Hello,

Most of my hoyas have been growing quite well over the winter months. Carnosa has put out a new peduncle along with several feet of new growth. KP and KQ have each grown a good foot of new vines. Lobbii, Fungi, and Mindorensis cuttings have recently just started new growth. Got these cuttings back in Sept I believe, so I'm excited to see them doing well. Still waiting for Pink Silver and another of my cuttings (can't remember the name at the moment) to put out new growth. Least they aren't dead yet :) Other than that, just patiently waiting for Spring!!

Mel

P.S. I've been lightly fertilizing over the winter since they have been putting out so much growth. Might start increasing the amount here soon to try to get Carnosa to bloom.

Many of my Hoyas are growing strong and most have been growing off and on all winter. I continue to water and fertilize as usual all winter except for the species that need a rest. I do use lights to keep my plants happy and growing but it has been consistently sunny lately.

I am just getting ready to start a bunch of Gesneriads and some hummingbird nectar plants from seed. I am going to pass on my community garden plot this year though and just try some herbs and heirloom tomatoes on my balcony. Spring is on it's way.

Mike

No vegetative growth to speak of among mine. But mindorensis appears to be working on its 3rd set of buds, tsangii/DS-70 is just finishing its latest flush of blooms and KQ is FINALLY getting off its lazy butt and budding up.

I've been lightly fertilizing all winter. Some of my hoyas have steadily grown during these colder months...mostly ones that I grow inside year around. Then there are those that have done NOTHING! In fact I have one hoya carnosa grey ghost that has done NOTHING for 2 years. May restart it this year.

Come on Spring!

Kelly

Yeah I have noticed my Imperialis is growing up and up without growing any leaves... I am starting to worry that the lamp I have been using to supplement the light given to the plants is causing this weird growth. Perhaps I should fertilize to encourage leaves.

I've lost a couple over the winter, but not nearly as many as last year, so I think the light has helped a bit.

Hills

Mine are taking off like crazy. In fact, I've been trying to keep on top of "journaling" their progress in my blog. Here are the ones that have actively begun to grow (not including the ones that continue to grow over the winter...)

H. lambii
H. carnosa cv. 'Dee's Big One'
H. limoniaca
H. cv. 'Jennifer'
H. cv. 'Mathilde'
H. macrophylla
H. vanuatuensis
H. hueschkeliana
H. pubicalyx 'Bright One' and 'Royal Hawiaan Purple'
H. subquintuplinurvis
H. cv. 'Minibelle'
H. wayetti
H. macgillivrayii
H. lobbii
H. patella
H. oreogena
H. revoluta
H. 'Square Leaves' (a tiny slip, but growing!)
H. cagayanensis
H. thompsonii
H. bordenii
H. obovata (speckled clone)

We had a lot of small snows this year, so until the last week when it warmed up, we had snow on the ground almost constantly this year. Have you ever noticed that when there's plenty of snow in winter that all the plants in the house seem to do better? I think the intense reflected light is a huge plus, so I never complain about the snow, unless it's like last year when we had 2' in a 2 week period!

Denise in Omaha

Denise,
I have noticed that with the snow! We had a lot last year and I had a bloom spurt there late winter/early spring!

What's your blog address? I'd love to follow it! I titled mine last fall and have done nothing else with it....

Kelly

Hi Kelly,

I'll put a link at the bottom. I posted a rather - uh-hum - sizzling blog this a.m. in a moment of frustration over hubby's union. Please pardon my expletives. You'll notice I rarely rant, and my blog is almost exclusively about my plants. I should probably just delete it, but when (if) he finally gets back to a union job, I don't want to forget that those people really are looking out for themselves, not so much the members. (Don't get started, Denise!)

Anyway, I do encourage you to blog about your plants. I've documented a lot of progress over the years and often refer back and realize it's not exactly how I remember it. I don't write as often as I should, but I enjoy posting when there are changes to report.

Denise in Omaha

Here is a link that might be useful: My blog

I'm thrilled to report that I've got several that have emerged from hibernation. Meliflua has grown eight leaves in the past three weeks. Reverse kerri, started from a cutting last summer has started one, wayetti has grown six, fitchii has grown four within the past three weeks, variegated mac has thrown a vine, and my carnosas, pubicalyx, polyneura, and pentaplebia have been growing gangbusters all winter. AND, drum roll please, I have peduncles on my first non-carnosa hoyas! Lacunosa and 'Ruby Sue' have four between the two of them!!! I am soooooo excited to see (and smell) them bloom!! One hoya that hasn't grown a ton of new leaves - one leaf- but has grown them larger is vittelinoides. This has the potential of knocking merrilli out of my most favorite hoya status. Hoyas that seem to be relishing their winter sleep include Kaimuke and montana, purchased as cuttings last summer, variegated DS-70, and Kao Yai. They haven't done a thing since I bought them.

