Fleshy creeper - Hoya Karnoza: description and photos of species, especially the cultivation and care
Hoya carnosa (Hoya carnosa), or fleshy - this is a succulent vine, which is used as an ornamental plant grown at home.
Due to the excellent appearance and unpretentiousness in the care, the plant is in great demand among gardeners. A wide variety of varieties allows you to create a mini-garden in your home. In the article, you will learn about the rules for caring for a meaty hoya and see a photo of its most common types.
View Features
This plant grows in East Asia and Australia. It can also be found in lowland tropical and subtropical rainforests.
The meaty hoya is partially a parasite, as it penetrates its roots into the tree, which it clings to.It is possible to grow meaty hoya in the open ground and at home. It features attractive foliage with a glossy surface and flesh-colored wax flowers that have an incredibly sweet aroma. In shape, the flower resembles a five-pointed star. The following features will help distinguish meaty hoya from other types of plants:
- Height and type of culture. Fleshy hoya is an evergreen epiphytic plant that grows in the form of a bush. Its height reaches 6 m.
- Stem. It is slightly succulent, light gray, with a smooth surface on which there are no leaves.
- Leaves. Their length is 3.5-13 cm. They are wide, oval-ovate. Satin leafy plate, fleshy, with a sharp end.
- Flowers. In this plant, the shape of the flowers resembles a star. Each bud consists of two stars, one located on top of the other. The flowers are very fragrant, droplets of nectar are formed on them, which hang from each petal.
Popular varieties and their photos
Gray host
This variety is characterized by an average growth rate.
The leaves of the Gray Host have a spectacular color, since they are completely silver, there is pubescence.The plant is not demanding in care, does not need thorough watering, fertilizers and soil. This variety is great for beginners.
Stardust
This plant boasts beautiful rounded leaves. Their color is dark green, covered with continuous splashes.
Compact
The culture grows in the form of a bush. It has leathery and smooth leaves. They are oval-oblong, pointed at the end. Their length is 6-15 cm. The flowers are bell-shaped, white. Their diameter is 1.2-1.3 cm. Read more about the Hoya Kompakta variety here.
Crimson Queen
Hoya carnosa krimson queen is a species that can be recognized by the presence of a white or cream border that runs along the edge of the leaf plate. The main color is dark green. The shape of the leaf is oval, the tip is pointed.
Marianna Undulata
This is a very interesting type of plant, which is compact in size. It is necessary to grow it at home. The flower has a white color and a pleasant aroma. The sheet plate is glossy, dark green.
Exotic
The leaves are wavy, their length is 7 cm, and in the center there is a yellow and pink color. The umbrella is large, and the flowers have a pleasant aroma. This species is not demanding in care.
Variegate
This variety of meaty hoya is distinguished by pink flowers with a white edging. The leaves are long, oval in shape, there is a sharpening at the end. Flowers are open for 8 days.
Home Care
Lighting
Meaty hoya need bright lighting. A flower pot is best placed on a south-facing window. Thanks to the wax coating on the sheet plate, the burn is not terrible for the crop.
But for preventive purposes, you can make shading in the daytime when it is too hot. But if you put the plant on the north window, then it will never bloom.
With a strong change in the duration of daylight hours, the culture may freeze for a while. When budding begins, the plant must not be rearranged or rotated, otherwise it will drop the buds.Watering
Humidification should be moderate. It is better to use settled water for this. Before irrigation, the topsoil should dry 2 cm. In summer, water the flower 2 times a week, and in winter - 1 time. When watering, be sure to ensure that the earthen lump is completely wet.. At the same time, excess water must be removed, otherwise the hoya will rot. Insufficient hydration is fraught with the cessation of flowering and growth.
Temperature
In summer, the temperature should be moderate, not higher than 24 degrees. In winter, you should maintain a temperature of at least 10 degrees, and preferably 16 degrees. In the summer, take the plant out into the air, only choose a place without drafts.
