hi all,

I just received this hoya in the mail on Saturday and today is Monday. According to tracking it was in the mail for 2 days. This morning (monday) I noticed the leaves at the base had sagged over. I thought maybe it needed water since the soil was pretty dry and am new to this hoya. After I watered it the area started looking very water logged. you know why this is happening? Why did they sag in the 1st place? The seller is saying shipping stress but it doesn't look that way to me. Thank you!

It looks like it is rotting at the base of the leaves. That means that there is a problem with the roots. That could have been due to shipping damage, including cold exposure. Or perhaps damage done when it was potted or from improper watering.

It looks like it got too cold in transit. Did you send the seller this photo?

Yes i did show the seller- I agree- the symptoms look as if it got too cold. Similar to a pothos I left out in freezing weather. It got water logged looking and limp. I looked at the roots and there doesn't seem to be any rot

I think it is cold damaged as well

Allow the soil to dry well before watering again to make sure it isn't rot root.

Well, it IS a hoya after all....they are largely epiphytic, so if you really suspected root rot, all you have to do is un-pot it and check the roots. Which BTW may also be cold damaged.

You also really have no way to know if this was potted up a month ago, or a week ago.

You are going to lose that leaf, the one with the mushy looking base...it might be better to go ahead and take it off and treat that area of the stem with a fungicide. You can dust it with cinnamon from your spice box if you don;t like using chemical pest control. If it was cold damage and the reaction is delayed as tissue that was affected is dying slowly you make see a progression of the damage up or down the stem.

If you do decide to pull the plant and check the roots, if they look ok, I would not put it back into what you got it in. I would use 'the Carol method'....lay the plant on top of a well draining mix that has some orchid bark and coarse perlite in a 2:1 ratio with potting mix, barely cover the stem (and any roots there may be) with a either a little mix (or I use a small amount of pre-moistened sphagnum moss) and weight down with small stones, keep it warm in bright light and on the drier side. mist the moss or top. If it is still viable it should root (or continue to root)

Thank you all! And yes @Gina1960 there is some progression of damage- the next leaf further down the stem is also getting mushy And limp on the part that connects the leaf to the stem- I'll send a pic- I ordered another hoya polyneura from Etsy (not the same seller) and requested that TWO heat packs be included in shipping- do you have any care tips for me about this particular plant? Some say it likes cooler temps and subdued light and some humidity- any tips from anyone would be greatly appreciated as this plant is spendy! I'm sending back the one that seems damaged.....

@plantladylin grows this particular hoya I think. I had it on the past but no longer own it.

Fish Tail Hoya (Hoya polyneura) is one I tried about ten years ago but it didn't survive for long under my care.

From the photos provided, I totally agree that the plant has suffered cold damage. I also think the pot used is way too deep for the size of the plant, which can make proper watering difficult. I'd suggest a shallow container with drainage holes and a potting medium consisting of potting soil and lots of orchid bark mix or perlite. I use an orchid bark mix that contains chunky bits of bark, charcoal and also perlite.

For the short time I had a Fishtail Hoya, my plant stayed outside and I was told on another forum that this particular Hoya preferred much cooler temp's than it was receiving in our extreme heat and humidity here in Florida. Christina in Sweden is a very successful Hoya grower and the advice on her Hoya page states that H. polyneura is one that likes fertilizer and that to get it to set blooms, it needs cooler nights: http://www.myhoyas.com/P/polyn...

LOL, just to clarify, I'm not advising or suggesting fertilizing; feeding a plant is not a cure and it's never a good idea for a plant that is stressed.

Thank you! I will check out Christina in Sweden's page... that pot is just a decorative one- it's in a regular ol' 4" plastic nursery pot... I really really appreciate all of your feedback!!

I've actually already read her page and i couldn't find much detailed info- here's plume plan for it- let me know if you think it's bad or could be improved. I'm going to place it hanging in front of my South facing bay window. It doesn't get as much light hanging there due to the 5ft porch- the sun points more down on the plants on the shelf, not in the hanging ones. Directly below it is a humidifier- to hopefully keep it humid but not too humid. Our house is heated/cooled by a ductless mini split across the house so temps should be able to vary slightly by the window, getting a little cooler at night. I will plant it in well draining mix with the bark you said. I will water it when the soil has dried but the leaves are not shriveled yet. Attached is a pic of where I will hang it. The one with the cold damage is hanging there now. I will not turn the grow light on unless I think it needs it as I live in WA and it's cloudy and rainy in the winter. But, as an epiphyte in the Himalayas- it should be able to adapt to different light conditions. A Linearis is thriving directly below. Thank you!!!!

I would cut the cold damaged Hoya into sections and try to start more plants. All it takes is a leaf node and one or two leaves. Bury the node below soil level and water when almost dry.

I wouldn't fertilize hoya at all. My potting mix looks a lot like orchid mix - bark, pumice, ground up wine bottle corks, clay pellets.... whatever is handy. Cactus mix with added perlite or pumice works well. The whole idea is to use something that drains and dries quickly.

LOL Daisy I used to save wine corks and use them in my potting mix too!

Actually, I didn't do it. I got those Hoyas from Jonathon Robbins from Flori-culture. It looks like a mix of ground up wine corks and dolomite kitty litter.

Now I have to send him an email and ask him exactly what it is... It works great!

Daisyi, I came across the Flori-culture site a few weeks ago when I was googling for something or other and indeed, one of their mixes consists of cork, kiwi bark and tree fern fiber! https://flori-culture.com/prod...

The one they have listed for Hoyas and Aroids consists of Kiwi Bark, Charcoal, Pumice, Tree fern fiber, Lava rock, and High quality soil: https://flori-culture.com/prod... but both sound like my kinda potting medium!

Jonathon is doing more and more with exotic plants and less with supplies. That's bad for us because he is our #1 go-to guy. His 'Misty Jungle' is awesome and hopefully, he will start listing some of his plants online (he says he doesn't have time). But, you can always email him to ask about what Hoyas (and Hoya relatives) he has available.

He visits our Orchid Society about once a year and, we travel his direction when weather permits. His prices are so cheap, its silly. I don't know how he manages to stay in business.

I know, sounds like an advertisement but, we really want him to succeed.