Hi,
I grow 2 carnosas in kind of semi-hydro and a carnosa variegata and australis lisa in hydroponics. I bought the last two a couple of months ago, so I don't have too much to say yet, but the carnosas grow nicely.
I started a year ago when I was scared of killing my freshly rooted carnosa cuttings while moving them from water to soil. I just put them in a container filled with clay pellets and gradually started decreasing their water level :) The oldest one has built a really nice root system.
I'm not sure what kind of information you're looking for so I don't know what else to say :)

There is a woman in Canada growing hoyas in hydroton. She has a great page with info and pics:
http://hoyas.ca/
Take a look at her gallery and growing/tips

Here is a link that might be useful: hoyas.ca

Karen,

There is a great website of a woman who uses hydroponics. She uses the simple method (not the full setup...she just uses the pellets in glass jars).

The website is www.waterroots.com

This website has great information and lots of pictures.

She has chimed in on another hoya forum about using this method with hoyas, so I know she also grows hoyas this way. I've also heard of lots of success using this method from others.

Good luck,
Gabi

Hi,
Thankyou very much everyone for your help,I'm not sure what I am after,I have been thinking of trying hydroponics as an experiment and see how hoyas grow this way.Thanks again for everyones input...Regards karen...

Well, now you gotten me curious & wanting to try it too. I've got this new H. numm... which is growing like crazy. Since I've made it into 3 pots already (the original large & 2 smaller ones), now I'm considering making some more cuttings & trying them in just water & Leca stones (I think they're like this fired clay product Turface). Curious.

I grow an Aglaonema this way for a couple of yrs. now. Does fine tho' it stays smallish, 1 stem, 5 leaves. Gee, now I'm really curious!

(PG) Karen

Yes, I guess the best way to start is to take cuttings of one of your hoyas (fastgrowing and easy to root in water species preferably) and put it in a hydroponic pot or a glass vase. Fill the pot/vase with clay marbles and fill with water. Once you see the roots stop adding so much water - just a small amount you would normally water your hoya with. This way you and your new plant can gradually get used to hydro. :-)
I bought a special hydroponics fertilizer this spring, but you can also use your regular fertilizer. I used to take 0,1 of the amount recommended for soil plants. Before you start fertilizing wait for strong roots.

I know my tips are not really scientific but that worked for me - I started by myself.
Once I learn how to post images I can show you my hydro-hoyas.

This isn't exactly hydroponics, more like benign neglect, but I had a few cuttings of a hoya and placed them in a bottle of water. Three years later the bottle is full of roots and the cuttings are thriving. I just add water to the bottle and a dilute amount of plant food about once a month to get the water level back up.

Now I fear if I do plant them in soil, I'll kill them since they've adjusted to the aquatic life. LOL!

C3D

And this is my hydroponic carnosa - a year old cutting

[IMG]http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/selmun/Plants/hydro-carnosa.jpg[/IMG]

And root system close up:
[IMG]http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll195/selmun/Plants/hydro-carnosa-roots.jpg[/IMG]

Well, I don't think putting hoyas in a glass of water with or without marbles is hydroponics, but then again I don't know the exact definition.

I think the whole idea is that the clay pellets pull water up to the roots (as they need it) via capillary action. So the roots don't actually sit in water...there is only a small amount of water in the vase and the roots are above the water, and they take up water through capillary action when needed. Pretty cool!

Gabi

I grow my rope and princess (??) carnosas using a semi-hydroponic, or hydroculture, set up like the one described on the waterroots.com website. They're doing really good.

I don't know if it works with lacunosa. The first time I tried it, the lacunosa just fell apart. This time I'm being a bit more patient. I have cut back the dead leaves and I'm hoping for the best.

Hi Everyone,
Thankyou sooo much for all your advice and info,with all your posts I should be able to set up something and try it on some of my Hoyas.When I do I will come back and let you all know how it is going so thanks again and happy growing Karen.......

Well I've set up my experiment. I was mistaken about what Turface is, seems it's more like a pumice, but I've got these Leca stones of porous, fired clay balls & I'm trying Numm. cuttings w/just water (well, E-VF-11 ed water) in a clear container.

I'll report back :>)

Good luck :-)

Karen, I have several hoyas in semi hydroponics, there is not much to it once you have the supplies. A few weeks ago I was walking my dog on "big trash day" in my neighborhood, where you can put things that don't normally fit in your trashcan at your curb and the township will take them away. At one house, I saw a big box with orhcid food sticking out at the top, so of course I looked at it, and underneath it inside the box was a huge brand new 30 lb bag of the clay aggregate pebbles! What a strange find, never thought I'd be lugging something like that home on that day.
Heavy to carry for 4 blocks, but well worth it, because I really needed them.

Anyway, once you have the pots and other stuff the rest is easy, just root your cuttings in some water and plant. Some varieties do better and are quicker to acclimate than others, but I have not had any trouble with any of the ones I started. Another good site is
growinhydro.com
There is a woman who comes to this forum, she lives in Canada and her company makes the coolest little hydro pots, and growinhydro is where you can get them in the states. She grows ALL her hoyas hydroponically.

Good luck

Almost all of my hoyas are in self-water pots. I could stand back and show you just how much they love this type of culture, but the rat's nest of vines in the tree really wouldn't translate to a clear picture.

I have found by completely killing off my bella that hoyas love lots of water part of the year, and other parts of the year, wish to dry out regularly.

My growth is different than many others because all of my hoyas are outside, year round. The main reason I started with SW pots is because of wind and sun exposure, and that I found my hoyas to be wanting more water.

Then when the temps drop and the sap slows, I barely water the pots, certainly not to the point that the water resevoir is offering water consistantly. More like a monthly flush, and what the resevoir keeps nurses the plant along until the next warm day out with the hose.

I'm going to have to take the kerrii apart, get it out of a SW pot, and whack it apart to unfurl it from the tree. It does not like the temps that living in the tree go down to, and it wants to come in during the colder times. Not possible attached to the tree!

I forgot to say that I use soil I mix myself, more to the consistancy of C&S culture, rather than Brom or Hoya consistancy. I use hydroton and rocks for orchid culture and a few water plants. I've not used any calcined (sp?) clay that is used in aqua culture. Yet.

I think I'm going to have to hack a few of them back...

I keep getting a different website when I try to locate waterroots.com I remember her name was Martha. Is the website no longer working? What am I doing wrong? Thanks, Al

Sadly it looks like the site is gone, Al!

Too bad! It helped to get started in semi-hydro.

Kelly