EasyBloom Forum

Hello, I currently have my easybloom monitoring my Hoya Compacta to assist me in diagnosing what is wrong. I have a feeling it may be due to the plants living conditions prior to my purchasing it. Also, is there any chance I could get an ETA on when the plants information will become available? Thank you for your assistance.

Hey Aimee...I can't really give you an accurate estimate of when you will see Hoya compacta in the EasyBloom database as we still have some QA left for that particular plant. I don't want to get your hopes up and then have you feel let down when you didn't see your desired plant in the time quoted. By chance do you have any questions that I can assist you with in the meantime?

The lady I purchased the plant from told me she had let the plant stay outside in full shade for many months (I knew nothing about the plant but chose to buy it for its striking foliage as the nursery I purchased it from is many hours from my house). Now that I have the plant home and inside (purchased in early September of '09) it seems to be slowly dieing. I did re-pot the hoya as it was in a tiny, flimsy plastic pot with fishing line used to hang it, to a self watering hanging planter. I placed it in am area with similar indirect light throughout the day (I do not have a sunnier location until I can safely move it outside) The specific symptoms are that branches of the plant seem to be drying up and dieing even though the soil is moist and for some reason it is turning the water in the reservoir a rust red. I have searched online at some length and have not found anything that sounds exactly like the problem my plant is having.

Hey Aimee...I'm sorry to read this. I do think I may have an idea of what is going on. I am going give two scenarios of what I think may be the problem, but I think the second scenario is the more likely of the two cases.

First scenario: Hoyas do well with high humidity. Being inside for the winter, chances are your Hoya is experiencing some dry air. When we heat our homes, we artificially dry out the air. This could cause the leaves to dry out like you described, but I think the more likely explanation is the following...

Second scenario: Hoyas do best with sharply drained soil. If Hoyas are standing in constantly wet soil or have wet feet (this is the term people will use if a plant is sitting in standing water), they will invariably suffer. Basically the roots suffocate due to lack of oxygen and will begin to die off. If a plant starts losing roots, it will be unable to absorb enough water to maintain the amount of leaves it has. As a result the leaves that can't get enough water will wilt and eventually die off. This is unfortunate because the symptoms of over-watering can resemble the symptoms of under-watering. Your mentioning of your Hoya sitting in a tray of ruddy water was the hint that makes me think this is the case.

It is difficult to let an indoor potted plant completely drain while completely wetting the entire rootzone. I have this problem too. I want to completely wet the roots when I water, but I don't want to have the water drain out of the pot and onto my floor or countertop. What I have done in the past is have two trays at the ready. When the first tray fills with the leftover water, I perform the ol' switcheroo with the trays (replacing the filled tray with the dry tray, while emptying the filled tray). Another thing to remember is that in winter, Hoyas will need a little bit less water since they will grow less actively. I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you need any other horticultural advice as I am always happy to help a fellow gardener. Cheers...Robby