Help my rope Hoya! Yellowing, shrivelling, dying

7 years ago

Hello! First time poster, long time reader. I got this once beautiful rope hoya from my aunt about four years ago, and it had been doing great and even blossomed last year. But, then I moved into a new home last summer. All was well until a few months ago when some of the leaves started yellowing. I cut back on watering but now almost the whole thing looks in trouble. I'm sad, I love this plant! Now there are grey spots on the leaves as well. Also the whole thing has a slightly mildew smell to it, and there's some white stuff on the stems and some leaves? Some of the branches look fine but are starting to get wrinkly leaves. Is this a mildew problem? Is it time to just take cuttings and repot the healthy sections, or any other ideas? Repot and check out the roots? Im afraid now I've let the problem go on too long, whatever it is! Help I feel like a plant mama failure!

Featured Answer

An

7 years ago

To catrin123:

This is what you must do to save your Hoya:

Take cuttings as many as you can, leave around 5 inc stem with at least 5 leaves to the mother plant.

Each cuting should have at least 7 leaves, take off 2 lower leaves so that you can put that part in a clear cup of water, preferably sligh warm to the touch). The cup and the water should be clean. Place all cuttings you save in the cup ( if too crowded make more cups). Place the cups in a warm and pretty bright but not sunny area inside your house, a windowsill that receives good light but not direct sun.

The cuttings WILL live in the water and root in it after one month! Could be earlier. Rinse the cup and Change water when the water looks cloudy.

Keep the cuttings there until they roots profusely then pot them with soil ( never over pot a hoya, mix 3parts potting soil, 1 part perlite). Keep the plants indoor until the weather gets to 80-90 F then you can take them outdoor in the shade. GRADUALLY move to more light areas but not sunny until they receive dapple sunlight but never get direct sun.

i believe the mother plant needs more light and less water. Remember Hoya dies quickly because of too much water not too little. please keep me updated

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

Sam CO z5
7 years ago
I can't really say, but I know with my Hoyas (I have 3, but not a rope) I hardly ever water them. Sometimes I notice when the leaves start looking shriveled and water them then. Mine could definitely use more water, but they bloom regularly and grow and I've had them many years (one is a cutting from my great grandmother's plant!) If you've been watering a lot, my guess would be overwatering.
windberry zone5a BCCanada
7 years ago
catrin123: Take the stem or leaf cuttings if there is still anything healthy left.

You say you got the plant from your aunt and that it was beautiful (I understand very healthy) at that time. So ask her how to care, it looks like she will give you the best advice.

As for myself, I keep my Hoya carnosa (not Rope) for 20 or so years without re-potting, in a tiny plastic container hanging in the N-W facing window. I water it every five days now, regardless of the season, enough for the water to show in the saucer at the bottom of the container. I think I watered it less frequently at the very beginning, when it was still small. It is doing very well! Please note that the container is very small! I prune my Hoya when needed to keep the size right. Aha, and I use 10-15-10 Schultz liquid plant food to feed it.
Related Professionals
Dalton Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Oxford Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Cherry Hill Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Muskogee Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · San Marcos Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Fort Wayne Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · San Bernardino Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Crestview Landscape Contractors · Texarkana Landscape Contractors · Beatrice Landscape Contractors · Syracuse Landscape Contractors · Tampa Custom Countertops · Carbondale Custom Countertops · Utica Custom Countertops · Erie Custom Countertops
Abby Mila
7 years ago
Help! I live in the Rocky Mountains and have a hoya plant that was also my grandmothers, I think it's 50-60 years old. I fertilized it and it started growing like crazy last summer into the blinds. I sprayed them with water a few times trying not to water with the freezing temps. but I think I froze them!! I don't know what to do. My husband and I took about an hour to unwind it out of the blinds and he hung a hook and now it's hanging away from the window. I feel like I caused the plant more stress by moving it but the leaves up against the window were yellowing and curling up. We tried to be gentle and now I have som chain my husband put up for it to grow onto. It looks really bad.

It's only Feb. so I don't dare fertilize it. I haven't even watered because I know it will cause more yellow leaves. I rarely water it in the winter. I'm at a loss, waiting for some solid advice. Please help. Thank you from the new kid on the block :)
Abby Mila
7 years ago
FYI- I live in zone 5 according to this site. Thanks for your help and feedback, I really appreciate your knowledge in saving my plant.
An
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
To Abby Mika:

2 things hoyas hate the most is cold and wet feet.

By looking of your pictures, I think you still have a chance to save parts of the hoya plant but you have to cut them in sections and root them as I suggested to catrin123.

That means you have to start all over. I don’t think the plant can be saved but the cuttings can be. Following my suggestions to catrin123 and use water a little warm to the touch. Keep your cuttings in warm areas of your house but not close to any heat vents. They will take months to come back.

Good luck!
rosebailey01
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
take some stem cutting. I was given a cutting several years ago, was growing great then one day I seen leave turning yellow and wrinkled: when I took out of pot the roots was dying. I took all the leaves off cut in pieces about 3-4 inches long dipped it rooting hormone and planted them in a mixture of orchid mixture and planting soil (2-1 mixture) then I sprayed stems with a diluted rubbing alcohol solution (1/4 cup alcohol to 2 cups water) placed pot with stems in a 2 gallon zip-lock bag and waited. this is what it looks like now after 7 months and 2 months ago it bloomed. There is 3 plants in this pot and only 1 has vines.