Priming
To grow meaty hoya, you need to use the soil mixture. To prepare the mixture from the soil, it is necessary to combine in equal proportions the soil for cacti with the ground for flowering crops. If this option does not fit, then you can connect in equal proportions such components:
- vermiculitis;
- crushed expanded clay;
- peat.
For the full growth and development of the flower, it is necessary that the soil is breathable. Good drainage should also be provided.
Pot
For the plant, you need to choose a not too deep capacity, since the root system of the hoya does not develop very much.Material - plastic or ceramic. Drainage holes must be provided at the bottom of the hoya container.
Top dressing
Nutrient formulations must be added in the summer. If a high-quality substrate was used for planting hoya, then feeding should be done once every 2-3 weeks. It is better to use complex fertilizers for this. In winter, fertilizing is not worth it.
Pruning
As soon as all the flowers have fallen, you need to remove the long shoots. Leave only peduncles, which will be able to bloom again next year.
Features of outdoor cultivation
When growing meaty hoya in the open field, stable care is required. It involves compliance with the following measures:
- Regular watering. It is better to spend it in the evening. It is enough to moisten the soil 2-3 times a week.
- Top dressing. Contribute them every 2 weeks, and especially during the flowering period. Use complex mineral fertilizers.
- Pest control. The plant may be attacked by a tick, aphid, scutellum. Regular spraying of the plant with warm water will help. If this method of getting rid of pests did not help, then you will have to use chemicals.
- A place. Hoya must be grown in a well-lit place where there is no draft.
- Wintering. In the fall, even before the onset of freezing, you need to dig up the plants and transplant it into a pot.
Disease
Powdery mildew remains the most common disease. It manifests itself in the form of a white coating, which affects the leaves and stem. If the form of the disease is not neglected, you can use ordinary soap. In addition, when growing meaty hoya, such problems may arise:
- Shriveled leaves and rotted roots - This is the result of excessive watering.
- Lack of flowering - very warm wintering or lack of light.
- Leaf spotting - excessive fertilizing, the use of cold water for irrigation.
Breeding methods
Seeds
Hoya will give seeds only after flowering, when pods are formed. Procedure:
- Collect seeds after flowering, removing them from the pods. After, dry them by spreading it on a well-lit window sill.
- Now you can do the preparation of the substrate. It must be permeable and contain sphagnum moss.
- For sowing, use planting material that is not yet a year old.
- Spread the seeds on the soil surface, sprinkle a little and sprinkle with water from the spray bottle.
- In a week, the first sprouts will appear, with two leaves on a short stem.
- Now you need to provide them with full lighting, humidity and heat.
- Do not touch the seedlings for 3 months, but as soon as 2-3 pairs of leaves and good roots appear, you can transplant them into a separate container.
Leaf
This method of growing hoya is the most difficult and longest. Quite often, the leaves of the plant, planted in a loose substrate, soon give roots, while they do not give a sprout. For rooting, use a leaf of hoya that grows in nature.. The fact is that such material for planting has more strength. Next, you need to plant it in a loose substrate at an angle of 45 degrees.
After a few weeks, roots form on the leaf. Now the main task is to stimulate the formation of new cells and the development of shoots in the leaves. For these purposes, you can try the drug Heteroauxin. Using a pipette, drop it onto the base of the sheet. After this, the leaf will necessarily start a new shoot.
Cuttings
Cuttings containing 2 or more internodes are suitable for this propagation method. In addition, it is better to use last year's planting material. Water or soil is suitable for rooting the handle. For roots, processing in a Kornevin solution is important. Rooting is quick and easy. Hoya does not impose requirements on the size and shape of the pot, only so that it is not cramped. Otherwise, flowering will not come.
The meaty hoya is an ornamental plant that impresses everyone with its interesting appearance. In addition, it is completely easy to care for, so that even a beginner can carry out all the activities. Careful care of the Hoye will allow you to enjoy its beauty for a long time..