How to Set Up Your Hoyas for Sucess

I’m not sure about you all, but when I first started my Hoya journey, I encountered more failures than successes. Most of the Hoyas I tried to grow would inevitably just unalive themselves once they reached a certain point of maturity. Looking back, I wish I had the knowledge I have now—it would have saved so many of them. But, as the cliché goes, you can’t change the past; you can only focus on the future.

So, let’s talk about how to set your Hoyas up for the best chance of growing into big, beautiful Hoya trees. All products mentioned are listed on the ‘Products’ page.

Purchasing and repotting

Buying and trading Hoyas are the most common ways we acquire new species. Luckily, in today’s world, we can purchase them on a variety of platforms, and social media has made trading easier than ever. However, the downside is that when plants aren’t local to you, they inevitably go through the stress of being trapped in a dark box for days, often traveling between vastly different climates. What you do with the plants after unboxing and admiring them is incredibly important, as it can determine the success or failure of your new babies’ growth.

I’m sure many of you have heard the advice to not repot immediately. Instead, you’re told to let the plants acclimate for a couple of weeks to avoid adding extra shock to their root systems and to isolate them from the rest of your collection in case they bring along any unwanted pests. This is solid advice. However, I’ll admit that it’s a rule I almost never follow—mostly because I’m both a little arrogant and a bit lazy.

I usually go ahead and repot the plants right away, especially if they arrive in a substrate I’m unfamiliar with or absolutely despise, like coco husks or certain types of soil mixes. (Disclaimer: Substrate preference is extremely personal. I’m not claiming one is better than another; it’s all about what you’re most comfortable using.)

The steps I take for repotting apply not only to new plants but also to upsizing pots for Hoyas already in my collection—a relatively rare occurrence, as we all know Hoyas don’t need large pots to thrive. In fact, in my five years of growing Hoyas, I’ve only had about two plants graduate to a 6-inch pot. Most of my plants remain in 3-inch or 4-inch self-watering pots for years after establishing decent root systems in their tiny 2-inch cups (which is typically how I receive them as cuttings).

Step 1: Rinsing off old substrate

If the plant is rooted or established and it’s in a substrate I don’t typically grow in, I will very gently—but meticulously—wash all of the substrate off the roots using warm water. I do this as carefully as possible to avoid damaging or losing any roots. Sometimes, this can be quite challenging, especially if the plant is in coco husks. In those cases, I let the entire plant soak in warm water for about 30 minutes before continuing to clean off the remaining substrate.

Step 2: Soaking in Superthrive or seaweed solution

In my opinion, this step is the most important. By this point, the Hoya is already shocked and upset from having its roots disturbed after traveling such a long way to reach you—it’s essentially "screaming" for food and vitamins. My go-to product for this step is Superthrive because it’s specifically designed to reduce transplant shock and help replenish the plant’s strength, encouraging the development of new building blocks.

Superthrive is a small but powerful bottle of a super-concentrated mix of kelp and vitamins. I only use it for this step, as long-term use can potentially harm the plant because it acts as a stimulant to the root system. I typically add a couple of drops (eyeballed) to a small tub of warm water and let the plant soak for 30 minutes to an hour.

Note: I do not use this step when upsizing a Hoya in my existing collection, as those plants haven’t undergone the stress of travel, nor do I usually need to disturb their root systems significantly like I have to when switching substrates. 

Step 3: Potting the plant 

This final step is pretty self-explanatory. At this point, I pot the rooted or established plant into an appropriately sized self-watering pot using pon or leca. If it’s a cutting, I place it into a small propagation cup until it develops a decent-sized root system, at which point it’s ready to transition into a self-watering pot.

After potting, I water the plant with my normal nutrient solution, and it goes straight into my cabinet or tent. Unless there are obvious pest issues, I typically don’t treat for pests right away. Instead, the plant will go through my usual systematic pest maintenance routine along with the rest of my collection.

Propagating existing Hoyas

This process is pretty straightforward, and I’m sure we all have our own routines for propagating Hoyas. However, I’d like to share my personal process to help new collectors take cuttings—whether for creating extra “insurance” plants or for selling.

The best advice I can offer is that the health of the mother plant usually determines the success of her cuttings. A dehydrated mother Hoya does not produce healthy cuttings. While this may seem obvious, I’ve received cuttings in the past that were visibly thirsty, even when sourced locally. Despite being a self-proclaimed lazy person, this is one aspect I never compromise on when taking cuttings, especially when propagating for Tia’s Grow Cabinet on Etsy.

If I want to take a cutting from a Hoya that hasn’t been watered in the past few days, I always give it a quick drink and wait about an hour before proceeding. Another non-negotiable step for me is disinfecting my shears before use. I either use alcohol or, more commonly, spray my shears with a Physan 20 solution. Physan 20 is a powerhouse disinfectant that works as a fungicide, virucide, and algaecide, helping prevent and treat a variety of plant diseases. I also use it to wipe down my cabinets and tent once a month.

After making the cut, I usually let the cutting callous overnight before potting it up. This reduces the risk of introducing bacteria or diseases through the fresh wound. However, since my schedule doesn’t always allow for this, I sometimes dip the fresh cut into cinnamon before potting it up on the same day—or even immediately. Cinnamon is naturally antifungal and antiseptic, making it a great option to help your cuttings start healthy and strong, especially when you don’t have time to let them dry out and heal first.

From here, the process is straightforward. I pot up the cutting and water it with the same nutrient solution I use for all of my Hoyas at every stage of growth.

I hope you all found this entry informative and helpful. I know the whole process can sometimes seem overwhelming, but I firmly believe that when you take the time to love and care for your hoyas, they will reward you with fast and beautiful growth. Below, I’ve listed my updated growing conditions since moving from the heat of Florida to snowy upstate New York:

Ambience: 68F with 30-35% relative humidity

Milsbo Tall: 70F with 40-60% relative humidity 

Marshydro Tent: 65F (75-80F with portable heater) with 80-85% relative humidity