How to grow potted wax flowers (Hoya) well? A detailed guide to the latest care methods

Wax flower, also known as Maliujie, Gousheteng, Tiejiaoban and so on, is a climbing shrub plant of the genus Hoya in the family Apocynaceae, growing attached to trees or rocks, with aerial roots produced at the stem nodes. Its flower shape is rather unusual and highly ornamental, and when used to decorate a home it also easily creates a fresh and natural sense of comfort. Now let us take a look together at how to grow potted wax flowers well!

Growth habits of the wax flower

The wax flower is distributed in Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian and Taiwan, China, and other places. It likes warmth, tolerates dryness, and prefers a high-temperature, high-humidity, semi-shaded environment. In summer and autumn it needs relatively high air temperature and must be protected from scorching sun exposure; if the sunlight is too strong, the leaf color will turn yellowish, and the color will become coarse and dull without luster. Its suitable growth temperature is 20-25 degC. Apart from the warm regions of South China, potted plants need a greenhouse to overwinter, and the winter temperature should not be lower than 1 degC. It can bloom only with 3-4 hours of ample sunlight each day; in areas with insufficient light it is often grown in pots for its foliage. It grows vigorously in soil rich in humus and with good drainage, and is more suited to plenty of light and slightly dry soil.

Propagation methods of the wax flower

1. Cuttings: propagation of the wax flower by cuttings is usually carried out in late summer. When taking cuttings, select semi-mature branches or take terminal branches after flowering, 8-10 cm long. The cuttings must include stem nodes. Wash the milky sap from the cut end, and after drying insert them into a sand bed. Keep the room temperature at 20-25 degC, and roots will form 20-30 days after insertion.

2. Layering: in late spring and early summer, slightly notch the plump stems between the nodes, wrap the notched area with sphagnum moss, then cover it with plastic film and tie it tightly. After roots form, cut it off and pot it. Alternatively, place the potted wax flower on the bed surface, notch the internodes and bury them under the soil; after rooting, cut them off and pot them up.

How to grow potted wax flowers?

1. Soil: the best potting medium for wax flowers is loose, fertile, slightly acidic humus soil. Peat soil, sand and vermiculite can be mixed into a potting soil, with an appropriate amount of superphosphate added as a base fertilizer. Alternatively, 7 parts leaf mold mixed with 3 parts coarse sand can be used as the medium. The wax flower needs relatively little fertilizer during growth; when potting, an appropriate amount of compound fertilizer can be added as a base fertilizer. Rich soil can make its root system well developed, which is more favorable for the growth of the wax flower.

2. Watering: the potting soil of the wax flower should often be kept moist, but water must not accumulate in the pot, and the amount of water must not be excessive, so as to avoid root rot. However, when the environment is overly dry, the leaves will lose their luster, affecting their beauty and further affecting flower bud formation; even if flower buds grow, they often fail to open or their opening time is shortened.

3. Sunlight: when grown at home in spring and autumn, the wax flower is best placed on a south-facing windowsill or near a south-facing window indoors in a bright spot, which can keep the leaves emerald green and glossy and produce good flowering. But in summer it must be moved to a shaded place to prevent direct strong light, otherwise the leaf color easily turns yellow. If it is kept in a place with insufficient light for a long time, the leaf color becomes pale and the flowers are few and not vivid.

4. Temperature: the wax flower is not cold-tolerant. Its suitable growth temperature is 15-28 degC, and it grows well under high-temperature conditions. In winter it should go dormant in a cool and slightly dry environment, and the overwintering temperature should be kept above 10 degC. If it is below 5 degC, it is prone to cold damage, causing leaf drop and even the death of the whole plant.

5. Fertilizing: the wax flower is suited to humus soil with lasting fertilizer effect and good drainage. Since an appropriate amount of compound fertilizer was added as a base fertilizer when potting, it usually needs relatively little fertilizer. During the peak growth season, apply 1-2 times a month a thin fertilizer solution combining nitrogen and phosphorus; it is better to be thin than concentrated. During the vigorous growth period, apply a decomposed organic fertilizer solution once every 15-20 days. When the weather gradually turns cool in autumn, gradually reduce the amount of watering and fertilizing.

6. Light: the wax flower likes diffused light and a semi-shaded environment, tolerates shade, and avoids direct scorching sun. In summer it needs to be moved to a shaded place to prevent direct strong light from scorching the leaves, causing the leaves to lose green and turn yellow, and in severe cases causing leaf drop and affecting the ornamental effect. If it is kept in a place with insufficient light for a long time, the leaf color becomes pale and the flowers are few and not vivid.

7. Pruning: young wax flower plants should be pinched early to encourage new branches to sprout, and supports should be set up in time so that they climb upward. After the flowers fade, let them wither and fall naturally; do not cut off the flower stems, because most of the flower buds of the 2nd year will still sprout in the same place. If you do not understand this habit and cut them off, it will affect the number of flowers the following year.

8. Pests and diseases: the wax flower commonly suffers from anthracnose, blight spot and leaf spot. It can be sprayed for control with 50% carbendazim wettable powder at 600 times dilution or 70% mancozeb wettable powder at 400-600 times dilution. It is also harmed by scale insects and mealybugs, which can be killed by spraying with 40% omethoate emulsion at 800-1000 times dilution or 80% dichlorvos emulsion at IOC times dilution.