Bob,

I, too, have never gotten this form a carnosa to bloom, even though I've grown it off and on for over 30 years. (I usually end up tossing it when it stops producing any variegated growth.. On a side-note, the all green offshoots make a very beautiful plain carnosa!) There is 'Krimson Queen', which is the opposite varigation - with the cream on the edges, green in the middle. That one blooms easier. The one you have, 'Krimson Princess', has never bloomed for me, either. I know people DO get it to bloom, buy my opinion is that in general, this one probably puts more energy into the process of growing, because it has less chlorophyll for photosynthesis. It's just what makes sense to me.

Putting it outside in summer will actually encourage it to bloom, so that should not be the problem. Have you tried a bloom booster? Another suggestion might be to not let it get TOO dry between waterings. Several years ago, I ran across a web page by an avid Hoya grower who had beautiful plants. He said everything he had ever read about Hoyas said to let them dry out between waterings, which he had done early in his growing experience. He had decent success, but it wasn't until he started watering them more often, before they got too dry, that he started getting these beautifully lush and generously blooming Hoyas. That's when I started watering more and I've always felt it DOES make a difference...

Denise in Omaha

Denise,

Thanks so very much for your thoughtful and helpful reply. I hadn't run across the name, "Krimson Princess", and there sure are a lot more pictures under that name than what I located when searching for 'variegata'. Thanks for the ID!.

I appreciate your insights on the culture, too. I won't look for bloom, but I'll stop letting it dry out so much, do some fertilizing, and let nature take its course.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Bob

Bob,

The 'Krimson' names are old trade names that seem to stick. I still prefer to call them by these names. I believe it was 'Krimson Queen' that got me started on Hoyas in 1977, so I have a particular affection for these two sports.

Denise in Omaha

This Krimson Princess has been sitting in a high northwest facing window since July. Variable leaves like you describe - some all green leaves others variegated. Did not prune. Watered every 10 days or so with very dilute fertilizer when dirt was dry to touch. As the light has grown less through the fall, new growth has been darker and darker green brown, both stems and leaves. Then suddenly on Christmas week these two buds appeared! The blooms are on darkest colored stems. Light may be the bloom trigger try changing the window placement?

Should also mention this plant was in a dim outdoor nursery when purchased. Was very rope-y to begin with and had one bud on a leaf poor vine at that time. Both current buds are on leaf poor vines on side of plant away from the light.
Best wishes please update if you can

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This post was edited by Lunamoth1969 on Mon, Dec 29, 14 at 11:26

This is the light facing side of the plant. Looks like your plant is cared for better than this one. :)

Sorry about duplicate posts

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This post was edited by Lunamoth1969 on Mon, Dec 29, 14 at 11:52

Am new to this board and to Hoyas also

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This post was edited by Lunamoth1969 on Mon, Dec 29, 14 at 11:53

Hey, Lunamoth...thanks for your post and pictures. I would say from your pictures that your fertilizing program has resulted in much heavier new stems than mine has. The new growth on my plant is much smaller in diameter than yours. I am guessing my exposure is OK since yours is blooming in a NW exposure. I think I'll water more frequently and start to fertilize more faithfully than I have in the past. Thanks for posting! Bob

How is the potting media you are using? Compacted? Nice and loose and well-draining? If compacted, change it this spring (unless your plant starts suffering, then change ASAP) to a nice gritty mix.
Try watering when the first 1-2 inches of media are dry, instead of letting it dry out all the way. Add a very dilute (1/4 strength in winter, 1/2 strength in summer) fertilizer to a gallon of water and use that. If you have really hard water, boil your gallon of water first, let it cool, and then add fertilizer and water the plant. Alternatively, use rain water or distilled water. Every couple of months or so, drench your plant for 5 minutes or so under the shower, as you have been doing, to get rid of any salt buildup due to the fertilizers.
In the spring-fall, I alternate feedings between a regular fertilizer and a bloom boosting fertilizer. You could do that, too.
Hope I have helped and have a great week and a Happy New Year!

Aurora,

Thanks for taking the time to post. I must admit, I do let the plant dry out completely between waterings and no, I haven't checked the condition of the soil lately. I will do that soon and make sure it's in good condition, or replace part of it. I'll get going with the fertilizer, too. Thanks for the details you included on that aspect of care.

All you hoya lovers on this forum have been very helpful. Thanks very much!

Bob

Lunamoth,

I should have added that the plants I have produced from the all-green growth on 'KP' have bloomed with little encouragement. I suspect it was easier for your plant to bloom because there was plenty of green growth on it. Looks wonderful, BTW!

Denise in Omaha

Hi Denise thanks so much for your note! I think you may be right about the all - green growth being more conducive to flowering. My plant definitely became less variegated and more green over time. Had assumed it was due to lower light levels in the office with the changing season but it could have been the change in fertilizing as Bob suggests- the nursery possibly had been neglecting the plant. Bob's plant has such gorgeous variegated foliage. Very interested to hear what his experience will be with changes soil / fertilizer! Thank you so much again :) really helpful comments

My experience is opposite to Denise's - my non-reverted / still variegated 'Krimson Princess' bloomed significantly before my 'Krimson Queen'. The former bloomed 18 months after I got it as a small rooted plant. The latter still has not bloomed at 3 years and change, also from a small rooted plant. In both of these plants' cases though, they had good artificial light in only the last 10 to 16 months - prior to that they were on a shady window where they'd never bloom, I imagine. And prior to that the mix was not appropriate, either (too water-retentive).

