How to Propagate a Rope Hoya

Rope hoya (Hoya carnosa), also known as Hindu rope plant or wax plant, is an interesting indoor plant with thick, deep green, waxy foliage. Although rope hoya is often grown in hanging containers, the plant also likes to be planted in a tabletop pot, where the heavy vines are trained to grow around a trellis. Rope hoya is a sturdy plant that isn’t difficult to propagate by taking stem tip cuttings from a healthy adult plant.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Fill a pot with a lightweight potting medium consisting of a mixture of half sand and half perlite, vermiculite or peat moss. Place the pot in a saucer of water and leave it until the potting medium wicks up enough water to be completely wet. Set the pot aside to drain overnight or until the potting medium is damp but not dripping.
2. Cut a 2- to 3-inch tip cutting from the end of a vigorous rope hoya stem. The cutting should have at least two or three healthy leaves at the tip.
3. Pinch the leaves from the bottom half of the tip cutting, leaving 1 to 2 inches of bare stem for planting. The leaves at the tip are left intact.
4. Dip the cut end of the rope hoya tip cutting in a powdered rooting hormone. Tap your finger on the stem to knock off excess powder.
5. Plant the bare stem of the rope hoya tip cutting in the potting medium, with the leafy tip extended above the potting medium. Pat the potting medium lightly around the stem.
6. Place the pot in a moderately sunny spot where the temperature is maintained at about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Check the potting medium daily and add a small amount of water if the soil feels slightly dry. Although soggy soil will rot the tip cutting, rooting won’t take place in dry soil.
7. Leave the pot in moderate sunlight and water as needed until new growth appears, which indicates that the hoya rope cutting has rooted. At that time, transplant the cutting into a pot filled with any general-purpose commercial potting soil.
8. Place the plant in bright light, but avoid direct light from a sunny window. Water the potting soil when it feels dry, then allow the soil to dry before watering again.