Welcome, Hanna. Nice to meet you, too! ^_^

Interesting topic. The study you refer to sounds very strange. Can you link us to it, or was it performed by someone you know offline? I would like to know the specific procedure of the experiment.

Although my preference is a rooting aquarium, I've had good results rooting cuttings in northern exposures and also in somewhat opaque but humid containers, so my guess is you'll do fine with the dim light in your bathroom. I'd be concerned about pure dark, though, and if I had a less hardy cutting than australis, I wouldn't use low light. SOME australis prefer low light. Is yours australis ssp. australis?

Were the cuttings in leaf or just hard wood cuttings?

I have gotten Hoys cuttings from Australia that had obviously developed roots while in the shipping box.

Mike

Hi Mike, what a vast collection of hoyas you have! Interesting how these plants can grow roots and even flowers without any external resources like water and nutrients to help them.

I expect the cuttings weren't hard wood. She only mentioned that she removed the leaves, leaving just 1-2.

It'll be interesting to see how my hoya cuttings do in these new low light conditions. The original plant is big and has already outgrown it's trellis during these few weeks it's been with me, so I have no worries.

The carnosa crinkle 8 is a bit newer and hasn't grown yet; it did produce a new leaf but disappointingly dropped it straight away. However it has a new peduncle -- the first between my two plants, even though they are big. I'm really happy but at the same time itching to get some more hoyas... I think I need at least a lacunosa and a silver pink, maybe even a rigida!
I'm not sure if I'll buy any though, since I don't have much room for them. Maybe I'll just keep watching pictures here. More flowers that way!

Recently I received the following cuts, which took 21 days to arrived, they came into an envelope with no light at all of course, and I was surprised when I open the envelope as per the roots in the stem, Pascal took pictures before shipping, so this roots didn't exist before the trip.

Mitzi from Brazil!

This is another one that came in envelope and developed roots during the trip

Hi Mitzi, very interesting, thank for the pictures! Why do you think these cuttings rooted and others do not?
Also, por favor tell me how your older hoyas are doing! I know how laboriously you have ordered and cared for your new cuttings and I also believe you haven't been into hoyas for decades as some of the hobbyists here have. That's why it would be so interesting to see how your hoyas grow in their new home after they have recovered from their difficult journey to you.

Kukka, I love the "por favor" LOL!

I started my collection less than a year ago, to be precisely on July, 2010, so I only have cuts yet, some are developing others are completely stucked! I lost a lot of plants, till I started to buy cuts, before I was buying rooted plants.

Melifua is growing fast now, but kenejiana is a slow grower, at least here in Brazil, I'm learning now how to grow them and thanks everyone here that help me a lot, specially Mike who is always so helpful!

I always had hoya carnosa, I had no idea how many hoyas species were available on the world, it is funny how internet can help us to find so many interesting things!

I always love plants, since I was a child, because my grandmother and my mother always had plants.

Then only sad thing is that for me is a big fight to receive good cuts, due to the distance and the delay of the mail.

Thin cuts does not survive the long trip, and I always tell that to the sellers but most of them does not tell me if I'm ordering a thin one, even when I ask, but it is part of the show.

I took some pictures now so you can have an idea, how they are small. I love to take pictures. LOL

So many beautiful leaf textures, Mitzi! The first one is beautifully fuzzy looking, and some of the speckled leaves are sooo shiny. What a treat! Imagine your home the jungle when they grow BIG. Maybe you should get some exotic pets too. Obrigada!

Kukka,

De nada! Where did you learn Portuguese?

And thank you for sharing the info regarding rooting in the dark.

Mitzi, unfortunately I really can't speak Portuguese, just a few phrases. Of course I'd like to. I'll attach photos of my new plants for you, in case you are interested.

The hoya cuttings, and some common ivy I had to chop off, in the usually very dark bathroom:

One cutting has some dark markings from frost bite or dehydration, since I didn't initially notice it had broken off:

My H. australis ssp. tenuipes, or so I believe:

And the beautiful crinkle 8, that should begin growing shortly to calm my nerves. This one has the new peduncle:

Kukka,

I love your plants, thank you for posting, but you didn't answer my question LOL, where did you learn the few words in Portuguese???

Congrats for the plants

Mitzi

Mitzi, my former husband teaches and translates Spanish and Portuguese.
Thanks!

Hanna

Hanna. Thanks for the compliment re: greedyghost. Your plant does look like an australis ssp. tenuipes and it is very pretty. Too bad about the strange double label. Did you construct your own hoop or what is it growing on?

I have been growing my australis ssp. tenuipes in quite low light and its leaves are pretty dark but it still grows compact and in fact its leaves are quite small. You will rapidly be able to see differences between your plants grown in the different conditions. I received some cuttings of heuschkeliana from dmichael and was very irritated to discover yesterday that all the leaves it grew this winter were quite long compared to the beautiful compact ones it had been growing under David's care. I had rooted another section of it in better light and its new growth is much more consistant with the older leaves.

I appreciate your translating the experiment. It sounds well executed. I think it would be fun to attempt to replicate those findings with some hoya cuttings. I've got to figure out what to do with diversifolia. Maybe it wants to donate to science.

If you're itching for some more variety but don't have the space, maybe you need to consider some of the smaller growing varieties. I bet serpens would grow well in Finland. Or a slow growing variety.

Wow, of course Mitzi is the resident expert on Hoyas growing roots in transit lol! Those air roots tend to emerge in humid conditions. Did you notice that differences in packing materials made roots more or less likely?

