Hoya Pandurata: Care Guide Tips for This Tropical Plant

The Hoya Pandurata of the Apocynaceae family is quite similar to the Hoya Lobii, although you can easily identify it with its beautiful smooth textured and long yellow leaves.

This Hoya genus vine grows between eight to twelve inches (20 – 30 centimeter) and during spring and summer, it produces yellow porcelain flowers, with some being slightly orange.

The flowers have pinkish-red centers and give out a citrus-like fragrance. Let us go into detail for you to know more about this gorgeous vine.

Hoya Pandurata Care 

Maintaining a balance in the care requirements is the most important aspect of Hoya Pandurata’s care. Please note that fluctuations or under-supply of certain care needs end up stressing the plant and possibly killing it.

Water Requirements

When growing the Hoya Pandurata as a houseplant, the watering pattern is greatly affected by the amount of light and temperature it is exposed to. Lower light and temperatures entail that water or moisture loss is less, which means the watering frequency should be reduced.

When grown in higher light and temperature conditions, the plants and soil lose water faster so you should increase the watering frequency to avoid dehydrating the vines. Ensure that you water the Hoya Pandurata at least once or twice a week during the growing season to support its vigorous development.

Allow the soil to dry out before adding water. During the fall or winter season, reduce watering to about once a week to once a month due to low light and temperatures. During this period, this vine goes dormant, thereby reducing the need for growing supplements.

Compared to other plants, the Hoya Pandurata’s roots are more susceptible to rotting when overwatered. It is better to underwater this plant because recovery chances are higher unlike when overwatered.

It is best to use water that is room temperature on the Hoya Pandurata plant to curb the shock that is caused by cold water. Being a succulent plant, this tropical plant can retain water within its system which allows it to survive for a long time without being watered.

Light Requirements

Hoya Pandurata needs bright, indirect sunlight to grow healthily. Although it can do well in such conditions throughout the year, a few hours of the full morning sun are not bad. You should place the vine outdoors to capture the early morning sunlight and move it inside in a  timely fashion before mid-day to avoid scorching its beautiful foliage. Hoya Pandurata develops spurs that turn into flowers when exposed to a few hours of sunlight.

You should consider placing your Hoya Pandurata close to a northeast-facing window where it receives optimum sunlight. When light is too low, we recommend that you use artificial grow lights as alternatives, making this vine a perfect indoor plant. Too much or direct sunlight will scorch and discolor the leaves, thereby taking away the plant’s gorgeousness.

Soil Requirements

The Hoya Pandurata loves rich, aerated, and well-drained soils. It is not difficult to get such a soil mix as you can simply make it yourself.

Succulent and cacti soil mixes are ideal for this beautiful vine. To make a cacti soil mix, you need five parts of potting soil, one part coir, and two parts pumice.

To make a succulent mix, get two parts of gardening soil, two parts of sand, and one part perlite or pumice. Using worm castings, compost, naturally fertilized soil, and fine fir bark are good alternatives. These soil mixes allow water to drain through leaving it moist and not soggy. Using water-holding soil causes the roots and stems of your plant to rot.

Keep in mind that a good soil mix works well with a pot that has adequate draining holes to eliminate the chances of waterlogging. Also, a good soil mix allows air to circulate to all parts that are below the surface, thereby reducing any chances of disease infection. Ensure that the soil pH is kept between the slightly acidic range of 6.1 to a neutral of 7.3.

Temperature Requirements

Room temperatures are best for growing the Hoya Pandurata. Maintain temperatures between 64 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (18 – 24 degrees Celsius). Although this tropical vine loves cool temperatures, you should avoid exposing it to freezing conditions that will destroy its cells.

When grown outdoors, it is best to move your lovely Hoya Pandurata indoors during winter to protect it from damage. On the other hand, too high temperatures stall the development of this plant, such that it starts looking sickly, and its chances of blooming are reduced.

If the Hoya Pandurata has already flowered, exposure to temperatures higher than 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius) for a long period results in falling off of the much-needed blooms.

Humidity Requirements

Hoya Pandurata survives in many different humidity levels. When growing this wax plant in places with less water, humidity should be kept high. The Hoya Pandurata grows rapidly in environments with at least 60 percent humidity.

If you encounter a lower humidity crisis, you should consider placing a pebble tray filled with water under the plant. The immediate environment is saturated with vapor as the water evaporates, increasing the humidity levels. Grouping your Hoya Pandurata with other humidity-craving plants also helps retain moisture but does not cut it off.