I fertilized them all this past week to encourage blooms so we'll see what happens. This is almost as good as Spring!

Congrats, everyone! I think I'll give some of my plants a dash of fertilizer too (I use tomato fertilizer). Wishing everyone many blooms!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Hey guys, sorry I've been away. My health has not been good this winter. But I'm feeling better now and so, it seems, are my hoyas!

I have tons of blooms on lacunosa Royal Flush, a peduncle on pubycalyx, and my very first peduncle on Krinson Princess. I know KP isn't a big deal but I've had this plant for many years and it is finally going to bloom!

I have new growth on just about half of my plants: carnosas, KQs, KP, Chelsea, Royal Flush, curtisii, pubicalyx, cv. optimistic, wayettii, chlorantha...

The rest haven't started yet but I'm hopeful: obovata, DS-70, fungii, excavata, callistophylla, bella, parasitica variagata, kerrii, and compacta.

I lost a few cuttings this winter and I am very sad but I think my health trouble had a lot to do with it. I also have a new plant shelf with T8 lights. Several of the plants seem to like it, like chlorantha and wayettii. I put bella in a terrarium along with some of my curtisii and the callistophylla leaves (and a begonia). The bella has really turned around in just a few weeks. I thought it was a goner! I was hoping the terrerium would cause the callistophylla leaves to sprout vines but nothing so far.

We're having a warm spell so many of my plants are outside. They sure look happy!

Welcome back TigerDawn! Sorry to hear about your health and the hoyas. How are the passiflora cuttings I sent you doing? I hope you feel better soon and that your plants'll bloom and keep on blooming. Congrats on all the Royal Flush blooms! I'm sure they smell great!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Unfortunately the passiflora was one of the cuttings that didn't make it. I had it in the rooting aquarium and everything but no use.

I do still have the obscura cutting (I think you gave me that one) and the first roots decided to rot so I recently cut it again and am trying to re-root it in a baggie. I really hope it takes this time!

I am doing much better, mostly due to an intensive vitamin regimin. All I have to do now is lose the extra weight I've put on and get my stamina back. Gardening is good for that, I hear!

Sorry to hear of the passiflora too. I could always send you more if you wanted (just waiting for it to get warmer). I think I do remember giving you obscura (mine died unfortunately and I never got to see it bloom). Good luck rooting it! The carnosa cutting off of your grandmother's plant is doing beautifully! lol Yeah, gardening is good for doing those things you mentioned!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Fungii is added to the list of plants with growth! yay!

Here is the top shelf of my new plant shelf. I'm still working on the lower sections.

Here is Red Buttons with it's peduncle!

Hoyas and others enjoying the nice weather

Did not loose one hoya this winter but I do however have a problem with my mini wax leaf and snow cap The umbrellas are changing a yellow color and faling off right before the buds open....not doing anything different and they have bloomed perfect before now... and suggestions?

Surprise,Surprise i'm back!!!!! It's been quite some time since i've posted here but I have been periodically checking in to see what's going on. This winter has been really bad for me so far. I'll start another thread with some details after responding to this one as I don't want to hijack this thread and it'll take some time to explain what's been going on in my life this winter.

It's been VERY cold here this winter with many,many nights getting down into the teens and low twenties. I know a LOT of you had it much colder but you have to understand that I live in an area where typical winter temps are in the 30's and 40's. I doubled my gh length from 30ft long to 60 ft long and it's taken quite a bit more propane to keep it heated this winter. About $1400.00 so far and that's just since November and this is only for my gh.

I have been able to maintain the temps at 50F which suited the majority of the hoyas but some have had a difficult time and are just barely hanging on. I have also lost some,probably 8 or 10 but they wee small not well established plants or newly rooted cuttings.

Most of the stock plants have sprung to life now that the days are getting longer. Some grew all winter as I kept lights burning in the gh 24-7. I have noticed over the past few weeks a lot of them have already begun to develop buds on old peduncles and many are forming new peduncles. There may be flowers open today because I noticed some while watering yesterday that looked like they could pop open at any time. My H. heuschkelianas bloomed reliably all winter.

Hopefully winter will be over VERY soon!!! This past week we have had temps in the 60's and 70's with nights on the 50's and 60's. Today is supposed to be close to 80 for us. So with temps like that of course I have had the gas turned off to the gh and it's been open now for just over a week which the hoyas have really enjoyed.

david