Hoya Treubiana produces gorgeous bouquets every flowering season. Its tiny flowers grow in multi-colored clusters that will put a smile on your face every time you look at them.
Many people find hoyas as challenging as houseplants.
We disagree and have come up with this guide to prove our point about how easy it is to care for. Keep reading this guide to learn more about this unique plant and its beautiful flowers.
Contents
What Is Hoya Treubiana?
Hoya treubiana is a Hoya plant that produces long, thin succulent leaves. It also produces round clusters of tiny flowers that are multi-colored and bright. Most people often compare the plant to Hoya meliflua. Regarding treubiana vs. meliflua, treubiana has larger leaves and flowers.
Hoya Treubiana Care
Please read the sections below to find out other essential care tips one needs to know.
– Water Requirements
Being an evergreen tropical plant, Hoyas like to be watered regularly. However, they are easily prone to getting root rot and similar infections when overwatered. That is why it is essential to know precisely when and how to water them at home.
Water your treubiana hoyas when you see that the top two inches of the soil have dried out. You can touch the soil to feel it. You can also insert a pencil two inches deep in it to be sure.
If you have a moisture meter, then any rating below seven is a cue to water this plant. In the summer, you will probably have to water Hoyas every week. Maybe more if the weather is scorching and the soil is drying up faster. In winters, watering just once a month has been known to suffice.
Direct water towards and close to the soil, people who splash water from up ahead also bathe the plant. This can lead to the development of mold. It is best to water after noon has passed but before evening.
If watered early in the morning, most of the water will evaporate before roots have had a chance to absorb it. Remember to keep on giving water to the soil till you can see it draining out of the hole. This will be your cue that the whole soil has been moistened and that it’s time to stop now.
– Light Requirements
Keep this plant somewhere that is lit by bright natural light for at least eight hours each day. This place could be outdoors like a patio or indoors near a window. Shallow light will cause the leaf to darken, indicating that light is not enough.
It can tolerate direct sunlight for a couple of hours at least. That is why you can put it safely on the windowsill towards the east or the west. However, very intense light has also been known to produce rather bad sunburns on its leaves. Hence, don’t place it directly next to a southern-facing window or in a garden exposed.
– Soil Requirements
This house plant needs a rough and gritty potting mix to grow successfully. Hoya roots grow best in soil that allows them space to breathe and drains water rapidly. Mixing the suitable medium yourself is better than relying on a store-bought one. This will enable you to add additional constituents that are beneficial to your plant.
Find out how to make the best Hoya soil here.
- Take one part orchid potting mix as a starting constituent. The orchid mix is known for being chunky and loose, enabling the roots plenty of free space to grow. Many orchid mixes are available, so always go for the best-reviewed one.
- Next, add one part of coarse sand as the next ingredient. Coarse soil provides better aeration and is better manageable than fine sand.
- Take one part of perlite and mix it thoroughly with coarse sand. Perlite is available in the form of balls, and it creates water and air channels within your potting mix. It is inorganic, but it contributes to top-notch water drainage.
- You can also add some amount of activated charcoal to the soil. It removes impurities from the soil and keeps pests and bacteria at bay.
- The soil for Hoya doesn’t need organic constituents per se. If you want to, you can mix some homemade compost within the top layers of the soil every third or fourth month.
– Temperature Requirements
Whether summer or winter, 66 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal range of temperature for this hoya plant, making it so popular as an indoor species.
Below 50 degrees, it begins to suffer from cold damage. Initially, the plant tries to conserve energy by shedding its leaves. You can save it by bringing it inside the house from outdoors.
Even inside, please protect it from cold air drafts, whether from the vents or windows at night. This is because sometimes it will go into extreme dormancy because of cold shock. It will be very difficult for you to revive it back.
– Humidity Requirements
Increased moisture in the air keeps Hoya leaves plump and healthy. You can use a hygrometer to see your house’s humidity levels. Ideally, they need to be more than 60 percent even during the hot summer.
Luckily, you will likely find that your house is humid enough for this Hoya. If it is not, you can easily increase humidity around the plant by yourself. Below, we discuss some humidity-raising methods that our experts swear by.
If you move all your humidity-loving houseplants close together, the air around them will dampen. This is because a sort of greenhouse effect will be created naturally.
