Hoya Mindorensis Plant Care Guide – Top Tips and Tricks

Hoya Mindorensis will bring the Eastern culture into your home. This Hoya is originally from the Philippines but makes an excellent houseplant that doesn’t require a lot of special care. It is also called the Wax flower because its clusters of star-shaped pink flowers look as if they were made out of wax.

These tropical plants usually bloom in spring and summer but with the right conditions, they could decorate your living space during all seasons. Provide warm and humid conditions. Choose a spot with plenty of bright light but not direct sunlight. Keep the soil moist and avoid excessive watering.

Have I grabbed your attention? Wait until you discover more interesting facts, and learn how to grow this unique plant like a true professional in this Hoya Mindorensis care guide. These will be the main points:

1. Types of Hoya Plants
2. Soil Requirements
3. Light Requirements
4. Watering Needs
5. Temperature and Humidity
6. Fertilizing
7. Propagation
8. Repotting and Pruning
9. Common Problems and Solutions
10. Frequently Asked Question

Types of Hoya Plants

There are many different types of Hoyas. These are some of the most commonly known ones:

Soil Requirements

The wax flower requires well-drained soil or substrate. For planting, you can use an orchid substrate or a mixture of peat, pine bark and perlite.

It is also possible to use ordinary garden soil, but in this case, extra perlite should be added to improve drainage. If you are using a mix of succulent and regular potting soil, mix it in a 3:1 ratio.

When the soil is too moist, the roots become deprived of oxygen. This would certainly affect the entire plant. At first, it will start losing buds and leaves, then eventually die. Prevention is better than cure. Don’t you agree?

The perfect soil would be well-draining, chunky, and provide excellent aeration. It should also be able to retain some moisture and supply the roots with necessary nutrients.

Potting mixes start to break down over time. I would suggest you repot your Hoya every two or three years. Rinse out the old soil mix as much as possible and handle the root ball carefully to avoid root system injuries.

The ideal soil PH should range from slightly acidic 6.1 to neutral 7.5.

Light Requirements for Hoya Mindorensis Care

Hoya usually blooms throughout the summer, from June to October. But this tropical plant can bloom in your house all year round. If you happen to have a Hoya which never blooms, this probably sounds unreal to you. Try moving it to another spot, or provide your plant more artificial light. You will see how good it reacts.

The wax flower usually likes bright natural light and it is the most important factor for blooming. Just be careful, although it loves the sun and heat, Hoya could burn in direct sunlight. If the plant is placed next to a window, you must provide a curtain to protect it.

If you still can’t decide where to place your new Hoya plant, the best option is on the window facing north. That has shown the best results for many gardeners.

It can survive in the shade, but it will not bloom. Besides the beauty of these flowers, you would not want to miss out on the incredible scent they possess. It is no surprise that many companies are using them to make perfumes and other cosmetic products.

If you live in a house with few windows, provide your wax flower fluorescent bulbs that will mimic sunlight. Make sure that the light fixture is at least 3 inches high and as the plant grows, maintain the same distance.

Yes, you can DIY those lights yourself and make an indoor garden out of your living room!

Watering Needs

The needs of this Hoya change with the seasons. In the season of full flowering, the plant should be watered once a week. Also, mist it with lukewarm water four or five times a week.

In the dormant phase, it should be moistened once every two weeks, so that the soil does not dry out completely. Never get the flowers wet during the cold and dry air season.

Don’t forget that Hoya has succulent-like leaves and they already hold enough water. It is sensitive to excessive watering and water retention so ensure good drainage and make sure there is no water left in the base of the flower pot.

Another piece of advice is to pour water from below, to avoid any fungal issues and needless moisture around the leaves and stems.

My grandmother gave me a bit of old-fashioned advice that I always like to share. Soak the eggshell in a bottle of boiled water and let it sit for one week at room temperature. After you start using it, prepare another bottle right away.

Avoid cold tap water as much as possible.

Small holes or brown lesions may appear on the leaves but they are not a cause for concern. Some Hoyas are more reactive to environmental conditions and watering than others. It won’t hurt them but they are trying to tell you that you should make some changes in the caring routine.

Temperature and Humidity

Hoya’s natural environment is the humid tropical jungle. You can already guess what conditions would make it thrive in your home!

Your Hoya would be grateful if the temperatures go between 70-80°F during the day and they drop during the night. It should not be too warm because then lice or other pests can appear.

Hoya can survive low temperatures, but it is not recommended to expose it to temperatures lower than 50°F. During winter keep it away from windows and doors that open frequently, as well as from air conditioners.

It thrives in humid conditions. If you live in an apartment a good solution would be to buy a humidifier, and it would benefit your health as well. You could also move your Hoya in a room where the air is more humid and the light conditions are favorable.

I suggest you buy a humidity meter if you would like to track the conditions your plant is experiencing. You would know better when it is the right time to take some adjusting.

Fertilizing Hoya Mindorensis

Growers have different opinions on this topic but everyone agrees that fertilizing is important while the plant is flowering. The wax flower should be fertilized with a liquid fertilizer high in nitrogen.

Once the blooming has started, fertilize the plant every two to three weeks. Of course, you could use a fertilizer high in phosphate two months before the usual blooming time to encourage the plant to produce more flowers.

Reduce the dose of fertilizer to fifty percent during the winter months or if you see that plant is not flowering. If you fertilize too much, excess salt can build up in the soil and heavily damage the roots. Too much food can’t be good, right?

