Posted by
RadlyRootbound (East-Central Mississippi - Zone 8a) on Oct 5, 2019 11:38 PM concerning plant:
Although I am not an "expert" by far, I've had a Hoya carnosa 'Compacta' for a couple of years and can comment from my experience with it. From the appearance of the plant, with its hard vine and tough, waxy-looking leaves, I assumed (incorrectly) it would fare well with lots of sun, so for the first summer, I had it outside on my garden patio in full sun for the first half of the day, and I watered it every couple of days, since it was in full, hot sun. For reference, I live in central Mississippi, and although it "managed" in those conditions here, some of the leaves became "sun scorched" and it didn't bloom. This summer, I placed it in a different spot that only received full sun in the early morning and remained shaded but in bright light for the rest of the day. I also didn't water nearly as often, and it must like these conditions much better, for it has remained in constant bloom this summer, usually with as many as five bloom clusters at once. From this experience, I would say that they prefer bright light but little direct sun in order to thrive. Also, oddly enough since they root very readily just stuck in a glass of water, I should reiterate that it was watered much less frequently this year (to the point of neglect, even!), yet it seemed to appreciate the "drought" conditions and kept right on blooming and showing very well despite being "neglected". That, and the fact that most advice says to keep it pot-bound, indicates to me that this is a very "shy" plant that prefers to just be left alone in its own (bright) little corner, with as little pampering attention as possible--the more "neglect", the better, perfect for someone whose houseplants tend to die from being forgotten.
Posted by
plantladylin (Sebastian, Florida - Zone 10a) on Sep 23, 2011 6:41 PM concerning plant:
I have a few different Hoyas and I find the carnosa to be one of the easiest to grow. While there are a few Hoyas that love a lot of sun, the carnosa (at least here in Florida) prefers bright light but no direct sun. I learned this the hard way after finding very scorched foliage from leaving my plants out in the intense Florida sun. My very old carnosa is large and lush, but it doesn't bloom very often, only a sporadic flower or two every few years. The smaller plants seem to bloom a couple of times a year. The blooms are quite pretty and have a slight fragrance in the evening hours and at night.
I grow my Hoyas (and most of my other plants) in a chunky, fast-draining potting medium consisting of mostly orchid bark mix with a little potting soil incorporated. This medium requires watering more often in the summer months, sometimes twice a week if we don't have rain, but I no longer have the problem of losing plants to soggy, rotting roots.
