Hoya Imbricata: Where to Buy, and Care Tips

Hoya imbricata is a unique wax plant with large, silver-splashed leaves if provided with proper care.

With the below-mentioned guidance and help, your Hoya will be healthy and thrive without any problems.

Hoya Imbricata Overview

Do you know? Hoya imbricata is a secure sanctuary for ants, which guards the plant against other insects and provides nutrients and more!

Indonesia and the Philippines are home to Hoya imbricata. It grows wild, clinging to the trunks and huge branches of trees like mango and breadfruit for support.

It’s a one-of-a-kind Hoya because of its gorgeous, bowl-shaped leaves, which may grow up to 25 cm in diameter.

Go through the table below to know some facts about this rare plant.

Hoya Imbricata for Sale

Although the Hoya imbricata is expensive, it is a rare catch to add to your collection. 

Get your hands on this unique plant through various online shops mentioned below.

Hoya Imbricata: Care Guide

Caring for Hoya imbricata can be intimidating due to its challenging climber nature.

The table below includes Hoya imbricata’s care and upkeep requirements in brief:

1. Sunlight & Temperature

Direct exposure to sunlight damages the Hoya’s foliage.

All per its requirements, an east-facing window will be the ideal location for your Hoya imbricata to thrive.

Direct sunlight can make your Hoya imbricata suffer from dry, brown, and scorched leaves.

Place your Hoya at least 3 to 6 feet away from the window to avoid sun damage.

 Moreover, the plant cannot withstand extreme cold and will suffer from curled-up and droopy leaves, yellow leaves, plant rigidity loss, and wilting.

Tips for Ensuring Optimum Lighting & Temperature

• To avoid direct exposure to sunlight, use sheer curtains to drape in the window.
• Give your plant 7-14 hours of grow lights or fluorescent tubes, which maintain optimum sunlight and warm temperature.
• A south-facing window is not the best option because Hoya imbricata cannot tolerate bright, direct sunshine.
• In the summer, mist the plant frequently leaves to minimize transpiration and use a suitable heating pad or insulation to avoid cold stress.
• It would be best never to place plants directly over or below a heat source. A fireplace, air conditioning, and artificial lighting are among them.

2. Watering & Humidity

The plant is epiphytic with succulent foliage. It indicates that the plant has smaller roots and is less reliant on the soil nutrients for survival.

Ensure to water your plant once a week during the summer and spring. However, in the winter, you can slow the watering frequency.

Similarly, it performs best when humidity is at least 60%. It thrives in this environment and produces vibrantly colored leaves.

Hydrate your Hoya more frequently if you position your plant near the window and dry air circulation.

Your plant is prone to be overwatered and shows signs of yellow leaves, stunted growth, soft and spongy stems, and root rot.

Tips to Maintain Optimum Watering & Humidity

• Do not water until the top 2 inches of soil are completely dry. You can use a soil moisture sensor to assess the soil moisture.
•  During the growth season (spring and summer), misting of the leaves often increases the humidity and prevents underwatering signs, but never mist if your Hoya is blooming.
• Consider laying the pot with drainage holes on a pebble tray filled with water to wet the soil for a severely dry plant.
• Installing an electric humidifier to enhance humidity when maintained indoors artificially is also a good idea.
• You can use tap water to hydrate your Hoya imbricata; however, leave the water in an open container for 24 hours to allow contaminants like chlorine and fluorine to evaporate.

3. Soil & Fertilization

Hoya imbricata prefers moist, well-draining soil with a pH of 5.1-7.5, which allows air and oxygen to move freely.

You can create a similar potting mix by adding one-third peat, one-third perlite, and one-third orchid mixture.

Alternatively, oyster shells or crushed eggshells are suitable for creating alkaline soil.

Organic fertilizers are favored over synthetic fertilizers since they are generated from plants or animals and are slowly absorbed by the plant.

Inorganic fertilizers are mineral-based and tend to be fast-acting. Thus, the concentration is halved before utilization.

During the active growth seasons, summer and spring, fertilize your Hoya imbricata once a month. Never fertilize your plant in winter.

You might buy a commercial potting mix and fertilizers containing macro and micronutrients. Here are some of the commercial recommendations.

4. Potting and Repotting

Hoya imbricata is accustomed to growing epiphytically, so it doesn’t mind being root-bound.

Similarly, your Hoya imbricata will be happy in terracotta, plastic pots, or clay pots when making a potting choice.

