Hoya Sunrise Care – Complete Grow, Propagation & Purchasing Guide [Updated 2023]

When exposed to irregular cultural care, the teardrop-shaped green leaves of Hoya Sunrise adorn a rich maroon hue. 

However, if you want to grasp the special requirements of Hoya and its growth features, let this piece guide you!

Overview of Hoya Sunrise

Hoya Sunrise is a tropical epiphytic climber and a hybrid cultivar formed by cross-breeding Hoya lacunosa × obscura.

The plant shows a similar form to other Hoya varieties like Hoya Rebecca, which has light green colored leaves with a reddish-purple shade beneath.

With waxy flowers, the plant also shares its common name, “wax plant” or “porcelain plant,” with Hoya Carnosa due to the shiny foliage and blooms. 

Learn more about the wondrous Hoya Sunrise from the table below.

Hoya Sunrise Plant Care Guide

In its native surroundings, this variety, like so many other Hoyas, is a tropical epiphytic plant but has a bit of leathery and succulent leaves.

Regardless, you must upkeep the plant in a tropical indoor setting with sultry surroundings with rich-organic and highly porous soil.

Let’s have a deeper look at the care requirements of the Hoya Sunrise plants and their problems in detail.

1. Sunlight & Temperature

If you want your Hoyas to give you plenty of vibrant and attractive leaves, place them beside an east-facing window the whole day.

However, situate it at least 3-5 feet from the south-facing window for maximum potential growth.

Direct sunlight can change the color of its leaves to reddish-green or completely maroon.

However, the plant can tolerate lower light levels, although you may detect darkening or puttering of the foliage.

But, the leaves appearing brownish and dehydrated clearly indicate heat stress. 

Regular misting can work as a temperature control for your plant during summer. Also, a curtain can be a shade while keeping the plant in a brightly lit place.

Additionally, avoid temperature drops below 10°C, resulting in cold damage leading to stunting.

In winter, remove your Hoyas from north-facing windows during fall and winter.

Also, avoid placing your plant near fans, vents, air conditioners, and heaters to avoid temperature fluctuations.

2. Watering & Humidity

Make sure to water your Hoyas every 2 weeks during winter. As for summer, biweekly watering would be ideal.

But when you observe blooms developing on your Hoyas, reduce the amount of water. 

If the plant is underwatered, the tendrils will start to look crispy at the tips and eventually die. The foliage will lose its moisture and start limping.

Contrarily, the roots, and leaves of a Hoya that has received too much water will appear soft and mushy and will not reestablish succulence after soaking in water.

Along with water, ensure the humidity is between 60% and 80%.

A moisture meter can help you learn the exact humidity level; if the humidity level is low, consider using a humidity tray.

Extremely arid regions can cause brown leaf tips and wilt due to the dry condition.

For optimum performance, mist frequently, but avoid making it too wet. Also, grouping Hoyas with other plants can be another alternative. 

3. Soil & Fertilizer

Hoyas always prefer lightweight and well-draining soil mix.

It can grow appropriately in neutral soil with a pH of 6.5-7.5.

Additionally, the plant can flourish with a scoop of crushed limestone and a bit of horticultural charcoal with moderate fertilization.

A balanced, water-soluble NPK fertilizer is recommended every 3 months. But with natural fertilizers and compost, monthly seems perfect.

During underfertilization, the lower new leaves usually become dry yellow or pale, causing stunt growth.

Some might become tarnished/orange and frequently twisted and mutilated. However, during overfertilization, the leaves will become brown and crisp.

Ensure to fertilize Hoyas in spring or summertime but not during the fall or winter.

4. Potting & Repotting 

Hoya Sunrise loves being root-bound, but severely cramped roots can render their growth rate and kill the plant.

Terracotta pots can be superior for offering good drainage and less moisture retention.

Pot Sizes for Hoya Sunrise: 3.5-4 inch pot for small plants, 5-6 inches for medium-sized ones, 7-8 inches for mature Hoyas.

5. Pruning Care

The most frequent Hoya-lovers are aphids, mealybugs, scale, and fungus gnats.

Besides, Hoya Sunrise is also prone to Botrytis Blight and Sooty Mold. 

Enable wilting blossoms to drop off the plant at their own pace. Fresh blossoms develop on the stems of old blooms, so don’t pluck the flowers.

If trimming is required, the best time is the spring or early summer, pruning the main stem to stimulate side stems and flowers.

