The Hoya pachyclada plant is a gorgeous climbing vine that displays its unusually perfect blooms. On the other hand, the Hoya pachyclada flower looks so perfect that it is often mistaken for an artificial plastic flower, which is known for its enticingly heady scent.
In this article, we will discover how to care for the beautiful Hoya pachyclada plant as well as propagate it.
Contents
- What Is Hoya Pachyclada?
- Hoya Pachyclada Care
- Problems
- Propagation
- Frequently Asked Questions
- – What Is the Name Origin of the Hoya Pachyclada?
- – What Is the Usual Size of the Hoya Pachyclada?
- – How Do the Leaves of the Hoya Pachyclada Look Like?
- – What Is the Growth Habit of the Hoya Pachyclada?
- – What Is the Root System of the Hoya Pachyclada?
- – What are the Characteristics of the Hoya Pachyclada Flowers?
- – Does the Hoya Pachyclada Produce Seeds?
- – Where Can We Usually Find the Hoya Pachyclada?
- Conclusion
What Is Hoya Pachyclada?
The Hoya pachyclada plant is a mainstay in many tropical gardens, as they grow in many gardens for aesthetic purposes. Being famous for its scent, permeating all throughout indoor and outdoor spaces, the fragrance is even stronger as the night approaches.
Hoya Pachyclada Care
In this section, you can look at the various requirements that your plant prefers and apply them as needed.
– Water Requirements
Watering the Hoya pachyclada plant does not require much thought as long as you know its watering needs. As a tropical plant, you might expect that this Hoya needs frequent and abundant watering, however, it does not.
As a plant that can thrive in the ground as well as on other trees and support structures, the Hoya pachyclada requires limited watering. As a native plant to the humid forests of Thailand, this particular Hoya has learned to thrive on very little water.
This Hoya plant uses water efficiently, using its roots to absorb most of its water needs from the ground and from the air.
If you are located in an area that is similar to the tropical settings of Thailand, you will need to water your Hoya pachyclada plant more often. This can be due to the heat that quickly wicks away any moisture from the potting medium.
If you live in areas where the temperatures are not as warm, you may need to water your plant sparingly. Remember to water the Hoya pachyclada plant once a week, or every 10 days.
If your Hoya pachyclada plant is in an area where temperate climates are present, you may need to reduce your watering during the colder seasons. Some gardeners even forego watering during the winter seasons.
However your watering schedule and methods, the general rule is to only water the Hoya pachyclada plant only when the potting medium is dry. Water the potting medium properly, and allow the water to exit from the drainage holes of your plant container. Keep in mind that your plant must not sit in water.
– Light Requirements
The Hoya pachyclada prefers to grow in very bright but indirect light. Usually found near or on forest flowers in the wild, the plant thrives in bright shaded areas or under the dappled light of the trees. If possible, place your Hoya pachyclada plant in similar light level conditions.
This plant can tolerate a maximum of three hours of direct morning sun before it starts to experience leaf burns. Avoid placing your plant in an area where it is exposed to the harsh noon or afternoon sun.
Despite being a tropical plant, the Hoya pachyclada grows best when placed in the eastern part of the garden or house. South-facing locations are also ideal, as long as you ensure that the plant does not experience harsh direct sun at noon or in the afternoon.
If the plant is located in an area that exposes it to direct sunlight, you may provide your Hoya pachyclada plant with some shade. You can use curtains if it is placed indoors, or locate your plant under some trees, shrubs, or other plants if it is placed outdoors.
However, if your Hoya pachyclada plant is not exposed to enough light, its growth can become slower or even stunted. It is important that you provide your plant with enough light especially if you place it indoors where light levels are very low. Low light levels also prevent flowers from even forming.
Note that when the light levels and temperature go down, the plant can experience slow and stunted growth. This is especially obvious when grown in colder regions without the aid of grow lights and heaters.
Prolonged exposure to low lights and cold temperatures not only causes the Hoya pachyclada plant to grow slower, but it may also perish from these conditions.
– Soil Requirements
The ideal Hoya pachyclada soil is well-draining yet allows for adequate moisture retention. As epiphytic plants, they do not grow often in pure soil substrates but rather in a mix of soil and organic forest debris. In these conditions, their roots are often exposed for air ventilation as well as to absorb water from the air.
You can use a potting soil mix, and add equal amounts of organic materials like wood bark, wood chips, charcoal, coconut husks, garden compost, and perlite. This substrate mixture will provide your Hoya pachyclada with the perfect amount of drainage, airflow, water retention, and support.
– Temperature Requirements
The Hoya pachyclada plant prefers warm temperatures as it is native to the hot jungles of humid Thailand. If you live in areas where your temperature ranges are above 70 F, then you will not need to worry as this is the ideal minimum temperature for the plant. This plant is ideal for gardeners who reside in USDA zones 11 to 12.
However, if you live in areas where the temperatures can go below 70 F, you may need to take your plant indoors. The Hoya pachyclada plant is not frost-tolerant and will easily perish when exposed to cold temperatures, simply because it is used to warm temperatures as its natural environment.
