Letting the plant’s soil dry out between waterings puts a little stress on it to survive, which in turn encourages it to put out new flowers to try to ensure its survival. Rather than relying on a watering schedule to tell you when to give your hoyas a drink, touch the plant and soil. If you squeeze a leaf between your fingers and it’s squishy, time to water; if it’s firm, wait a couple days and check again. If you stick a finger in the soil and it feels dry to the touch, it’s time to water; if it feels damp, wait a few days as well.
how to make a hoya bloom
Whether you’re new to the world of hoyas or a hardcore hoya collector, getting these gorgeous plants to bloom can be such a rewarding experience.
Hoya blooms only last a few weeks, which makes it feel extra special when it does happen. If you’re having a hard time making those cute little star-shaped flowers appear, these tips will help set you up for success.
make sure your hoya gets lots of light – like, LOTS of light.
Not only are hoyas hardy plants, but hoyas are also tropicals, so they thrive in bright light. My hoyas that flower most frequently get a few hours of direct sunlight each day, and bright indirect light the rest of the day. In my experience it’s hard to give these plants too much light – if exposed to 6+ hours of direct light a day, they may even start to show the pretty patterns typical of a sun-stressed plant.
feed me, see more…flowers!
If you want a plant to put out new growth or blooms, it needs the nutrients to do so. Although you can of course use a tropical plant food the next time you water your hoya, I’ve had great luck fertilizing mine with the Miracle-Gro Ready-to-Use Orchid Plant Food Mist. Like orchids, hoyas are epiphytes. In the wild, epiphytic plants grow not in soil, but attached to other plants, and absorb water and nutrients from the air. Spraying plant food on in the form of a mist allows a hoya’s leaves to absorb those nutrients the same way they would in the wild.
