Return to the Hoya Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
lacunosa
| | |
Posted by golden_ca_2000 BC Canada (My Page) on Wed, Nov 18, 09 at 17:52
| My lacunosa that I bought a few months back seems to be loosing leaves here and there - Its driving me crazy cause I do not want to loose this plant - I cant just drive to the corner store like you lucky americans. I ordered it from pike lake - its a beautiful little plant - but I'm not sure what it wants. I finally repotted it because the soil seemed so hard. I repotted it into a coir perlite mixture. I guess if you looked at it you wouldnt really see a problem except for the odd leaf ends going yellow and I would say I probably loose 5 leaves on average a day. Anyways today I decided to move it into the kitchen hoping the humidity in the kitchen would help it out more. I dont know if its my climate here or what? Ive tried leaving it moist - then on the dry side, and still the same sort of problem. Out of all my hoyas - this one is giving me the most problems. And I have read this is suppose to be one of the easiest???? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: lacunosa
| | |
| Hi golden, I'm sorry to hear you're having problems with your Lacunosa. My personal experience with them is, they are NOT one of the easiest hoyas to keep happy. Actually I lost my very first one that I bought...it took a about 8 months or so, but slowly died, soil was always damp(EA) and the leaves yellowed and eventually died. I am doing better with my second one...but I never want to get over confident with this hoya. I've also never been able to root these well, its one of the hardest for me to root. I wish I can tell you what the problem might be, but it seems you have tried several different ways to try and fix it. For me there is a fine line to get the watering of this one just right...too much water and they yellow, not enough and they go limp. Just know that you're not alone. For now it seems I've found the right amount...I water when its just slightly dry...and for me its working well so far. Ask me in a few months...I might have a different answer,lol.. Good luck! |
RE: lacunosa
| | |
Hi Golden
I have a big EA lacunosa that I have had for 3 years and every winter that same thing happens. Almost every day I lose about 10 to 15 leaves. They slowly turn yellow and fall off.The first year it happened I panicked and tired every thing to get it to stop. I still have not figured out how to stop it from happening but rest assured come spring it will start to grow nicely.
Well I guess I didn't help much except maybe to let you know it also happens to my lacunosa. Cindy |
RE: lacunosa
| | |
| Hi Golden, long time no see. I have a small H. lucanosa, I got it as a cutting from Denise. As it gets long enought I clip and stick the cuttings back in the pot with the mother plant to root and doing this has filled the pot in nicely. I keep mine evenly moist. I have read and Denise told me when she sent it, they don't like to go dry. I go by that religously. . . I have been reading old threads lately, (there doesn't seem to be much action on current ones) anyway, I am no expert, to say the least, but those that reported problems with theirs, followed the advise from others here and watered it more often. I also read that if they are allowed to go dry too often, eventually they don't recover. Hopefully yours will pull out of it. But I would say don't let it go dry anymore. The new soil should help. Did you happen to look at the roots when you re-potted it, if so did they look OK? No critters in their or anything like that? Certainly you will get more advise here, from the people that really know their hoyas. . .Good luck, I wish your lucanosa the best. . . Maid~ |
RE: lacunosa
| | |
| Here's what I do with mine. I try to make sure to keep it moist. The top may dry out a bit, but I try not to get excessive. However, I am an underwaterer in general, and I sometimes don't keep track that well. This helps me though: Basically, I feel the leaves. When they are happy, they feel very firm, almost like they are fake. When they start feeling more flexible, that's when I know, whoops, waited too long. If you use this trick, don't use a young leaf, they're always softer. Use a more established leaf. As far as rooting them, this is what I do: I pot the cutting into a mix I plan on growing them in. I get a 6in saucer and fill it with Hydroton. You can probably also use marbles or pebbles, but I find that the Hydroton stays damp longer because it is porous and soaks up some water. I put the pot of cuttings on top of this saucer, and put some water in the saucer. The whole thing goes inside an enclosure of some sort (I have a terrarium). I make sure to keep water in the saucer (but don't fill it so high the plant or pot touches it) and I keep the potting mix moist. Additionally, I water the leaves daily. It's probably the same as misting, but I use a chemical wash bottle that sprays a fine stream since that is what I have. I figured since hoyas can take in nutrients via the leaves when you foliar feed them, why not moisture as well? I haven't lost a lacunosa using this method. Also be aware that in my experience, lacunosa sulks for a bit when it is repotted. As long as I was especially diligent during this time period, it recovered just fine. |
RE: lacunosa
| | |
| Quinn, That sounds like a good system you have going. Hopefully those that have/had trouble rooting them before will have more success using it. I must have gotten lucky with my cutting. I rooted it the same as the other cuttings, (I didn't know they could be difficult to root) and actually I'm glad I didn't know, I probably would have fussed over it too much, knowing me. I have yet to loose a single leaf/cutting. I do the same thing with my polyneura, clip it off when if gets long enough and stick the cutting back in the pot with the mother plant to make it fuller. So far so good. I did, however, try a terrarium recently, with poly and a few other cuttings, poly turned to mush, but maybe it was too young of a cutting. Maid~ |
RE: lacunosa
| | |
Thanks you guys for all your help and advise!
Quinn,
I did what you mentioned about feeling the leaves and for the most part the majority of the leaves are stiff - fake like - but there are a few stems that are more limpish. One of the stems seemed like at the base it was sort of twisted - so I decided to cut the few stems off and put them in water and see if I get roots. I would hate to loose this plant as I sure would love to smell the flowers :0) I will keep an eye on the plant. Thanks again - I really appreciate your help! cheers! |
RE: lacunosa
| | |
| I find Hoya lacanosa to be a tough one to repot, well at least my large plant crashed after repotting. This a a great plant when it's happy but I find it to be temperamental. I agree with what was said about watering, seems to be the major issue with growing Hoya lacanosa well. Mike |
RE: lacunosa
| | |
| Golden, If your leaves are mostly firm, you're probably on the right track. Every now and then, I have a section that will be limp while the rest of the plant is fine. I take that as a sign that a branch has stopped taking up water and I cut it off. I had a BIG one recently, chopped it into several pieces and put it in soil in my aquarium and all but one piece rooted and it firmed right back up. It can be tempermental, but once you get your "groove" with it, it should do well for you. Denise in Omaha |
|
|
|
|
