The Hoya Finlaysoniii is a beautiful plant perfect as a hanging plant or a climbing vine whether inside or outside the house.
Its leaves’ texture is thick and hard, and it has a light green color base and dark green veins with a deep edge.
Its leaf pattern is undulate, creating some rectangular shapes from the margin veins. Keep reading to learn all about this beautiful plant.
What Is Hoya Finlaysonii?
Hoya Finlaysonii is known for its elliptical leaves and prominent leaf pattern. The light green color of the base is complemented by the dark green color of the veins, midrib, and margin. Some are more rounded and elliptical than the other varieties yet still recognizable as Hoya Finlaysonii leaves.
Hoya Finlaysonii Care
Hoya Finlaysonii is a low-maintenance semi-succulent epiphytic plant. This means that it is an air plant that can grow on other plants while also being able to grow as an individual plant. These plants are happy to thrive in a space where they have other plants accompanying them.
– Water Requirements
A tropical plant like the Hoya Finlaysonii prefers to be constantly hydrated but not to the point of having waterlogged or soggy soil due to overwatering.
Overwatering will cause root rot and increase the risk of other fungal infections. When watering your Hoya Finlaysonii, ensure that you water deeply, saturating the root balls and not just the surface of the plant.
During the summer, watering daily would be ideal, whereas you should cut back on watering when approaching the colder season or during winter. Hoya growers from the Reddit platform share that they water their plants every two days if the soil surface is drying.
Some growers say that the Hoya Finlaysonii should be watered when its leaves start to feel soft and bendy. You will also have to keep in mind that if your plant is properly hydrated when its leaves are looking shiny and perky.
– Light Requirements
Hoya Finlaysonii prefers bright indirect light. An east-facing window will be the ideal placement for the plant. This would provide enough sunlight for the day while shadowing the harshness of afternoon sunlight. If you are in the southern zones, placing your plant near a north-facing area or window will be the best location.
Your plant needs long exposure to filtered light because a lack of sunlight may cause slow growth and prevent it from flowering. Consider a northeast, southeast, or southwest medium light exposure for your plant.
However, if the available space is only near a west-facing window, you have to consider putting sheer drapes or curtains and place your plant at a distance of about three feet from the window to avoid intense sunlight. If planted in a hanging pot basket, place your plant under indirect light on a balcony or yard to ensure its optimum growth.
During the colder season, you will have to transfer the plant inside the house, as the winter temperature and low light availability will definitely affect your Hoya Finlaysonii plant. Investing in LED grow lights can do the trick, ensuring that you expose your plant for 10 to 12 hours a day.
– Soil Requirements
The watering frequency for the Hoya Finlaysonii will significantly depend on the moisture or acidity level of the soil mixture. Some mixtures do not retain water and drain the moisture that the plant needs. On the other hand, some soil mixtures retain too much water, preventing the draining of excess moisture that can potentially cause root rot.
Hoya Finlaysonii prefers soil that contains peat moss and perlite, allowing soil aeration for this epiphytic plant. Other organic soil ingredients include coconut husk, charcoal, deadwood, or bark. There should be a 50:50 ratio between these soil ingredients and perlite to ensure good soil drainage.
– Temperature Requirements
Hoya Finlaysonii originated from a tropical country in which many of the variegated Hoya varieties receive consistent light exposure, high humidity, and hot weather. Yet, the Hoya genus has a wide range of warmth requirements.
Some Hoyas, such as Hoya Carnosa and Hoya Lacunosa, require less warmth, preferring temperatures ranging from 50 degrees Fahrenheit to 75 degrees Fahrenheit or 10 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius.
The range of Hoya Finlaysonii’s preferred temperature starts from 70 degrees Fahrenheit to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius).
Hoya Finlaysonii is definitely not winter- or frost-tolerant, as extreme cold will cause the leaves to turn yellow. If are you living in a colder area, it is ideal to keep the plant indoors to ensure it enjoys a warm temperature. Its growth may be as fast as that of other plants, but it can survive if you provide all its needs.
– Humidity Requirements
Southeast Asian humidity levels range from 50 to 60 percent and even up to 70 percent. This is the consistent range level that the Hoya Finlaysonii requires to have healthy growth and ensure a beautiful plant.
If you are living in USDA zone 9 or under, maintaining the Hoya Finlaysonii will be a challenge. Keeping your plant indoors is one way to help it thrive, but you will need to maintain humid conditions to keep your plant healthy.
Growers commonly utilize a humidifier. Alternatively, you can mist the leaves two to three times a week (make sure to wipe the excess spray from the leaves to avoid fungal infections) or place the plant on top of pebbles placed on a water tray.
