Hoya archboldiana produces gorgeous flowers that look almost unreal. They come in several varieties, and you can find one you like best.
Find out how to look after and propagate this Hoya all by yourself with help from our guide below.
What Is a Hoya Archboldiana?
Hoya archboldiana is species known for its stunning foliage. It produces flowers in ball-shaped clusters called umbels. The flowers are pink in color and oddly shaped with darker colored stars in the center. The whole plant is smaller and can be easily kept on shelves and tables.
Hoya Archboldiana Care
The plant care for Archboldiana includes bright indirect light and moderate watering. This plant has sky-high humidity needs around a range of 70 to 80 percent, which might be challenging for you to provide at home.
– Water Requirements
Typically a Hoya needs to be watered every week from spring to summer and every second to third week in the wintertime. The soil must be dry at least 75 percent from the top before it can be watered again. You need to check if the top three inches have dried sufficiently.
There are several ways to check the moisture levels of the potting soil. This includes sticking a pencil, skewer, or even your finger through the surface three inches deep. Once you are sure of it, only then proceed with further watering.
When you use tap water to water this plant regularly, salts build up in the soil over time and cause dehydration to the roots. That is why distilled water is your healthiest option for a Hoya. This sensitive plant might not react well to tap water.
Use water at a lukewarm temperature only because neither hot nor cold water will be tolerated. Pour the water on the soil only and do whatever you can to avoid splashing water on the leaves.
Well-drained soil will remove extra water in 10 to 15 minutes at least. That is why you must always put a drip tray under the pot of the plant to collect this draining water. Once the drip tray is full, you must also drain water from it. Otherwise, you risk getting your plant infected with fungal or bacterial rot.
– Light Requirements
This plant likes only bright indirect light, which is why it is easier to grow it indoors than outdoors. It would be best if you took care that sunlight does not shine on it directly. It gets sunburnt with lighter leaves and crisp, brown edges.
Inside the house, you can put it anywhere as long as it is brightly lit. If placed in a corner, make sure you keep rotating every day so that all sides can get access to light. Otherwise, the plants start becoming leggy and stretched.
Take one precaution: Keep this plant at least three feet away from any window that faces the south. Cover this window with medium-thickness curtains. This is only if you keep it close to this window all day.
Some windows, like the north-facing ones, do not receive that much light. Your Hoya might suffer if grown in a room with such a window. Artificial grow lights for plants come to the rescue in any such case. LED grow lights will help you grow healthy houseplants even in a dark basement.
Choose a well-shaded place outdoors to keep this plant. Move some of your larger plants close together to form a sort of canopy under which you can keep this Hoya. Otherwise, you will have to create shade for this Hoya and other shade-loving plants in your garden.
– Soil Requirements
A Hoya will not grow in common gardening soil. Mix equal parts peat and perlite potting to make an ideal soil. Peat is the organic constituent, whereas perlite is an inorganic rock that adds drainage.
Peat can be replaced by compost, although there might be a slight drop in the potting mixture’s quality and consistency. Peat not only provides food but also absorbs water at first and then releases it slowly back, acting as a sponge for the soil.
Perlite can also be replaced by vermiculite or coco coir. Some people also add large bark pieces to break up the mix properly. Using a terracotta pot to plant this Hoya will also make a positive difference because terracotta as a material has good airflow through it.
– Temperature Requirements
Hoya is an ideal indoor plant because the temperatures inside suit it the best. It needs a range of 60 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit day and night and all year round.
When the temperature drops under 50, leaves start dropping for energy conservation; as a defense mechanism for the plant, keep your windows tightly shut at night, even during summer.
See where the cold air drafts from the air conditioning vents fall onto. Move this plant as far away from there as possible. Do not even think about leaving this plant outdoors after summer ends.
– Humidity Requirements
Archboldiana likes very high levels of 60 to 80 percent humidity during the day and as much as 90 percent during nighttime. That is what makes growing this plant a huge challenge for ordinary homeowners.
