Hoya obovata

Hoya obovata Care

Hoya obovata

What is the plant

Hoya obovata is a creeping epiphyte growing in open places and along forest edges often in masses closely covering the trunk and limbs of the host trees. It occurs in India, Indonesia, Thailand and Fiji.

Hoya obovata is a robust climbing plant, also known as the sweetheart or heart-leaf hoya, due to the large glossy leaves that are almost round or shaped like 'inverted' hearts, notched at the tips into 2 distinct lobes, very thick and leathery. The size of the leaves can be anything from about 6 to 15 cm in diameter and, 8 to 10 cm broad. Flowers to 15 mm across, comes in semi-pendent, flattened umbels, of 15 to 25 hanging from along the stems, the corolla is creamy white, yellowish-orange or pinkish-yellow, the corona is purplish red, dark orange brownish in the centre. There is also a variegated variety of this hoya that has absolutely gorgeous dark green leaves with lots of silver flecks. The variegation is pink when the leaves are young and the variegation on this hoya also seems stable. The leaf size is about the same as for the "green" one.

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Humidity

Normal

Lighting

Part Sun

Temperature

18°C - 18°C

Hardiness zone

10a - 11b

Difficulty

Easy

How to Care for the Plant

Water
With its succulent qualities it's quite adapt at storing water for longish periods of time between waterings. Water regularly in summer but do not overwater (wet-sensitive) and let the plants to dry out between watering and then water again. Its roots are easily lost in pots that stay damp for any length of time. Keep quite dry with ample airflow in winter (It would probably tolerate one watering a month).
Fertilizer
During the growing season enrich the soil using a fertilizer rich in potassium and phosphorous but poor in nitrogen, because this chemical element doesn’t help the development of succulent plants, making them too soft and full of water.
Sunlight
Outside half shade to shade (filtered sunlight or afternoon shade tolerated) , inside it will need a reasonably light room in order to actually grow, although it will still get by even in a shadier spot and can be positioned almost anywhere in homes or offices. It subject to sunburn if exposed to direct sun for too long. Tends to bronze in strong light, which encourages flowering and heavy leaves production.

Disease diagnosis

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Soil
Because it is an epiphyte, the sweet heart hoya benefits from being potted up in a very well-draining and porous growing medium. Often specialized hoya growers either use only chopped coconut husk or a good orchid potting mixture for growing their hoya plants. The medium needs to be moisture-retentive.
Temperature
The plant can be kept outdoors until the night time temperatures drop below the 10°C. Winter care presents no problems at 10° C with plenty of light and if the plant stays dry.
Container
Choose a container with enough drainage holes.