Hence it is key to provide your plant with temperatures 70 to 90 F and you will be rewarded with healthy growths.
– Humidity Requirements
Humidity is an important factor in the healthy growth of Hoya pachyclada plants. The plant is used to its native environments where air moisture levels are high. This Hoya cultivar thrives in humidity levels of 60 percent or higher.
If you are unable to provide your Hoya pachyclada plant with humidity due to your geographic climate, you may use one or more of the following methods to increase room humidity, by misting your plant regularly.
Place a shallow tray full of gravel under the container of your Hoya pachyclada plant and fill the tray with water. This allows the evaporated water to humidify the air around your plant. Additionally, you can purchase commercial humidifiers to increase the air moisture content around your plant.
– Fertilizer Requirements
The Hoya pachyclada plant is a light feeder and will not require excessive amounts of frequent fertilization. Chemical fertilizers do not always bring good results to this plant as it thrives on organic fertilizer content. You can increase the nutrient content of its potting medium by adding organic compost, manure, and decomposing wood chips and barks.
However, the Hoya pachyclada plant appreciates extremely diluted solutions of liquid fertilizers once a month during its active growing period. Orchid fertilizers can be used to feed your Hoya plant.
Note that, if you live in an area where colder seasons prevail, halt any fertilizer activities during these times.
– Pruning
The Hoya pachyclada plant requires minimal pruning in comparison to other Hoya varieties. Gardeners tend to trim and prune the plant only for dead leaves and branches.
When pruning the Hoya pachyclada plant, ensure that you do not prune the peduncles of the dried flowers as this plant lives to bloom. The peduncle is the stalk of the flower or the inflorescence. By cutting off the peduncle of the plant, you force the plant to produce fewer flowers.
The peduncles of dried flower inflorescences tend to produce new flower heads. If you cut the peduncle off, the plant focuses its energies on producing new peduncles and flower heads, which delay its flowering. You will need to trim or prune only the dead, discolored, or damaged leaves of the Hoya pachyclada plant.
Problems
The Hoya pachyclada plant does not require much attention, that is why it is easy to keep and to take care of. In fact, the plant thrives even when occasionally neglected. However, it is important to note that as long as you follow our care tips regarding the proper lighting and watering, and fertilizing requirements, you should not experience any major issues.
The Hoya pachyclada doesn’t encounter any pest issues or even diseases, that is why it is loved by gardening enthusiasts
Propagation
Propagating the Hoya pachyclada plant can be done in two ways: cuttings and air layering. Here, we will guide you through both methods so you can decide which one is more suitable for you.
– Cuttings
Mature stem cuttings from the woodier parts of the Hoya pachyclada plant yield better results. They tend to take root more easily and usually flower around two years from the cutting. Here is how you can propagate your Hoya through cuttings:
Cut at least four inches of a healthy tip from the mother plant. The more mature it is, the faster it usually takes root. The stem cutting should have at least three leaf nodes. Remove the leaves from the lower nodes and keep about two or three leaves.
Allow the cutting to be callous. Callous forms when the stem cutting heals itself from the wound. As an option, you can apply some rooting hormone powder to the tip prior to planting although the cutting will still produce roots without the rooting hormone.
Place your cutting in a soil mix similar to the mother plant which is ideal for Hoya pachyclada. Ensure that the potting medium is constantly moist but never wet or dry. Place the plant in the shade until it is established.
– Layering
Layering is an easier alternative with better results than cuttings. Nonetheless, not everyone shares this view as propagation methods and preferences are extremely personal.
To give you other options, here is how you can propagate your Hoya pachyclada plant through layering. Look for mature stems that have visible aerial roots. These roots should be ideally low-hanging or easily accessible from the ground.
Place the mature stems in a pot with the ideal potting medium. You can use the same pot as the mother plant or another pot with the same potting medium. Lower the stem into the soil to make sure that the nodes with the aerial roots are in the potting medium.
You can place rooting hormone powder at this point. You can also forego this step if you feel the aerial roots are healthy enough.
Keep the nodes with the aerial stems in the soil with stakes, pins, or other forms of support to ensure that the nodes stay firmly in the potting medium. Cultivate the nodes as you would with the mother plant and eventually, they will become established with more roots.
Once established, cut off the stem from the mother plant and allow it to keep on growing as a separate plant.
Frequently Asked Questions
– What Is the Name Origin of the Hoya Pachyclada?
The Hoya pachyclada belongs to the Hoya genus with around 300 species in the Apocynaceae, or the dogbane family. Hoya plants are native to many tropical countries in Asia such as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Guinea, Philippines, Polynesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Some Hoya plants can even be found in Australia,
Common names for the Hoya plant include Porcelain Flower, Waxflower, Waxplant, and Waxvine. These names are due to the waxy nature of the flowers and sometimes the leaves. The near-perfect nature of the plant’s flowers has caused many first-time onlookers to believe that they are unreal.
However, most often than not, the plants are simply called Hoya. This genus was named in honor of botanist Thomas Hoy, bestowed upon him by his friend Robert Brown. The Hoya pachyclada does not have a common name and is known as is.
– What Is the Usual Size of the Hoya Pachyclada?