A humidifier is the only way to maintain such high humidity levels at home. You will have to keep it running all day, using a lot of electricity. More than 60 percent of air moisture levels will also make it difficult for you to live in the same room as this plant. Your laundry room can be the ideal place to put this plant along with the humidifier.
Mist this plant every second to the third week using a light water shower. This water will evaporate over the day and improve the humidity around your Hoya. Wipe the leaves with a damp cloth. This will also clean the leaves as an additional bonus.
– Fertilizing Requirements
Archboldiana is not a heavy feeder. If fertilized recklessly with the wrong formula, it might not bloom. That is why you must feed it only from the start of spring till the end of summer.
Go for a liquid feed to boost your plant’s nutrition level. Choose a formula that has more phosphorus than nitrogen.
It is a fact that phosphorus promotes flowering, whereas nitrogen suppresses it.
Lastly, no matter what it says on the packaging, you must always dilute a fertilizer with water before use. Otherwise, you risk giving your roots a pretty nasty chemical burn.
– Pruning
Late in winter, just before spring, is the best time to prune a Hoya. You will see a noticeable plant growth increase in the upcoming season. You can also prune the plant at the start of the spring season.
Before pruning, look closely at your plant from all sides and angles. Any stem or branch that seems to be affecting the overall look of the plant needs to be cut down. Any stem or leaf that looks old, diseased, or seems to have stopped growing must also go.
For the rest of the stems, trim their growing ends by one to two inches because this habit promotes further growth. You will also open up the air circulation around the plant by making it less bushy. Cutting off flowering stems will make more flower buds grow and bloom.
Propagation
Spring is the ideal time to propagate this Hoya as its growth potential is at its fullest. Both stem cutting and air layering are easy methods, and you should try whichever you find the most exciting.
– Stem Cutting In Water
A Hoya can be easily propagated by growing its cutting in water until roots grow. This method helps you see the progress of your propagation unfold right in front of your eyes.
- You risk infecting your entire plant if your cutting instrument has not been disinfected properly. Always soak these instruments in alcohol or bleach for 15 minutes and then wash them. It is important to wash off the bleach because it can burn the plant if it comes in contact with it.
- Your cutting will work if it is five to six inches long and has two leaf nodes. Remove the leaves because they will eat up all the nutrients to grow new roots and shoots.
- Put the cutting in water within a pot or a transparent container. Put a lid over the jar to keep the water clean. Still, you should change the water in this container every week.
- Usually, new roots should emerge and grow one to two inches long within one month.
- Have your ideal hoya soil prepared ahead of time. Make a hole that is deep enough to accommodate the new roots as well as one-third of the stem piece.
- Keep the soil in the pot well moistened for the first few weeks under bright indirect light.
– Air Layering
Air layering can help grow a new plant pretty successfully. However, you must be extremely cautious because you risk damaging your plant if things don’t work out well.
- For air layering, you need to make a very shallow cut on a healthy stem within this plant right near a leaf node. This cut needs to be at least two to three inches long and not go all the way through.
- This cut will soon heal up, so you need to put something in to prevent this from happening. We use a plastic toothpick to put inside the cut.
- Next, you need good-quality sphagnum moss to wrap around this cut. First, however, you need to soak this moss in clean water for one to two hours and then squeeze it tightly so that all the extra water flows off.
- Put this moss over the cut and the whole stem around it. To secure the whole thing, you should wrap it with foil and strings.
- Give this wrapping two weeks, after which you take it out and moisturize the moss again. See if roots have started growing and how long they have grown.
- Once again, wrap the whole thing up just like before and leave it for the next two weeks. Keep repeating this same step until the new roots are several inches long.
- Cut the stem near where you cut, and then transplant the new roots into the soil. You will have fresh new leaves growing very soon.
