Welcome!

Originally from Flower Mound, TX, myself!

As far as Winter setup, it just depends on your climate and how much you are willing to invest.

Texas (at least North Central) winters are pretty mild, for the most part, but the heater running, combined with the dry ambient TX air (Spring brings on the humidity, along with hail and tornadoes, lol), you may need supplemental humidity.

I could not dream to get away with how I grow up here, in WA, down in TX, as far as humidity goes. I mist mine daily in the Winter up here. In TX, investing in a humidifier might be appropriate. Alternatively, if your collection is not too large, and your full bathroom(s) not too small, you could camp them in there. Two showers (people...not plant showers) a day=lots of humidity via steam.

My light setup is extensive, for a hobbyist. The husband built me a wonderful shelving system for under $100 (and it holds most of my 350+ hoyas). He originally built removable drain trays out of grenhouse plastic, but has since upgraded them to metal.

I have 4 four-bulb retrofitted LED t8 light bars...that is 16 lights, total. The light bars were $45 each, and I am unsure of how much the bulbs were, as they were a gift. I also have one stand-alone adjustable light and two dome lights, one with a white LED and one with a Red/Blue LED UFO-style bulb.

The lights are on a timer - I start them off when they come inside at 15 hours on and 9 hours off, and adjust over a couple of weeks to 12 hours on, 12 off. As I approach Spring, I adjust the hours back up, where they start receiving more hours of light, until I get ready to harden them off for outside.

My setup:

Hoyas are pretty tough plants. I don't supplement humidity at all, and we have harsh winters with the heat on steady for about 5 months. I do mist my plants, but only when I take them to the sink to water. Too much moisture around them and it's easy to get mildew. If you group them together, they form their own little "mirco environment" and seem perfectly happy. No supplemental light, either - about half of mine are in the house, hung or on shelves very close to the windows, north, east and west. Other half are in the GH, which doesn't get a significant amount of light in the winter due to a close neighbor. Of course, most of them are either dormant or semi-dormant in winter, so they really aren't trying to grow anyway until the days get longer.

Nice setup, Aurora! You're lucky to have a handy and supportive husband!

Denise in Omaha

Handy, yes. Supportive...depends on how much is left in his wallet, lol!

All jokes aside, hoyas are resilient, and there are MANY ways to grow them and keep them healthy while doing so. As long as your plants are happy, there is no wrong way!

One thing I have learned is to do what works for me and my climate. What works for me may not work for you, or Denise, or Thailand growers, and vice versa.

Welcome, Kristi. I lurked here for a long time myself before I jumped in and I'm learning so much. Last winter was my first winter with Hoyas and just about every one survived except for a kerrii that I overwatered and sent to an early grave. I misted once a day and that seemed to provide enough humidity for the others. I also kept them very close together like some experts advise.

I had mine in an attic with skylights so they got lots of natural light and I had one small lamp with a generic plant light from Lowe's that I kept on about 12 hrs/day.

This year I invested in many more plants, among them some eriostemmas, so I'm probably going to have to set up some kind of humidity tent because Philadelphia winters are very cold and the heat in my house will dry them no matter how much I mist them. '

I see you've gotten lots of good advice already. Good luck.

gloria

Aurora, Denise, and Gloria, thank you so much!

i really appreciate the info!

Aurora, small world! Flower mound is around the corner! Your setup is incredible. Thanks for all the pictures. If only my husband were handy!!!

thank you again,

kristiviola

It is nice to see people treat each other so lovingly. If we have someone that loves us and treats us well, being handy or not, we are blessed and lucky. My dh is not handy, I know he wishes He was, but he has wonderful qualities. We all have our talents and our shortcomings. The trick is to be blind to the negatives.