Hoya Obovata Care Guide – How to Care for Hoya Plant

Hoya Obovata is a widely known name and adored within the indoor gardening community across the world. It’s mostly because the plant has a deep green color with many silver speckles to enrich the plant’s unique aesthetic. While famous, there is plenty of room for error that can diminish your chances of providing this beauty with adequate care for it to prosper within your home.

So, how can you care for Hoya Obovata? Summed up into a short preview, this is what you will need to know. Hoya Obovata care encompasses providing a warm and humid environment with a lot of light. It requires periodic watering and frequent feeding as it grows relatively quickly. You can propagate it through stem cutting. If you do everything right, you will be able to witness their legendary blooms from the comforts of your home!

It seems somewhat intimidating, doesn’t it? Don’t even worry for a second. This guide is easy to follow and even a complete layperson in the world of gardening can understand it. Without further delay, let’s get down to learning about this magnificent plant!

Light requirements

It might come as a surprise, but these plans are incredibly light hungry. Their resilience is almost legendary.

They can endure the harshest of light conditions as long as the moisture levels continue to be optimal.  Windows facing the south will directly expose it to both good air circulation and natural sunlight. It is a good recommendation for a quick and easy resolution of this requirement.

Unless the sun is raining down relentlessly intensive sunlight beams, your Hoya will remain perfectly fine within direct exposure to the sun without the need to be moved.

The aforementioned is the most significant factor you must keep in mind. If you heed the plant’s needs, you will bear witness to one of the most beautiful blooms present within plants that fall under the indoor category.

Hoya Obovata Watering

While they might be very demanding when it comes to sunlight exposure, the exact opposite applies to water demands. This plant is a real staunch survivor that can go weeks without water.

Now, the first thing you need to know is that it’s a recommendation to “check the dirt” before watering a Hoya Obovata. If the soil is not yet sufficiently dry, it can quickly turn the leaves squishy and weak. This can eventually lead to the roots rotting.

We can remedy this potential problem by patiently waiting for the plant to absorb the water it needs and eliminate the excess water through the drainage system of the pot.

We can speed up this process by utilizing good potting mixes and additional materials, which we will discuss later on.

Over time, you will be able to determine when the right time for watering comes around by sampling, picking up your plant, and measuring its weight. I would nonetheless recommend that you check the soil out by placing your finger in it.

Related: Best Plant Watering Spikes For 2020 – Reviews and Guide

Humidity

The origin of these beauties implies that high levels of dampness would be the norm, but this is not the case.

The consensus among most experienced plant enthusiasts is to keep the bare minimum of at least 40% humidity, which is sufficient for growth.

As homes can provide these levels without additional aid, you can always opt for a different set of devices if you wish to raise the overall humidity levels. Humidifiers are the go-to solutions for these situations.

Temperature

Warmer temperatures are what these plants crave and what you will need to provide to reap the full benefits of their growth. They can even withstand borderline scorching hot climates as long as the air isn’t dry.

There is one detail that I cannot stress enough. Keep these plants away from cold whenever possible.

Their low tolerance to low temperature and humidity alike make them susceptible to cold air (that can slip in easily through windows or doors) and abrupt temperature changes. So, make sure they are isolated from them.

As for the ideal temperature ratio, you can rest assured that a continuous temperature of 60°F to 95°F will keep your plants growing as intended.

Soil

As you are most likely aware by now, getting rid of excess water quickly is the prime quality you need to look out for when picking out your chosen soil.

You have many options at your disposal, yet I urge you to manufacture your combination. I would recommend the following ingredients:

• Perlite
• Cactus soil
• Pumice
• Orchid mix
• Peat

A right starting combination would be using one half of the cactus mix, one-quarter of pumice, and fill the other quarter with perlite. This recipe is simple and possesses desirable qualities your plants will love.

Related: How To Prepare Soil For Planting

Fertilizing

The ideal Hoya Obovata care covers frequent fertilizer use. This plant grows extremely fast and will need regular feeding to grow within record time. It’s one of the fastest among all the plants in the Hoya family.

As this is a wax plant, your best bet is to use liquid fertilizers. They are easy and quick to absorb by the plant’s roots.

Alternatively, slow-release granule fertilizers are unparalleled if you don’t want to busy yourself too much with this activity and extend it to a one or two-month basis.

You can use a quarter or half a teaspoon for light but consistent feeding whenever you water the plants. Pick plant food with higher amounts of potassium and phosphorous.

Also, unless you can leach your soil correctly, avoid using these products during winter. Salt build-up can occur at this period as the plant goes into dormancy.

Flowering Hoya Obovata

The vast popularity these plants enjoy is owed in no small part to the beautiful flowers they produce. When spring comes around, the plant will have 20-25 star-shaped flowers that are truly amazing to behold.

Once you witness this for yourself, you will truly understand why it is no wonder why they are a common sign in such a large number of homes!

The only downside you will encounter is the waiting period- these Hoyas start blooming in their second or third year.

The blossoming period will persist for about two full weeks. While it may seem like your plant will not be able to contribute anymore when it comes to blooming, that is far from the truth.

The spur that is left behind will carry with it the potential to produce more of these magnificent displays, giving you sights to enjoy for many years to come.

Have these breath-taking flowers enchanted you? Here are more beauties from Hoya family:

Hoya Obovata Propagation

First thing’s first, you will need to prepare a pot that fits the same standards that suit the plant itself. When you ensure the potting mix you are using is appropriately moist, we can start with this delicate operation.

The process for hoya plant propagation is relatively simple: use sterile tools, extract cuttings that are a few inches long with a couple of leaf nodes on them. After that, you have two options.

The first one is to place them within a water container as they will need to develop roots to be planted later on.

You can also immediately plant them in the soil for the same purpose. Soil propagation is done by dipping the cutting in water and rooting hormone.

After those two steps are done, simply place the cutting into your pot.

The process of developing roots might take from 3 to 4 weeks but, if you notice aerial roots on the stems themselves, the timespan will be shorter.