Liquid fertilizer is a good choice for the wax plant as Hoya Mindorensis. It is suggested to pour from below as it gets right to the roots and the plant can take all the nutrients.

Hoya Mindorensis Propagation

This wax flower is relatively easy to propagate by steam cutting. Cuttings are taken from the older plants that have lush leaves and nodes. The steam is cut to a length of 3 to 4 inches.

Remove all the lower leaves, and leave the steam on a dry paper or towel. The cuttings must heal first before doing the next step.

After they have healed, place the steam in water, provide it with good light and be patient. Check on your steam and when you see that the roots have developed transfer the cutting into the prepared moistened soil mix. Cuttings should be kept at a temperature of 60 to 65°F.

Young cuttings are vulnerable to pests so don’t neglect them at this stage. Enclose the plant in a plastic bag to keep the humidity levels high, but ensure that it has some air.

Another way to propagate is by cutting the roots. It should be done during more sleepy seasons for your Hoya, like fall or winter. The advice is to cut a small root section and put it in soil with added nutrients. Keep it moist and wait for the growing season to see the results of new life being born.

Young plants don’t bloom, so it is necessary to wait a while, but the older the wax flower, the more abundantly it will bloom. The plant produces flowers on the same steams every year, so it is important not to cut them while they are blooming.

Repotting and Pruning

As we have mentioned, this wax plant doesn’t like to be moved a lot. It can negatively affect the inflorescence as they are used to grow along with the trees of other plants. Hoya blooms best if the roots are a little squeezed in a pot, so don’t repot every year.

Repotting is usually done every three years when the pot has been completely outgrown. Make sure to move it into a pot that is only a few inches larger than the previous one, so that the soil around the roots doesn’t cause root rot.

It is important not to move the plant during the period of bud formation. Otherwise, they may fall off.

It is healthy to replace the potting soil and provide fresh nutrients to your plant. Feel free to remove the brown and dried shoots, and transplant the Hoya by separating the root.

When a wax flower starts to form flower buds, it is also not recommended to move it to a new location or rotate it. Many gardening beginners have made this mistake and the flower buds fell off. We wouldn’t want this to happen, so we will learn from their mistakes.

In nature, Hoya can grow over 5 m. In room conditions, it is necessary to provide Hoya support on which it can climb. Provide her with a ladder to ensure it will climb and release her fleshy leaves keep it in a hanging basket allowed to free fall. If the support is provided on time, it can grow up to 2 m.

Common Problems and Solutions

Hoya Mindorensis usually attracts garden pests as red spider mites, aphids, mealy bugs or lice. If you have only a few plants this wouldn’t be a big problem, but if you own a greenhouse, it is important to know how to prevent the pests from spreading.

Surely, the best method for pest control would be to avoid them in the first place. When you first buy a Hoya plant, try to keep it isolated from other plants for two months at least.

This would be the first step to protect your plants, but let’s go over other solutions. You never know when you would have to jump in and save your plants.

 Another problem you could have is a lack of flowering and root rot.

1. Pests

Pests can spread quickly and endanger your other plants. I would advise you to hire a professional handler to apply the chemicals if you have never done it before. If you are doing it by yourself, make sure that you wear proper gear to protect yourself and follow the instructions on the container.

For some pests like spider mites and aphids, you could remove them with a blast of water and afterward treat the Hoya with the insecticidal procedure. Aphids pose a danger to the beautiful flowers of your plant. They feed on the flower nectar and this can cause the new blooms to dry and fall off.

If there are still flowers left don’t get them wet during the procedure as it can also damage them as they are already vulnerable. If aphids show up again repeat the same procedure and change the environment of your Hoya.

Spider mites are sometimes hard to get rid of. But they don’t like humid conditions, so increase the humidity in the room and adjust the temperature. If the conditions are dry and too warm, they could come back easily.

Many gardeners who have struggled with spider mites would advise you to move the plant to the bathroom because it is the room that has the highest humidity and is also usually colder.

If you would rather avoid chemical treatments, spraying with Neem tree Oil is a very effective method for pest control. Neem oil is also known for its antifungal qualities and helps with the prevention of root issues and fungal infections.

Another practical solution would be to use the method of swabbing with 70% alcohol and quickly get rid of insect pests.

2. Diseases

The sudden fall of flowers or change in the color of leaves would be a warning from your wax plant.

If you ignore all the signs, then dark spots on the steam will appear and this means it is too late to save the rots.

The roots look dark brown when they rot, so you could try to save Hoya by cutting away the rotten roots and applying an antifungal treatment on the rest of the roots. You must repot it in a well-draining pot with fresh dry soil.

Last but not least, add to your watering routine the mixture of neem oil and warm water during some time. This would reduce the effects of root rot and heal your plant.

Frequently Asked Question

Conclusion

These tropical plants don’t require much but they will enrich your space all year round. Dark green leaves with lavish white and pink clusters make a real attraction for plant collectors. Even if you have just heard about Hoya Mindorensis, these tips will help you take care of it like a professional.

For this Hoya conditions close to those in tropical forests of South Asia would make them healthy and grateful. Of course, if you live in an apartment some adjustments would take place but nothing unattainable.

Space that is warm, humid, and full of light would make a perfect choice. Watch out for those little stubborn pests and root rot. Add to your regular care Neem oil as the preventive treatment and above all, show your Hoya affection and gratitude.