At the end of June 2019, I posted a photo of a recently re-potted Hoya kerrii in a soil mix recommended by Lin (plantladylin) and promised to update it's progress. This is the plant at the end of June:



This is what it looks like today:



I received this plant as a small cutting in the early summer of 2018 along with three single leaves. I planted the leaves in individual pots and re-potted them early this summer with the soil mix Lin recommended. It wasn't long until one of the leaves sent up a shoot and another leaf did the same about a month or so later. The third leaf is still "just a leaf". This is what they look like today.



Still have not seen a bloom on the main plant, but I have started a monthly feeding with 1/2 strength Bloom Booster. Hopefully we'll see a bloom soon.

Thanks again to Lin for your help with this project.

My gosh. What's in that potting mix? I've got a baby Kerrii too.

That sure is a very impressive and actively growing Hoya kerrii How are the humidity and temperature levels on your side there?

tarev said:That sure is a very impressive and actively growing Hoya kerrii How are the humidity and temperature levels on your side there?

Hi Tarev,

SE Texas here. The Hoya is spending the summer outdoors on my patio. Temperatures here have been in the upper 90's for quite some time and have been 100+ for the last 5-6 days, with some moderation expected soon. Humidity levels vary from day to day, but have been generally very high. The Hoya kerrii seems to be enjoying itself in these conditions.

Magpie26 said:My gosh. What's in that potting mix? I've got a baby Kerrii too.

Hi Magpie26,

I'm currently using a soil mix recommended by plantladylin - potting soil, course orchid bark and perlite. My exact mix is made up of Leaf Mold Compost (just a little), Course Orchid Bark and Perlite. It drains well and I let it dry out a bit between waterings. I'm also feeding once monthly with half strength Bloom Booster.

Good luck with your "baby".

wgriff46 said:

Hi Tarev,

SE Texas here. The Hoya is spending the summer outdoors on my patio. Temperatures here have been in the upper 90's for quite some time and have been 100+ for the last 5-6 days, with some moderation expected soon. Humidity levels vary from day to day, but have been generally very high. The Hoya kerrii seems to be enjoying itself in these conditions.

That is nice! My Hoya kerrii was struggling here with our hot and dry days even in shade since we have very, very low humidity levels. It finally recovered and started regrowing new leaves when I brought it back indoors where temps just in the 70F to 80F range and indoor humidity at the 40% to 50% range. Will have to watch if it can manage to make some new peduncles.

Bill, I'm so happy to hear that you like that potting mix for your Sweetheart Hoya (Hoya kerrii) It's worked really well for me for a number of years now. Your plant is really looking very happy and healthy!

Nice growing Bill. Congrats on the success. The leaves on the Kerri look larger than usual. Congrats on the quick success.

lauriebasler said:Nice growing Bill. Congrats on the success. The leaves on the Kerri look larger than usual. Congrats on the quick success.

Hi Laurie, Thank you very much. I can't wait until they bloom

I had to share my Hoya kerrii. I got it last April as a rooted cutting (two leaves and roots) and now, its about 3 ft tall now (The photo is just the first foot - that's a 5 inch pot for scale) and growing a second arm. I was looking at the bare stem going up behind the shelves in my greenhouse and realized it has a bloom bud thingy growing. I'm excited as I have never seen kerrii bloom.


I would love to find a variegated one but felt lucky to come across the green one.

Very healthy plant Daisyl!

I received cuttings of both Sweetheart Hoya (Hoya kerrii) and Sweetheart Hoya (Hoya kerrii 'Variegata') a number of years ago from a trade on DG. My variegated plant never bloomed and the leaves reverted back to green. I'm not sure what ever happened to those two plants.

Great looking plant Daisy. Good luck and hopefully you'll have a bloom soon.

To log an update, my Hoya kerrii has grown completely up both sides of the trellis and I wrapped them over. New leaves keep popping out along the trailers, but still no bloom.

On the three potted leaves, the third (and last) leaf has finally sent up a shoot. These leaves were initially planted early summer 2018, so 1 to 1 1/2 years to send up a shoot. Now all three are growing larger by the day. This is exciting.

