Hoyas, or wax plants, are the most beautiful and easy-to-grow plants for your indoor space.
Hoyas are plants with woody stems and waxy plants, according to the University of Florida, and there are between 200-300 different Hoya species.
As long as you give these plants the warmth and moisture they need, they will surpass your growing expectations.
When growing Hoyas, one of the biggest pleasures I had was propagating them. You never know when you might need a backup plant. You might want to own more hoyas or gift them to your friends and family.
Here is how I usually propagate my Hoyas.
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How To Propagate Hoyas
The best way to propagate Hoyas is leaf and stem cuttings because these methods are easy and cost-efficient. Other propagation methods are air layering and growing Hoyas from seed.
What are the most common methods to propagate Hoyas?
To propagate Hoya plants, you can:
- Cut the leaves to start a new plant
- Use the stems as long as you focus on the softwood portions and have at least one node
- Air layering method, which is the most successful
- Propagate Hoyas from seeds
I am now going to explain all four different ways of Hoya propagation.
4 Methods How To Propagate Hoyas
1. Start Hoyas from Seeds
The simplest but often the most frustrating method of propagating Hoyas is to start them from the seeds.
Purchase the seeds from your local garden supply store or a known houseplant enthusiast like you. Alternatively, use the seed pods from the plants that you already own. Don’t buy seeds online as they are mostly fake. It might be difficult to get seeds. The best is to use your own.
Once you find the seeds of the specific Hoya plant you want to grow, start planting.
Seeds need to be kept warm and humid. The best way to do it is to use Sphagnum Moss and a container with a lid. Soak the moss and make sure it is humid but not wet. Lay the seeds into the moss.
Spray with a water sprayer every few days to keep the moss slightly humid but not drenched.
Close the container entirely with a lid and lift it off every few days.
It does take a long time for the plant to grow to full maturity from seeds. But it is well worth it if you have the patience.
When you plant Hoyas seeds, ensure they have room to grow.
Repot the seedlings once they grow their first true leaves. These are the second pair of leaves they form. The first set is seedling leaves. the second set will already look more like the leaves of a mature Hoya.
2. Propagate Hoyas from Leaf Cuttings
The second method of propagating a Hoya plant is to use leaf cuttings.
If you have a Hoya imperialis, for instance, you will cut off a few of the beautiful, lush, green leaves from the stem of your plant to start.
Using leaf cuttings is a method that requires patience and determination as it can be one of the most challenging methods.
Wait at least five weeks before a root even builds into the soil from the leaves!
Place at least five to six leaves into the soil, with the tips just covered so roots can begin to form.
Space the leaves far enough apart in the pot so that the rots do have room to spread out when they form.
Make sure they are sitting at a 45-degree angle as well to allow for growth to happen.
When you will notice that roots form from the leaves and it is okay to get excited!
Do not get overly excited, however, as, at times, even with these roots your cuttings do not turn into the plants that you hope to grow and propagate.
If you want to assist this difficult method of propagation, consider a hormone that aids in the rooting process.
This may aid your chances of the growth of any type of healthy Hoya plant that you desire.
3. Use Stem Cuttings to Propagate Hoyas
Propagating Hoyas from stem cuttings is the easiest and fasted method to duplicate your plant.
The first thing you do is to remove the lowest leaf from the stem.
Use a pot of soil in which you can bury the lower end of your stem once cut off.
The soil should be slightly moist when you plant the cutting.
When your cutting takes roots in the soil, you do not want it to dry out and do not want to give it too much moisture either.
Avoid this by providing little water. A great method is to use a mister.
You can also place your stem cutting in a glass of water and use any length of a piece of stem for this method.
Roots will begin to grow within a month if the leaves do not get wet or submerged.
4. The Layering Method for Hoyas
Propagating Hoyas can also be done using the air layering method. It is an advanced way to clone your plant but also the safest.
This method still involves the stem of the plant, but you do not cut the stem off of your mother plant initially.
To start, you will prepare a new pot full of soil ready for a new Hoya to grow in.
The soil you use should be moist, light, and nutrient-rich.
Move one of the stems of the mother Hoya towards the new pot you have prepared for the baby Hoya to grow in.
Use floral pins to secure the stem on the mother still to the soil in the new pot.
You do not even have to dig to see the new roots, as they will show up right on top of the new soil once they develop.
Ensure that the soil remains slightly moist.
Tips for Propagating Hoyas
Warmth is important
When you are ready to propagate a Hoya plant, wait until the warmer months of the year, no matter where you live.
As mentioned earlier, Hoyas prefer warmer weather in general.
If you can wait until the spring or summer, this will be the best for it to grow healthy and thrive.
Use a Pot with Drainage Holes
When choosing a pot for your new Hoya, you will want to consider one with draining holes.
This will ensure the soil does not stay too wet during the propagation process and will make it possible to water or mist frequently.
Use Hormones to Propagate Hoyas if You Can
You can use rooting hormone to increase your chances of propagating a healthy and long-lasting Hoya and speed up the process.
I have rooting hormone at home, but to be honest, I rarely use it: My Hoyas just propagate fine the natural way.
If you decide to use hormones, you can dip the end of your stem cutting in it or the leaves’ ends if you want to use the leaf-cutting method.
Hoya carnosa Propagation
Propagate Hoya carnosa in spring and summer. The main growing seasons are best because the chances of success are the highest. Your cuttings will grow the fastest, and your mother plant will heal and grow again quicker.
To propagate a Hoya carnosa, take a healthy stem that is not woody and takes a cutting with two nodes. Make a clean cut using scissors or a blade. Disinfect the blades using rubbing alcohol or hold them under a flame.
Let the cutting callous over for 40 minutes. Or longer if the stem is thick. Once no more sap is coming out of the wound, ou can place the cutting into soil, Sphagnum moss, or water. There are different growing media you can use. Perlite works as well.
Keep the cutting in a warm and humid environment with bright indirect light. Within 3-4 weeks, either roots or leave are starting to grow.
Transplant the cutting into a new pot once the roots are several inches (cm) long.
To many new Hoyas
To propagate Hoyas, either use stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, or seeds, or you can air layer your Hoyas. The easiest way to propagate a Hoya plant is by using stem cuttings. Hoyas can be propagated in water, soil, sphagnum moss, or perlite.
Daniel has been a plant enthusiast for over 20 years. He owns hundreds of houseplants and prepares for the chili growing seasons yearly with great anticipation. His favorite plants are plant species in the Araceae family, such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. He also loves gardening and is growing hot peppers, tomatoes, and many more vegetables.