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Hoya Fungii: Ultimate Care Tips with Buying Guide

Hoya fungii is a decorative semi-succulent plant with dark green velvety leaves and colorful blooms shaped like stars.

Generally, Hoya fungii requires 6-8 hours of dappled light, a warm temperature of 65–75oF, humidity slightly above 50%, and well-draining soil with pH 6.1-7.5 to thrive. Besides, repot them once in 2-3 years, and feed them monthly in the growing season.

Read along to learn the care tips, Hoya fungii for sale, propagation methods, common problems, and effective measures to resolve such issues.

Overview of Hoya Fungii

Hoya fungii, native to China, was first described in 1934. It is unlike other varieties of Hoya with smaller leaves.

It is because of the large dark green leaves with darker vivid veins. Besides, Fungii is a plant that can thrive on slight neglect.

Hoya fungi plant
The genus Hoya has around 500 accepted species.

Let us look more into the Hoya fungii.

IndicatorIdentity
Botanical Name Hoya fungii
Common NameWax Plant
Origin China
Family Apocynaceae
Plant Type Evergreen semi-succulent epiphyte
USDA Zone 9 to 11
Growth Size 15-20 ft
Grown For Foliage and Flower
Foliage TypeEvergreen, slightly oval, dark green, waxy leaves with prominent veins
Blooms Cluster of small white-pinkish flower with deep red center; blooms in warmer temperature
Toxicity Non-toxic to both human and pets
Maintenance Level Easy

Hoya Fungii: Ultimate Grow & Care Guide

You cannot expect your Hoya fungii to thrive in any condition. They have a specific care regimen that you should follow.

Here are the parameters and ideal conditions you must maintain for Fungii.

Parameters Favorable Conditions
Sunlight Medium bright indirect sunlight
Watering Once in a week or 15-20 days in winter
Temperature 50 to 77°F
Humidity 50% or more
Potting Mix Well-draining, chunky, coarse, nutrient rich soil mix
Soil pH6.1 to 7.5
Fertilization Monthly fertilization with nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizer or a balanced fertilizer
Pot Type Terracotta or coconut husk pot, 1-2 inches larger than the rootball

Pruning Prune only dead, damaged, and unmanageable parts
Repotting Once in 2-3 years
Propagation Via stem cuttings and seed germination
Common Pests Mealybugs, Aphids, and Spider mites
Common Diseases Bortyris Blight, Sooty mold, and Root rot

1. Sunlight & Temperature

Hoya fungii adores a plethora of indirect sunlight. Hence, the best location will be an eastern-facing window reflecting morning sunlight.

Provide Hoya fungii with 7-10 hours of dappled light and a temperature between 65-75°F.

But ensure that it does not receive prolonged afternoon or midday sunlight. Harsh sunlight causes yellowing and browning of leaf margins.

Do not deprive them of light, as low light causes drooping and wilting of leaves while reducing the photosynthesis rate.

Cold stress damages plant cells and causes wilting of foliage.

Besides, Hoya needs a slightly warm temperate to bloom. If your plant is experiencing temperature stress, it will likely not bloom.

Tips to Improve Lighting Conditions

  • Avoid direct sunlight and grow them under shades for outdoor settings.
  • Protect your plant from direct rays. You can block them using a light curtain.
  • However, you can keep them within 1-3 feet from a southern or western-facing window.
  • Consider buying frost blankets and heating pads to protect plants from the cold.
  • Rotate the plant once in 10-15 days to obtain balanced growth and avoid bending the plant.

2. Watering & Humidity

Hoya fungii adores soil moisture but remember, they do not like to bathe in a pool of water. I consider watering my Hoyas once the top 2/3 inches of the soil is dry.

So, it would be best to water your Hoya fungii plant once a week in summer and about 15-20 days in winter with 70% humidity.

The most common problem many plant parents face is over-watering. Temperature, pressure, and moisture alter a plant’s watering requirements.

Generally, watering issues result in yellowing, limping, drooping, wilting, and foliage discoloration.

Low humidity brings problems such as shriveling, curling, browning, and crisping leaves. Moreover, microbial infections are the signs of high humidity.

Tips to Water Properly

  • Insert a stick 2-3 inches deep in the soil. If it comes dry, water the plant thoroughly; wait a couple of days for the soil to dry.
  • Use salt-free water, as high salt content damages the plant’s roots.
  • Place a water-filled pebble tray under the pot or use a room humidifier.
  • Constantly water the plants thoroughly until the drainage holes do not run out.
  • Mist your Hoya frequently during summer.

