Not sure. Semi-hydro is used for more thirsty hoyas. Humid conditions are great for most hoyas...confusing!

Could you use moisture control soil??

I wouldn't. Some would, but my conditions ae so wet, if I used soil, the roots would rot quickly.

To illustrate the point on how much conditions impact our potting choices, Aurorawa and I live in the same state. She is over on the side that is wet and green and lush and beautiful, and I am on the Eastern edge of the state where it is dry and hot all summer... I can totally get away with having plants in a slightly more moisture retentive mix.

> Just wondering how you could grow a Hoya that prefers semi moisture?

I do not know what you mean by semi-moisture, Lisa. Some Hoyas prefer to thoroughly dry out before getting their roots wet again, and others prefer an always moist but not soggy medium - and many are in-between or indifferent. So... what do you mean?

Regarding semi-hydro... For me, the cue to using semi-hydro is when I see language like "prefers constant moisture but also lots of air in the roots". But using semi-hydro more broadly, practically for ALL hoyas, has also worked well for me.

I was just trying to do some research on a Hoya I'm interested in getting. I was told that it prefers to have semi moisture but not too wet.

Which Hoya?

It sounds right for semi-hydro.

Are you talking about Hoya bella?

It is a new Hoya hybrid called Hoya sp rangsan. One of the parents is Hoya parasitica and the seller isn't sure what the other parent is.

I'd grow it in semi-hydro. There are a lot of even dry-loving Hoyas that do fine in semi-hydro. I even have a kerrii growing in it, in a glass mason jar no less. The key is to give it a drink, about half full, then let it get almost empty before you add water again. But you can also buy special pots - an out pot, an inner pot and little moisture meter to tell you exactly when to add water. I love the pots, and they're not terribly expensive, but you add all three up and then take that times... dozens of plants, I can't afford to use them for all my semi-hydro plants. But if you're just think of one or a few, it would be worth the investment. Here's a link to a good source. Click on the LECA clay aggretate link to find the actual leca stones to use as your medium.

Denise in Omaha

How often do you water it?

The little water meters tell you when and how much. I use little net pots in coffee mugs for smaller Hoyas, so to tell when it needs water, I lift the net pot up and if there's more than about 3/4" of water in the bottom, I leave it alone. If it's dropped lower than that, I fill it so it's about half full. What amazes me is sometimes, I'll check and it's gone COMPLETELY dry, and it doesn't seem to affect the plant. Now I'm sure if you left it like that too long, it would be a problem. But I think the clay leca stones hold the water and it continues to get some moisture from them even after the water has all evaporated.

Denise in Omaha

> It is a new Hoya hybrid called Hoya sp rangsan. One of the parents is Hoya parasitica...

Something's fishy here. I see it sold on ebay, say here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-12-inches-rooted-plant-of-Hoya-sp-rangsan-NEW-HYBRID-VERY-RARE-/222178406656.

It's either a species / "sp." (a plant seen growing wild in nature), OR it's a hybrid / a cross between two species or cultivars, in which case it's NOT a species / NOT something growing wild in nature, and then "sp." cannot be used. It's a strike against that seller, really - they should know better how to name their items correctly.

But yeah, rooting it in semi-hydro should work nicely, whatever it is.