Hi Shannon and welcome to the wonderful world of Hoyas! You have what looks like a very healthy and beautiful Hoya. My only concern is that it looks like it is in a non-draining pot - in other words, is there a drainage hole at the bottom? If not, my first reaction is that is should definitely be moved to a draining pot. Now, if you love the pot it's in (and I have to say I DO!!!), you might want to consider unpotting it and drilling a hole in the base of the pot so that it will drain, and returning the plant to this pot. It looks like it could be a glass pot (or at the very least, a glazed porcelain pot...), but it CAN be done. There are special bits out there for glass, so I would go buy one and put the elbow grease necessary (and it is a project, I might add...) to get a hole in this pot because it looks spectacular like it is...

Once the draining issue is resolved (assuming it doesn't already have a hole...), I think you should leave it where it is. It does not look out of proportion and I think when you unpot it, you will find the rootball is not disproportionate to the pot. Let it be - it will bloom eventually. But the lack of a drain hole, though obviously not an issue as yet, WILL become one eventually, I can guarantee it.

Do you feed your Hoya? A good bloom fertilizer will probably do the trick eventually. What exposure light does it get? That can have an effect also. How old is the plant? I've got to believe that this is a plant that will bloom in a heartbeat if given a little "boost." Tell us exactly what you're doing (exposure, fertilizer, water...) and we'll see if we can't help.

Denise in Omaha

I have a 26 year old hoya that is in a non-draining pot and has never been repotted. Have never grown a compacta (would love to find one locally - North Texas - should anyone know resource), but I find my hoya flower more now that I have learned to NOT cut it back. Must say, though, mine is still in a 6" pot after all these years!!!

Hi Denise -

Thankfully there is a drainage hole in the bottom of the pot! It is a glazed ceramic pot and I got it pretty cheap on sale a few years back. I really like the pot and the way the hoya looks in it. Maybe there is another way to coax it into blooming!

Here is what I'm doing (or not doing) to the plant.
In the winter months I keep the plant sitting where it is in the picture. It is next to a window and it is a bright spot all day. I wouldn't say that it gets direct sun, but it is nice and bright. I water it once every two weeks during the winter months. During the summer the hoya sits on a covered porch and gets shade most of the day. I do water more often in the summer - everything gets drier faster, once a week during outside times. It doesn't get fertilizer really, I'm not sure what to put on it. It probably had been watered with a miracle grow mix during the summer months because I attach a feeder to my hose to water some of the annuals in the yard and well the rest usually goes into the potted plants on the porch.
Oh, and it is planted in a bagged potting soil mix I got from one of the big box stores.

The plant was big when I purchased it and went directly into that blue pot you see. The plant has been in this pot for three years.

I'm willing to move the plant, change watering scheudles, and of course add fertizlier if you have some recommendations. Can I expect blooms at a certain time of year? Multiple times a year?

TXMOM - You said you don't cut your plant back at all. Mine would be dragging the floor by now if I didn't cut some of it back. Do you have yours in a hanging pot? How do you manage the length of the plant.

Shannon...that is absolutely a BEAUTIFUL hoya. I love the color contrast and your placement too. Good job.
I always say, "If it ain't broke...don't FIX it!"
I would worry that the pot is a bit too deep and fear overwatering, HOWEVER, ...if your plant has done that well for 3 years in there, it is happy! I think you may be cutting off the bloom spurs when you prune. You could try winding them around the plant, or up & over the top. They are summer bloomers, and your placing it on the porch is a good idea, as they must have really good light to bloom. If you can locate it where it gets a little morning sun, that would be ideal.
Also, pick up one of the "BLOOM" fertilizers (they have a real high middle number), and follow the directions for house plants. The one I use has 50 in the middle. Use that during the spring and summer, or alternate it with a mild regular fertiliizer when you water.
If you want to get really obsessed with it, there is also a fertilizer product called "Eleanor's" that works wonders when sprayed on the plants a few times a week.
Good luck, and even if you never get a bloom, that is one beautiful plant.
Marcy

Shannon,

Flower peduncles form on the newest growth, so by cutting it back you're reducing the chance of flowering. I think your Hoya is very happy in the pot it's in (and I'm relieved to hear it has a drainage hole - TXMOM has been lucky as it's rare for ANY plant to survive long term in a non-draining pot...) If you can find a way to not cut it back for awhile, you'll probably find you get blooms. Get a good bloom fertilizer or, better yet, go to Eleanor's site (link below) and request a free sample bottle. This is the best stuff in the world for getting Hoyas to bloom IMO. Once you agree (and you will, trust me!) you can purchase is through Charley's Greenhouse Supply, which can also be found online. Hoyas typcially bloom in spring and summer, but I've had flowers at any time of year. Once you get blooms, you'll find they'll bloom whenever the heck they want!

