Hoya Longifolia is native to China (Yunnan) in Himalaya and to the Nicobar Islands. Hoya Longifolia is the accepted botanical name of Hoya Shepherdii. This plant comes from the milkweed, i.e., the Asclepiadaceae family.
The Hoya Longifolia plant is an outstanding option to form hanging baskets.
This plant grows long stems that fall down graciously with a load of the leaves.
Furthermore, bunches of white to light pink typical Hoya flowers grow on the Hoya Longifolia to enhance its beauty.
A proper caring schedule is key to having a gorgeous and strong plant.
The common names for this plant are Wax plant, String Bean Hoya, Shepherd’s Hoya, and Porcelain Flower. Hoya Longifolia follows a perennial life cycle.
Table of Contents
Hoya Longifolia Plant Care
Summary: The Hoya Longifolia plant requires a humid place with indirect sunlight and watering after the drying of the upper layer. A healthy feed high in nitrogen will help your Hoya Longifolia grow happy and healthy. Keep the temperature for your Hoya Longifolia between 50 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 25 degrees Celsius).
Soil
Hoya Longifolia needs to be planted in loose, quick-draining potting soil. You can make a mixture of potting soil and some perlite together to get a healthier, draining soil, or you can mix your potting soil with some orchid mix.
For Hoya Longifolia, I would suggest USDA Zone 10b to 11. The ideal pH for the Hoya Longifolia soil should be either 6.1 or 7.5 (mildly acidic to neutral).
Currently, the best potting mixture to use is around 1⁄3 peat, 1⁄3 perlite, and 1⁄3 orchid mixture. This is quite an airy blend and will benefit your Hoya Longifolia.
Drainage is especially important because Hoya Longifolia doesn’t want to be sitting in the water.
Watering
The Hoya Longifolia requires very little care with the watering. It can survive a few days without the water. However, to preserve the foliage, you must adhere to a suitable watering schedule. You need to water the Hoya Longifolia when the top 2 inches of the soil gets dry.
An approximate schedule is to water Hoya Longifolia about two to three times per week in summer. However, during the cool days watering the Hoya Longifolia one or two times a week is enough.
Furthermore, the top reason for the plant to have root or stem rot is overwatering. Make very sure that you do not make the soil wet or soggy.
Hoya Longifolia needs occasional drying. If it doesn’t dry out—it is going to rot very easily. On the other hand, if it does not get enough water, its roots will always dry up and die down. Therefore, it is important to find stability.
Light
Hoya Longifolia is designed to survive in bright indirect sunlight and dappled shade. Direct exposure to sunlight, especially in peak hours, is harmful to the delicate foliage.
When you don’t have good exposure to the sun, you can place your Hoya Logifolia to either east or west-facing window as it will work just fine.
You will have to transfer Hoya Longifolia to a spot with extra sunlight in the dimmer, colder months. Preferably, confirm at least 6 hours of bright and indirect sunlight every day for your Hoya Longifolia plant. I prefer using growing lights as an alternative to the sun’s rays.
Temperature
Hoya Longifolia strives best in 50 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 25 degrees Celsius). Moreover, the Hoya Longifolia isot able to survive in freezing temperatures. Therefore transfer your Hoya Longifolia to a warmer place as soon as fall starts to arrive.
The stability of temperature is the secret for indoor plant care. This means it’s something that has to be considered both overnight and during seasonal shifts.
Humidity
For humidity-loving Hoya Longifolia, about 70% of the moisture is ideal. Particularly in winter, use a humidifier when the indoor environment appears to be dry to raise the humidity levels for your plant.
The usage of a pebble tray filled with water is also quite beneficial to raise the humidity for your Hoya Longifolia. Slightly misting your plant with room temperature water will also help raise the humidity.
Fertilizer
Hoya Longifolia does not like heavy doses of feeding. However, extra nutrition will show good results on the foliage. To make your Hoya Longifolia grow healthy, you can use domestically available diluted fish emulsion or compost tea every once in a while during the summer and spring season.
If the above is unavailable, you can use any feeding mix according to the instruction written on the pack. You won’t have to provide the Hoya Longifolia with any extra feeding during the fall and winter seasons.
Provide the feeding on a routine basis that is high in nitrogen to your newly developing Hoya Longifolia. When your plant has grown to the right size, shift your feeding from nitrogen-rich to phosphorus-rich to help it bloom.
Repotting
The Hoya Longifolia plant likes to be a bit rootbound to produce flowers. However, it will ultimately outgrow its pot. If you can notice roots appearing around drainage holes, it’s time to repot your Hoya Longifolia plant.
