Congrats on the nice recovery!

I have a praetorii (in semi hydro) that is starting to turn yellow, and I wouldn't mind some advice on dosage.

It's so nice to see your elliptica is recovering! Some hoyas are more dear to us than others, and the plants received as gifts from friends are definitively the most precious ones. And on top of all that; elliptica is a real beauty with those turtle shell leaves!

Is that dark green hoya an elliptica too? It looks so different. The leaves seem much thinner and the veins are much less visible, but maybe it just looks that way on the picture?

I used the conservative amount of 1/4 tsp/ga.

There's a wide range of recommended doses, but I thought I'd start out with the lowest one and go from there. Unfortunately, I didn't take any water readings that day because I was freaking out about some other stuff and didn't have the time/patience.

@ Klea

Fool that I am, I didn't label the photo, so I'll have to pull the plant tonight and check. I believe it is Hoya elliptica (EPC-641). Its leaves are thinner than the others, but it's a young plant and I find that elliptica leaves sometimes take a long time to mature and thicken up. In some of Joni's photos, you can see some old leaves that look much more elliptica-y.

The other one, directly to the right, is the clone B from Aleya... that little dude is a survivor!

Congrats on the elliptica resurrection. I gave up on my plant long ago because it was like candy for mealy bugs. Still as delicate as this Hoya may appear, itâÂÂs anything but.

Mike

Thanks GG for the dosage. I'll try it and hope that my praetorii will perk up.

@ Klea

It's funny how the "gifted" plants are so much more special. I have this big australis that I got in the spring of 2001. Even today I sometimes think about this BIG paper bag that a friend presented to me, on the lawn outside my student housing. The plant was a real beast and it even had a few flowers on one peduncle. OK, it didn't add up for the fact that my friend was moving to London, but it was some consolation.

@ Mike

Thanks! I have had mealies on this elliptica, but my personal mealy magnet is kenejiana. Some Hoyas must be sweeter and more tender to the mealies, as certain neighboring plants always remain unaffected. But, I figure, I'm bound to have some plants in my collection that are yummy - at least I know where to look first. I'd need to keep a forest of rigidas and macrophyllas to really put the mealies into a sulk. ;)

Re: Gift Plants

What a nice bag that must have been to receive, Kami. Brad once sent me a huge diversifolia wrestled into a box, so I know how funny it is to see a monster peeking out of you from a paper receptacle.

I think if a person collected plants without joining a club or forum, to become part of a community, they would be robbed of so much pleasure. There is nothing like associating a plant with someone you like. :)

Kamikakushi: That's a really nice story! Only a great friend would give such a great present! And although australis is a very beautiful hoya, I can understand that it didn't quite make up for the fact that your friend was moving to London...

I have some non-hoya houseplants that were given to me as cuttings from different friends and family members, and I always name the plant after the gifter. That way I think of the gifter every single time I look at or talk about the plant. If someone asks about one of those plants I just go; 'Oh, that? That's my Monica-plant', or 'That one is my grandma-plant!' :) Wouldn't do that with hoyas, though. With hoyas I always use their botanical names.

GG and Klea:

Well, a few years later the friend returned and wanted a few cuttings of the old australis. In just two years those few nodes had outgrown the mother plant (I'm quite envious of those big windows).

Later on it was my turn to leave (ending up in Austria) and then i donated a few plants (obscura and pubicalyx) to the same friend. Once again those southern windows worked their magic and produced specimens far bigger than mine. It's like being beaten by Doug Chamberlain in your own back yard...

So today on the rare occasions that we meet, it's quite satisfying to also check in on the new growth and knowing the "pedigree" and history of those plants. They're not mine, but I sure played my part...

Kami

Kami: That made your story even better! Must be nice having a friend like that. If any hoya is being difficult and/or is throwing a tantrum; of it goes to live with your friend. Then after a few years you can get a cutting back to try again. lol :)