Among the flowers, many consider Kerry's hoya to be a symbol of Valentine's Day among flowers because of its leaflets. Its rooted leaves are sold in flower shops and souvenir shops on the eve of this holiday in Europe. This plant is not so popular with us, so it is extremely difficult to find it. If you are lucky enough to become the owner of such an unusual flower, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the rules for its care, given in the article.

Botanical description of the plant

The genus Hoya includes evergreen tropical plants, which can be shrubs or vines. Some representatives have fleshy leaves, so they are often ranked as succulents. They are found mainly in Asia, in the south and southeast, other species grow in Australia and on nearby islands.

Hoya Kerry conquered botanists and flower growers with an unusual form of her foliage - this is an ideal heart of dark green color.

Depending on the variety, the color of the leaves may vary:

The leaves are up to 15 cm long and 5 cm wide. They grow on long curly stems that need support.

Did you know? When the stem of Kerry's hoya becomes long enough, he independently begins to braid the support in the counterclockwise direction.

Kerry's hoya blooms in summer: during this period, it is covered with tiny white, yellow, pink, red flowers in the form of a five-pointed star. Tiny flowers are collected in umbrella inflorescences of 15-25 pieces. They exude a pleasant and persistent aroma, and also release sweetish nectar.

What conditions need to be created

The tropical symbol of lovers loves heat, light, moisture and nutritious soil: there is nothing complicated in meeting these requirements at home.

Seat selection

The growth and appearance of the flower depend on the correct choice of place. He loves light, but diffused, as direct sunlight can scorch his foliage. Based on this, the western or eastern windows will be the ideal location for the flower.

If possible, then it is advisable to install the hoya in the second row, behind other flowers, so that it is slightly shaded. This combination of light and shadow will ensure the annual appearance of flowers in all internodes.

Important! When placing the plant, you need to remember that during flowering, sweet and sticky nectar appears, which can get on the windowsill, so the space around the pot is worth to cover with something.

Temperature

In spring and summer, it is necessary to maintain room temperature - +17 ... + 22 ° С. If the column of the thermometer rises a little higher, then it’s okay, the main thing is that there should be plentiful watering and suitable humidity. In the autumn-winter period, you need to slightly lower the temperature, to +16 ... + 18 ° C.

Be sure to regularly ventilate the room all year round so that the moist air does not stagnate.

Air humidity

To maintain humidity at the proper level, do not need to place water containers near the hoya. It will be enough to spray with warm water and arrange a warm shower weekly.

During flowering, it is necessary to ensure that during these procedures moisture does not get on the flowers. If this happens, then you need to immediately get the drops wet. The remaining water can provoke the appearance of dark spots, which means that the decorativeness of the plant will be lost.

How to care at home

The tropical plant is absolutely unpretentious in leaving. The only thing that is required from its owner is to be patient, because the hoya grows very slowly.

Watering

Very often you do not need to water the hoya. Irrigation once every seven days is enough for her. Of course, if it is noted that the plant does not get the right amount of moisture (the leaves begin to wrinkle), then you need to water more often.

Important! If there is a lot of impurities and salts in tap water, it is advisable to pass it through a filter, or pour it with melt or settled water.

If the foliage begins to wither, then this indicates an excess of moisture, so for some time you need to stop watering the plant until the soil dries. During dormancy, it is enough to irrigate the hoya once every 14 days. You need to use soft, settled water at room temperature.

Fertilizer application

Hoya doesn’t need special fertilizing: if the soil is selected correctly, it blooms well without them and gains green mass. If you notice that the plant has ceased to bloom, then you need to feed it with liquid fertilizers, mixing them with water during irrigation. This procedure can be carried out once a month during the growing season. In this case, fertilizers intended for cacti and succulents are used.

Pruning

Hoya does not need pruning. They do not even recommend pruning flower stalks after the flowers have withered on them, because after a while new buds may appear on them. Of course, if your plant is sick or during a transplant you find some kind of defect, then the damaged part of the flower needs to be cut.

Transfer

A flower also needs transplanting only in extreme cases, when the pot has become small or the plant has become ill, and the soil needs to be changed.

If the need for a transplant arose, then perform it in April. During the procedure, you need to carefully remove the plant from the pot so as not to injure the root system. You do not need to shake the ground: in what form you removed the hoya from the old pot, in the same form and place it in a new one, adding a little fresh soil.

How to propagate at home

There are three ways to propagate the plant, but only two of them are usually applied in practice. Below we consider why.

Layering

To get layering, you need to make an incision on the lateral stem and wind it with a film, under which to put a layer of wet moss. For more reliable fixation, the film is tied with a string. After some time, roots will appear from the cut.

The lateral shoot needs to be cut so that the roots are at its very bottom, and planted in a pot. When 3-4 leaflets appear, follow the pinching procedure to make the liana more branchy.

This method is usually used by those who want their tropical flower to bloom as quickly as possible. Hoya, grown from a layering, will please the first buds in a year.

Cuttings

This method is the simplest, therefore it is most often used. Cuttings suitable for propagation are obtained from the top of the mother plant. You need to cut it so that it has at least two internodes, but 3-4 is better. The slice is processed by phytohormones (Epin, Zircon).

The rooting tank is filled with a mixture of peat and sand, slightly moistened. The finished stalk is buried in the soil and tamped a little. From above, the container is covered with a cut-off bottle or a plastic cup and sent to a well-lit place with a temperature of +18 ... + 24 ° С.

Ventilate the stalk daily, moisturize as necessary. With the advent of new leaves, the plant is transplanted into a pot with a diameter of 7-10 cm, filled with a mixture of turf land, peat, sand and humus (2: 1: 1: 1).

Seeds

Seed propagation of the flower is practically not used at home, since in captivity it is not possible to collect seeds (the fruit is not tied), and they are rarely found in the store. If you still managed to find the seed, then you will need to make a lot of effort and be patient to grow a flower.

Did you know? Hoya Kerry was discovered by botanist Arthur Francis George Kerr in 1910 and got its name in honor of him. Rod Hoya also bears the name of one famous botanist, Thomas Hoya, although it was discovered by another person, Robert Brown.

Possible growing difficulties

The hoya has good immunity, but if she is poorly looked after, she may become ill or be attacked by pests:

1. Root rot. Appears due to waterlogging of the soil. The damaged part of the roots must be removed, and the plant should be transplanted into new soil and the irrigation schedule should be reviewed.
2. Mealybug, thrips, whitefly, scalex. All these pests appear due to low humidity. Due to their attack, the plant becomes stained and gradually begins to fade. Detected pests are collected manually from a flower, and then the liana is treated with insecticides, a soap solution (15 g per liter) or garlic infusion (15 g per liter).

As you can see, Kerry's hoya is absolutely unpretentious in leaving, unlike many flowers - people from the tropics, even a beginner grower can grow it. The main thing is that he has the patience to wait until the plant can please with its unusual beauty.