Doing these things requires a conscious effort on your part and time to spare. This is also expensive, nonetheless, this gives you the reward of happy and thriving Hoya Finlaysonii plants.
– Fertilizing Requirements
The great thing to consider about this plant is that it is not a heavy feeder. It does not need to have fertilizer as long it is receiving a good amount of sunlight and hydration.
However, if you’re trying to grow a baby Hoya Finlaysonii and are afraid that you might cause it to die, you can never go wrong with an organic fertilizer. You can also use a liquid type of fertilizer that is easy to dilute.
Also, make sure to water your plant after giving it fertilizer. You can also be careful not to overwhelm your plant with too much fertilizer, as this will damage the roots because of salt residue.
Waiting for Hoya Finlaysonii flower requires patience, as blooming takes about 2 years. Patiently observe the behavior of the plant to determine how frequently you should water it, and provide the necessary fertilizers.
– Pruning Requirements
Although pruning is necessary to prevent the messiness and unkempt appearance of draping plants, consistent pruning or immature cutting will cause the slow growth of the plant, delaying the time for it to bloom with flowers.
Be extra careful not to cut the old peduncles if the plant has already flowered. The old peduncles are where the flowers bloom. Cutting away the flower stalk means that you will need to exercise extra patience while waiting for your Hoya Finlaysonii to flower once again.
Propagation
The best time to propagate this plant is during spring or summer. The traditional and most common way of doing this is through repotting using a small well-draining pot with a size of about 160 x 115 x 140 mm.
Cut the top growth of leaf cuttings or stem cuttings. The starting point of the propagation cut should be 1 to 2 inches, with 2 to 3 leaf nodes on stem. These nodes can also be called aerial roots.
You can rest the cutting for a day for it to form a callous before planting. After planting in a new pot, you can add humidity to the propagated plant by covering it with a plastic bag with holes to let the air come in. Some growers place a vertical structure or wood in the center of the pot to serve as the climbing support for the vine.
If you want your Hoya Finlaysonii to be a hanging plant, you can let it grow from the pot and let the vines flow downward. You can cut the top leaf right after and layer it to create massive beautiful foliage.
– Epiphytic Propagation
Some epiphytic plants propagate through seeds. In the case of Hoya Finlaysonii, it can best be propagated through stem cutting. The success rate of this type of propagation is higher compared to other means.
After taking the stem cuttings, you can attach them to any branch of trees in your area or to deadwood with coconut husk. Use a floral wire to hold the plant in place on the branch. When it matures, with its roots attached to the tree, you can either leave the coconut husk or remove it.
– Water Propagation
Propagating through water rooting will work as well. Take a fresh stem cutting with three to five leaves, and place them in the jar filled three-quarters of the way with water. Keep your cuttings undisturbed well-lit area with a temperature of about 25 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius.
It would take up to two months for the nodes to start rooting. Don’t forget to change the water every week to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs in the stagnant water.
When your cuttings are about one to two inches long, you can transfer them to potting soil. Additionally, keep an eye on your cuttings in the first two weeks because they are still adjusting to the soil environment.
Problems
– Discoloration of leaves
A common problem of the Hoya Finlaysonii is the discoloration of the leaves. Leaves that are starting to turn yellow or look dull indicate that the plant is not happy. A lack of nutrients can result from overwatering or underwatering waterlogged soil, or insufficient filtered light.
If the plant is placed in a dark spot, the trailing vines will have extended internodes, which is a survival trick of the plant to search for sunlight, thus making the foliage look sparse.
During winter, the Hoya Finlaysonii leaves tend to fall. This is normal, so there is no need to fret. Just place your plant indoors in a warm spot and increase the humidity with a humidifier.
Your plant will regain its energy until the growing season. Everything that is too much will prevent a Hoya from blooming. Unfortunately, Hoya Finlaysonii may take a maximum of two years before blooming with a flower. It will take some time to experience the fragrance, but right after the first bloom, it will all be worth it.
– Root Rot
Root rot is one of the most common problems that must be addressed immediately. Regularly check the roots, and take them out from the soil. Wash the roots with running water, and then carefully trim any affected area using clippers to prevent the infection from spreading.
Transfer the plant to a new soil mixture pot with proper drainage. Keep an eye on it until you’ll see the changes in its leaves’ appearance or if there would be additional nodes.
– Premature Flowers
Sometimes, a flower bud falls off right even before it fully blooms. This will be disheartening, especially if you waited for a year for your plant to produce a flower.
Observe its premature bud, making sure that you won’t neglect any of the plant’s needs: water, light, and even environmental conditions. Any disturbance or movement of the plant can cause buds to fall off.
