Step By Step Hoya Plant Propagation- All Methods You Need To Know!

Do you love Hoya plants that are in your home garden and want to increase their number?

Then do not waste your money by purchasing a new one. You can try propagating it! It is an easy task to propagate Hoya plants at home. You are at the right place to know everything about propagating this beautiful plant.

Hoya plants are one of the most beautiful flowering houseplants that grab our attention. Did you know?

These beautiful plants can be easily grown and can be propagated easily and the interesting thing is that these plants can be propagated both in water, soil and in some other mediums that we are going to discuss further in this article. There are four methods for propagating these hoya plants and in this article, I am going to discuss the methods of propagation, potting the newly propagated Hoya plant after the propagation in detail. So, let’s begin!

What inside this?

Hoya plant propagation

It is an easy and interesting task to propagate a hoya plant. The only thing you need is to select how to propagate because there are various methods to propagate Hoya plants.

Hoyas are excellent plants to select if you are an enthusiast to propagate. The vining property of the plants makes the root grow faster which makes the propagation faster, easier, and more interesting.

Many gardeners prefer to propagate it not only because it is easy but because it is cost-free. Generally, Hoya plants are propagated in 4 methods, using leaf cuts, stem cuts, layering, and sowing seeds of the plant. However, the plant can be grown in different mediums. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss all the methods of propagation in different mediums. But, before that, you need to know the best time to propagate Hoya plants!

Best time to propagate Hoya plants

Always propagate the Hoya plants in their growing season because it helps in successful propagation and for the newly propagated plant to grow faster. Thus it becomes the best time for propagation. Usually, the Hoya plants grow well in the early spring to the late summer. After that, the growth slows down. Hoya plants stop their growth for a while in winter. So, do not plan to propagate these plants in the Winter season.

The materials to use while propagating Hoya plants:

Well-draining soil mix.
Best quality pot with at least 4-inch height, prefer a clay pot or a terracotta pot that allows the soil to dry quickly.
Make sure that the pot has an excellent drainage system.
Sterilized sharp scissors to make any cuttings.
Rooting hormone.

Methods of Hoya plant propagation

There are many methods for propagating these Hoya plants. You can select any of the below according to your convenience.

1. Propagating Hoya plants through seeds

One of the easiest ways of propagating Hoya plants is propagation through seeds. Hoya produces pods that contain seeds. You can collect them for propagation or buy them in the market. But, this method takes a long time to produce a new plant.

You should prefer this method only if you do not have a matured Hoya plant to collect the cuttings from because you need to provide more care and attention to the sown seeds to germinate and produce new plants. It is a time-consuming process, but if you would like to go with this, then follow the steps given below for propagating!

Step 1: Firstly prepare the best soil mix for sowing the seeds. It is better to mix soil, sand perlite, horticultural charcoal, and orchid bark to make it well-drained. Fill the selected pot with this mixture.

Step 2: Collect the seeds of your (or any other) hoya plant. Select the ripened seeds for propagating. You need to just pick out the pods from the plant, just before starting the process, as it helps the seeds to germinate and grow faster.

Step 3: Now, sow the seed in the soil mix, at a depth of ½ to 1 inch. The number of sowing seeds depends on the width of your pot. Leave at least a 3 inches gap between the two seeds. Water it thoroughly and let the soil wet to allow the root growth.

That’s it, you have completed sowing seeds. It takes a minimum of 4-5 weeks for the root growth. Later you can observe the new plant and this plant might take a quite long time, up to 3-4 years to bloom.

2. Propagation of hoya plant through leaf cuttings

Propagation through leaf cuttings is another process for propagating the Hoya plants that sometimes may not work. Also, some species of the Hoya plant cannot be propagated by this method. But, it is easy and will not cause much stress to the mature mother plant. So, let us know the process step by step.

