Hi Randy, welcome to the forum! I do not grow the DS-70, but have gotten plants from them. It seems to me that their mixes can be a bit different between different orders. I let them sit isolated for severals weeks for bug check and getting used to your environment, and then transplant them to my own mix of potting soil, with added perlite and some small bark mix like a packaged orchid mix. I also add barn lime of about two teaspoons in a three quart bucket full. Trial and error and this forum brought me to this mix. Others more experienced with the species DS-70 will have more to say than me regarding growing habits. Welcome! ~ Mary

I've never ordered from Gardino's, but I usually repot all my new plants because the soil they come in is always peat based and too water retentive. Roots are always much healthier when I use my own porous mix. The shredded wood you described doesn't sound good, as that would break down pretty quickly. I'd probably repot it just to get it in a soil you know and trust.

As for DS-70, I routinely allow mine to go bone dry. It probably doesn't appreciate that, but it is a more succulent species than most, and tolerates dry conditions quite well. I would give it no more water than any other Hoya, and as I said, it will tolerate much less.

-Chris

I have this one from Exotic Angel and I do find this one more like a "Diva". I have not repotted it out of the EA mix and do not plan to do so.

For me, this one appears to like bright but indirect light and watered every 7 or 8 days.

Susan

Error! Duh! Low blood sugar, brain fart, that is a three gallon bucket. ~ Mary

I have an old plant that is probably about four feet long or so. I grow mine in an unglazed shallow clay pot and water every day or two. This plant seems to do well when allowed to dry out quickly but to only stay dry for a short period of time. I think a smaller pot is best for this Hoya and I could see it being hard to grow when in a large pot.

Mike

I have a couple of plants that I water every day or two, mostly Pachypodium brevicaule. It seems to be working. I could do that. It almost sounds like this species would be good mounted if watered daily.
Randy

I actually tried mounting my DS-70 several months ago. It hasn't grown one bit, but it looks as healthy as ever and hasn't dropped a single leaf, so it must have rooted. I guess it needs more time before it gives me a definitive answer.

-Chris

I have DS-70 growing three different ways. I've found this plant to be amazingly tolerant of watering styles. 6 weeks of every day rain - it grows and blooms non-stop. Forget to water it and letting it completely dry out for a couple weeks - it grows and blooms.

In fact, I'm not sure I could stop the silly plant from blooming from early summer through Thanksgiving.

I also have cuttings growing in S/H - so never dry out and it is growing very quickly. And I've mounted it, where it dries out every day about an hour after watering, and it too is growing very well.

Renee

Your forum newbie wants to know - what do you mean by mounting?

Thanks for putting up with all my newbie questions!

OMB - mounting is growing the plant on something - usually a piece of wood instead of in pots. And usually hung vertically.

I use cedar shingles myself, but most hard woods work well. Then I tie down some moss, take cuttings and attach to the wood. The plant will root directly attaching itself to the wood, like as if it was growing up a tree. Eventually the plant will grow off the wood, and hanging, kind of look like a wall of plant.

Does that make sense?
I know I started a thread here on some plants I was experimenting with in the beginning of the year. I'll try and find the thread that showed pictures.

Renee

Had to add a comment, this thread motivated me to go out back today and really look at my DS-70 and....

I've got seed pods!!! First time for me.

Renee

Yay, seed pods! Congratulations, Renee. That is so exciting!!! Pictures? :)

Renee that is fantastic. Are you going to try to grow seedlings? You might get some interesting varieties. There is a variegated DS-70 after all. Even a different leaf shape etc would be neat to see.

Congratulations.

Mike

I grow this hoya S/H and it never looked so good and is growing non stop.When I had this one in its EA pot and dirt, it struggled for the whole time.

Mike, yes I'll try and grow them.

Here is a pic from the other day. You can't tell in it, but there is actually two seed pods.

Renee