However, prune weak vines annually to ensure the slender appearance of your Hoya Sunrise.

Hoya Sunrise Growth Rate & Flowering

Hoya plants prefer hanging baskets or ascending a frame and are great for suspending arrangements and pots.

With that said, Hoya Sunrise develops trailing and vining growth habits. 

They produce dark green teardrop-shaped leaves with reddish veins growing actively in spring and summer. 

Also, Hoya Sunrise has a typical axillary Hoya inflorescence yielding distinct clusters of purplish orangey creamy flowers.

Further, the Hoya sunrise flower smells sweet during the actively growing seasons.

However, the flowers may shade pink if grown in sunlight and white in the shade. 

Hoya Sunrise for Sale

Check the following sites to get your own Hoya Sunrise plant.

Toxicity of Hoya Sunrise

Generally, Hoya plants are safe for pets, including cats, dogs, and horses. 

Hoya Sunrise is not poisonous but can make your pets or kid puke if ingested in large quantities.

Hence, keep them out of range, as the plant parts can be a choking hazard for your pets and children.

Under peculiar healthy issues, here are a few emergency hotlines!

• Animal Poison Control Center: 888-426-4435
• Pet Poison Helpline: 855-764-7661.

Hoya Sunrise Propagation Methods 

The optimal time to propagate a Hoya Sunrise is when the plant develops strongly during the spring or summer.

However, leaf and stem sections are the best approaches for propagating Hoyas because they are inexpensive and effortless.

First, take separate terracotta pots, about 6 inches wide and deep, and fill them all the way with fresh potting mix.

1. How to Propagate Hoya Sunrise Using Leaf Cuttings?

You must expect to wait 6 weeks for a root to emerge from the leaves in the soil.

• Place at least 4-7 leaves in the soil, slightly covering the sides for roots to grow.
• Allow sufficient space between the foliage in the pot for the roots to expand as they develop.
• The leaves should be seated at 45° to permit maturation. 
• Consider using a rooting hormone to encourage roots.

2. How to Propagate Hoya Sunrise Using Stem Cuttings?

To propagate using stem cuttings, first, remove the basal leaves from the stem stalk.

However, the lower part of the stem should be buried in moist soil.

• When planting the stem clippings, the substrate should be damp and moist.
• Provide only a tiny amount of water to prevent rotting.
• Cover the cuttings with a zip-lock bag to ensure humidity and warmth.
• The cuttings will have new roots within 4 weeks. 
• After, use a spray bottle to water them. 

Yet, you can also propagate Hoya cuttings in water. 

• Set the stem sections in a glass jar with rooting hormone solution, leaving the leaves above the water surface.
• Keep the cuttings in bright sunlight behind a curtained east-facing window until new roots sprout.
• Switch the water every 2-5 days to sidestep fungal or bacterial infections.
• Transplant the cuttings in a well-draining potting blend after the roots become 1-2 inches long.

3. How to Propagate Hoya Sunrise Through Air Layering?

In this strategy, the propagated stem is still attached to the parent plant.

• Fill a fresh pot halfway with soil and set it beside the mother Hoya plant pot.
• Using floral pins, affix a healthy stem with nodal aerial roots in the prepped soil in the adjacent pot.
• Keep the setup moist using plastic wrap and ensure interior temperature.
• The roots will grow, and you can cut the rooted section an inch on either side of the stem and pot it up in a new planter.
• You can also clad moist sphagnum moss with perforated plastic as a subsidiary substrate for the roots.
• After the roots elongate from the wrap, cut the layered section and plant it in fresh soil.

Check the following ways to root Hoya Sunrise in different mediums.

Hoya Sunrise Vs. Other Varieties

Do you know Hoya Sunrise shows some similarities with other Hoya varieties? Let’s learn about some.

1. Hoya Sunrise vs. Hoya Obscura

Hoya Obscura is a parent of Hoya Sunrise since it is a hybrid plant.

Additionally, Hoya Obscura has richer reddish or maroon leaves than Sunrise, which is difficult to distinguish.

However, in terms of leaf shape and growth habits, they look much alike.

2. Hoya Sunrise vs. Hoya Tequila Sunrise

Hoya Tequila Sunrise got its name from the flower colors that resemble the Tequila Sunrise drink.

Furthermore, the leaves of Tequila Sunrise are more wrinkled with reddish-green matte and yellowish veins.