The key is that all the plants are watered on time. Just one word of caution: ensure that the airflow around these plants is not compromised. You don’t have to cramp them all in a corner. Some healthy space between each plant is a must.
Furthermore, a pebble tray instantly lifts the humidity levels around the plant. It is placed under the pot, and the evaporating water from it contributes moisture to the air.
It is better to make your own tray than to buy one. Choose any shallow tray with raised edges and fill it with water. You can also put decorative items in the tray to make it look more visually pleasing.
Then place rocks in it over which your pot will rest. These rocks should be the same size to provide an even resting surface.
– Fertilizing Requirements
Your Hoya plant needs monthly fertilizing starting from spring till the bloom period in late summer. Fertilizing is important not only for the overall growth of the plant but also for flowers to bloom.
We think going for a liquid fertilizer is better for this plant. It should be rich in phosphorus and potassium while low in nitrogen. Remember that nitrogen suppresses flowering, whereas phosphorus promotes it.
Here are some fertilizing you must know while caring for this plant.
- Always water the soil and roots before you pour fertilizer on them.
- Diluting the fertilizer to half or one-third of its strength is always a good idea.
- You don’t need to fertilize the soil in the winter.
- Two to three weeks after fertilizing, use lots of water to wash the soil and remove build-up salts.
– Pruning Requirements
This particular Hoya does not like to be pruned a lot. You can prune it lightly in the spring to maintain some shape, but that is it. Of course, any old leaves turning brown or yellow or curling around the edges must be removed regularly.
After the flowering season, deadhead all the flowers and keep them in a vase. They will last a week or two. Meanwhile, deadheading will promote more flowering in the next bloom season. Don’t forget to wear gloves while pruning because the white sap of hoyas causes rashes.
You should repot this plant after two years or more. Unless roots start to grow out of the pot, it is best to leave this plant as it is. It likes being root-bound and will not suffer consequences.
Propagation
The treubiana Hoya is super easy to propagate by yourself at home. This is much better than buying new plants because Hoya treubiana for sale can be too expensive.
There are more than one ways to get new plants from adult ones; we have explained both of them below.
– Leaf Cutting
Leaves of treubiana Hoya have the ability to sprout new roots and shoots when placed in an appropriate growth medium. Find out how to use these leaves for propagation below.
- Choose two to three leaves from a healthy, thriving plant and cut them off along with their stems.
- Take a clean, disinfected knife to make shallow slashes on the undersurface of the leaves. Make three to four slashes, and make sure you involve the veins as well.
- Take a shallow seedling tray and spread a suitable growth medium within it. This medium needs to be slightly damp but not dry nor runny.
- Now, take your slashed leaves and place them over the growth medium. Don’t submerge it too deeply but ensure that the underside is in contact with the moist medium. This is where it will be taking its nutrition from.
- Over six to eight weeks later, roots and shoots will grow from the leaves.
- You will have to wait for one to two months for the plant to grow large enough to be transplanted into separate pots.
– Stem Cutting In Water
The second method is to use a stem cutting from this plant which is best propagated in water.
- Firstly, cut 5 to 6 inches long stems from your plant using a sharp knife. The right cutting needs to have several nodes and at least two leaves still attached to it.
- Fill half of a transparent jar with clean water. Then place the stem within it such that the leaves are above water and the rest of the stem is underneath.
- Cover the jar and move it to a sunny location for the next two months. When new roots and shoots emerge, you can transfer the new plantlet into a pot.
- Every day you should lift the cover off the jar for an hour or two. This is to give your cutting some air to breathe.
- As long as the cutting is within the jar, you will need to change the water weekly.
Problems
Toxicity, watering issues, and pest attacks are often problems with this Hoya species. All of them are easily manageable problems, so carry on reading to find out how to solve them.
– Toxicity
The white sap flowering within treubiana hoya is toxic. During pruning and propagation, it often comes in contact with bare skin. This leads to the development of rashes and allergies. While most of these rashes are mild in nature, severe allergic reactions can develop in certain individuals.
Secondly, keep an eye out for excitable pets and children around this beautiful plant. If they accidentally chew on its leaves and stem, you will have to deal with a severe mouth burn and abdominal cramps.
Giving milk or milk products will help alleviate these symptoms. Occasionally you might have to visit the emergency if a large part of the plant has been chewed on. As for yourself, always wear gloves and full-sleeved shirts before handling this plant.