Preferably, repot your Longifolia plant in the spring or early summer, as this is when it is in its effective growing stage. Select a container that is 1-2 inches wider and taller than your previous pot. Extra space can actually stunt your plant’s flowering skill and may cause a threat to its roots from added humidity in the soil.
Do not repot it in a pot any lower than it was in its previous pot. Although the Hoya Longifolia plant can form roots through stems and from leaves, to avoid plant damage such as rot or decay, they often require some airflow around the plant.
Pruning
Hoya Longifolia is a vine and thus requires regular pruning. Hence, get rid of the unhealthy leaves, preferably from the lower sides.
Pruning your Hoya Longifolia regularly will enhance the health and appearance of this waxy vine. Any leaves that look unhealthy may be chopped off at the stem where it is connected to the vine.
Get rid of any drooping, wounded, or dead branches and leaves. The leaves and branches will have a yellowish or brownish look and will certainly be detected. Additionally, prune away any substance on or around the plant, which seems to be a threat.
It is suggested to prune only the damaged or diseased parts of the plant, avoiding the healthy one. Avoid cutting off further than 1/3 of a plant’s total growth when pruning. To be on the secure side, it would be great to use precautionary measures like using a pair of gloves.
To perform pruning, you will only need a pair of hand-held pruning scissors. Use clean and sharp pruning scissors to ease your pruning process. An angled cut in the middle of the leaves, just below a node, is all that is required.
Hoya Longifolia can get a chalky or dusty appearance, and their splendid glossy leaves start to look dull or matte-looking leaves. On the Hoya Longifolia, new blooms develop on the previous flower stems; hence avoid pruning those.
Propagation
Hoya Longifolia can be propagated through the stem or root cuttings:
Stem Cutting Propagation
- Cut 5-8 inches cutting from the developing end of the stem. Save at least 2 to 6 leaves on the upper side of the stem.
- Plant a stem cutting at least 4 inches deep in a water jar or moist growth medium. Making sure there are nodes beneath the water/soil.
- Place the plant in a wet, moist place with medium indirect sunlight. In the case of water propagation, keep adjusting the water periodically to prevent it from getting dark.
Root production will begin after three weeks. This will be accompanied by the production of the shoot after the fourth week.
Root Cutting Propagation
- You simply need to cut a small portion of roots out during the inactive phase.
- Now, you place the root section into a well-draining compost and keep moist, not wet, until new growth starts developing.
- Once the plant has started to develop some leaves, you can shift it to a new pot.
Blooms
As incredible as the foliage alone on this plant is, its real attraction comes from the clusters of wax-like, star-shaped flowers it creates. Each flower has a star-shaped set of petals (the corolla) and an inner, smaller, star-shaped flower (the corona) in the center.
On the first examination, they almost seem as if they are artificial because each flower is so perfect looking. However, one quickly recognizes that it is not the case once they smell these highly fragrant flowers.
The Hoya Longifolia really needs extra attention when it flowers. It truly is hard not to be in awe while appreciating the up-to 40 small flowers embellished upon each umbrella-shaped peduncle they bloom from.
The Hoya Longifolia produces 2-3 inches wide clusters composed of sweetly fragrant ½ inches wide white waxy star-shaped flowers with a small maroon eye.
Growth
The Hoya Longifolia has stunning elongated dark green waxy leaves. They have a slightly darker edge, but this is not always noticeable. The long narrow, deep green glossy foliage adorns the long trailing stems.
This long trailing stem gives the plant its common name String Bean Hoya because of its resemblance to string beans. The leaves are from 2.9 inches to 5.9 inches long and are V or boat-shaped. The foliage on this plant is thick and waxy.
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Common Problems for Hoya Longifolia
Some of the apprehensions that you might come across with your Hoya Longifolia are listed below. Hoya Longifolia can come under attack by two fungal diseases that affect the leaves as well as other parts of the plant.
Botrytis Blight
This shows up as huge, gray-colored spots at the center or margins of infected plants. The gray fungal spots can be easily seen by a magnifying glass. With the progression of the fungus, the leaves start to turn mushy and will ultimately collapse.
Brown-colored spots may also appear on stems, flowers, and leaves. Common indications of this disease comprise wilting, black, or brown stem lesions that are dry or mushy. Sometimes you will notice black/gray dry or mushy roots as well.
Fungicides, including chlorothalonil, sulfur, zinc, captan, mancozeb, and thiophanate methyl, can help to control botrytis blight. Each fungicide brand has unique application directions suggested by the fungicide supplier.
