funny you say to keep it on the dry side. mine is outside getting all the rain that we are getting. Several more days of rain predicted. hmm.

Macrophylla is prone to root rot, when overwatered.

Odd that yours is doing well given a ton of rain. Every site I've read about this plant, as well as my own personal experience, says this plant really dislikes a lot of water.

Thank you :)

Could a plant respond differently to rain water vs tap water?

When plants are outside during the growing season i think that there is little chance for them to actually rot. If it was inside it could be different. Also, if they are in a free draining mix they should not have any problems with lots of rain.

Yes, Monica, very, very differently. I find that plants outside can get rained on every day for days and days on end and I rarely have a plant that objects. In fact, they usually burst forth with new growth and look like a million bucks! If I watered them like that, they'd be dead in a couple weeks. I notice this especially with my succulents. Those of you who grow succulents know how prone they are to rot if overwatered. Yet they can be out, like this spring, subjected to rain after rain after rain, never getting a chance to dry out, yet they thrive. There is something fundamentally different about rainwater, and I'm betting there is an explanation for it - anyone have any idea?

Denise in Omaha

Yep, I agree with everything Denise said!! After getting rained on, it's like you fertilized with steroids lol

A while back I was losing my Macrophylla Albomarginated probably due to rot. I took cuttings and put them in a cup of water (instead of potting mix for fear of rotting again. The plant is doing great! It's sending out new vines and it has a lot more leaves. So now I'm afraid to pot it up. It seems to like its location so I'm not going to mess with it.

This photo was taken in April

This is today

Thanks for sharing. Beautiful plant!

I'd like to add that it really, really depends on where you are growing, as far as exposure to rain. Here in WA state, it honestly is a death sentence if I put mine outside during the rainy season.

With nighttime temps in the 30's-50's, humidity at 80+%, and insufficient warming up through the day (we average around 60F daytime temps and 40F nighttime temps during our rainy season, whereas areas like FL, TX, and other more tolerable areas have temps of 88+F daytime temps and 70F nighttime temps, only a 10 dagree difference) and torrential rainfall, it is absolutely nothing like the monsoon season that many Hoyas are used to in SE Asia/Australia/PNG.

That being said, when we get late spring/summer showers that don't last for more than a few hours (especially those that occur mid-day), yes, the plants really benefit, and actually enjoy it.

It's one of the things with the tropics that during the wet season many plants remain waterlogged for months on end. Many years ago I read that these plants cope because the water is highly oxygenated and is being constantly renewed by the frequent rainfall. Temperatures are high day and night. Epiphyte roots are overgrown by, or grow through, mosses which also stay waterlogged. Overall rain water, except in heavily industrialised areas, is pretty pure and not contaminated by many of the chemicals put into tap water. Rain water definitely makes plants 'smile'.