– Pest Problems
Luckily, Hoya Finlaysonii is pest-resistant, so it is hard to destroy this plant. However, regular checking won’t hurt either as common pests like mealybugs and aphids may appear once in a while on the underside of the leaves.
You can use diluted dishwashing soap in a spray to ward them off. Spraying neem oil as a natural insecticide will also help to prevent bugs or insects from targeting the plant.
FAQ
– When Should I Repot Hoya Finlaysonii?
Repotting is necessary after two to three years depending on how fast the plant grows. The size of the pot could be around 160 x 115 x 140 mm, depending on the leaf size, as long as the new pot is 2 inches wider in diameter than the original one.
We recommend the use of terracotta pots because of their porous nature. This enables these pots to seep in moisture and soil minerals needed for the optimum health of the plant.
Good repotting alternatives for Hoya Finlaysonii would be through a netted pot placed inside a liner pot. The netted pot ensures the good drainage of the plant.
Once the plant roots out and needs to be transferred to a much bigger pot, you just have to take out the liner pot. This will avoid stressing the roots of the plant while transferring while also sealing the moisture that has already built up.
Hoya Finlaysonii is an epiphytic plant. It does not necessarily require soil substrate to grow. It will definitely thrive when placed on a decomposing bark, coconut husk, or deadwood, gaining nutrients from air or rainwater.
– What Are the Different Variations of Hoya Finlaysonii?
The Hoya genus commonly called the “wax plant” is known for its waxy ad hard leaf texture. Variegated Hoya, however, is a different variation of the same plant but confuses a lot of growers, especially amateurs who have only just started to keep and collect Hoyas. Common Hoya Finlaysonii varieties are the Hoya Finlaysonii Nova and Hoya Finlaysonii Splash.
The Hoya Finlaysonii Nova has little to no white pigment on its leaves. Some variegated leaves show a much lighter green pigment than Hoya Finlaysonii.
It is difficult to identify these two, especially if you haven’t seen them in person. From the community of Hoya growers on the Reddit platform, this variegated plant is unpopularly named “Nova” by Michael Miyashiro, a Hoya that is slow but also has steady growth.
Hoya Finlaysonii Splash, on the other hand, has a leaf pattern that is the same as that of Hoya Finlaysonii, yet there are some splashes of white pigment on it. Some H. Finlaysonii splash variegated varieties are mostly covered by white pigment while others are not.
Changes in the leaves of these two varieties become apparent due to the lack of the green pigment chlorophyll that causes cell mutation. Factors that have to do with this could be the environment, humidity level, sunlight exposure, or temperature of the area in which the plant was placed.
– Are Hoya Finlaysonii and Hoya Callistophylla the Same?
These two varieties are apparently easily confused for each other by growers because of only very few differences. The leaf pattern of these two are quite similar, but there are also some differences that the author points out. Hoya Callistophylla leaf veins are more pinnate than those of the Hoya Finlaysonii, which are undulate.
The Hoya Finlaysonii veins are much bolder than those of Hoya Callistophylla. Also, the veining in the margin part can visibly be seen, creating some rectangular shapes when compared with Hoya Callistophylla.
Hoya Callistophylla veins go through from the midrib to margin. Both are vining plants, but Hoya Finlaysonii penducles and pendicel are longer serving than Hoya Callistophylla.
Aside from the leaf patterns and penducles of each variegated variety, the blossom flower is one of the prominent points to identify them. Their undeniably beautiful appearance is quite similar having 5 star-like petals as a corona but distinct in the corolla’s color or outer petal lobes.
Hoya Finlaysonii’s flower has a purple/maroon color for the corolla, while that of the Hoya Callistophylla is more yellowish.
Conclusion
Hoya Finlaysonii and its varieties are among the most unique variegated plants from the genus Hoya. For growers who are into hanging pot plants or climbing vines, this is one of the best options to consider.
Its cute flower will cover your area with the sweet aroma of cinnamon. These are some of the main points to remember if you are considering keeping this plant.
- Water requirements could be daily for this plant, but don’t overwater it, and always check the soil surface.
- It loves to have consistent indirect sunlight or partial shade, whereas too much sunlight will burn the leaves.
- This is a low-maintenance plant perfect for beginners. It has a slow but steady growth, and it loves warm temperatures and high humidity.
- The Hoya Finlaysonii can grow as an individual potted plant or can be epiphytic.
The Hoya Finlaysonii is just one of the plants that Hoya enthusiasts love to collect and flex because of its beautiful and hard-textured leaves accompanying its cluster of little flowers. This plant will definitely give you the foliage that everyone will want. You can never go wrong with a Hoya.
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