Fertilizing Requirements

Hoya Pandurata does well in high nitrogen soils. We advise that you apply fertilizers that have a high nitrogen content twice a month – only during the growing season.

However, when the Hoya Pandurata enters the blooming period, you should stop using nitrogen-rich fertilizers that encourage foliage growth at the expense of blooms. Other species like the Hoya Polystachya are mainly grown for their lovely foliage, unlike the Wax plant, whose flowers are a center of attraction. 

For your plant to produce healthy and vibrant flowers, consider applying fertilizers that are rich in phosphorus. You can also use a liquid fertilizer to feed your Hoya Pandurata plant.

Applying a fish emulsion two times a month during the summer season is also very useful in enhancing vigorous plant development. Another good and cost-effective alternative to fertilizers is compost. 

Compost acts as a slow-release fertilizer that reduces chances of over-fertilizing. The Hoya Pandurata vine does not need fertilizing during the fall and winter seasons because plant growth slows down. Fertilizers cause salt accumulation in the soil mix, which can burn the plant. Therefore, you should periodically flush the growing medium with mineral-free water to get rid of these salts.

Pruning 

Pruning entails removing unwanted parts of the plant to help it grow better and enhance its appearance. The first step is to get a bacteria-free pair of scissors or pruning shears. Also, wash your hands with an anti-bacterial soap to avoid passing bacteria to the plant. If your Hoya plant grows too large, you need to prune it back to suit your desires.

Avoid cutting off parts of the wax plant that may grow spurs on them. Remember, blooms develop from the spurs so by chopping one spur off, you will have lost many blooms that could have enhanced your space. New flowers also grow from old spurs and the number of blooms from a particular old spur increases each year. However, if the spur is damaged or diseased, you can cut it off.

Regular pruning encourages new growth, thereby allowing the development of more spurs. When undertaking the pruning process, you should cut off the part just below the node. Avoid cutting off more than a third of your Hoya Pandurata plant at a time. We do not recommend winter pruning due to limited recovery chances unless you need to remove a diseased part.

Propagation

Succulent plants are very easy to propagate and Hoya Pandurata is not an exception. If propagated properly, it grows large and beautiful in a short time. Hoya Pandurata is best propagated through stem cuttings:

1. You need a sharp sterilized knife to cut off a four to twelve-inch stem from a healthy plant.
2. Prune off the leaves from the lower part of the stem, leaving only a few top-end leaves. 
3. Place the cutting in a jar that has water with the bottom half submerged in water. 
4. Also, make sure that the leaves are well above the water, and add a few drops of a rooting hormone to quicken root formation. This procedure also applies when propagating the Hoya Pandurata ssp Angustifolia species.
5. Position the container on a warm, bright spot with indirect sunlight. 
6. Once you notice the water becoming cloudy, it is no longer clean so you need to change it. 
7. The rooting process takes about four weeks and once the roots emerge, move the cutting into a container with a well-draining soil mix. 
8. Now, expose the stem cutting to the normal Hoya Pandurata growing conditions, and new growth will start to appear.

Problems

When growing the Hoya Pandurata, you should be watchful for diseases and pests that disrupt the growth and appearance of your beautiful plant. Regular plant checks can help you to control diseases and pests, thereby enabling you to deal with them before they cause serious harm to the wax plant. Some diseases are caused by over-exposure to certain care requirements and can kill the entire plant.

– Root-Knot Nematode

The root-knot nematode parasite comes from the Meloidogyne genus. It thrives in hot conditions or in climates where the winter season is short. You cannot notice this parasite from above the ground because it enjoys feeding on the plant’s root system. Once the root-knot nematodes start damaging the roots, nutrient and water uptake falls, leading to a weak-looking plant that eventually dies.

Root-knot nematodes cause the death of around 2,000 plants types in the world and they claim around five percent of crop loss around the globe. This makes them a big threat to look out for.

These nematodes destroy the roots by sucking all the plant’s nutrients and young plants are more vulnerable to this parasite. In mature plants, the root-knot nematode mostly reduces the quality and quantity of blooms as well as the foliage’s vibrancy.

Once your Hoya Pandurata is attacked by this parasite, we recommend that you cut off some healthy-looking stems for propagation. You should properly discard the infected plant together with the soil mix on which it was previously grown. Some biocontrol agents can be used to further control root-knot nematode.

– Red Spider Mites

Red spider mites require a quick response as they can multiply and spread rapidly all over the Hoya Pandurata and other nearby plants. Once you spot them on one of your plants, it is most likely that several other plants are also under attack and prompt action should be taken. 