Step 1: Using sharp scissors, cut a healthy leaf with the petiole of a mature Hoya plant. It is better to take the leaf-cutting at the bottom of the plant. Also, take at least 5-6 leaf cuttings to increase the chance of success. Without a petiole, the leaves do not produce roots quickly as the leaf with a petiole does. Fill the pot with the soil mix, as is said in the above method.

Step 2: This step is an optional one. If the cutting is dipped into the rooting hormone, there are more chances for successful propagation. However, leaf-cutting without dipping into the rooting hormone can also produce a new Hoya plant.

Step 3: Poke the petioles of the leaves into the soil mix at an angle of 45 degrees with a gap between any two cuttings, to allow the root growth.

It may take some time about 6-7 weeks for a leaf cutting to grow roots. You do not need to be attentive and provide more care for it, normal caring is enough. But, the success rate is low in this process.

3. Propagation of Hoya plants through stem cuttings

Propagating a Hoya through stem cutting is also an easy method, but what makes it a better process is the success rate is high when compared to the above two methods. If yours is a well-grown Hoya plant and you like to increase the number of it then try this method. Let us know this method in detail.

Step 1: The main step of this method is to select the best stem to cut. Take a stem of the plant which is in contact with the main stem that has at least 4-5 inch height.

Step 2: Now remove all the leaves at the bottom of the stem. As said in the above method, it is better to dip the stem cutting in the rooting hormone to encourage root growth.

Step 3: Take the pot filled with suitable soil mix. Moist the soil before you put the stem cutting into it. Now, gently plant the stem cutting into the wet soil mix and make sure to maintain the wetness in the soil mix for the following week to encourage root growth.

Step 4: Place the pot in bright but indirect sunlight. Because direct sunlight may dry the stem cutting.

General care is enough to propagate the Hoya plant from stem cuttings. It will not take much time to see the plant growth when compared with the above methods.

4. Propagating Hoya plants by layering

Last but not the least, Layering is another method for propagating the Hoya plants. It is the fastest method for propagating plants. But it needs more care and attention than the other process. Experienced ones can do it better.

Step 1: Prepare the pot for the process by filling the suitable soil mix that we have discussed. Water the soil to encourage root growth.

Step 2: Select a healthy stem that is attached to the mother stem for the layering process. Prefer the stem which is at the bottom of the plant to make the process easy.

Step 3: Gently bend the stem until it comes in contact with the soil mix in the pot we have arranged. Now, using hairpins, support the stem to be in the same position. Placing a small rock on the stem can also help the stem to stay in contact with the Hedo and not break the stem from the mother plant during the process.

After a few days, the roots start to grow from the stem, and then you can cut it off from the mother plant. Provide enough care for the newly propagated plant until it starts growing normally.

There is another method in layering called Air layering.

Propagating hoya plants by Air layering

Even in this process, you need to select a healthy stem at the bottom that is in contact with the main stem to start the process because the bottom stems produce roots faster and assure the success of propagation. Make a wound to the stem and cover the wound with sphagnum and wrap the whole thing with a plastic cover and support it with floral ties. This will help to maintain the humidity of the root growth.

That’s it! You have completed. You can see the root growth after a few days, through the plastic wrap if it is transparent. Later you can transfer the newly propagated plant to the pot you have filled with the soil mix.

Hoya plant propagation in different mediums!

Hoya plants can be propagated and survived in different mediums. We know that these plants can be grown in soil and water. But they can be propagated in sphagnum and perlite. Let us know how to propagate them in different mediums in detail!

1. Propagation of Hoya plants in water

Growing Hoya plants in water is the easiest way of propagation. But in this medium, you can propagate the hoya plants using only stem cuttings. You do not need to clean all the messy dirt like you do if you use soil for the propagation. The oxygen content present in the water helps the root growth. To maintain the plant in water, you have to change the water regularly and provide bright indirect light for the plant.

To propagate the Hoya plant in water, you need to take a clean jar or a container that is suitable for planting. Then cut a stem of the Hoya plant which has at least 5-10 inches with sterilized sharp scissors. Remove all the lower leaves of the stem and make sure that there are no leaves for at least 2-3 inches from the bottom of the stem to dip it in the water. Leave 5-6 leaves at the top of the stem to encourage propagation.

