New and Unread Tree-Mails
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Rhode Island  DammitJanet Nov 13, 2020 5:52 PM CST |
| I have a large Hoya that I noticed some yellowing near the base then what looked like old webs at the bottom. There was some white powder on the leaves. I was worried about spider mites or wetness. I replanted it in a sphagum coconut fiber mix and separated the smaller plants. Now they are yellowing more and that's a fuzzy something growing on the surface of the dirt. Please help. For reference, 3 pictures of the small guy and one of the big guy base which looks fine. Thank you!     |
Rhode Island DammitJanet Nov 13, 2020 5:56 PM CST |
Also the white dust from the "adult" plant.  |
Name: John Hollywood, FL (Zone 10b) serious plant addiction!              John2468 Nov 13, 2020 6:47 PM CST |
It could be powdery mildew, I'm not sure.  :) |
Name: Daisy I Reno, Nv (Zone 6b) Not all who wander are lost    DaisyI Nov 13, 2020 7:06 PM CST |
| I don't think your potting mix was a good choice. Hoya are epyphtic, meaning they don't live in soil but, because we want to keep them in pots, the mediium should be light and airy, fast draining and fast drying. Sphagum and coconut fiber are both very moisture retentive and compact too much. Also, your pots are too big. The pot should be just bigger than the root ball. I'm not sure what the white on the leaves is. It could be mealybugs but doesn't really look like it. You can wipe it off with a q-tip soaked in alcohol (than rinse). The gray mold is dangerous to your plants and will kill them. Get the plants out of that medium quick. Sorry, but time to repot again. Use smaller pots and a medium like orchid bark or cactus soil/perlite (mixed 1:1). Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming...."WOW What a Ride!!" -Mark Frost President: Orchid Society of Northern Nevada Webmaster: osnnv.org |
Rhode Island DammitJanet Nov 13, 2020 7:11 PM CST |
| Thank you so much. I had read that sphagum and coconut are fast draining. I guess I'm very wrong. |
Name: John Hollywood, FL (Zone 10b) serious plant addiction! John2468 Nov 13, 2020 7:19 PM CST |
Your welcome!!   :) |
Rhode Island DammitJanet Nov 15, 2020 4:53 PM CST |
| I didn't have any orchid bark so I put in an order in Amazon, but unfortunately the plant fell to pieces this morning. We had a funeral service in its honor, but hopefully I'll replant the adult one, and you may have saved that ones life. |
Name: Daisy I Reno, Nv (Zone 6b) Not all who wander are lost DaisyI Nov 15, 2020 4:56 PM CST |
That's sad.  Yes, hopefully you can save the other. Because of the way the leaves grow on this particular Hoya, its hard to keep ahead of some problems (mildew and mealybugs) other Hoya may not have. Watch it carefully. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming...."WOW What a Ride!!" -Mark Frost President: Orchid Society of Northern Nevada Webmaster: osnnv.org |
Rhode Island DammitJanet Nov 17, 2020 6:25 PM CST |
I know this is a risk with a sick plant, but I know it was so something or it would surely die. Hopefully this saves it. Moss based epiphytic set up. Pray for me. Or yell at me if I'm an idiot.  |
Name: Lin Vosbury Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)             plantladylin Nov 17, 2020 6:58 PM CST |
| My old eyes can't really tell what the moss based epiphytic set up is but your Hindu Rope Hoya (Hoya carnosa 'Compacta') needs a light, airy potting medium. You should mix regular potting soil with orchid bark mix and perlite. It's a chunky, fast draining media that Hoyas do very well in. Keep an eye on this particular Hoya because they tend to be mealybug magnets. I had two very large Hindu Rope Hoyas years ago and finally gave up on that particular Hoya because it was a constant battle and impossible to get into all those tight nooks and crannies when mealybugs were present. ~ I'm an old gal who still loves playing in the dirt! ~ Playing in the dirt is my therapy ... and I'm in therapy a lot! |
Name: Daisy I Reno, Nv (Zone 6b) Not all who wander are lost DaisyI Nov 17, 2020 9:45 PM CST |
I'm looking forward to seeing the results. Its something I have considered and @Gina1960 has tried. Please keep us posted.  Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming...."WOW What a Ride!!" -Mark Frost President: Orchid Society of Northern Nevada Webmaster: osnnv.org |
Name: Gina Florida (Zone 9a) Tropical plant collector 35 years    Gina1960 Nov 18, 2020 4:07 AM CST |
| When we grow epiphytes in moss, its usually just sphagnum moss, and its usually epiphytes that can live long term in moss, like aroids. Although many hoyas can be mounted and also grown in moss. It looks like you have chosen a more decorative moss. This is what an epiphyte in moss would typically look like. This happens to be an epipremnum Shangri la  Many hoya do lend themselves to growing epiphytically because, like a lot (but not ALL) aroids, they make adventitious roots to climb. Hoya do this as well. But the leaf morphology of this particular hoya, the rope hoya, doesn't lend itself to growing flat on a surface and hanging on by the roots. In order to get this to grow mounted or in a moss basket, you would probably need to strip the stems of leaves for a few inches, and mount that to a plaque, preferably cork or tree fern, under a pad of moss like you would an orchid or a dischidia. Then let the plant establish, and hang freely. The best way to grow these compactas is potted, like Lin said, in a porous airy soil mix that you can douse with water, and it will drain quickly and freely. Ground coconut husk can be a COMPONENT of such a mix, but is a poor choice to be the ONLY component because it tends to compact, absorb large quantities of water and stay wet, and grow mold like yours did. Chopped coconut husk is a better option that ground coconut husk. Award winning beaded art at ceinwin.deviantart.com! |
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