Tips to Maintain Ideal Humidity for Hoya Fungii

  • The most effective method to maintain high humidity is using an electric humidifier. It is slightly costly compared to other ways; however, it is always best to invest in a humidifier if you own many plants.
  • Mist leaves in a frequency of 3-4 days in the morning. Avoid misting of leaves during the evening and at night.
  • Next, you can group your plants. But, I do not generally opt for this method as it increases the chances of spreading pests and diseases.
  • Alternatively, you can use the wet pebble tray method. It maintains humidity as the water in the tray evaporates.
  • Similarly, place the plant in the kitchen and bathroom as the humidity is naturally high.
Spray water to your plants for increasing humidity
Spray water to your plants for increasing humidity (Source: Pexels)

3. Soil & Fertilization

You need a suitable base for your Hoya to thrive best. Avoid using regular garden soil or any other soil that retains high moisture for extended periods.

Consider using fast-draining, coarse, chunky, nutrition-rich soil with pH 6.1-7.5 for Hoya fungii that retains optimal water while draining the rest.

If you seek commercial mixes, use any cacti, succulent mixes, and orchids combined in equal portions.

A balanced fertilizer with 10-10-10 or a blooming fertilizer rich in phosphorous like 7-9-5 is best for Hoya fungii.

Is your Hoya fungii dull, leggy, discolored, wilted, and drooped? Well, it is plausible that the plant lacks nutrients.

Tips to Provide Soil & Fertilization Properly

  • Water the plant before fertilizing them as it enhances better nutrition absorption.
  • Always dilute the strength to 1/4th or half before using them.
  • Fertilize the plant only during the growing season. Avoid fertilization during winter.
  • If you want an ideal soil mix for Hoya fungii, mix orchid mix, perlite, coco coir, coarse sand, and organic compost in the 1:1:1/2:1/3:1/3 ratio.
  • Use Indoor Plant Food to feed your plant.

4. Potting and Repotting

You do not want waterlogged soil around your Hoya roots. Hence, avoid using a large pot as it takes longer for water to dry up.

Also, do not get stuck to a smaller pot as it chokes your Hoya fungii roots. I use a 1-2 inches larger pot than its root ball.

A plant is growing over a plastic cup
Use a terracotta or coconut husk pot, especially a hanging one.

Hoya fungii loves to be slightly root bound so that you can repot your plant once in 2-3 years.

The symptoms include roots poking out of drainage holes, yellowing, limping, and drooping of foliage, smaller-sized newer leaves, and stunted growth.

Steps to Repot Hoya Fungii

  • Water your plant thoroughly for 8-10 hours before repotting to enhance the root structure and help it adjust to a new environment.
  • Take a clean pot about 1-2 inches larger than the older pot.
  • Soak them in vinegar for 30 minutes if you use an older pot. Afterward, rinse and dry it.
  • Now, uproot the plant from the older pot and inspect for signs of root rot.
  • Then, layer a few pebbles followed by soil. Place the plant at the center of the pot.
  • Next, fill the remaining space with the fresh potting mix.
  • Water the plant thoroughly and leave it in a bright space.

The plant might limp and droop for a few days due to transplant shock. If you provide a favorable environment, it will revive naturally within a few days.

5. Rare Pruning

You can consider pruning its dead, damaged, infested foliage or stems. Do not let dead and damaged parts imbibe the plant’s energy.

The major pests and diseases affecting the growth of Hoya fungii are mealybugs, aphids, spider mites, Sooty molds, and root rots.

They cause stunted growth, curling, wilting of foliage, and mushy or black roots.

The Hoya fungii flower originates from peduncles protruding from the same stem junction yearly, so you need to be cautious while pruning them.

Thus, I recommend not pruning flowers until they stop blooming completely.

Additionally, you need pruning equipment such as a shear, basket, gloves, and trowels.

Tips to Prevent Pests & Diseases

  • To prevent the spread to other plants, quarantine your Hoya fungii.
  • Spray your Hoya with fungicide twice a year.
  • Another effective way is applying neem oil, insecticidal soaps, and horticultural oils to the entire plant.
  • Use clean, fresh well-draining potting mix.
  • Do not overhead water and mist the leaves at night.

Is Hoya Fungii Toxic?

According to ASPCA, most Hoya varieties are non-toxic to humans and pets. So, you can consider Hoya fungii non-toxic.

Let your children and pets play around the plant without fear, including the Hoya fungii splash.