Likewise, using a plastic container with openings on the sides and the bottom is possible. It allows water to leave more efficiently and improves airflow.

Additionally, while repotting, you should find a pot about 2 inches bigger than the one you’re using now.

Step-by-Step Guide on Repotting Hoya Imbricata

• While removing the plant from the pot, you can turn it upside down and place your palm over the top of the container to remove the plant instead of pulling it out.
• Cut off any roots that have grown outside of the rootball’s core. Pruning the Hoya imbricata’s older roots will help it thrive in its new container.
• Add a foundation layer of soil before placing the new plant inside to give the roots more room to develop.
• After that, gently transplant the Hoya imbricata into a larger container and keep watering and fertilizing.

5. Occasional Pruning

Trim your Hoya occasionally as it reaches a maximum width and is invaded by pests and pathogens.

You can get rid of any brown or dead stems. If your plant’s stems are thick, you can leave them alone, wind them around a trellis, or cut them down to a node.

However, avoid cutting the peduncle, which is the inflorescence’s base. Year after year, the flower will bloom in this spot.

The common pests of Hoya are Mealybugs, Aphids, and Spider mites. However, you can control them with neem oil, insecticidal soaps, and horticultural oils.

Similarly, curling, wilting, yellowing of leaves, and general reduced development are symptoms of aphid infestations in Hoya imbricata.

Likewise, use Mancozeb and Neem oil to inhibit the growth of pathogens like Botrytis cinerea and Phytophthora infestans.

Tips to Prune Hoya Imbricata

• Before pruning your plant, let the flowers fall off rather than remove the spurs or peduncles.
•  Hoya imbricata that is up to 10 ft long should be pruned.
• Trim the node that is somewhat less than the desired length.
• Then, remove one-third of the plant’s leaves from the vine. Your plant’s branches and sprouts new growth from the point.

Hoya Imbricata: All About Growth 

Hoya imbricata is an epiphytic plant with long, thin climbing stems that cling to tree trunks and branches.

Moreover, Hoya imbricata is a slow grower and can mature within 3 or more years. It may attain a size of 10-12 feet.

It climbs trees in its native environment, but many gardeners maintain it in hanging baskets since the long stems look great draped downwards.

Additionally, it has enormous succulent, plate-like leaves that grasp the vertical surfaces they grow, reaching from around 2 inches to over 10 inches in diameter.

The calyx, corona, and corolla are the main elements of the Hoya imbricata flower, which blooms in the Spring and Summer. They grow in umbels, flower clusters that expand from the center to produce a curved or flat-top surface.

Toxicity of Hoya Imbricata

Not only is Hoya imbricata a rare tropical plant, but it is also non-toxic to humans and animals.

However, if you’re using synthetic pesticides on your plant, don’t forget their toxicity. And their consumption by pets and children can result in vomiting and other serious health hazards like headache and dizziness.

According to ASPCA, Hoya imbricata is non-toxic to animals, but if your pets and toddlers overconsume them and get symptomized, you can contact the ASPCA helpline number (888) 426-4435.

Hoya Imbricata Propagation

Many gardeners prefer the herbaceous stem-cutting method due to its success rate and propagation using the following steps.

• Firstly, trim a 2 to 6-inch long stem below a node with sterilized equipment.
• Then, pluck half or two-thirds of the leaves and flowers from the stem and dip the stem in the rooting hormone to facilitate root growth.
• The rooting mix in the container must be moist and well-drained. Then, place the stem hole and surround the rooting blend in it.
• Cover the pot with a plastic bag, but don’t wrap it too tightly.

Check out the below video to know more about Hoya Propagation.

To root Hoya in water, simply put the stem cut in clean water. But don’t submerge the leaves fixed with the stem, as they support the fungal rot.

Similarly, put the jar in 3-6 hours of indirect, bright sunlight and wait for the roots.

Change the water every 2-3 days to obtain the best results.

However, Summer & Spring are the best seasons to propagate Hoya.

Hoya Imbricata vs. Dischidia

Despite the similarity of imbricata & dischidia, we can pinpoint a few differences between these beauties.

Regarding their green leaves, dischidia is filled with little heart-shaped leaves that grow on both sides of the slender trailing stalks, whereas your imbricata leaves have a waxy texture with silver-splashed leaves that are quite spherical.

While you might have repeatedly encountered Hoya imbricata as an indoor plant, you’ll notice that dischidia is not so popular in indoor plants.