Now if you wish, you can apply liquid rooting hormone at the bottom of the cutting to boost the root growth. Fill the jar with tap water to avoid bacterial growth in it. After that gently dip the stem in the water. In just 3-5 weeks you can observe the root growth.

2. Propagation of Hoya plants in soil

Propagating the Hoya plant in soil is one of the best and most used processes. Because the success rate is high. You don’t need to be so cautious if you propagate the plant in soil. But, in the beginning, you need to moisten the soil until the roots start to grow. Choose only well-draining soil mix and don’t let it waterlogged to prevent root rot.

As we have discussed how to propagate the hoya plant in the soil medium (methods of hoya plant propagation), now let us know some other mediums to propagate Hoya plants.

3. Propagation of Hoya plants in perlite

Propagating in perlite is another good and easy way to propagate Hoya plants. But you need to transplant the rooted or newly propagated Hoya to a pot of soil mix.

You might be thinking “then why should I propagate it in perlite instead of directly propagating in the soil mix?”, right? Let me tell you why!

Perlite helps in allowing air passage to the stem cutting which results in fast root growth and prevents root rot. Like water propagation, this medium also allows only propagation through stem cuttings. Let us know how to propagate the stem cutting in perlite in detail.

Step 1: Take a wide plastic container that is slightly bigger than the length of the stem cutting.

Step 2: Add the perlite about an inch in height and add some water to soak the perlite. Leave it for a few minutes. Then drain the excess water. Now remove the bottom leaves of the cutting and place them in the damp perlite. Make sure that the leaves and other parts of the stem (except an inch at the bottom) have not been buried in the perlite.

Step 3: Cover the whole container with plastic wrap to maintain the moisture. Place it in a bright warm place that does not get direct sunlight.

Within a few weeks, you can see the root growth.

4. Propagation of Hoya plants in sphagnum

Sphagnum moss is another medium that allows the stem cutting of the Hoya plant to be propagated into a new Hoya plant. This one is also an easy process of propagating. Firstly take a small pot of sphagnum and place the stem cutting into it. Mist it always to keep the sphagnum wet. This medium helps in the aeration of the roots and prevents root rot.

Transplanting newly propagated Hoya plants

Generally, it takes at least a few weeks to observe the root growth in any method you need to wait until the plant produces roots with at least 2-3 cm. I have mentioned an average period of root growth in every method, after that period check the roots if they are ready to be transplanted then gently remove the plant from the pot and you can transplant it to another pot that has enough space for the root growth and filled with suitable soil mix. Slightly water the newly transplanted pot.

Caring for the newly propagated Hoya plants

There are some care tips you need to follow to keep the newly propagated plant healthy and boost its growth which are:

Sunlight is responsible for the growth of plants. So, provide indirect bright sunlight to the newly propagated Hoya plant.
Provide adequate water to the plant. Let the soil be slightly wet always.
If the growing medium of your plant is water, change it every 2-3 days to avoid root rot.
Let the plant be at room temperature and humidity levels. That is 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit and 40-50% of humidity.
Fertilize your plant a few weeks after the transplantation to encourage its growth.

Conclusion

Hoya plants are beautiful plants and can be maintained with low care. This makes the gardener of these plants increase their number. Also, these plants can be propagated easily. In this article, we have discussed all the methods to propagate Hoya plants and different mediums that can be used to propagate these plants. The care tips I have mentioned will help you to maintain your newly propagated Hoya plant healthy. So, follow this article whenever you plan to propagate hoya plants.

I hope you like this article, if you have any doubts, please feel free to comment down below, and don’t forget to share this article with your friends and family!

Author

Purnima
She is a Forestry and Agriculture graduate with over two years of experience in designing, planting, and maintaining an indoor plant and herb garden. She is an evergreen plant lover and plant parent.
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