I agree with Denise that lack of light is often the culprit when it comes to a hoya not blooming. In zone 6, you can probably give it almost full sun for almost the whole year.

I do water my hoyas relatively generously. I am an over-waterer, so "letting them dry out" is hard for me to do, although sometimes it happens.

To experienced Hoya growers - is it ever the case that too much light or too prolonged may inhibit new blooms? Thanks!

Hi green toe :)
Do you happen to have KP pics to post? Thanks!

I don't know about too much light or too prolonged. I do know that eriostemma section hoya, such as my lauterbachii, thrive in direct sunlight, and lots of it, and that others, like polyneura, definitely prefer shadier habitats.
I don't grow many shade loving hoya, but a few of mine prefer indirect, yet bright light. I just put them either in a window or on the outer sections of my grow lights (in the winter). The sun lovers get put in the center of my grow lights, where they get maximum light. I have my lights on a timer. From September, when I bring them in, to November, they are on 15 hours, and then December-February, 12 hours, and March-whenever it stays above 55 at night, 14 hours. During the summer, they get whatever light they require (eriostemma and a very few other hoya get direct, full sun, the rest get either filtered, full sun or just "bright shade").

Thank you Aurora. Your replies are always so helpful and much appreciated!

> is it ever the case that too much light or too prolonged may inhibit new blooms?

Theoretically, yes. Plants need the dark time to convert the energy of light into carbohydrates in order to grow. If you never give them that time, growth will be impeded. As for light that is too intense, it will fry the leaves, which will prevent blooms because dead plants rarely bloom. :-) But at or close to the highest light levels Hoyas can take, leaves may look very yellow or red depending on the species, but those plants often bloom like crazy. That highest level will be very different for different hoya species though, as Aurora already said.

Practically speaking though, lack of light is much more often the problem than its excess.

> Hi green toe :)
Do you happen to have KP pics to post?

This is how mine looks now. It's budding up on the single peduncle again now after flowering in Nov/Dec.

> It seems that every time I give it some coffee it triggers the Hoya to bloom. It could be coincidence.

I think that's what it is. It's probably just happy in your environment.

> My Hoya also blooms every couple months. Is this normal?

If it blooms every couple months, sure, keep doin' whacha doin'. Is this a trick question? Do you want it to bloom more often than every couple of months? Don't get greedy now. :-)

lol GT But some of us are greedy!

@ dave

For some Hoyas it's normal to bloom every couple months and for others it is not. For example, some species bloom vigorously during a certain time of year and won't during their off-season. There are lots of different reasons why yours is performing differently than bob's. Different plant, or a non-variegated plant, or the LED light. I'm pretty impressed by the results I'm getting from my first forray into them!

You got LED lights, GG? Cool! I've been holding out. Tell us about them and about the growing results.

Well just one so far. I have some problem citrus I haven't been able to keep happy during winters so I bought an LED light for them on sale. They rocked out like I'd just put them outside. Within one week they were covered in leaves and flowers again. Funny how fast they can grow. I wish Hoyas would also grow in fast-motion like that when we got their conditions right. It would alleviate our need to guess all the time!

Anyway, I've been impressed enough that I'll probably invest in some more fixtures and set up some 'high light intensity' shelves. Just between you and me, I've been considering giving tents a try, this year too, but don't tell Doug. He's a bad influence. ;)

I am glad you've had success with LED lights. That's an amazing story!

Spring is coming soon - do you want to wait till next fall with the tents? Looking forward to hearing about that experience too. Do you have any particular species in mind that might benefit the most?

LOL GG! With Hoyas, it is mostly about the humidity; If you can provide 60-80%, you will bloom a lot of species. There is no easier way to provide it than a grow tent. I've heard from a number of people that they don't want to use them, because they want to see their plants. Well, every morning when I open the tents, I not only can see them, but I can see how happy they are. That makes it worth it.

Here are the advantages to grow tents as I see them.
1. Easy to hang lights from the frame work inside.
2. All light is reflected inward- no lost light.
3. All mess contained within tent - no spills no mess. You can spray your plants without worrying about your walls or floors.
4. Plants are pet proof. I have three adult cats and a new kitten - they can't eat or destroy the plants because the can't get to them.
5. Create any kind of micro environment you want to depending on lighting, fans, humidifiers, heaters, co2 dosers, whatever you want to add.
6. You will never bloom so many Hoyas this easily, unless you live in Florida or the tropics.

Here are the disadvantages of the tent system:

1. Can't see your plants unless you unzip the tent.
2. Not the prettiest room accessory:(

So GG if you decide to try a tent or two, please report back with results:)

Doug

I have some cheap plant tents bought on Amazon that are nice for some of the humidity loving hoyas ,when i bring them in for winter.In the spring they all go back outside There great for overwintering your rare hoyas!The one in the pic is 28 inches at the highest point.

Clear tents! That takes away the disadvantage of not seeing them!

Can you give a link to this tent, please, Vine Master?

Hi,it's on Amazon...here is the link

Here is a link that might be useful: pop up tent