In the early stages, these bugs are so tiny that you will need to use a magnifying glass to see them. The infected plants appear dusty but when you look closely, you will see that the tiny dust particles will be moving.

The dust-like particles are the red spider mites, and they usually hibernate on the undersides of the leaves. Spider mites also create some webbings on the Hoya Pandurata’s leaves and branches.

Quickly isolate and treat an infested vine to avoid the pests from spreading to nearby plants. Introducing natural predators like ladybugs to the infected plants is one of the best ways to control red spider mites.

Using insecticidal oils or pesticide sprays is also helpful in eliminating these tiny troublesome pests.

– Fungus Gnats

Indoor plants are more susceptible to fungus gnats infestation. Humidity is usually high indoors and this provides fungus gnats with optimum conditions for development. Once you notice a mature fungus gnat flying close to your plants or indoors, you should know that an infestation has already begun. Although fungus gnats are not harmful to humans, they cause detrimental damage to your gorgeous plants.

Adult fungus gnats do get annoying as they fly all over the place. However, the larvae cause all the damage by feeding on the plant’s roots. The larvae also enjoy feeding on the lower tissues of the plants. Bear in mind that, if the infestation grows, more eggs will be laid posing more harm to your beautiful Hoya plants.

Fungus gnats also cause a terrible plant disease known as Pythium, which destroys your Hoya vines, ultimately leading to rot. The best way to prevent fungus gnats is by avoiding overwatering your plants. Ensure that the soil mix dries out before you water again. You can also use non-toxic insect-eliminating sprays to stop their spread before they kill the plants.

– Mealybugs

Mealybugs are wingless and soft-bodied insects that appear in a cotton-like form on the plant’s leaves, stems, and flowers. They use their long piercing mouth parts to suck the sap out of the plant’s tissues.

Low mealybug numbers do not cause any significant damage but if allowed to multiply, they cause yellowing and curling of leaves. They also excrete some honeydew-like substances that pave way for sooty mold manifestation.

To control mealybugs, you should prune off all light infections or use earbuds with rubbing alcohol on the infected parts. You should always avoid over-fertilizing your plants as high nitrogen and soft foliage attract mealybugs.

We also recommend introducing commercially available natural predators like the lacewing, ladybugs, and the Mealybug destroyer. Using Neem oil is another control measure you can use as it disrupts the development and growth of pests with its antifeedant and repellent qualities.

– Root and Stem Rot

Leaving the Hoya Pandurata sitting in soil mixes that are too wet for prolonged periods provides the organisms that cause rotting with the best conditions to develop and reproduce.

Once the roots start to rot, water and nutrient uptake decline causing the plant to die. When rotting extends to the stems, you should cut off some healthy parts for propagation and properly dispose of the remains.

Once root rot manifests, you will notice the leaves wilting, discoloring, drooping, and falling off of flowers. Always make sure that the soil mix allows water to drain off easily. The pot should have adequate holes to let excess water out.

In the early stages of stem and root rot, you can trim off the dead roots using a sterilized tool and repot the plant into a new soil mix. Please avoid reusing once-infected soil mixes doing this may cause the problem to recur. Root and stem rot is also common in other species like the Hoya Parvifolia because their roots are too sensitive to overwatering.

FAQ

Does Hoya Pandurata like tight pots?

Hoya Pandurata prefers well-draining pots rather than tight ones to avoid excessive moisture.

Does Hoya Pandurata prefer to be root bound?

Hoya Pandurata thrives when slightly root bound, promoting better blooming and growth.

Does Hoya Pandurata like soil or bark?

Hoya Pandurata prefers well-draining soil over bark for optimal growth and development.

Conclusion

The Hoya Pandurata is a quite easy-to-care-for plant as it is not too demanding.

Here are the main issues that we have come across in this care guide.

• The Hoya Pandurata loves bright, indirect sunlight to grow well although exposing it to a few hours of morning sunlight is not bad.
• This plant loves a rich, well-draining, and aerated soil mix to develop with ease.
• You should use a high nitrogen fertilizer to feed the Hoya Pandurata at first and switch to high phosphorus feeds when the plant starts to flower.
• Be on the lookout for the root-knot nematodes, red spider mites, fungus gnats, and root rot which are the most common problems encountered when growing Hoya Pandurata plants.

Being a perfect houseplant, the Wax plant is a great choice. You should get a Hoya Pandurata for sale from trustworthy platforms like Etsy and enjoy the tropical vibe they bring to your indoors!