How to Get a Hoya Plant to Bloom

The hoya, also known as the wax plant, is a vining tropical plant that makes a low-maintenance houseplant. There are more than 200 varieties of hoyas and each produces a different flower pattern and leaf. All produce fragrant flowers. It may take several years for young hoyas to reach maturity and begin flowering, but gardeners can encourage mature hoyas to flower at any time. Water, fertilizer, temperature and light are all factors that affect flowering.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

things you’ll need:

• Plant pot
• Potting medium
• Ground bark
• Grow light
• Water
• General-purpose fertlizer

1. Plant the hoya in a coarse potting soil. Fill the pot with 2 parts potting medium and 1 part ground bark medium and plant the hoya in the medium so the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface. This potting mixture gives the roots plenty of air circulation.
2. Keep the hoya in your sunniest window. The plants thrive on sunlight, and use it to produce reproductive flower parts. If you don’t have a window that gets eight hours of sunlight a day, put the hoya under a grow light to encourage blooming.
3. Keep the temperature in the room between 65 and 75 degrees F to mimic

   spring weather.

4. Water the hoyas thoroughly in the spring and summer, or whenever you are trying to get the plant to bloom. Pour water into the potting medium until it comes out of the drainage holes in the bottom. Allow the soil to become dry to the touch between waterings.
5. Apply a general purpose fertilizer to the soil according to the package directions.
6. Do not prune back the hoya branches. Hoyas blossom on old growth. Cutting the plant back will remove the bloom-producing branches.

Tips & Warnings

• The combination of these steps will encourage the hoya to bloom, but if your hoya is not mature, it will not respond. Some hoyas take several years to reach the blooming stage. Also, do not try to force a hoya to bloom after the growing season is over. Reduce your watering and fertilizing schedule during the winter months so the plant can rest and regroup for next season’s blooms.