However, be careful of its milky sap as it might irritate. Besides that, there is nothing to be afraid of, Hoya fungii.

Additionally, overconsumption of Fungii by your pets and children may discomfort them. In such a case, contact Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435.

Hoya Fungii – All About the Growth Rate

The Fungii is a beginner-friendly twining, compacted vining plant with semi-succulent characteristics.

It grows moderately to fast depending on the environment where you grow them.

And due to the growth rate, Hoya fungii reaches about 20 feet (6m) or more in the wild. However, you can expect it to grow almost 12 feet in an enclosed environment.
Fungii in a hanging basket
The Hoya fungii flower is similar to that of Hoya carnosa in pinkish-white patterns with a deep red center.

This plant encompasses oval-shaped, velvety, fuzzy, and green, with darker green veins and flecks. The leaves can reach about 9-16cm in length.

Besides, the Hoya fungii flowers are fragrant and small, growing in clusters forming a semi-spherical shape.

These flowers make Hoya plants look like a mophead Hydrangea, and the dense and waxy nature of the bloom makes it look like finely sculpted porcelain.

Also, the Hoya fungii flower smells sweet, like vanilla or chocolate, during the flowering season in the warmer months.

Meanwhile, Hoyas bloom from the mid-spring till summer (April to June).

Although Hoya fungii bloom takes 5 to 7 years to come out for the first time, you can get it to bloom quicker by maintaining the growing condition.

Propagation Method for Hoya Fungii

Propagating Hoya fungii is not a difficult task at all. You can quickly grow Hoya from seed or through cuttings. But the most preferred is cutting for faster growth.

Meanwhile, the best time to propagate Hoya fungii is spring or summer when the plant is actively growing.

1. Propagating Hoya Fungii via Stem Cuttings

One of the favorite methods of propagating Fungii is stem cuttings. This method is relatively more straightforward, faster, convenient, and successful.

Here are the steps to follow for stem propagation of Fungii.

  • Inspect for a healthy stem free from diseases and pest infestation.
  • Now, divide the mature stem strand into as many cuttings as you like with sterilized equipment. But ensure each cutting is 3-4 inches and has at least two nodes and 2-3 leaves. 
  • Leave the cuttings in the air for callous formation for several hours.
  • You can use rooting hormones or cinnamon powder to enhance rooting and prevent bacterial and fungal growth. But, the step is entirely optional.
  • Now, you can propagate the cuttings either in water or in soil.
  • Simply insert the cuttings in the soil such that one node is inside the soil. Water the plant thoroughly and leave it in a brightly lit space.
  • For water propagation, take a clean jar filled with water. Dip the cuttings in the water and watch the roots sprout.
  • Also, ensure to change the water in 4-5 days.

2. Propagating Hoya via Seed Germination

Pro growers use the Hoya fungii seed to obtain hybridized species, as all seeds have different characteristics.

Here are the steps to propagate Fungii via seed germination.

  • Fill a seedling tray or shallow container with a seed starter mix with a layer of peat moss.
  • Spray water on top of the seeds. It helps prevent the flying away of seeds and seeds to peat moss.
  • Now, you can create a greenhouse effect for faster germination.
  • Otherwise, leave it in a warm, humid area and bright space.
  • You can see the seeds sprouting within a week.

Hoya Fungii Vs. Hoya Carnosa

It is quite right to get confused between Hoya fungii and Hoya carnosa. They look so similar that some vendors sell them under the same name.

The most identifiable feature of them is their flowers. The Hoya fungii flower might be slightly larger than Carnosa’s, but the difference is insignificant.
A comparison between Hoya fungii and Hoya carnosa
The Fungii has a more pronounced vein than Carnosa.

Moreover, inspect their leaves. The leaf of Hoya fungii is broader and slightly round, whereas that of Carnosa is narrow and slightly pointed at the tips.

Similarly, the veins of Fungii are more prominent compared to Carnosa.

Hoya Fungii For Sale

After learning all the tips and care methods for Fungii, you are ready to bring the plant to your collection.

A few portals have placed Hoya fungii for sale in an affordable range and with delivery services. Have a look!

Places to Buy Delivery
My Home Nature2-8 days
Glass House Work4-12 weeks
Amazon7-10 days
Canopy Plant5-7 days

From Editorial Team

Conclusion!

Hoya fungii is non-toxic, low-maintenance, and one of the best plants for new and pet owners.

Just check in its light, water, nutrition, and humidity requirements, and it will blossom, spreading beauty to your space.

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