I have a Hoya plant cutting from a friend and have a question about it. I really like this forum's liveliness: so many posts, questions and answers, tips...I hope to be of help here too.

My question is: This friend of mine inherited a large hoya carnosa plant form her grandmother. This plant, horizontally covered at least 6ft area in my friends bedroom. Last year in June-July the plant flowered for the first time, many many blossoms: the plant looked wonderful.
Now I got two cuttings from this mature plant and potted them in the same pot.
It has been about a year now and the cuttings have grown a lot. New branches have emerged and one very long tendril which just keeps growing. The pot is filled with roots as well. It gets a lot of sunlight everyday.
I know that Hoya's take a long time to bear flowers, but what about my cuttings which are from a mature plant, would it also take a while?
Secondly, this tendril I mentioned,sometimes it is upright a couple of hours later the tip is curled up then by evening it is leaning to one side,,,so basically it moves a lot!
How important or necessary is it to provide support for this tendril. If I were to provide a trellis for example would it help my plant grow faster or any differently?

Thanks very much for your answers, I look forward to them,

Have a nice day,
Maisha

I've read over and over that the soil is one of the most important parts of your plants growth. Ideally you want something that the water "runs right through." It's been recommended to use a mix with bark.. but I haven't been doing that yet. You have had the cuttings for a year, plus new growth shows that they have been surviving! I wouldn't stress over the soil, but it is a place to look for making ideal changes.

I think I remember reading that a cutting from a mature plant will do better than a cutting from a younger plant. That could effects time until flowering. Even so, when a plant is grown from a cutting it usually takes a few years.

As for giving it a trellis, it will definitely effect how your plant looks! I don't think it changes the plants growing speed, but that's a good question! Twining, climbing hoya DO want to grow UP. But that usually just effects where the plant focuses it's growing energy. (Leaves on a stem pointing down vs create a new stem to try and grow UP)

One last bit of info! I do know that hoya sent out shooters (tendrils) sometimes to look for different living conditions. 'Is there more/less sun/heat/draft/moisture over there?' But i'm pretty sure that some hoya just have those tendrils either way!

Hope that helped, someone with more experience will probably pip up with more/better info :)

Keiko

Some hoyas naturally hang down but I think you'll be able to tell the difference after you see more growth.

Best wishes with your plant. Carnosa is my very favorite and I would love to have cuttings off an old plant.

Susan

I attached a link to a video of a time lapse showing how twining vines find support and then quickly climb. Hoya carnosa is not a strongly twining species but it will search for and use support.

Mike