– Buds Falling Right Before Blooming
Finally, it is flowering time for wax flowers to bloom, and the buds are ready. Suddenly you see them dropping off one by one. Sounds familiar? This means your plant has not been watered properly and is either under or overwatered.
Sadly, there is very little you can do to salvage the falling buds once it starts. However, it is imperative that you figure out why this problem occurred so you can avoid it the next growing season. Below, we will discuss how to differentiate an overwatered plant from an underwatered one.
– Signs of Overwatering
An overwatered Hoya plant will have leaves swollen due to extra water. If you touch it, it will feel mushy instead of firm. Some of the leaves might even be drooping down under the extra weight of water.
A constantly overwatered soil will take a long time to dry. This is because the plant is too saturated to absorb any more water from it. If you lift the pot, it will feel heavier than it should.
– Signs of Underwatering
Underwatered Hoya can easily become parched. Its soil will feel crumbly when touched and the pot very light when lifted. The leaves will be dry and paper-like when touched. Some of them might be curling around the edges and turning yellow.
– Pests: Aphids
Aphids are the most common pests that affect Hoya species, such as Hoya brevialata, Hoya versteegii, and treubiana. They can be of various colors, the most common being green or brown.
They like to hide under stem sheaths and puncture the plant to suck sap. Because they are so tiny, it cannot be easy to see them. Find the classic symptoms of aphid infestation below. A hoya under aphid attack stays asymptomatic for the first three to four weeks. After this, the lack of adequate nutrition causes the leaves to start turning yellow.
Small yellow spots irregular in outline appear over the top surface of the leaves. The leaves might also turn yellow around the edges and curl. A sustained aphid infestation eventually causes your plant to become stunted in growth. Even its flower buds fail to mature, and you will not get to see a bloom.
Wash the plant by keeping it under running water and using a bar of insecticidal soap. When the bulk of the pests has been washed off, allow the plant to dry first. Then take a Q-tip and apply neem oil on leaf spots and stem sheaths.
Another DIY remedy is to make a baking soda and water solution. Spray it on your plant on a weekly basis for one to two months. You can also use commercial insecticides, but we don’t recommend it, especially when you have many natural options available.
Frequently Asked Questions
– Do Hoyas Like Small Pots?
Yes, Hoyas like treubiana and Hoya crassipetiolata like to grow in small pots. This is because these plants prefer root-bound conditions when growing. That is why you can go years without repotting these plants.
However, when you see roots starting to come out of the drainage hole, then definitely time to repot. Choose spring as the time to repot Hoyas. Again, the new pot shouldn’t be much larger than the previous one.
– Should You Mist A Hoya Plant?
You can mist a hoya plant if the air around it is too dry, but it is not an absolute necessity. Misting, if overdone, can lead to the development of fungus on the plant. That is why we suggest you use safer methods like a pebble tray or a humidifier.
Misting should be done before midday and with clean water. Use a small-nozzle spray bottle to mist the plant’s leaves very lightly from a distance. Misting before noon is a safety measure to make water droplets evaporate quickly.
– Should I Bottom Water A Hoya?
Yes, you should water a hoya, especially if top watering does not seem adequate. In order to bottom water a plant, you should fill half a bucket with clean water. Then gently place your pot in this bucket, ensuring only its bottom is submerged in water.
Keep your pot in water until you see the top soil moistening up. For us, this takes about 10 minutes, but it may vary from pot to pot. Once the soil feels moist to touch the surface, take the pot out of the bucket; otherwise, the soil will begin to overwater.
Place the pot over a collecting tray so that any extra water can be drained off. Bottom watering is especially important when trying to revive a dry plant.
Conclusion
We hope this wasn’t too much information for a first-time Hoya keeper. Don’t worry, just keep the following things in mind.
- Water this plant only when the top soil is dry and never before.
- Shaded but brightly lit spots are the most suitable for this plant.
- Fertilize regularly during growing months with a phosphorus-rich and nitrogen-poor fertilizer.
- Hoyas have toxic sap, so wear gloves when pruning or taking cuttings for propagation.
Truebiana, which resembles Hoya meliflua, is super easy and fun to take care of. The way it rewards you for your hard work with its exuberant bloom is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.
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