I've got several Hoya starts going in 4" plastic pots, some of these are best as basket plants. I have some 5" hanging pots, plastic, would these be suitable? 6" or larger?

I believe the smaller the better for Hoyas. I believe they like being potted small.

http://www.greenhousemegastore....

This link worked for me in preview, I hope it works for you.

These hangers adapt to most pots, of any size. And you cannot beat the prices. I have drilled holes in the sides when necessary so I can hang even a 4 inch pot. Of course you can buy baskets you can set your pots in too, for a little or alot more money.

Some people swear no plant wants to be pot bound, and even more people swear Hoya suffer being potted up in a pot too big. I anticipate you will hear from both schools of thought. And, both are probably right, from their personal experience. If you have several, why not experiment for yourself, and pot one up to the 5 inch pot and see which plants perform best.

Laurie B

I have a few different hoyas and I've left all but one of them in 4" pots. My kentiana dried out way too often, so I moved it to a 6" and it's really picking up.

As a rule, I gravitate towards keeping the hoyas in a small pot, and then watch them for several months before I decide to change pots.

I agree with that, Alyssa.

Thanks everyone. Another newbie question, I've read that the Hoya does not like to be disturbed. I tend to pick my plants up and inspect them each week, rotate if possible for even growth. Should I not move/handle my Hoya's?

I think pot size should be determined by the size of the root structure. I wouldn't want to put a plant with few roots into a real large pot but I also wouldn't want to have a plant with a lot of roots so cramped in a tiny pot that there's no where for the roots to go. I've had some hoya plants grow so quickly that I've had to up pot them every year.

As to being disturbed; I've moved hoya plants from one place to another quite often without any issues ... except for a couple of times when I left them in extremely hot, blazing sun and they fried! They do like bright light and can take some sun ... and some varieties may take lots of sun as long as they receive sufficient moisture.

I sure miss @AlohaHoya/Carol and her great advice on growing Hoyas.

Yes, you should inspect your plants routinely, and turn them for even growth.

Regarding disturbing the plants, that's related to overwatering, overtending (removing from pot to check roots all the time is one example), moving around the house all the time, etc., and overall "babying" the plant. That can cause stress on the plant.

But general upkeep is good, so keep doing what you're doing. I walk around and check on my plants every single day. If they need water, I water. If not, I don't and leave it be. If it's pot-bound, I place it in a bigger pot but only when necessary.

Hey- a big part of the fun of having plants is getting to admire them, right?

I tested this theory that Hoyas like to be rootbound and undisturbed with one plant and after about 4 years in a regular hanging plastic pot in the soil in which it was purchased, ended up with dead roots & a few cuttings I was able to save. Other Hoyas not subjected to this experiment have stayed healthy.

Roots need oxygen & moisture at the same time to function. Just air = shriveling. Just moisture = suffocation & rotting. Either will cause root death and desiccated foliage because the roots have been unable to deliver moisture. Having to let soil dry, as if ones' tropical jungle plant was a cactus, is an unnecessarily stressful coping mechanism for non-desert dwelling plants in soil without enough oxygen for the roots to stay healthy when it is moist and can lead to premature loss of older leaves and in extreme cases, dry shriveled roots/dead plant.

The ability of roots to be able to function properly depends greatly on the soil structure/texture, which can change over time. Potting soil tends to be very dense, mostly peat, with very little air in it. Any kind of organic ingredients decompose into smaller bits over time, and roots fill air spaces over time as they grow through soil. Replacing soil periodically is usually necessary to keep plants healthy because of these reasons.

Negative experiences in regard to potting-up, where an undisturbed root ball is placed into a bigger pot with more soil around it, vs. doing a repotting as described above, can give rise to old wives' tales about plants not liking to be repotted/disturbed. Potting-up a root-bound plant that has roots surrounding the outside root ball often lead to this negative experience because those roots had adapted to accessing oxygen around the outside of the root ball and surrounding them with more dense, soggy-but-airless potting soil will likely lead to suffocation.

I feel I'm on the right track from everyone's advise. In a weak moment I order 6 new Hoya's from cowboyflowerman on evil bay.

As fall and winter approach I am getting direct sun thru my south facing window, I'm 45.3* north lat so it's not a blazing sun. Keeping a close eye on everything for sunburn. I have more cloudy days than clear days.

Awesome! That's how I prefer to learn a new plant too, when possible, with multiple individuals/immediate propagation if I only bought one. If I start with, for example, 4 individuals, I can observe 4 times as quickly, by putting them in various locations/situations. For plants, that racks up entire decades of saved trial'n'error time pretty quickly if one gets several new plants per year.