Hoya Krimson Queen Care [Propagation & Buying Guide]

Jungle-dwelling Hoya Krimson Queen makes a majestic lush Hoya variety with tricolored leaves if provided with proper tropical upkeeping.

So, jot down the basics behind Hoya Krimson Queen care and learn how to propagate and buy this regal variety!

Hoya Krimson Queen Overview

Do you know Hoya Krimson Queen boasts tricolor variegation in its leaves?

Hence, the plant is botanically named Hoya Carnosa ‘Tricolor,’ hinting at the leaf colors.

The three colors are green, pale white, and pink, but you can only see pink in young leaves. 

But, as the plant matures, you can see many additional features, glorifying its beauty even more.

Let’s see some overview of Hoya Krimson Queen below.

Hoya Krimson Queen Care and Growing Guide

Since Hoyas are tropical plants, they need more warmth, with moist soil, bordering tropical temperature, and adequate lighting.

So, let’s look through Hoya Krimson Queen care requirements in detail.

1. Sunlight & Temperature

The tropical habit of Hoya dictates it to remain under the dappled sunlight below the canopy of the forest.

Additionally, this filtered sunshine also governs the surrounding temperature.

However, the plant hates light overexposure but loves intermittent shade during spring and summer afternoons.

Intense light also spikes the surrounding temperature, which severely dehydrates the plant.

There are some common signs that the plant shows when it receives too much or too low light and temperature.

Extreme Light and Temperature Problems

• Droopy leaves and vines
• Fading leaf color (yellow to brown)
• Crispy brown leaf tips and edges
• Dry soil and shriveled roots

Low Light and Temperature Problems

• Extensive legginess of vines
• Smaller and fewer leaves
• Yellow leaves followed by dropouts
• Dull variegation in leaves

Tips for Proper Light and Temperature

• Locate the plant near an east-facing window or 3-5 feet from a window receiving southern sun exposure.
• Use sheer curtains to protect the delicate young leaves of the plant from extreme sunlight.
• Cover the plants using frost blankets in winter when the temperature drops below 50°F.
• Keep the plant away from north-facing windows and heating or cooling vents to avoid temperature fluctuations.
• During heat spells, cool down the plant by misting its leaves every 1-3 days.
• Situate the plant about 6-12 inches away from grow lights for 10-12 hours to supplement extra light boost during fall and winter. 

2. Watering & Humidity

Hoya Krimson Queen needs moderate indoor humidity to make it feel at home.

Generally, Hoya leaves are somewhat semi-succulent and drought-tolerant, retaining moisture. So, it can forgo water for quite a time. 

Although it’s better to underwater the plant than to overwater it, less soil water and humidity can affect the roots, leaves, and overall flowering and growth.

However, overwatering causes Hoya to cave in due to permanent damage to the roots. 

Overwatering and High Humidity Symptoms

• Black and mushy roots
• A foul or fishy stench from the soil
• Floppy and yellow leaves
• Browning of petioles
• Leaf curls and drops

Underwatering and Low Humidity Symptoms

• Progressive discoloring of leaves
• Leaf tips and margins turn brittle and brown
• Wilting leaves and stems
• Parched potting soil and frazzled roots
• Irregular flowering frequency

Tips for Proper Watering and Humidity

• Keep the overwatered plant in full sunlight for a few hours to dry up the soil.
• Discard the rotting roots using sterilized pruners and keep the healthy ones intact.
• Check the top 1-2 inches of soil for dryness before watering the plant.
• Toss the stagnant water from the pot plate following each watering bout.
• Reduce watering to every 1-2 weeks in fall and winter.
• Use a humidity tray to sustain the ambient moisture levels.

3. Soil & Fertilizer

Hoyas are epiphytes with modified roots for attaching themselves to the trunks of other tall trees or rocky substrates.

They also naturally absorb the nutrients from decaying matter. Hence, require less nourishment than other houseplants.

Heavy soil (clay) can cease root growth, so you must offer well-draining soil for the plant.

If the soil gets old, it will slowly lose all its minerals due to drainage, making the plant nutrient deficient.

However, too much fertilizer use can injure the roots and leaves. So, well-timed seasonal feed is essential to keep the plant’s growth in check.

Overfertilization Symptoms

• Brown and crumbly leaf tips and fringes
• Accumulation of mineral salts on the soil’s surface
• Withering and blackening of roots due to mineral burn

Under-fertilization Symptoms

• Leaf color change (yellow, brown, or purple) due to lack of NPK
• Frail undersized vines and leaves
• Impoverished root system
• Irregular blooming and fewer flowers

Tips for Appropriate Soil and Fertilizer

• Add perlite or coarse sand to make the soil leaky if the plant is sitting in heavy soil.
• Drain the potting mix 4-5 times monthly with distillate water to leach out stockpiled salts.
• Hydrate the soil before feeding the plant to percolate the minerals deeper in the soil, around the roots.
• Dilute the fertilizer to the required concentration before applying it.
• Perforate the topsoil to make it fluffy, and use terracotta pots with drainage holes to encourage moisture percolation. 

4. Recurrent Pruning

Hoyas are vining plants that quickly become fleecy. Their long vines escape out from the containers as the plant grows.

Moreover, fuzzy growth means more chances of pest and disease outbreaks, as the underbrush provides a great hiding place for them.

Some common pests of Hoyas include aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, and scales that hide and lay eggs under the leaves and slowly suck away all the sap.

Further, diseases like stem/root rot caused by botrytis blight and soil-dwelling fungi are commonly witnessed during improper watering conditions.

If the plant becomes infected, you can abolish the damaged foliage and keep the healthy ones.

