How deep should hoya stem be?

16 years ago

My mother-in-law recently gave me a hoya, and I don't believe it needs to be repotted now, but I want to be prepared for when it does. (It is in a 5.5" wide by 5" tall round pot and from the top appears to have between .5" and .75" around the main rootball, although I can see a few roots through the drainage holes in the bottom.)

Right now there are 4" of the main stem showing before the plant starts branching out with vines and leaves (i.e. from soil to vine). Is that about how it should be or should more of the stem be in the soil?

I would like to put the plant in a hanging pot, but all of the vines are on one side rather than evenly spread around like the other pictures I have seen. As it is now, I believe the pot would tip if it were hanging, plus with all the vines hanging to one side it feels like there is a lot of weight pulling against the roots.

Please let me know what you think.

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Comments (4)

beachplant
16 years ago
Repot it at the same level it is now.
Can you seperate out any of the vines? If you can untangle them when you put it in a pot the vines can be rearranged to all sides of the basket. I've got a couple that grow like you describe, they not in hanging baskets but in pots on the ground or plant stands.

If you can't untangle it then position it so that the growth is away from the light source, the plant should start to send out growth on the side closest to the light and eventually even itself out, maybe!

Congrats on your new plant.
Tally HO!
Denise
16 years ago
SC77,

I don't know what kind of Hoya you're growing, but I have a shepherdii that seemed to all want to come out of one side of the pot. Well, I found this really neat ceramic "jar" of sorts at Hobby Lobby on sale, took it home and drilled a hole in the bottom and put the shepherdii in it. It hangs in a hanger a little askew so it looks like the plant is spilling out of the pot...
{{gwi:995596}}

It's a unique way to grow the ones that seem to want to grow to one side. The only disadvantage is that it has to be taken down to be watered, but I like to do that anyway so I can spray it down with VF-11 at every watering.

Denise in Omaha
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puglvr1
16 years ago
Denise, what a COOL way to display that Shepherdii...very creative. It looks really beautiful in that pot!
silvercamaro77
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you both for your input!

I have no idea what type of hoya it is. It put out one bloom last year for my MIL and I believe it was white. The leaves are pointy on the end but wider in the middle (like a slightly pointed oval) and solid green. That probably only helps to knock out a few different species of it. It's probably one of the more varieties as she tends to buy plants when they're on clearance at big box stores.

Denise- I love the pot idea. I think that is what I'll try to do. Maybe I can even find one with a big enough opening to set the existing pot down in- then I may not need to take it down to water every time.