Problems
The common problems with a Hoya are the same as any other houseplants. You will have to deal with pests such as mealybugs and aphids. You might also have to deal with root rot and a poor flower yield.
– Poor Yield Of Flowers
Sometimes, despite all your efforts, your plant might not produce a good yield of flowers during the bloom period. The most probable reason behind this lies in a nitrogen-rich fertilizer.
If you have been fertilizing too frequently and without dilution using a formula rich in nitrogen, the leaves will become super lush, but there will be no flowers. Very few flower buds will develop, leading to small flowers.
That is why you must always use a phosphorus-rich fertilizer for flowering plants. Especially before and during the bloom season, you must never go for another one. Also, never fertilize your plant without diluting the concentration of the formula.
– Root Rot
Root rot is a fungal infection that attacks the roots left in waterlogged soil for a while. Once the roots get attacked by this disease, it quickly spreads all over the plant and might kill it within weeks.
You will see that the diseased leaves are yellowing, wilting, and dropping down, along with the appearance of black rot spots. To get a clearer picture, you need to take the whole plant out of the soil to see the condition of the roots.
If the plant is affected by less than one-third of its size, it might be possible to save it. The most blackened and rotten leaves and roots must be cut off using a snipper. Later, spray with a potent fungicide and repot the plant in new sterilized soil.
– Mealybugs
Have you seen many white and round bugs crawling around the Hoya plant? These bugs are mealybugs and are extremely easy to get rid of. First of all, you must isolate the plant from any other plants present in the vicinity.
Most mealybugs should be manually plucked off the plant by washing it or scrubbing with a brush. Using insecticidal soap during washing will also help kill off the eggs and larvae.
Make your anti-bug spray at home to kill these mealybugs. Add one tablespoon of neem oil and one teaspoon of liquid soap to one gallon of water. Use a little bit of this mixture every week as a spray. Spray all plant parts thoroughly, especially under the leaf and stem sheaths.
– Aphids
Aphids are smaller in size than mealybugs and can be of various colors. They are often so small and well-camouflaged that they may evade notice from even seasoned plant owners. You might not notice them until yellow spots appear all over the stems and leaves.
If the infestation persists, the plant undergoes severe growth retardation. The new leaves that will grow subsequently will be much smaller in size. The flowers produced will also be fewer in number and poor in quality.
It might be tricky to treat aphids because you cannot see them. Wash this plant thoroughly with a bar of insecticidal soap and toothbrush using a garden hose. The neem oil foliar spray that we mentioned above can be used to kill aphids as well when used every week.
– Sunburn
Direct exposure to intense sunlight will lead to a severe sunburn on your Hoya’s leaves. Sunburnt leaves become yellow or brown and look very bad.
Remove the plant away from the source of light to a more shady spot. When placed outside and getting burnt, move it indoors to protect it.
You will see an improvement in the condition of the leaves immediately. Some of the most badly burnt leaves might not get better, so just remove them right away.
FAQ
How long do Hoya Archboldiana plants live?
Hoya Archboldiana plants typically live for several years under proper care and can thrive for 5-10 years or more.
Does Hoya Archboldiana like to climb or hang?
Hoya Archboldiana prefers to climb, but can also be trained to hang with proper support.
When should I repot my Hoya Archboldiana?
Repot Hoya Archboldiana when the roots are pot-bound or every 1-2 years to provide ample space for growth.
Conclusion
Before you go, here is a quick recap of what we learned about the Hoya today.
- This plant is intolerant of bright direct light but grows well under shade or artificial light.
- Let your hoya soil dry 75 percent before you water it again using distilled or rainwater.
- Never fertilize in the winter because it can lead to overfertilizing. It is important that you do not use a fertilizer with nitrogen, because it suppresses flowering.
- Deadhead the flowers regularly to keep more of them growing.
Hoya archboldiana is an ornamental plant variety meant to decorate homes and offices. After reading this comprehensive guide, we bet you have become somewhat of a Hoya expert, right?
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