Hoya Rebecca: Ultimate Grow & Care Guide

Hoya Rebecca is an easy-to-care plant that provides magnificent flowers that spread intoxicating fragrances around your house, providing you with fulfilling its primary care.

Read on to find out how to best care for your Hoya Rebecca so it stays healthy and thriving.

Overview of Hoya Rebecca

Hoya Rebecca is known for its waxy leaves and star-shaped blossoms; these plants will dominate your home decor with their sweet fragrance.

Here is a table highlighting the basic information about Hoya Rebecca.

When provided with significant light and warm temperature, its leaves will retain a lovely red color until stasis (end of maturity).

Hoya Rebecca vs. Hoya Sunrise

Both Hoyas are cultivars derived from the Hoya Obscura and Hoya Lacunosa, giving them similar appearances and behavior.

Hoya Rebecca comes from Hoya Lacunosa and the Hoya Obscura, while Hoya Sunrise comes from Hoya Lacunos var. pallidiflora and Hoya Obscura.

Here are a few differences between the two plants to help you find and buy the correct plant.

Where to Buy Hoya ‘Rebecca’?

Young Hoya Rebeccas are sold at affordable prices, usually $20-$30.

Look at a few selected retailers and rare plant sellers specializing in Hoya Rebecca.

Hoya Rebecca: Ultimate Grow & Care Guide for Beginners

A sick-looking Hoya plant with wilted and yellowing foliage or stunted growth often indicates wrong growing conditions.

1. Sunlight & Temperature

Most gardeners admit that their Hoya Rebecca grew well when provided 6-8 hours of sunlight daily with a temperature between 65 and 72°F.

You need not worry about high temperatures because Hoya Rebecca can withstand slight drought conditions up to 95°F.

Low light results in stunted, leggy, and dull growth; curling, wilting, and yellowing of leaves are the signs of excessive lighting.

Moreover, providing ample bright light during the day will help produce the signature reddish tone of the leaves.

Similarly, the plant location must be warm and close to the window, patio, or kitchen.

Tips to Provide Adequate Light & Temperature

• The east-facing window is considered the best location for the plant.
• If you feel the lighting is insufficient, consider moving them to the south-facing window but keep them at least 4-5 feet away from direct sunlight.
• Rotate the plant in the same place every few weeks to achieve even sunlight distribution.
• When natural lighting gets minimal, move the plant indoors under LED grow light for at least 10 hours during fall or winter.
• Using a frost blanket or plastic insulation may work to preserve the warmth. Alternatively, place a heating pad underneath the plant’s container.

2. Watering & Humidity

You may feel tempted to water your Hoya plant but refrain from doing that because it does not tolerate overwatering.

If exposed to improper humidity, plants show symptoms similar to underwatering, like yellowing, wilting, shriveling, and browning.

Weekly watering will maintain a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients to the epiphytic roots.

Cut down the watering to 30-40% in fall and winter when the plant enters dormancy.

The water-saturated Hoya Rebecca is more likely to invite problems such as discolored leaves and fungal infections.

Tips to Provide Water & Humidity Properly

• Allow the potting mix to dry about 50% or the 2-3 inches of topsoil between watering.
• Insert your finger to check the soil moisture. Otherwise, use a soil moisture meter to determine the exact moisture level.
• Anything above ‘6’ indicates excessively moist soil; fewer than ‘3’ means dry soil.
• Keep misting to summer and sometimes spring when the air gets dry.
• Place a water-filled pebble tray under the pot or use an artificial humidifier.

3. Soil & Fertilization

Use a well-draining substrate containing organic and inorganic matters like coco coir, vermiculite, sand, and a handful of perlite for your Hoya Rebecca.

Accumulating stagnant water is the leading cause of root rot and other plant problems, usually with tightly-packed soil.

Use potting mix made of coco coir, orchid mix, perlite, peat moss, and organic compost in a ratio of 1:1:1/2:1/3.

Tips to Provide Soil & Fertilization Properly

• Run the plant under the sink to flush out salts and let it dry out. Repeat the process 2-3 times in case of overfertilization.
• If you are not witnessing new blossoms, switch to a 5-10-3 NPK fertilizer with higher phosphorus to boost inflorescence.
• When using a liquid fertilizer, consider diluting it to 1/3 strength by mixing it with water.
• Also, you can use Miracle-Gro and Joyful Dirt indoor plant food.
• A fertilizer with slightly more nitrogen will help boost leaf growth, and color applied monthly in the growing season.

4. Annual Repotting

You can repot your Hoya Rebecca once a year, usually in early spring, to provide a fresh potting mix.

Steps to Repot 

• Choose a container 2-3” bigger than the previous one.
• Choose the correct potting mix from the soil mix options given above.
• Water your plant a few hours before repotting.
• Pull the plant from the container, wash off its roots, and treat it with fungicide before repotting.
• Fill the new container with 1/3 potting mix and insert the plant with roots facing downwards.
• Water it thoroughly and place it in a warm location with ample indirect sunlight.