Oh, and one more thing - NEVER throw away cuttings!! You can always send them to someone for postage and give someone else the benefit of your trimmings!

Denise in Omaha

Here is a link that might be useful: Eleanor's VF-11

Thanks for all the information. I will quit cutting the plant back now! I'm going to get some fertilizer too. If I get some blooms, I'll be sure to post a picture and a thanks to all of you.

After seeing the other hoya varieties and their flowers on this board, I see how easy it will be to become hooked. The flowers are so interesting. I can see wanting many more varieties.

I ordered some of the Eleanor's today. Thanks again for the advice.

I'm planning on repotting my 8 year old Hoyas into pots that will make repotting almost impossible because of the narrow neck pot shape. I'm hoping they never need repotting ever again.:)

Hi RareE,

Why would you do that? Eventually (maybe not for a few yrs.), they'll need a repottting & then won't you just have to break the pot? I'm not quite sure of the point of this.

I like round pots.:)

I first bought my hoya about 30 years ago. It survived my high school days, going away to college, when my mom cared for it, appartment living, and has been in my southerly sliding door window for 20 years. I live in NY. It started blooming in February 2000. The only thing I did different, was I took a 2 week vacation. For fear of losing the plant, to neglect, I stuck my hanging basket in a bucket that fit the pot, and filled it with water. The plant was so long and heavy, that I had to place the bucket on my coffee table and let the ropes drape all over the table. The day we came home from the airport, I knew the hoya would for some reason be rotted. Much to our surprise, the whole coffee table was covered in flowers. From that day on, I keep it in a drained pot, but I have the kind with a wick that draws water up constantly. I also water from the top, and many times it falls out of the basket and am wiping the floor. I guess what I am saying is the plant loves to be wet, but I make sure the water is always fresh. A cutting I stuck in a jug of water last year when the pot crashed to the ground has roots. I hope this helps too. Cathy

Cathy -

How long did it take the cutting to root? Did it root from a little node or just off the stem? I took cuttings last year from my plant and stuck them in little wall pockets I have hanging up in the kitchen. they looked great. I don't know how long I had them there - I ended up throwing them out when I wanted to put flowers in the vases. I ended up throwing them out because they didn't have roots - although they still were green and healthy looking.

The water information helps. I probably am not giving my plant enough if they like being wet. I've always been afraid of over watering. I think this plant has survived in spite of any care I've given it.

Cathy,

I'm leary of suggesting anyone leave a Hoya in water for two weeks... but you bring up an interesting point. I read an article several years ago by a Hoya expert that said that more people UNDERwater Hoyas than OVERwater them. Since I read that article, I don't let any of mine get too dry (though I've never kept them quite THIS wet!!) and they seem to thrive. You have to be a little careful with them before they're potbound, but once they're good and potbound, I think it's really hard to overwater them.

Denise in Omaha

Hi, I just left the cutting in a pitcher, and forgot about it. I keep water in a couple pitchers, cause our public water gets chlorinated. After 24 hrs the chlorine dissapears. I guess it would be in the water for about a year, and the roots are about 4 inches long, and grew from all those little (lenticiles)or bumps on the stem. I should really repot my big hoya, since the soil is already hard and laden with roots. It tried to flower, but the "wicking" system I put through the drainhole in this hanging basket isn't pulling the extra water back into the pot, so it is drying out too much. The flowers were sparse, and half the normal size. I only left it in water that one time for 2 weeks, cause I had no one to care for it, and had to leave town. I am learning many things in this forum, and am fascinated with the interest levels of everyone here. Good luck with your plant. About 13 years ago, we sanded the wood floors, and I put it on the deck in full sun for the day. It got sunburned, and some of the older ropes are still very pale. The new ropes, however are dark.

Just saw a note asking how I keep my 30 year old hoya from dragging the ground...wish I had taken some recent pictures because I had to cut it all back to nearly nothing (long story).
What I did for years was to point the new growth up toward the leather hangers for the pot and it would gracefully wind its way around and people would comment on how it looks like an artistic sculpture...
Sadly, I have mealy bugs now and I'm struggling to keep about 25 plants (not all hoyas) alive.

Txmom - The dreaded mealies can be destructive. They're hideous little creatures that hide well. The worst thing for me is that since I started to develop "old eyes syndrome" that I can't see the things. I now have bifocals in my glasses, but they're even too small to see with them. So I have to take my glasses off to see them. Eventually, I'm sure I'll have to get out a magnifying glass to inspect my plants.

If you're using the alcohol method, make sure you do a thorough inspection at LEAST once a week. The larvae hatch every 7 days I believe, so you'll need to look for teeny-tiny white specs that haven't yet developed the cottony exterior. And if you go the chemical route, just be very careful about poking your fingers in the soil if you're like me, a soil-feeler...

Denise in Omaha