Hoya lacunose is a popular indoor vine that attracts attention with large foliage and unusual inflorescences. Simple care allowed her to enter the rating of plants favorite by flower growers.
What does it look like to which family
The culture is representative of the evergreen vines of the Kutrov family, the Lastovnev subfamily.
The foliage of the plant is two-sided: the wrong side is shiny, and the front one is matte. In length, the leaf grows up to 6 cm, in width - up to 2.5 cm. Initially, they are a reddish-brown hue, then become dark green.
Hoya Lacunose
The stems are greenish with a reddish halftone, represented by numerous lashes. 15-20 inflorescences with a white or pinkish color are located on thin branches. The aroma from the buds intensifies in the evening.
At home, the plant has been cultivated since 1826. New varieties have motley, rather than classic green foliage.
Attention! The culture is not recommended to be grown in houses with animals and young children, because hoya is poisonous.
Common varieties
The following varieties are indicated in the description:
- Tove - with a miniature size, the foliage is painted in purple. The inflorescences have a creamy tone and a yellowish core. The diameter of the buds is up to 6 mm.
- Snow Caps - Silver foliage grows up to 5 cm in length and 2 cm in width. Flowers of a snow-white shade, with a diameter up to 10 mm. Refers to slowly growing varieties.
- Hoya Eskimo (hoya escimo) - with a diamond-shaped glossy foliage, on which greenish-silver spots are randomly located. Hoya lacunosa eskimo has the snow-white buds that are standard for this subspecies. If a silver shade prevails on the leaves, then the prefix “super” or “silver” is added to the main name.
- Royal flash - characterized by dark bronze foliage with small silver spots. The Royal Flush buds are white in color, the young growth has a brownish-reddish hue.
Important! A distinctive feature of the variety is its smell - during the day it resembles cloves, and at night - incense.
Hoya Lacunosa Eskimo Silver
Home Care Features
Liana is demanding for regular bathing and humidity.
- Temperature
During the growing season, the temperature regime is from +17 to +22 degrees, in winter - from +12 to +15 degrees.
- Lighting
The plant needs diffused light. In the northern regions in winter, he needs additional illumination.
- Watering
The soil in the spring and summer months should remain slightly moist. In winter, the amount of watering is reduced to 3 times a month.
- Spraying
Liana requires regular showering and spraying.
Spraying creeper
- Humidity
Humidity at 60%.
Important! When reduced to 40% or increased to 80% for a certain period, changes in the state of the flower will not be reflected.
- Priming
They buy land in a flower shop (for vines) or make up a mixture of equal parts of peat, humus, river sand and fertile soil.
Important! At the bottom of the pot must be placed drainage.
- Top dressing
Enrichment of the soil is carried out with solutions for epiphytes. During vegetation, the amount of nitrogen is reduced - under its influence, the plant will become watery and soft.
- Pruning
Pruning of the main shoots is carried out regularly - it stimulates the growth of side branches. For the first time, pruning is carried out after forming 4 leaves on the main shoot.
Features of outdoor cultivation
Liana is not able to take root in the Russian climate. In the summer, containers are taken out to fresh air, strengthened with supports and hidden from the sun and wind.
Important! During this period, watering is carried out daily.
When and how it blooms
Flowering culture has its own characteristics.
Blooming Hoya Lacunosa
- Types of flowers
In an umbrella inflorescence, there are up to 20 buds, each of them lives no more than 5 days. Petals are painted in a snow-white, cream or pinkish tone, the core is yellow. The first flowers form in May.
- Flower shapes
The bud has a white fleecy corolla and the same color of the crown with the center of a lemon tone. A flower is revealed up to 6 mm in diameter.
Important! When opening, a characteristic bending of the petals occurs.
- Flowering period
The plant blooms in May, each inflorescence lives about 5 days.
Changes in flowering care
From May days to September, the liana needs diffused lighting and room for shoots (they are attached to supports).
Important! The supporting elements must be detachable, for easy removal when bathing and washing from accumulated dust.
How hoya breeds
Reproduction in any way passes without complications.
- Seed germination
Seed propagation is practically not used, due to the complexity of the purchase of material.
- Rooting cuttings
Shoots are cut into cuttings of 5 cm, germinate them in a substrate or water. The first roots will form in a week. To create the desired moisture culture, the cuttings are covered with a transparent cap.
Propagation by cuttings
- Leaf
Foliage is selected with the longest petioles, then they are placed at a slight angle in the soil. Top cover with a glass container or plastic wrap.
Important! Foliage propagation lasts 3-4 times longer than propagation by cuttings.
- Other options
Liana reproduces well by layering - the shoots are covered with rudimentary forms of roots. After immersion in the soil, they will begin to develop.
To get young growth, it is enough to fix the shoot in a container that is placed next to the mother. After a short period of time, an entrenched plant is obtained, which is cut off from the main one.
Transfer
Transplant operations are carried out at any time of the year. A few weeks before the procedure, the plant is removed from the pot, transferred to dry soil and not watered until there are signs of wilting. After this, the hoya can be planted in a new container.
Important! A transplant is performed every 24 months.
Possible problems in growing
Compared with relatives, the culture has good immunity and rarely gets sick.
Pests
The main insect parasites attacking the vine are:
- spider mite;
- aphids;
- mealybug;
- scabbard.
If pests are detected, the foliage is mechanically cleaned with a soapy solution and sprayed with an insecticidal composition. Processing is done several times - until the parasite is completely destroyed.
Mealybug
Other problems
Liana does not tolerate the excessive dryness of an earthen coma. After the buds appear, the containers must not be rearranged. To awaken the plant after hibernation, you will need to conduct a bath with immersion for an hour in water (30 degrees). Strengthening immunity is carried out with a decoction of potatoes.
Common diseases of the culture include:
- bacterial damage - causes softening, stickiness of foliage and shoots, requires treatment with store-bought products with copper;
- viral - determined by thickenings and spots on the foliage, practically does not respond to therapy, the plant slowly dies and requires quarantine;
- fungal - provokes rotting of the root system and stunting, requires replacement of soil and treatment of roots with activated carbon powder.
Important! The yellowness of the leaves indicates a violation of the maintenance rules: excessive waterlogging or drying of the soil, burns on leaf plates from the sun, staying for a long time in a cool room under drafts.
Flower species
Nurseries offer the following varieties of culture:
- Hoya lacunosa aff. (similar) - has a slight difference in the size and color of the foliage;
- Hoya lacunosa v. snow caps - with dark green foliage and silvery spots, growing up to 12 cm in length and 2 cm - in width, with snow-white inflorescences;
- Hoya lacunosa v. pallidiflora hook f. - determined by small leaves, more common in Thailand and the Malaysian region.
Hoya Lakunoza Eskimo is interesting not only for professionals, but also for inexperienced gardeners. Unpretentious liana blooms quickly and rarely gets sick, does not require complex supervision or special skills. Subject to the rules of cultivation, the plant will delight with its unusual aroma throughout the summer period.
