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Comment by Amber Lynn McMyne on Saturday

wow it has become dead on here! it started to be really quiet a while ago so i ended up forgetting about this site, i just rediscovered it and its almost completly dead! hello hello hello, is there anybody out there?

Comment by Mary Frank on March 19, 2013 at 9:06pm

It's been quite a while since I've been here, but wanted to share that I had my first Hoya bloom of 2013!  It didn't last long or become strongly fragrant; regardless I was thrilled as it bloomed while my daughter was visiting so she could enjoy it, too. 

Comment by John on December 12, 2012 at 10:49pm

Thanks to all that helped me with ID of my hoya!!!!

Comment by Debbie C. (Okla.) on December 12, 2012 at 11:47am

Hey Jessica!

I spent way more money than I had planned to but came home a happy camper! Hubby would crap if he really knew how much! But heck it was a vacation and aren't you suppose to get wild and let loose on a vacation? LOL!

I loved seeing Joni's place and her set up plus visiting with her! She has a beautiful home and a nice BIG yard with cozy sitting areas scattered here and there. Her larger Hoya's are on a BIG patio that is screened in against skeeters and other bugs. She also has her rooting area and smaller plants housed in her 3 car garage with a nice light set up. Joni's is a very relaxing place and she is very good company! Her standard Poodle Mico is such a sweetheart too!

Patricia, Joni and I went out for dinner and a drink after Patricia and I finished our Hoya shopping. That Hoya shopping makes ya hungry and thirsty ya know! haha. After we "refueled" we went back to her place and ended up shopping Hoya's even more! haha. It was dark when we left.

I came home with only 3 plants that were not a Hoya or Dischidia. 2 being Orchids and the other being a fern with a neon blue green sheen to the leaves.

Besides Joni, I also got to meet and stay with Ric for 3 days! You may remember him from GW and he sells on Ebay. He has Hoya's galore and was very generous both as a host and with cuttings and starter plants! Because of space issues here at home I had to turn down many Ric offered to me.

I also met John Kennedy from this forum! Had a nice visit with him and saw how he grows his Hoya's.

Patricia and I stopped at a few nurseries we ran across while driving around and hit a few tourist places as well. We also went to Siesta Beach and walked and collected a few shells.

All in all I love the area of Sarasota/ St. Petersburg we visited in FL.! It was much more relaxed and easy to travel than when Patricia and I went to the Miami area a few years ago for an Orchid show.

I loved that the ground was alive with every step you took,,,lizards of all types scampering everywhere both on the ground and on the structures! I like lizards!

I hope to someday go back to that area of FL. and who knows,,,I just might be welcomed back to these peoples homes! haha.

Comment by Jessica Dial on December 12, 2012 at 11:03am

@ Debbie

Hi! :) Hope you had fun in Florida!  What else did you bring back home?

Thanks for the Dischidia seedling pic.  I think Dischidias are way cuter as babies than Hoyas, probably because the growth is often more compact.

@ Karlie

Dischidias can vary in their needs a lot, like Hoyas, but I do find them (at least the varieties that I grow) to be somewhat sensitive to drying out.  Some I grow alongside my Hoyas, in open air.  But most seem to flourish better in an humid aquarium.  I grow them primarily mounted on bark with moss and spray them down regularly.  I also keep some in very small pots of my chunky Hoya medium (1:1:1 bark, potting soil, perlite), still in the aquarium.  Even when I grow Hoyas/Dischidias potted, the mix maintains a lot of the characteristics of airiness, high drainage, and something chunky for the roots to grab onto.

I grow a miniature fern alongside my Dischidia.  They look super cute together and are well suited to the same environment.  I used to hear a lot that Dischidia like lower light, but I think that's a very relative observation and can lead people astray.  They still like plenty of indirect light.

I also prefer plants that could never survive in my climate. I feel guilty sometimes importing plants from paradise climates into my conditions.  Like keeping a Great Dane in an apartment.

Comment by carol noel on December 12, 2012 at 10:28am

Actually, hoyas and dischidia grow alike and often share the same trees.  Some hoya are called 'succulent' (H. pachyclada, H. australis ssp. rupicola, and others) but they are ALL epiphytes (except for those called Eriostemmas like lauterbachii, coronaria, etc.). 

Contrary to how we grow hoya/dischidia, they have a very simbiotic relationship to their substrate (trunks, branches) and can thrive with less moisture due to the moisture in the host.  'They' never stop being who they are...but we need to adjust the ways we grow them to what makes them happy!  In cool dry climates more moisture is needed than in hot humid areas ... one way to help in dry climates is to grow them on a substrate that is dampened (like a log or tree fern) and all of their roots then support the plant.

