Hoya Serpens Care InfographicHoya serpens is a little succulent plant with almost perfectly round leaves and fuzzy flowers. This plant is easy to grow so long as you grow it in the right substrate and other growing conditions such as water and temperature. The major attractive feature of Hoya serpens is the shape of its leaves which are round like a circle, the fuzziness of its flowers and their fragrance.
Learn everything that you need to grow Hoya serpens by reading this detailed guide.
What Is Hoya Serpens?
Hoya serpens is a beautiful succulent with almost perfectly round leaves and fragrant fuzzy flowers. It originates from the Himalayas and other regions including India, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Australia.
Hoya Serpens Care
Just like other tropical plants, it is very easy to care for Hoya serpens plants so long as you give them what they want and when they want it. When growing Hoya serpens, your attention will mostly be on the temperature, substrate and water needs of the plant. If you can provide what the plant needs, you may have no problem in your planting journey.
Here are the requirements to grow your Hoya serpens plants:
– Water Requirements
Hoya serpens surely needs your attention especially when it is time for watering. You should water your plants every two or three days. If you are growing many plants in the same pot (i.e. a large pot), you should water them every five to seven days.
You should not overwater your Hoya serpens plants so that they do not suffocate in their roots and get attacked by root rot, remember to only water your Hoya serpens plants when the top of their substrate looks dry. Also have in mind that the pot or hanging basket should have drainage holes so that excess water can drip off.
– Light Requirements
Light is important for Hoya serpens and every other plant, just as plants need light for photosynthesis, however you should not give them more than the amount of light that they need so that they do not get burnt. Hoya plants are epiphytes, so they have a unique lighting requirement.
As epiphytes in tropical and subtropical regions, Hoya serpens plants grow with bright but filtered light. This means that the tree canopies above Hoya serpens and other epiphytes help filter the light reaching them. When growing Hoya serpens, you can easily mimic this.
You should not place your Hoya serpens pot or hanging basket under the direct sun. Just make sure that the room or surrounding is well-lit, this way the plant will appreciate four to six hours of daily sun, in addition to using artificial lights for them.
– Humidity
Humidity can help your plants grow quickly or cause stunted growth. With the right amount of humidity, a plant can properly regulate and make use of its water content. If the humidity is too low, their leaves may look burnt because they will lose a lot of water through transpiration.
Hoya serpens plants love high humidity. While they can survive in a room with humidity levels as high as 90 percent, the optimum humidity levels for Hoya serpens range between 60 percent and 80 percent. You should grow your plants in a humid room or be ready to increase the room humidity level.
You can increase the room humidity level by misting your Hoya serpens plant surroundings or you can install a humidifier. Make sure that you grow your Hoya serpens in a room with good ventilation.
– Temperature
Temperature is a key requirement for every plant to grow. When the temperature is too high, your Hoya serpens can die because of dehydration and the decline of their cells. When the temperature is too low, your Hoya serpens can become stressed and have stunted growth. You need the right temperature for your plant.
Hoya serpens can survive in tropical and subtropical regions and need a temperature of 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Note that quick fluctuation in temperature can harm your Hoya serpens, you should not grow them close to air conditioners, heaters, and other appliances that alter the temperature of their surroundings quickly.
You should always check the temperature to make sure that it is suitable for your Hoya serpens. If your Hoya serpens plants look weak or are having stunted growth, it could be because of the temperature. You can take them outside, inside, or protect them from the sun to change the temperature.
– Fertilizers
Hoya serpens needs nutrients or fertilizers to grow just like other plants. They, however, do not require as many nutrients as others, note that if the substrate is rich in loam or compost, you can grow your Hoya serpens without adding any extra nutrients for years.
If you are growing your Hoya serpens in a very airy potting mix, you should give them quality succulent fertilizer once per month in summer and spring. You can give them water-soluble fertilizer while watering them.
Note that overfeeding your Hoya serpens can kill them as too many nutrients are like poison for the plants. If you notice that the leaves of your plant are turning pale after feeding them, you should reduce the number of nutrients you give them.
You can flood your Hoya serpens with clean water if it is showing signs of too many nutrients in the substrate.
– Soil Requirements
Other essential items that you need for your Hoya serpens plants are pot and substrate. You may grow your Hoya serpens in the pot it came with or you can get a new pot or hanging basket for it. Just make sure that the container is at least four inches wider than the plant root system as well as contains at least three drainage holes.
