Planning to add the houseplant to beautify your room? Well, it is the right time and right place for you to choose the easy yet gorgeous houseplant. You can choose Hoya Retusa. This plant belongs to the hoya family and has a very unique shape of foliage. Also, you can place it inside the house, so all of your family members can see its beauty every day.
Want to plant Hoya Retusa but still confused about how to care for this plant? Well, say no more and keep on reading!
Table of Contents
What Is Hoya retusa
If you like planting Hoya families then Hoya Retusa cannot be missed. This plant is one of the easiest plants to care for. People know it as the grass leafed hoya because of its flat and slim leaves. Hoya Retusa origin is in India and eastern Himalaya. Usually in the Himalaya, where Hoya Retusa origin is grown, it is often found in wild places.
The best method to grow it is by hanging Hoya Retusa in the hanging pots. So, they can be trailing anywhere in your house, but if you prefer to plant it inside the conventional pots, there is no issue as well to do that. Hoya Retusa can grow up to 20 inches in height and width, so it belongs to a medium-size plant. You can see Hoya Retusa flowers emerge but a bit differently from other hoyas. The flowers are adorable and tiny, also there is only one solitary flower per peduncle.
Interested in growing Hoya Retusa and seeing Hoya Retusa flowers bloom? Take a look at our tips and tricks here!
How To Care Hoya retusa
Never miss the details of taking care of this Hoya Retusa. If you don’t want the yellow leaves to appear due to sunburn or too much water, you should really read this thoroughly. The light intensity, soil condition, temperature and fertilizing can be done very well as long as you know it now. So, no more yellow leaves for Hoya Retusa with these tips.
1) Light Intensity
This plant likes bright yet indirect light. You have to avoid bright direct sun exposure because it will lead to sunburns for Hoya Retusa. For those who plan to place the pots beside the window, a south or west-facing window will be fine, but you have to make sure the lights from the sun are not coming too much.
If it is still too bright, you can put it a little bit farther away from the window. For a lower light condition, this Hoya still can grow well.
2) Temperature and Humidity Requirement
Temperature around 50’ F or around 10’ C at night will be the best one to bloom the flowers. At noon, you have to make sure the temperature for Hoya Retusa is around 50’ and 80’ F. Therefore, never try to put it under the tree outside your house, or you will witness how this plant cannot survive. Also, you have to avoid placing the pot of Hoya Retusa around air conditioners, radiators and other sources of heat or cold air.
Basically, this plant is suitable for Asean weather, for instance in Indonesia or Thailand since those countries have tropical climates. Yet you can grow it in the US, in most states there. Just make sure not putting it outdoors.
About the humidity, this plant will be happy if the humidity is 40% indoor. If you are not sure about the humidity in your house, you can order a humidity meter as well. Usually, in our house, the bathroom has a higher humidity level than other rooms, so it is a good idea to place Hoya Retusa in a bathroom. Moreover, it can beautify and freshen the vibe in the room!
3) Watering and Drainage
Hoya Retusa watering, especially during hot summer, can be once or twice a week. But during winter, it will need less water than usual. Before you do Hoya Retusa watering, you have to check that the top three until four inches of soil is dry, completely dry.
You can check it by sticking your finger in the soil, and your finger will come out clean and dry, then it is time to water your plant. Also, you have to water it only to make sure the soil is moist but not soggy, also try to avoid the leaves getting wet.
Tips: Try to use water with less minerals inside. Distilled or aquarium water will be an ideal one. You can use tap water but let it sit first overnight, so the water will have a room temperature and the minerals will settle on the bottom.
4) Soil Conditions
A well draining soil mix is the best one for growing Hoya Retusa. You can combine a peat moss and coco coir based soil with some perlite and a bit of growers mix too. Or if your soil is not too drained, you can add perlite or some coarse sand to it.
Adding some gravel to the bottom of the pots also helps to make the soil drained. A soil with neutral pH (6 or 7) is the best one for this plant. After the soil mixture is already done, make sure the soil doesn’t turn too acidic.
Planning to repotting Hoya Retusa? Then you need some potting soil, old or new it is up to you. You can remove the plant from its current pots, gently shaking the soil from the roots. Create a hole in the new soil and place Hoya Retusa carefully there. You don’t have to pack down the soil, covering the roots without pressing the soil is enough. Don’t forget to water it well since the soil is new for the plant.
5) Fertilizing
Actually, this plant doesn’t need much fertilizing. If you plan to do this, then you can start in late spring until the end of summer. Fertilizing for Hoya Retusa will be enough once a month and during winter, you don’t have to do it.
If you prefer, use organic fertilizers, you can try coffee grounds or tea as the fertilizer. Make sure you mix it well balanced too. As for chemical fertilizer, you can use water-soluble fertilizer and dilute it around a half of the dose that it is instructed because Hoya Retusa doesn’t need fertilizer that much.
6) Propagation
Thinking to propagate the Hoya Retusa? Then you can do it in mid-spring and early summer. The best and easiest medium to propagate a Hoya Retusa. Since it is very popular for some gardeners, you have to check out the steps to do it here.
First, you can pick a stem that you want to cut. Always use a disinfected sharp knife or scissors. Then, you can cut the stem seven inches long. Try to cut it as close to the soil. After that, you can dip the stem in rooting hormone. Next, after you dip the stem first, you can place the cutting stem in distiller or aquarium water.
Keep an eye on the cutting stem and change the water every week. Place the container in a bright and warm place. Check out whether the couple of inches of roots already appear or not in the water. If the roots already emerge, then it is time to transplant Hoya Retusa into the soil and new pots!
Hoya Retusa Care Tips
After reading how to take care of this Hoya Retusa, from the soil, fertilizing, propagating, and many more. Let’s check out if you want to place it indoor or outdoor. Is it possible to put the pots outdoors? Please continue reading it!
1) Indoor Hoya Retusa Care Tips
Hoya Retusa is best grown indoors. Since this plant cannot get directly exposed to the sun in order to avoid the leaves brown and crisp. Therefore, having this houseplant inside your home will be a great idea! Here’s how:
- Place it inside the pots.
- Make sure the temperature is around 50’F and 80’F.
- The soil should be well draining one.
- Water it once a week during summer.
2) Outdoor Hoya Retusa Care Tips
Hoya Retusa doesn’t go well to be placed outdoors. But if you insist to place Hoya Retusa outdoors, please make sure these requirements below:
- Never put the pot under direct sunlight, even the shady part, you have to make sure the temperature is 50’F until 80’F.
- Move the pots indoors at night.
- The soil should be well draining.
- The humidity should be 40%.
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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How do I get my Hoya Retusa to bloom?
Make sure Hoya Retusa has ideal growing conditions and the light intensity is enough everyday. Then you can see a lot of Hoya Retusa blooming well. You can take a note too that this plant needs to be mature first before it is going to bloom. So it needs patience to see Hoya Retusa bloom. When the growing condition and environment of Hoya Retusa is done well, then you just have to wait for the flowers to emerge.
Is Hoya retusa flower smell?
The flowers smell sweet. Some people state that the flowers smell like lemon scent. So, we think it has a sweet yet fresh and energizing smell. It is really suitable for your living room or bathroom without having to add another air freshener in the room.
Is Hoya Retusa a fast grower?
This is not a fast grower, but not a slow one either. It is like a medium fast grower depending on how you manage to grow this one. Planting Hoya Retusa means you can see the growing progress daily and even weekly. So, you can see it significantly once they bloom and the flower can be seen.