Lovely looking Hoya kerrii Daisy! Hope it manages to push the blooms all the way. I usually get my blooms for my variegated kerrii when it is very warm to hot here on my side.

Like many Hoyas, I think Hoya kerrii blooms during the warm months.

My Wax Plant (Hoya australis subsp. tenuipes) and Wax Plant (Hoya australis subsp. australis) are always winter bloomers but I think one year I had a couple of sporadic blooms in late spring/early summer.

Wax Plant (Hoya heuschkeliana) blooms at all different times of the year for me.

When I grew Wax Plant (Hoya nummularioides) it always bloomed in October and November.

Everybody's kerrii looks so great! But now I'm sitting here wondering what the heck I'm doing wrong with mine. In August 2019 I purchased a small baby kerrii, only 2 leaves, and it has done absolutely NOTHING since I've had it. Nada. Zilch. It still resides in the small plastic pot that I bought it in, with the same soil that it came with. It sits in my kitchen window (which right now I couldn't tell you which direction the window is facing because I am at work), and I thought that it got plenty of sun there. I haven't fertilized or fed it anything. Any tips on giving this little baby a growth spurt of some sort? Any help would be appreciated.

I have three Hoya kermi's that are in excess of 10-12 feet in length, with multiple leads. They are at least 15 years old. They came in small 3-4" plastic pots and have never been repotted. In fact one is growing as an almost total epiphyte, the soil washed out a long time ago and I replaced it with orchid bark. The plant produces roots all along the stem, I just let those dangle in the breeze and when I water I spray them too. Kerrii has very thick and succulent leaves, like Pachyclada, Rigida and Loyceandrewsiana. It does not need a ton of water. And the more aerated the mix, the better. Almost all Hoya are epiphytes and will grow mounted on tree fern bark with the stems of origin covered under a moss pad, I have some in my greenhouse that are rooted in just leaf litter and debris that has accumulated in the spaces between the greenhouse glazing and the steel cross stats. I have never understood why they can often come from vendors potted in heavy peaty soil that is sopping wet. I am sure @plantladylin will share the recipe for her soil mix with you! I use a mix of equal parts of coarse perlite, orchid bark, coconut husk, and potting mix (I use Jungle Growth). Sometimes I add in some aliflor, depending on the plant. I use this for all tropical plants...for true epiphytes I leave out the Jungle Growth.

I no longer have the Sweetheart Hoya (Hoya kerrii) but I read something a couple of years ago (I can't recall if it was on this site or Facebook) but someone was talking about a vendor that was selling Hoya kerri, with only leaves stuck in potting soil and that they had no chance of producing vines because their were no stem nodes, only leaf petioles stuck in the soil. They said that the leaf stem(s) would produce roots but that no stems/vines would grow.

For most all of my plants, especially Hoya, I use a mixture consisting of potting soil, perlite and lots of coco husk or orchid bark. It makes for a chunky, well draining, airy medium which hoyas need to thrive.

@haushinka, plantladylin makes a valid point. Is there a leaf node holding those two leaves together? Or just two leaves?

My kerrii is growing stems up the wall behind my orchids. Last night, I decided to move one of the orchids and discovered it pinned to the wall as the hoya had rooted into its pot. It is sitting in a spot just out of the main spray of the orchids sprinklers so I have to remember to periodically water it (waiting for rubber leaves). The stems are in the wettest conditions they could be in and, apparently, enjoying it.

Mine is still in its original pot in what looks like ground cork and aliflor.

Nah, mine isn't just the little leaf stuck in soil. lol
Here's what mine looks like.

Gina1960, that is CRAZY that you've had yours so long and they've never been repotted, and that they are doing GREAT! I love that! They must be super happy.

I've found that most Hoyas prefer to be in small pots and looking at the size of the container your little Hoya kerrii is potted in, the plant is likely concentrating on filling that pot with roots, rather than growing vines. Once the weather warms up and spring and summer arrive, you should definitely see more growth on your plant.