The suitable soil mix or substrate for Hoya serpens is rough soil. This means that the substrate should be breathable for your serpens plants to thrive. You can use a succulent mix for your plants, but you can also make a good substrate by mixing two-part sand, one-part loam and some perlite.
If you choose to amend the substrate with organic matter such as compost, increase the amount of sand. Note that Hoya serpens prefers soil with a pH of 6-7.
– Suitable Mulch
While many plants need mulch, Hoya serpens plants do not necessarily need mulch. They, however, will appreciate some inorganic mulch. If you want to mulch your Hoya serpens plants, do not use organic mulch such as leaves because they can spoil the composition of the Hoya serpens substrate.
You should only mulch your Hoya serpens plants with rocks, pebbles, and other types of inorganic mulch. Make sure that you check the substrate quality while mulching your plants because too much mulch can prevent moisture from evaporating from the substrate and that can affect your plants. Additionally, remember that the pot should have two or three drainage holes.
– Pruning
If you want your Hoya serpens to continue looking beautiful just as they were when you bought them, you should prune them regularly. Pruning helps to remove excess leaves as well as keeps your plants in shape.
You should prune your Hoya serpens yearly in spring or summer. Reduce the length of stems and also remove dead leaves from the plant, note that you may have to untangle stems as well so that the Hoya serpens plant can look beautiful. If you are growing your Hoya serpens in hanging baskets, you can allow the stems to grow longer so that their bloom can get closer to you.
Propagation
It is very easy to multiply your Hoya serpens plants. You can either multiply them with their stems or wait until they produce seeds. It is easier to propagate your plants with the stems, so you may not need the seeds (except you have other uses for them).
Here are easy ways to propagate your Hoya serpens stems (cuttings) or plant the seeds.
– Cuttings
All you need to propagate your Hoya serpens is to collect at least six inches of a healthy stem. Go for older (but fresh) stems as they will grow quickly. Use a pruning knife or scissors to cut the stem When you have a cutting, you can now develop the roots.
To develop the roots of your cutting, you should plant them in a suitable potting mix. Water the cutting every two or three days and you should see signs of leaf growth in less than ten days. If you want to know the progress of root growth in your Hoya serpens cutting, you should start the plant in water.
Dip the bottom part of the cutting into a glass of water. Continue to replace the water with old clean water every two days. You should see roots growing in less than a week. When you have a root system in the water, you can transfer your new Hoya serpens plant into its pot.
– Seeds
To collect the seeds of your Hoya serpens plant, do not deadhead the flowers. Instead, wait until the flowers successfully pollinate and produce seeds. Wait until the serpens seeds start to fall off the plant and collect as many as you can.
When you have enough seeds, plant them in a suitable potting mix and bury them with sand. You should mist the serpens seeds regularly until they germinate and anchor in their substrate. If you have more serpens plants than you need, you should thin them and keep the healthiest ones.
Congratulations!!! When it comes to Hoya serpens plants, you are now a pro. Before you start your Hoya serpens growing journey, however, continue reading to learn how to solve some problems that you can face while growing the plant.
Problems
Watch out for the following problems when you grow Hoya serpens plants:
– Failing to Bloom
If your Hoya serpens plants fail to bloom, it means that the plant either has insufficient light or nutrients. Keep your Hoya serpens plants where they can get four to six hours of daily sun.
You should also feed your serpens plants with fertilizer rich in potassium and phosphorus. An indoor plant fertilizer or succulent mix is suitable for your Hoya serpens plants.
– Over-Fertilizing
Giving your Hoya serpens plants too many nutrients can kill them, thats why try to limit how often you feed your plants to once every month. You do not need to fertilize your Hoya serpens if you are growing them on a nutrient-rich substrate.
– Pests and Diseases
Pests such as mealybugs and aphids can attack your Hoya serpens plants. You can use a pest repellent to repel pests from attacking your plants.
FAQ
– How Do I Take Care of the Leaves?
Remember that people prize Hoya serpens plants for their perfectly round leaves and fuzzy flowers. If you are growing the serpens plant, is in your best interest to help your plant to retain its beauty. Your Hoya serpens leaves will stay beautiful so long as you grow the plant in the right growing conditions and requirements.
