What @themockturtle said. I posted here last year about the same exact thing. All the sphagnum had rotted and turned to mildewy dust by the time I figured out what was going on. I'd remove as much as you can and repot.

Thanks themockturtle & tawnygrisette. I never saw sphagnum moss on roots like this before. I thought those bits were roots coming off. Oh well, you learn something new everyday. This is a Hoya Lucardenasiana from one of the best vendors (starts with an r) of Hoyas.

Just wet it good and very gently tug at the moss, trying not to tug on the roots. The moss is thin and stringy whereas the roots will be thicker and (hopefully) white. I just pick at it carefully until most of it is off. If you get it mostly off, that should do. I don't particularly like sphagnum either, but I have used it to air layer and on very woody cuttings that take a long, long time to root and it works well. In the future, I'd probably just buy his cuttings - they're in great shape and root fast this time of year.

Denise in Omaha

Thanks Denise. The vendor starts with r and ends with a.

I think I will take a cutting of this plant too just in case....

I've received quite a few Hoyas started in sphagnum from different sellers. Even the littlest bit seems to rot when kept warm, wet & dark. (I thought it was pythium at first and almost lost my mind.) Anyway, might want to check on it in a couple of weeks. I just uprooted one that I cleaned off pretty good and there was just a little bit of rot where I missed some moss.

Monica, you're going to make yourself sick fussing over your Hoyas. ;)

lol - you're right tawnygrisette!

This was a new one that I just checked on today to see if it needed water and it just didn't seem happy. Now I know why. That spagnum is awful! It seems like it suffocates the roots. Anyway, I'm hopeful that it will begin to thrive now.

I promise to not even look at my Hoyas for an entire week. Cross my heart .......

I quite frequently use sphagnum moss in many of my pots without issues. I use New Zealand sphag, as it contains no other sticks/debris and is long fibered with fluffy, open strandsthat allow for greater air circulation and capillary action for moisture.

I cut mine into 1/4 inch fluffs and add a bit to some of my more thirsty pots, like caudata, flagellata, darwinii, etc..

I also will use it as a top dressing in a thin layer over the top of my mix, if the pot is unstable (large plants) so that if it tips over, there is less a chance of spillage.

And I also root cuttings in it, although I prefer coir chunks with perlite or just straight rooting in my standard mix.

Thanks aurorawa. I actually cut some up in 1/4 inch pieces to top dress some Hoyas that tend to have their roots more exposed like Lacunosa and wayetii etc

this way I can spray the leaves and top layer without watering the entire pot and risk overwatering and causing rot. I'm guessing this is okay?

Lacunosa's roots...you said enough, lol. Those roots on the little leaf hoyas LOVE saying hello, don't they!

They sure do! :-)