Mitzi, I'm glad Hanna thought ot ask you for an update on the status of your cuttings. It's fun to see them. Even though you have some that are 'stalling', you've got a lot of nice growth. How well do Eriostemmas travel?

Nice to know you agree about my plant being the tenuipes sort. It came with a metal/wire trellis. If you are serious about experimenting with your diversifolia, we could all learn lots. No pressure though ;)

I like the appearance of serpens, but have some doubts about its temperament. Hoya cv Mathilde is on my wish list -- of course I have a long one by now -- and I believe its closely related to serpens? Also, lacunosa 'royal flush' and nummularioides look interesting. They should be small enough, even though I've never seen them outside of photographs!

Maybe I'll buy more plants, maybe I'll just enjoy my existing ones. Mind you, I'm no green thumb, I just wanted to have a 'porcelain flower' since I once saw one flowering at my friend's house when I was just a kid, and for some reason I just wanted one now, years and years later. So I bought two... and I'm really glad I did.

I am serious about replicating the study. I have more diversifolia than I know what to do with. So, if anyone has any experimental condition requests before I start, throw them out there. Also, if anyone needs a diversifolia, let me know, because apparently I'll be starting a bunch of them.

From my perspective, serpens is as effortless as carnosa, but I know a lot of people do find it aggravating. I tend to think it just needs to be kept cool and moist, but it does kind of weird me out that some of the Canadians have had problems. They should be cold enough, right? Any comments, people of the north?

Yes, Mathilde is carnosa x serpens. The story is in the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mathilde & Chouke

I have no advice nor requests, but your plan does sound exciting.
If you ever find yourself wanting a nice-sized piece cut from my hoyas, I'd be happy to trade with you.
There, I think I just decided to surrender my home to epiphytes. Only last year I only had on very neglected cristmas cactus. Of course I live in a land very far away, so maybe I should look around me here first to find some nice small hoyas. I kind of like the big ones better, but Mathilde does seem to have some really nice green colour in its flowers in some photos, and the leaves are cute too.

Hi GG,

The Eriostemmas are very resistant, and has a great development, it seems they love the Brazilian air!

I'm waiting a package that left Thailand on March 03, this is the fourth time I'm ordering megalaster, the other three died on arrival.

It is so sad when I tried so much to have an specie and cannot get it for reasons that is out my control!

@kukka

From where did you get your cuts? Is it easy to buy in Finland, the image I have from your country is a very cold place, I wonder how hoyas manage this temperature.

Mitzi from Brazil

Mitzi, I really can't tell you how easy or hard it is to find hoyas here. We have a new largish garden center here, and I was lucky enough to find several large sized hoyas there. I first bought my H. australis, then the carnosa crinkle 8. They had other hoyas too, but they were only labeled as 'hoya'.

I visited the place again last week, but all the nice hoyas were already gone, only some big NOID kind-of-plain-looking-but-nice-enough, and too expensive small ones were left. I didn't buy any. I haven't found any hoyas in any of the smaller places that mostly sell flower bouquets anyway.

Yes Finland is cold in the winter, but our central heating may actually make the rooms too warm and the air too dry for some plants, like the fussy serpens (?). But the nice people in the next door neigbour Sweden seem to grow these plants well enough, so here's to hoping!

Have you heard about willow helping the rooting process of hoyas, by the way? Maybe you could test that with your soon to be famous diversifolia, GG?

Maybe you'll be the 'mother' of all the future Brazilian hoyas, Mitzi.

Kukka,

Hi, yes I read something about willow helping the rooting process, but I don't have any idea what willow is LOL!!!! I lookd at the dictionary and the result does not make any sense. LOL!!!!

I'm sure you will have great success with your hoyas, and I feel glad that now I have someone who is on at the same time that I do, due to do time zone!

Wish you all an excellent weekend!

Today I received two packages, one from Thailand and another from US, I still at working, dying to go home!

Mitzi

Good luck with your new cuttings.
Willows are trees that root very fast and supposedly help other cuttings grow roots by producing hormones.
It seems we have a time difference of about 5 hours, but I'm a night owl, so maybe it evens things out. Excellent weekend to you too!

Mitzi I thought Eriostemmas must be effortless for you. I think they're so pretty, but I try to avoid them because I doubt they'll ever bloom under my conditions.

Hanna I hadn't heard about willow, but I looked up how to make a tonic after you mentioned it. I think it's a good suggestion for an experimental condition. I might have to go visit my mom because I don't know where to find willow trees around here.

Here is a link that might be useful: Willow Rooting Tonic

Hanna:
Thank you so much for joining the group here. You seem so pleasant and very curious. Our type of person. We love experiments and others who share their observations. My mother places Willow in with her cuttings that root in water. She always has great luck too. I think I will experiment with the dark rooting on some of my more common varieties and I'll surely share my results.
Youmentioned GG's name story. Now just to share mine really quick. I built this account for my mother years ago when she went on disability. Peanut is her poodle's name. She apparently is not the type that wants to learn computers or the web so here I am hijacking her account. May I inquire about kukka? Any Finnish meaning or a story behind that name. I have an affinity for words that start with the letter K for some reason.

-David

I'm a succer for compliments, David! Kiitos -- thanks. Now I'll be your friend forever. I'm a bit ashamed to admit though, that 'kukka' simply means flower in Finnish. It shows so little imagination from me! I had some trouble joining the forum since my postal code wasn't listed, and this is the name I used on the attempt that was successful. I was thinking of the hoya carnosa flowers at my friend's home way back.
We are lucky that you decided to "hijack" your mother's account. Her success with plants sounds like there may be some magic in willow, or maybe it's just your mother. Some people are like that.