Sooty Mold
Sooty mold is another fungus that grows on the leaves of the Hoya Longifolia plant as a black progression. It takes place when aphids, mealybugs, and other sap-sucking pests secrete honeydew on the leaves of Hoya Longifolia.
Sooty mold seldom threatens the life of the Hoya Longifolia plant and can be controlled by eradicating the pests that discharge the adhesive honeydew.
Neem oil and insecticidal soap are insecticides with only little toxic effects that can destroy aphids, mealybugs and are suitable for use on houseplants. When you have removed the bugs, clean the sooty mold from the Hoya Longifolia plant leaves with a damp cloth.
Root Rot
Spray the Hoya Longifolia plant with the chosen fungicide every seven to 10 days. If you suspect root rot, inspect the roots of the plant. If the damage is not serious, repot the plant in pasteurized soil to try to revive the plant.
When repotting, prune all the rotted roots and make sure that the plant has adequate drainage. Abstain from the reuse of contaminated soils and wash pots by washing in a solution of 9 parts of water to 1 part of bleach for at least 30 minutes.
Preventing diseases involving Hoya Longifolia leaves requires careful treatment. A healthy plant with strong vitality has a lower chance of contracting the disease. A healthy plant can also tolerate fungal pathogen infections with minimal potential for lengthy damage.
Opt for sound hygiene standards by eliminating and immediately removing contaminated plant matter. This includes the contaminated pieces of the plant on the Hoya Longifolia plant as well as the plant debris.
Stop watering from above, which wets the foliage needlessly and raises the risk of fungal growth. It is safer to water at the base of the plant when the soil starts to dry.
Tips for Growing Hoya Longifolia
- Hoya Longifolia is able to grow in low light situations, but they require bright, indirect light or full morning sun in order to store up enough energy to be able to produce spurs and blooms.
- Hoya Longifolia will need to be brought inside once temperatures drop to 50 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler as the plant can die due to frost.
- Grouping the Hoya Longifolia together with other plants, will help increase the humidity around your plant.
- Water Hoya Longifolia on a regular basis and do not overwater it as it can lead to many problems for the plant.
- Keep Hoya Longifolia safe from hot sunny windows and direct sunlight in the afternoon.
- Provide Hoya Longifolia with proper and sufficient feeding. A good and healthy plant can only be achieved with the use of good quality feeding.
Frequently Asked Questions about Hoya Longifolia
Does Hoya Longifolia like to be misted?
Some homeowners like to mist the leaves of Hoya Longifolia frequently. To increase humidity and to clean the leaves, misting is fine. Do not mist your Hoya Longifolia when it is budding or in flower.
Does Hoya Longifolia plant like to be root bound?
Hoya Longifolia doesn’t mind being a bit root-bound. You can safely keep the Hoya Longifolia in the same pot for years, but remember to fertilize throughout spring and summer.
Does Hoya Longifolia like sun or shade?
Hoya Longifolia nurtures in filtered light by preference; it will mature well in the shade also. However, they will not bloom until given proper light. Early morning sun is best as hot summer sun can burn them.
Can I put my Hoya Longifolia outside?
Hoya Longifolia is traditionally grown indoors as a houseplant. It has thick, fleshy leaves and star-shaped flowers that grow in an umbrella shape. One of the best reasons to let your Hoya Longifolia hang around outdoors is that the darling little flowers literally ooze sweet nectar in the heat.
Can you root a Hoya Longifolia leaf?
It is quite easy. Just drop an intact leaf on a pot of scarcely moist substrate and, without even any extra watering, small roots and a baby plant will form at the end. As the baby plant grows, begin watering, and within a few months, you’ll have a nice new plant.
Does Hoya Longifolia like humidity?
While Hoya Longifolia can tolerate most household humidity levels, it will develop faster if the humidity is higher than 60 percent. Do whatever you can to raise the humidity of these tropical, hanging plants.
Conclusion
Hoya Longifolia makes easy, rewarding, and long-lived additions to shaded container gardens for the porch, patio, or windowsill. The leaves are one of the prominent features of the Hoya Longifolia that make it one of the striking Hoya plants.
Although Hoya Longifolia has got striking waxy leaves, but the extraordinary blooms are the ones that will attract you the most. The blooms create scenery, hence creating a beautiful environment in your house. The flowers are of so many different colors and a star shape that they won’t go unnoticed.
The most important aspect that you should keep in mind while growing this fabulous plant is light, humidity, and temperature. Not giving any of these sufficient amounts will only cause harm to your plant.
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.