Congrats on the new plants Carolyn. You will have to let us know how that Eriostemma does for you, love the green flowers.

Mike

Thanks, Mike. So far, my Eriostemma 'Optimistic' has been fine. I got it, last summer, and it's grown quite a bit. I'd probably have flowers by now, if I would quit chopping it up to share!!!! hahaha

Carolyn

Hey Carolyn,

I wish I'd find H. linearis locally. I've tried it before (only had a little bit) & eventually lost it. As I recall it likes lots of humidity.

Cool find, good for you!

PG, it was insane . . . I looked up, and saw it from across a crowded room . . .hahaha. I think I actually sprinted over to it! I'm sure everyone there enjoyed watching a fat girl run. ;) Anyway, I bought it, went straight to another Lowe's seven miles away, and THEY HAD IT, TOO! But the first one I found was a bit prettier.

Still doing well! New growth and all. It's hanging in the bathroom. :)

Carolyn

I am pretty new to Hoyas. I saw one at our Lowes too. But it didn't ring a bell that it was a Hoya. But then I saw one on here and now wished I had got it. I was looking on ebay about a week ago and this man "from my town" had one on there and was listing it for buy it now $75.00. Is this not absurd for a plant he probab paid $10.00 for? Are they that hard to find?

Well, I've never seen them at the box stores before, however, I've seen two, this year. So, I don't know if they'll be common to find, now, or not! :) I'm not very happy with mine, though. They don't like the weather here, in UT.

Carolyn

What is it doing, Carolyn? Just sitting and refusing to grow, or actively pawing at the windowpane trying to escape?

I have so many plants right now that I am in a fight with. D:

Hi Teisa, I've never seen Linearis for sale in any of my big box store since I've started collecting hoyas (3 yrs or so) which is fine since this one is not one I'm interested in. I just checked a few minutes ago and EA has it for sale on their website for $15.47 plus shipping. I do know from the past they normally sell out of this hoyas quickly. That should give that person an idea how out of line he is with his pricing on this hoya, but that is just my opinion!

Exotic Angel's website has Linearis for $15+, and shipping not too bad.

http://www.exoticangel.com/

Yikes $75 is a lot for a Hoya linearis plant even considering it's rarity. Even though Exotic Angel is selling this species it still remains an expensive one to buy even as a cutting. I can't help but think that most of the EA Hoya linearis plants must die for many growers. This Hoya does not like to be wet at all and I grow mine in a gritty mix that dries fast, EA's mix is soggy in comparison although I have heard they changed it for the better.

Mike

I'm really not finding this to be an impressive plant. I'm thinking it's got to find a new home SOON!

Carolyn

I'm growing mine in Hydroton. It was doing great, but I transferred it to a new container, and I can't decide it if it's doing a little better, or if it's still sulking. Prior to the transfer, I couldn't see the water level due to algae growth, and it kept dropping leaves. I think it is stabilizing though.

Any interest in trading some cuttings for something? Although I don't know what I have that you don't that is big enough for cutting. Just throwing it out there.

Mike,

You're saying linearis likes to be dry? Really, I never would have known that & am someone who grew it quite moist. Was the only way I found to keep it alive.

Could you pls. share how you grow it & what mix you use for it. Someone here is kindly offering me some, I'd rather not kill it a second time.

Karen I used to grow mine moist and it was not happy so I started to allow it to dry out and it improved. I got a small cutting maybe a year and a half ago but can't remember the exact date. Ever since I have been allowing my plant to dry out it has grown to more than 30" long and with five other stems of varying lengths.
I think the trick with this one is to use small pots and grow it moist until a good root system has formed and then start to grow it on the dryer side. I rooted my cutting by holding it down with a flat pebble because I was afraid that burying the stem would cause rot. My plant is in a gritty mix of potting soil and some hydrotron along with some grit, more like a cactus or succulent type mix. I water once a week in winter and maybe twice that in summer but it gets dry in between. The 2.5" pot is tiny for the plant but I am hesitant to move it up while it seems happy.

I have read that this species likes to grow dry several times and I have seen a photo of it growing in nature but still have not seen enough to know just what it likes. The photo showed a curtain like effect of stems hanging down from the underside of a mostly bare branch high in the canopy. Growing in that position would mean that there would be plenty of water when it rains but that the plant would not remain wet for long periods unless there were a significant amount of moss or other epiphytes also growing on the branch and whose roots would trap more water.

I did a search on Sikkim Indian which is the region that Hoya linearis is from. The weather appears to be fairly moist all the time but with a monsoon season of very high rainfall for part of the year. High altitude areas are cold and can experience snow while slightly lower altitudes can drop to a few degrees above freezing during Nov- Feb. I wonder if this means that Hoya linearis doen not need to be grown dry but that it may prefer excellent drainage vs a soggy growing media? Has anyone managed to grow this species in a standard Hoya potting mix that holds moisture well and is kept constantly moist?

I searched for the photo I had seen but could not find it. If I do come across the photo I will be sure to post it.

Mike

Here is a link that might be useful: Sikkim Weather

Mine is an EA- the old mix- that tends to hold moisture. It definitely stays on the moist side although I don't water frequently and it grows non-stop. Been keeping it on an enclosed porch that stays fairly cool year round, with an eastern exposure and a humidity of 50%+. One thing it won't do is flower, though! Darnit! That said though I have a couple of cuttings growing in hydroton in my bathroom and way too often I forget to check the water level and it runs totally dry with seemingly no ill effect!

Kelly

Hmmm, maybe that's why it was dropping leaves. I couldn't see the water level when all that algae was in there, so I just kept adding a little water here and there just in case. I thought it was because it was getting too warm but it only gets to 85 max in my room, mainly staying around 80. I'll try letting the water level drop to about 1/4 inch before adding more, and see what it thinks of that. I also periodically fill the reservoir to the brim, let it soak for about half an hour, and then dump that, to try and flush out salt accumulation. I do feel like it was happier last year, when I had it growing under lights. The thing is, it really needs a spot where it can dangle, and my desk is not that place.

I grow my plant under lights as well but there is also light from a southern facing window that is about three feet away from the plant and other plants to provide some extra shade. From what I have read Hoya linearis does not like too much light and it should grow well in anything from bright indirect light to bright shade.
My plant has tried to flower but the buds don't develop very much before they fall. Overall I find the plant very attractive but I think I would be more than satisfied to have a 4" pot full vs one of the big EA pots that would take up so much valuable space.

Mike

Mike, totally agree about a 4" pot vs the 8" EA - wish they woudl do the smaller pots for some of the smaller leaf ones like lacunosa, linearis and nummuluriodes! That's one of the reasons I won't get one of the newer lacunosas from EA!
Kelly

Hey Quinn,

About the algae, if you get some aquarium grade charcoal (bags of small chips) from the pet store, you can eliminate this.

I root lots of things in water & now grow some stuff in Hydro (Hoyas, an easter cactus, a Sans.) & I toss a few charcoal chips in the pots of water or of Hydro & Leca & it avoids the algae completely. Also, a little goes a long way.

Thanks for the tip, PG. (Although it wasn't aimed at me, it was timely.) I've always added charcoal to my nano terrarium mixes but it wouldn't have occurred to me to add it in a hydro setup.