Hoyas: Low Light or More Light?
Hoyas get thrown around a lot on the internet as low light plants.
People seem to get preference of low light over tolerance of low light.
There’s a huge distinction between those two terms.
Hoyas can tolerate low light, which means they won’t die a quick death.
But they don’t prefer low light, meaning that they won’t actively grow in a section of the house that is getting no light at all.
Here’s another thing to add: Hoyas definitely don’t like sunlight.
What does that leave us with for light sources? A lamp or grow light.
I put this Hoya underneath a grow light and it didn’t grow at all at first.
But a few weeks have gone by and now it is starting to push out new growth.
It’s growing in a similar setup to my other houseplants: 100% pumice, aka semi-hydroponics.
I feed the plant with DG Foliage Pro every time I water it, which seems to be a couple of times per week.
I wait until the reservoir completely empties at the bottom and I only add 1/4 inch worth of water so that most of the roots are not submerged in water and they can still breathe.
That’s it. There’s not more to growing them successfully.
Horticulture tends to get way too complicated when success is replicated doing the simple things.
I also ensure I do these things to get the results I’m looking for:
Grow in a highly aerated soil, with no organic matter in the root zone (compost, bark, etc.)
Always ensure the plant has access to water at all times.
Feed regularly with small doses of a fertilizer with all plant nutrients (DG Foliage Pro)
Make sure the plant has plenty of light
If I follow these things, good things will happen.
