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Hope I didn't kill my first hoya

16 years ago

Well i found the kind of hoya i was looking for. Lacunosa at least i think that it is. The lady at the garden center had ordered two one was a lacunosa bella and the other was a coronaria,but she had no idea which one was which she didn't even know that the flowers were fragrant. The leaves look more like a lacunosa not a bella or the other one,this one has long slender dark green leaves. Well any way I came home and took out the old soil and replaced it with good potting soil, perlite and orchid bark. I have watered him really well and let him completly drain so there is no standing water in saucer. While i was waiting for the water to finish draining (used room temp water) I was reading some more on this plant and saw that it doesn't like to have it's roots distrubed and that it may go down hill fast if it is repotted. I did take a lot of the old heavy compacted soil off so that I thought I was doing good. Oh I do hope in all my trying to this right that i haven't killed my new plant. It is a small plant only in a 6 in. pot. Hope there is hope for me and this plant.

Ann

Comments (10)

  • 16 years ago

    Ann I am sure we can help you identify your new Hoya so that you will know what kind of care to give it. If you have a camera and can take a photo that would be great but if not it is possible your plant could be identified by description alone. Leaf shape, appearance and dimensions should be enough to ID most commonly available flower shop Hoyas.

    Was your plant in a 6" pot when you got it or did you move it to a bigger pot when you repotted? I think your plant will be fine as long as you give it some time to dry some before you water again and try to keep the potting mix from staying too moist while new roots start to grow.

    Mike

  • 16 years ago

    Well, I'll cross my fingers for you, but I'm one of the people who tried to warn you (in the other thread) not to be so determined to repot it, as you might do more harm than good.

    Can I pls. ask what was it that got you so determined to do this in this first place?

    On a more hopeful note, some of us aren't such believers of this notion that Hoyas dislike having their roots disturbed as much as other folks believe this. Denise & I are both folks who've plainly come out on the side of repotting when we feel it's necessary (in my case, sometimes potting down smaller than the original pots).

    So all is not lost, pls. don't assume the worst. Just find a good spot in your home for this Hoya, observe the plant closely & try not to muck around w/ it for a couple of wks 'til it adjusts to the change of environment.

    It maybe surprise you & come through just fine, so that's what I'll hope for!

  • 16 years ago

    Mike : my hoya was in a 6in pot and I left it in the same pot with just new soil.
    Pirate Girl : I saw your post after i got back from town too late. But i gave it new soil because everything I had read said that the soil most plants were planted in was too heavy and to give the plants new,fresh,lighter in order to have better drainage and better nutrients.(This little plant had almost concrete as soil).I have also read that most plants die because of overwatering and rot because of the heavy soil. I felt that with such a small plant it would benefit. I did leave it in the same pot hopefully everything will be good. Thanks for your imput. I appreciate it very much.
    Ann

  • 16 years ago

    Ann,

    If it's lacunosa, I find that it IS a little sensitive to it's roots being disturbed. But if the soil was as you describe, it's probably better that you took a chance and changed the soil. Like Mike said, just be sure to let it dry out a bit before you water it again.

    However... when you describe the leaves, my first thought went to wayetti (aka kentiana). "Long, slender, dark green..." Here are photos for comparison - first is lacunosa:


    There are some variables with lacunosa as there are different clones and cultivars out there, but they all have the same basic leaf shape. Now here is wayetti...
    {{gwi:941051}}

    There is no lacunosa bella (that I'm aware of, anyway...) but it's not uncommon for nursery people to be a little ignorant when it comes to botanical names. Which is why when I bring a plant home, I take a photo and go on a hunt to find out what it actually is...

    Denise in Omaha

  • 16 years ago

    Thanks Denise My new plant looks just like your first picture. I am glad as that is what i wanted. I did remember while at the garden center that the plant I wanted did not have large rounded leaves so I went with this one. My new hoya looks great this morning He is the quarratine room with a few others and at this moment shows no sign of stress. I know that if there is any it will take a while sometimes to show up. So for now everything is good. Thanks so much for the picture I thought that was what I had but now i know for sure.
    Ann in So UT.

  • 16 years ago

    Hi Ann,

    I just bought a Lacunosa yesterday and for what its worth, I also just repotted(removed 90% of the old very wet EA Peat soil). I repotted it in the original 8" pot that it came in...I have done this with all the EA hoyas I ever bought. I know we don't live in the same zone, but I don't like the EA soil, and replaced it with a very fast draining soil. It will be living outside under an Oak tree 95% of the time. Our rainy season is in the summer(if we're lucky...I hope we get a lot of rain) we are in severe drought right now! I can't afford to leave it in that wet Peat soil getting rained on often, so I had no choice but to remove and change the soil.

    You and I will might be in the same boat, as I wasn't aware that Lacunosa's roots are sensitive, so I will be keeping a close eye on my plant also. This was w/out a doubt one of the hardest one to repot, very messy process, LOL... Mine was labeled "Hoya Snow Caps, Lacunosa Alba", its the speckled version of yours...Wally world special for $10.

    Good luck to both of us and hope we did the right thing?

    Here's a picture of mine after I repotted...Speckled Lacunosa

  • 16 years ago

    Pug & Ann,

    I had mentioned my silver speckled lacunosa that I repotted and how it wasn't doing so well. Here's an update... I put the whole big pot in one of the giant ziplock bags on a heating mat, and after about a week, it's doing better. Mine's leaves were shriveling as if it wasn't taking up water, so if yours shows any signs like this, it might be worth a try.

    Denise in Omaha

  • 16 years ago

    Nancy-
    Conrgats on your find! At Walmart of all places?!?!

    Kelly

  • 16 years ago

    Nancy that is beautiful! Makes me want to check out walmart! when I'm over there I have a Lowes', Home Depot, Walmart, Meijer, all on the same road...so sometimes I get an urge to stop into all of them and see what they have. It's rare to find anything but regular carnosa though.

  • 16 years ago

    Denise, Thanks for the great advise, I'm glad yours is coming around! Our humidity is just starting to climb this time of year, before you know it...it will be Stifling and unbearable, LOL..

    Kelly, I know...I can't believe it and they have the best price! You don't know how long I've been checking WM, HD and Lowe's! They have never had the Speckled Lacunosa since I started with Hoyas over a year ago. I walked in and check the WM garden shop, like I do weekly...OMG there it was one Speckled Lacunosa sitting there all by itself! You should have seen me grab it so fast,almost knocked over this lady in the process, LOL! I just hope I didn't injure it by the drastic repot...only time will tell?

    Saltarello, don't give up...like I said persistence pays off!!

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