Tips to Prune Hoya Krimson Queen

• Make angular cuts just above a leaf node to keep the leggy vines in check.
• Remove the old or diseased leaves by snipping them at the base.
• Remove the entire vine and leaves if a vine is poorly growing or infested.
• Isolate the diseased or pest-infested plant from the healthy plants to prevent the disease’s spread.
• Cast the pests using short but intense blasts of water from the leaves, petioles, and stems.
• Dab the pests with q-tips dipped in neem oil or employ cotton swabs to wipe away the pathogenic spores and pest eggs.
• Avoid open wounds while pruning or repotting to block the entry of pathogens and pests inside the plants.

5. Minimal Repotting

Hoyas have a slow growth rate, so they rarely become root bound, but once the roots face discomfort, they pop out from the drainage holes.

Additionally, early spring or summer is the appropriate time to repot Hoyas when it’s actively growing.

• Hydrate the soil for 1-2 days before repotting to remove it easily from the pot.
• You can make the pot upside down and tap gently on the base to get the plant out of the pot.
• Or, you can pull out the plant by grabbing it from the base of the stem above the topsoil.
• Place a layer of pebbles at the bottom of a new pot to increase the drainage. 
• Fill the planter about 1/3rd with fresh potting mix. Before planting, check for diseased roots and cut away any.
• After, hold the plant in the center of the pot, spread its roots, and then add soil from the sides to fill up the pot about an inch below the brim.
• Place the plant in bright indirect sunlight and give it a few weeks to recover.  

Growth Rate of Hoya Krimson Queen 

Hoya Krimson Queen is a perennial, epiphytic plant with long, greenish-red vines bestowed with lush, variegated, and almost-oval leaves.

The tricolored leaves of the plant are its hallmark, usually glistening with green and yellow splashes.

However, in young Hoyas, the leaves have a light-pink to reddish tinge, but the plant gain variegated yellow and green leaves as it matures.

But in in-home care, the vines can only get about 60-80 inches long.

Furthermore, the plant grows throughout the spring and summer but becomes dormant in fall and winter.

Before stepping into dormancy, the plant begets semi-globose bloom clusters at the top of the flowering spur.

Each cluster has 10-40 starry creamy or white fuzzy flowers with a bright red corona.

The flowers give off a sweet aroma, with a drop of nectar hanging from the petal to attract pollinators. 

Following pollination, the flowers are replaced by oval capsules or fruits containing many seeds.

Is Hoya Krimson Queen Toxic?

Fortunately, there are no fatal side effects if you or your pet accidentally touch Hoyas.

However, the plant’s milky sap may cause light rashes on contact with the skin, causing probable allergic reactions.

Children and curious pets may also chew and swallow the plant parts, leading to choking hazards. 

Although not fatal, it’s best to keep the plant away from children and wrap a cone around your pet’s neck to keep them from nibbling the plant parts.

Also, remember to wash your hands immediately after grooming or repotting the plant.

In case of choking hazards, seek medical attention immediately by registering an emergency in the following helplines. 

• Animal Poison Control Center (ASPCA): (888) 426-4435
• National Capital Poison Center: (800) 222-1222

Hoya Krimson Queen Propagation

Propagation ensures healthy baby plants and a quicker way to get mature Hoya plants than germination.

Moreover, you can propagate the cutting by rooting them in water and then transplanting them into the soil.

Propagating Via Stem Cuttings in Water

• Select healthy stem cuttings about 4-5 inches long and remove all the lower leaves to expose the leaf nodes.
• Keep at least 2 leaves at the top of each cutting and fill glass jars with water containing the rooting hormone.
• Plunge the cuttings in individual jars with nodes inside the water.

• Refill the jar with a new hormonal solution every 3-5 days.
• Keep the set up in bright indirect sunlight and wait 1-4 weeks before the cut ends sprout new roots.
• Once the roots are 1-2 inches long, transplant them into the soil.

Transplanting the Rooted Cuttings in the Soil

• Prepare 6-inches wide terracotta pots and fill them with appropriate potting mix.
• Plant the cuttings about 1 inch deep and cover lightly with some soil from the top.
• Place them in dappled sunlight, wait for them to recover, and grow new leaf sets within 6 weeks.
• Continue the usual care and feed the plantlets with dilute fertilizer only after they grow healthy leaves.

Learn a step-by-step guide to propagating Hoya Krimson Queen from the video for ease.

Hoya Krimson Queen for Sale

Check some shop recommendations below to buy your own Hoya Krimson Queen.

Hoya Krimson Queen vs. Princess

Krimson Queen and Krimson Princess are two varieties of Hoya Carnosa.

Many gardeners get baffled by the sounding similarities between the two varieties.

But to clear the confusion, you must look at their leaves.

• Hoya Krimson Princess Leaf Color: Light pink to dark pinkish or pale-yellow center and green margins
• Hoya Krimson Queen Leaf Color: Green center and pale-yellow or light pink to dark pinkish margins

FAQs About Hoya Krimson Queen Care

Do Hoya Krimson Queen leaves stay pink?

Hoya can retain their pink leaves with 6 hours of daily filtered sunlight. 

However, in some varieties, the leaves are white or more variegated than usual. 

Hence, such Hoya Krimson plants require more sunlight, or the plant will lose all its leaves. 

How do I get my Hoya Krimson Queen to bloom?

Sufficient lighting and proper indoor placement are the most important factors for triggering blooms in Hoyas.

What is the difference between Hoya Krimson Queen and Tricolor?

Hoya Krimson Queen and Tricolor are the same varieties of Hoya Carnosa. Both are used alternatively to indicate the same plant species.