Give your plant time to establish its roots and not be swayed away by a few wilting leaves.

5. Occasional Pruning

You must prune your Hoya Rebecca when they are overgrown or their leaves are damaged or destroyed by pests or diseases.

This plant is also susceptible to Bacterial blight, Bacterial wilt, Rhizoctonia root rot, and Pythium root rot.

These microbes produce chlorotic and brown lesions on the leaf surface that subsequently spread to the entire plant and finally cause the death of the plant.

Moreover, prune your plant once every year during spring or summer, as frequent pruning is unnecessary.

You need some pruning equipment, such as a shear, gloves, and a gardening basket.

Tips to Prevent Pests & Diseases

• Isolate the infected plants from other plants to prevent outspread of diseases or pests.
• Apply insecticide or spray with Isopropyl alcohol to inhibit the growth of pests.
• Fungicide or bactericide application is best for microbial difficulties.
• Prolonged wetness encourages the prevalence of pathogens in the plant.
• Avoid misting the leaves during the evening.

Hoya Rebecca Growth Rate, Foliage, and Flower

A mature Hoya Rebecca will retain a size of 1-2 meters (6-8 feet) when grown indoors, but it may grow up to 20 feet in length in its natural setting.

Growing them as hanging plants is the best way to attain height and supply essential nutrients to their stem ends.

Hoya Rebecca boasts rich waxy-looking leaves with waxy green color with red undersides that are 2.5-6 cm long and 1-2 cm wide.

The inflorescence consists of multiple flowers packed into a cluster or umbel with bright pink to light yellow flowers, emitting a heavy scent and covered in tiny hairs giving it a frizzy appearance.

Toxicity of Hoya Rebecca

According to ASPCA, most of the Hoya species are non-toxic. So, you can consider Hoya Rebecca non-toxic.

Hoya Rebecca is not toxic to humans or pets; consuming the plant sap may irritate your bowel syndrome.

Contact Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435 if your pets overconsume the plant.

Swallowing the Hoya leaf or flower can induce vomiting and gagging effects.

Some standard techniques to keep it out of their reach include.

• You can grow the plant in the hanging baskets up in the ceiling.
• Keep them in an isolated room.
• Sprinkle some cayenne pepper or diluted lemon water around the plant to repel animals.

Methods to Propagate Hoya Rebecca

You can quickly propagate Hoya Rebecca using the cutting and air layering method at home, which produces impressive results.

They are best propagated in spring or summer when the roots and stems are actively growing.

1. Propagating via Stem Cutting

Propagating through healthy stem cutting is one of the most popular choices because it takes the least effort and gives optimum results almost every time.

Step 1: Prepare the Cuttings

• Cut the stem from a healthy-looking plant with multiple nodes just below the leaf node, about an inch. You can obtain as many branches as you like.
• Leave the cutting to allow the cut end to produce callous.

Step 2: Rooting the Cuttings

You can propagate it in water or soil mix.

Rotting in Water

• For water propagation, get a clear glass filled with tepid water and add a few drops of rooting hormone.
• Change the water every 4-5 days to avoid fungal growth.

Rotting in Soil

Similarly, prepare coco coir, perlite, and vermiculite mix for propagation in the soil mix and add it to a 2-3″ pot.

• Water thoroughly and place it in indirect sunlight with ample warm temperature (around 70-75°F).
• Wait 3-4 weeks until the cutting produces an inch-long feeder root.

2. Propagating via Air Layering

Air layering is another method to propagate Hoya Rebecca, but it is rarely carried out due to unfamiliarity.

Here is how to air-layer your plant.

• Fill a small container with moist peat moss and insert the lower stem with aerial roots and nodes inside it.
• Sprinkle water on the moss regularly and provide ample warm temperature to induce new growth.
• When the layered stem has produced new roots, usually in a few weeks, you can separate it from the mother plant using a sterilized pruning shear.
• Continue caring for the cutting to help it grow evenly.

FAQs About Hoya Rebecca

Can I Train Hoya Rebecca to Climb?

You can provide a trellis to your Hoya Rebecca to support climbing upwards.

These vining plants will easily take support of the trellis and begin climbing upwards.

Is Hoya Rebecca Rare?

Hoya Rebecca is not a rare plant. You can easily find them through online plant retailers and some nurseries.

However, these exotic plants are only available through sellers specializing in exotic plants.

Can I Grow Hoya Rebecca Outside?

Yes, you can grow your Hoya plant outside the house.

The natural bright light and warm temperature will provide a much-needed boost in growth.

However, beware of placing it in direct sunlight. Keep them on the patio or near the wall that provides ample shade.

Can I Grow Hoya Rebecca From Seeds?

Yes, you can grow these beautiful plants from the seeds acquired from Hoya flowers.

Here is a video guide explaining how to propagate Hoya seeds.