The vining habit of the Hoya pachyclada plant is surprisingly slow and compact. Most gardeners tend to wait for about two years before the plant grows to about a foot high. The Hoya pachyclada plant does not usually grow beyond two feet tall.
As with many vining plants, the Hoya pachyclada tends to have woodier stems once the plant reaches maturity as well as with age. As climbers, the plant can reach up to 60 feet in length especially when grown in very optimal conditions.
– How Do the Leaves of the Hoya Pachyclada Look Like?
The Hoya pachyclada leaves are known as evergreen creepers and vines. Very rarely, they can be classified as shrubs since they often grow as epiphytes. Epiphytes are plants that rely on trees, rocks, and other supporting structures to grow on.
The leaves of the Hoya pachyclada plant are simple and arranged in an opposite pattern that is typical of many succulent plants. The leaves of the plant can grow up to six inches long. The leaves are thick, dark green, and shaped like spades.
Many Hoya pachyclada plant varieties have red margins on their thick, fleshy green leaves. The Hoya pachyclada variegata has random colors of pale green, yellow, or cream striations on its leaves. This variegation habit tends to become stronger and more vivid when exposed to longer periods of bright indirect light.
– What Is the Growth Habit of the Hoya Pachyclada?
The leaves of the Hoya pachyclada plant tend to cluster, creating a clumping habit of thick, emerald green foliage. As a slow-growing variety, this Hoya plant can take some time and can require optimal conditions to achieve its full growth potential.
– What Is the Root System of the Hoya Pachyclada?
The roots of the Hoya pachyclada plant are white, long, and noodle-like in appearance. The epiphytic nature of the plant indicates that its root systems have evolved consequently. The plant has a root system that is very specific to air plants.
This root system has adapted to absorbing moisture efficiently from surrounding organic matter as well as from the air. However, the roots of the Hoya pachyclada plant can be quite sensitive to constant exposure to excessively wet soil or potting media. When this condition persists, the root system of the plant can develop root rot.
– What are the Characteristics of the Hoya Pachyclada Flowers?
The wonderfully fragrant flowers of the Hoya pachyclada plant are the main reasons why gardeners love to grow Hoya plants.
The flowers of the Hoya pachyclada appear in axillary umbellate clusters located at the apex of the peduncles. The peduncles of Hoya plants are often referred to as spurs. In many species, these spurs rarely break off due to their perennial habits.
The spur increases in length with each flowering cycle, with some Hoya pachyclada cultivars reaching spurs at 11 inches or more. The small cluster of flowers at the tip of the peduncle eventually opens to reveal the small, waxy flowers that are often fragrant.
The size of the flowers of the Hoya pachyclada plant can vary in size, with some flowers at an eighth of an inch while some flowers can grow bigger. The flower is typically in the shape of a star with five waxy triangular petals with a waxy texture. The form is topped with a star-shaped corona structure.
The colors of the flower of the Hoya pachyclada plant can also depend on the cultivar. As a general rule, many Hoya pachyclada plants produce creamy white to pale green flowers with white coronas. Some cultivars have coronas in red, pink, and yellow shades.
Most Hoya pachyclada cultivars are strongly scented, depending on the cultivar. Some cultivars have been reported to have a light lemon scent, while some have a spicy cinnamon fragrance. Some cultivars even possess a strong floral scent mixed with lemon or cinnamon notes.
A cluster typically has 10 to 30 flowers, with each flower producing a very strong, pleasant fragrance that gets stronger during the night. These flowers produce abundant nectar. This indicates that the Hoya pachyclada plant is often pollinated at night by nocturnal insects such as moths, flies, and ants.
– Does the Hoya Pachyclada Produce Seeds?
Pollination encourages seeds to form in twin pods which are dispersed by the wind. Despite a rapid rate of germination, viability is not high and does not yield many seedlings.
– Where Can We Usually Find the Hoya Pachyclada?
The Hoya pachyclada plant is often found in the humid jungles of Thailand. The rich, tropical settings of the beautiful forests in Asia provide the most optimal growth for this incredible plant.
Most often than not, the Hoya pachyclada can be found as a terrestrial plant growing prolifically in the ground with twining leaves extended upwards, using trees and rocks for support.
Conclusion
Growing the Hoya pachyclada plant is an exciting activity for many gardeners with a showy floral reward amidst an explosion of fragrant blooms. While it can be intimidating for some, growing this Hoya cultivar can be surprisingly easy once you know what to do.
Let’s go over the things we’ve learned about taking care of the Hoya pachyclada plant.
- The Hoya pachyclada plant prefers bright indirect light, warm temperature, and high humidity.
- Water your Hoya plant only when the potting medium is dry to prevent root rot.
- Diluted orchid fertilizers can be applied monthly, but the best form of fertilizers are organic matter and manure.
- The Hoya pachyclada plant can be propagated through cutting and layering, with both yielding high viability.
The Hoya pachyclada plant is incredibly memorable with its attractive waxy flowers and sweet-scented fragrance. A favorite among gardeners who enjoy its sweet, heavy scent at night, this plant is easily one that you can grow yourself!
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