Comment by karlie zone 4b/5a on December 12, 2012 at 10:13am

@Jessica, yes the aloe would probably dominate the pot now come to think of it. I realize now the hoya needs a good drenching a little more often than the aloe with all the sun it will be getting, so I put it in a smaller pot with a couple of other succulents that need a bit more water but not much. Thank you for such helpful advice! The Dischidias and Hoyas are quickly becoming a new passion, as I have an unfortunate love of everything that lives outside my zone, tropicals and succulents mainly. The pot it is in is a fast draining cactus mix (generic like miracle grow type) with my compost and some topsoil mixed in for root development. So I am assuming from the research that Dischidias take much more rainwater than hoyas, as hoyas are more closer to cacti/succulents, correct? Dischidias are more tropical epiphytes(sp?) That would attach to rainforest tree trunks. Therefore high humidity, high water usage (but fast draining, like a mulch high in organic matter humus)? Would they work well in a terrarium or aquarium (if aquarium, hydroponically)? Would Dischidias do well alongside ferns?

@Debbie beautiful seedlings! I definitely.need to get better at growing.from seeds/cuttings. (very scary thouhgt for me, I have lost alot of seedlings due to rot/mold which is my own darned fault from beginners inexperience. I can do the garden veggies from.seed now, but still too scared to do anything else from seed. I have heard of soaking seeds for 24 houra method, and then the "nip-cut" a seed shell exterior, but have not done any of these methods yet) will you move the Dischidia seedlings to an open pot or do they need to stay in a terrarium style pot in the winter? We have very dry Winters here, I have 3 vaporizers in the house going right now just to feel "normal" air.

Thank you both for you positively amazing responses. Looking forward to chatting more with you both!

Comment by Debbie C. (Okla.) on December 11, 2012 at 12:58pm

Hi Karlie and welcome to the group!

Jessica gave good advice on the Dischidia seeds,,,same goes for Hoya seeds. The fresher the better!

I happen to have gotten some seed pods on some Dischidia acutifolia cuttings I bought on my FL. trip in Sept. I waited for the pods to ripen then collected the seeds and planted them on a fairly damp paper towel and placed the towel in a zip lock baggie with some air blown in. I sat the baggie where it got light and some sun in a west window. Within 3-4 days I saw a tiny root appear and days later saw the sign of green appear which ment leaves where forming! As each plantlet got it's first set of leaves (seed leaves)  I transplanted each to soil mixture in covered containers. The picture attached is what they look like today!

I have the first batch growing in a double sundae container and another batch growing in a pie container. Both containers have clear tall lids.

I am both a Dischidia lover and a Hoya lover! I enjoy both!

Comment by Jessica Dial on December 11, 2012 at 11:04am

@ Karlie

Glad to help. :)

Dischidia ovata is very common at nurseries - so be on the lookout for those leaves.  I think Dischidia lovers are even less common than Hoya lovers, so though they are harder to track down, they are even more happy to meet someone who appreciates their collection.

I don't experiment much with group plantings, so I'm not confident I know how your proposed arrangement would turn out.  On one hand, Hoyas like well draining medium and do well in Al's gritty mix and the like.  As do jade and aloe vera types.  On the other hand, I personally water my jade and aloe vera much less frequently than I do my Hoyas.  Probably with the right mix and the right Hoya, you could pull it off, but I wouldn't just stick any Hoya in there.  Also, don't you think the aloe vera would dominate the pot?  My varieties grow a lot more aggressively than Hoyas.

Just some thoughts. :)  I'm not opposed to experiments.

Comment by karlie zone 4b/5a on December 11, 2012 at 10:32am

Ahh thank you Jessica! Very, very helpful info. Maybe I can take another trip to the nursery and see if the have any... The nursery I was windowshopping at yesterday did have a hoya, but I am not sure of the type. No bloom just a couple leaves on a stem. Might have to go pick it up now. Would a hoya do well planted in the same pot as my large aloe Vera, and medium sized jade? I think I might have said it before, but it is west facing and it gets plenty of natural bright sun and also unnatural soft flourescent at night, probably total of 12 hrs light... I am trying to plan out plants before I buy them, instead of buying them and then bringing them home scrambling to find them a spot! Lol! We will see how long it works like this before I go back to my old ways (oink).
Thanks again Jessica!

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