and east sides of your room.

If there is still not enough light, put a lamp over the plant. But make sure that this lamp does not heat and does not burn the entire hoya. Better if it is a special phytolamp.

Air temperature

Wax ivy easily adapts to almost any ambient temperature. But the ideal option, in which the hoya will bloom profusely, is considered a temperature of about 17-18 degrees above zero.

In the cold season, it is better to winter ivy. To do this, the temperature must be reduced to 15 degrees heat.

Fulfilling this condition, you can count on the fact that the hoya will gain new strength during the winter and will grow and bloom at an accelerated pace. In winter, the hoya should be kept at a temperature of at least 18 degrees. True, some varieties of Hoya can winter at 12-15 degrees, briefly withstanding a decrease to 9 - 10 degrees.

Watering

Humidification should be moderate constantly. After the next watering, wait until the soil in the pot is completely dry, and only water again. And in the winter, wetting of the substrate should be as rare as possible: the ground should be dry for about a week. This is also a condition of abundant summer flowering.

Every six months, experienced flower growers are advised to immerse the flower (both underground and ground) in a warm bath (water temperature should be at a level of 30-40 degrees) and leave it in this state for 30-40 minutes. Then get the plant out of the water and let it dry completely.

Top dressing

Frequent top dressing can only aggravate the general condition of the hoya.

During the period of growth and development, wax ivy needs to be fertilized every twenty days. It is better to use ready-made complex fertilizers for this. But at a time when the flower will go on winter holidays, it is worth reducing the frequency of dressing to once every one and a half months.

Pruning

Trimming any shoots is not recommended at all. This can only be done in extreme cases, when the stems have become too long. But if there is an opportunity to wind this escape somewhere, it is better to do so.

As for the flower stalks, they should not be touched at all in any case. Usually, orchids have a flower stalk on which the buds have bloomed, they need to be cut, and a new one will appear next season. But this will not work in the case of Hoya, because here every year the flowers appear on the same peduncle. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure its safety.

Transplant Nuances

Remember that wax ivy does not need a large flowerpot. The root system of the hoya should completely fill the pot. And even better if the plant is slightly cramped in a flowerpot. For hoya this phenomenon is considered normal. Transplanting the plant is often not recommended. It will be enough once every few years.

Diseases and Pests

There are not so many parasites attacking ivy. It could be:

Powdery mildew. Appears from frequent watering. To get rid of it, you need to stop moistening the soil, treat the plant with fungicide, and then continue watering at a minimum level.
Shield. You can only get rid of it mechanically (with a cotton swab dipped in soapy water, wipe all surfaces of the hoya), and then treat it with insecticidal preparations.

Hoya diseases can provoke both pests, bacteria, fungi, viruses and external factors. Damage and various malignant tumors can appear not only due to pests, but also as a result of detention in inappropriate conditions.

Other problems arise most often due to improper care. Therefore, to cure these "ailments", simply adjust your care.

Conclusion

Hoya - a rather capricious plant. But its appearance is worth it. If you adhere to all points for the care of ivy, you can get constant pleasure from the extraordinary nature of this magnificent flower.