The Hoya serpens flowers have a nice fragrance, so you may want your plant to have a longer bloom. If you want your plants to bloom for a longer time, you should prune off the serpens flowers while they decline, as this will help the plant to produce more flowers.
Note that if you want your Hoya serpens plant to produce seeds, you should leave the flowers to pollinate and do not prune them afterward.
– How to Identify Hoya Serpens?
Hoya serpens is a small trailing or vining plant with little round leaves that can grow up to half an inch, or one inch. The leaves are dark green, hairy and they have grey spots, on the other hand, the flowers are extremely fuzzy and have a light green corolla and a white corona. The flowers are pink towards their center and have a yellow center.
Hoya serpens waxy flowers produce sweet nectar for pollinating insects, the plant is an epiphyte or lithophyte. This means that it usually grows on rocks, trees and other erect surfaces in its natural habitat. You surely want to grow this little, fast-growing and beautiful plant.
– What are the Benefits of Hoya Serpens?
Hoya serpens is a beautiful plant that is gaining more popularity amongst plant lovers. People usually grow Hoya serpens plants indoors because of their beautiful flowers and round leaves. You can plant Hoya serpens in a little pot and place it on your table or shelf.
If you want a graceful plant, you should grow Hoya serpens in hanging baskets where their leaves will fall gracefully and beautify your window, patio or wherever your place it.
If you’d love to smell the Hoya serpens flower scent, you should keep the hanging basket not so far from your reach. Would you like to grow some Hoya serpens plants? Great idea.
– How To Get a Hoya Serpens?
The first thing that you need to grow Hoya serpens plants is their seedling or cutting. You can also grow them from seeds, but to make it easier for you, you should get their seedling or cutting.
You can easily find Hoya serpens cuttings from other Hoya serpens plant owners, additionally you can also get the seedlings of this plant from gardening stores and plant nurseries near you.
It is important to check the leaves of the Hoya serpens plant to make sure that they look almost perfectly round and do not look wrinkled. Lift the stem with your fingers to check if it is weak. You should select Hoya serpens plants with the healthiest stems and leaves.
– How Do I Plant Hoya Serpens?
Planting Hoya serpens into a substrate is very easy. You should carefully remove the plant from its current pot and substrate by tapping the pot to loosen the substrate. After that, you should gently remove the substrate so that you do not damage the roots, carefully remove the Hoya serpens roots so that you do not damage any root.
In the new pot, pour two to three inches of the substrate to the bottom. Holding the Hoya serpens plant, place the roots just above the substrate and then start filling the pot with the substrate. Do not fill the pot to the brim instead, leave about two to three inches of space between the surface of the substrate and the top of the top.
You should keep the pot with Hoya serpens plants in it in a cool place with indirect but bright light and gently water it. When the plant anchors successfully, you should see that the leaves will look more erect than they wear, additionally when the plant has anchored successfully, you are ready to place the pot in your preferred location.
– How Do I Repot my Hoya Serpens?
You may need to repot your Hoya serpens plants. Repotting helps plants to grow wider and healthier, this process can also help you check the roots for signs of diseases.
You should repot your Hoya serpens into a larger pot every year or two years. While repotting the plants, check for black or brown areas in their roots, however, if some parts of your Hoya serpens roots look damaged, you should remove them by pruning them before you transfer the plant into a new substrate.
The new pot of your Hoya serpens should be 3-4 inches wider than the previous pot. This will give the Hoya serpens roots more space (but not too much) to grow. Do not transfer your plants into a very large pot without planting more Hoya serpens as such pot will drain water slowly and can affect your Hoya serpens plants.
Conclusion
Growing Hoya serpens has never been easier, right? Remember to pay attention to the substrate, temperature, and water needs of your Hoya serpens plant. Here are some essential reminders for you:
- The substrate of Hoya serpens should be airy, rough and well-drained.
- Grow your Hoya serpens in 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit for optimum growth.
- Water your Hoya serpens every two or three days. Do not overwater the plant.
- To help your Hoya serpens plants to bloom longer, deadhead the flowers.
- If the substrate is rich in organic matter, you do not need to fertilize your plants often.
Joseph Dalton Hooker discovered and published Hoya serpens in 1883. This little succulent plant grows quickly and will fill its pot in a matter of months. Hoya serpens is the most popular plant in the genus “Hoya.” After reading our comprehensive guide, you now know everything that you need to know before starting your Hoya serpens growing journey.
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