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Hoya Sarawak (7 Caring Tips & 2 propagation Methods)

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Hoya Sarawak is a beautiful plant with large heart-shaped green leaves. It makes the homestead attractive, and if cared for well, it blooms the parachute clusters of the star-shaped flowers. 

It prefers light, well lit by the sun, and retaining moisture, which is necessary for good growth. The plant also needs support, rocky slopes, or a powerful tree to grow upward. In nature, Hoya Sarawak can reach ten meters in length. 

Young shoots do not have leaves, but over time, when the node begins to develop, it becomes covered with elastic, fleshy pointed, or semicircular leaves, and the branches themselves lose elasticity and are prone to fragility. 

The length of the leaf is about five cm, and the width does not exceed eight cm. In spring, the Hoya Sarawak blooms vigorously with white flowers. Sometimes white comes with a pink tint. The shape of the inflorescences is star-shaped, the flowers are collected in small umbrellas.

Hoya Sarawak
Hoya Sarawak via Reddit

7 Home Care Tips

Hoya Sarawak does not require special attention and maintenance. It is enough to follow specific rules of care.

1. Lighting

These plants require enough sunlight to develop properly. If they grow in poorly lit areas, they become thinner and produce less vibrant flowers.

Direct sun can burn foliage. So it would be best if you shaded your hoya during spring and summer daytime hours. The daylight hours should belong for the flower to look healthy and regularly form buds. The daylight hours should be about 10 hours, even during dormancy.

The window sills of the east and west windows are the best for maintenance. When grown on the south side, the flower should be placed slightly in the back of the room, and when placed on the northern windows, it is necessary to use artificial lighting with fluorescent. 

2. Growing soil

The plant does not have any special requirements for the content of nutrients in the soil mixture. It needs a very porous, well-drained soil with a slightly acidic orneutral pH.

The substrate can be made independently from light leafy and soggy soil. A certain amount of coarse river sand, perlite or vermiculite is mixed into the ground to improve drainage.

For additional nutrition, loosening and disinfection, add a little charcoal. Finely chopped pine needles and a small fraction of pine bark can be mixed into the soil to maintain an acidic pH.

It is better to surround the caudex with small pebbles or coarse sand as a top layer to avoid decay. Such a layer will facilitate a better outflow of moisture.

3. Temperature

The optimum temperature in the spring and summer is 23–27 degrees. With the onset of autumn, the temperature is gradually lowered, and in winter, the plant is kept at a temperature of 12-16 degrees.

Hoya Sarawak is resistant to lower temperatures and grows well without a dormant period but less actively. The tree is taken out to the garden in the spring and summer.

But they are protected from precipitation. The room with the plant is ventilated all year round since the plant loves fresh air very much.

Hoya Sarawak 2
Hoya Sarawak via Reddit

4. Watering

In spring and summer, watering should be abundant, but the soil should dry out to a depth of several centimeters between them. An indoor plant easily tolerates a short drought but will not handle stagnant moisture in the earth. Be sure to drain the excess moisture that appears after watering

If the plant grows in a warm room, where the temperature is above 15 °C, it should be watered regularly, even during the winter months.

The plant will appreciate watering with very warm water; therefore, it can take a hot shower in the warm season. When kept cool, the Hoya Sarawak should be in practically dry soil by reducing the frequency of watering.

For irrigation, use only softened and well-settled water at room temperature. Also, the bushes can be watered with filtered or bottled water.

5. Fertilizer

You can use mineral fertilizers with a high potassium content (or balanced) when growing. Feeding should be done every 2 weeks. The plant responds well to feeding.

Fertilizers can be diluted to half of the recommended dose on the package. During the dormant period, feeding is stopped and resumed only with new growth in the spring.

The nutrient solution is introduced into the soil only after abundant watering since the root system can get burned if too concentrated fertilizers get in.

6. Pruning

If you create favorable conditions for the Hoya Sarawak, then in the summer or a sunny windowsill, it will bloom beautifully with large inflorescences.

After flowering, do not cut off the inflorescences because new flowers will appear on them again next year. Long shoots are cut off after flowering to form a dense and lush crown.

Sanitary pruning will be necessary to remove weak and diseased branches. Promptly, the apical leaves of young plants are pinched to form lateral shoots. 

Trimming is carried out only with a sharply sharpened, sterile instrument. Moreover, flowers should not be moved from place to place because they can shed their buds.

Wipe the Hoya Sarawak leaves from dust with a damp sponge from time to time. Depending on the species, the plant’s stems can be provided with a vertical support, wrapped around a wire ring, or allowed to hang freely from a hanging pot. Be careful because some species have stems that are too tender and brittle.

The bush develops slowly, and in the winter months, it can even stop growing altogether. Putting several plants in one container gives you a very lush specimen. Place these plants outdoors during the warm season, taking care of shelter from direct sunlight, strong winds, and rain.

You should not change the flower’s location without particular need and gradually accustom the plant to any other changes in the conditions of keeping the flower. Do not place the plant near heating systems or under air conditioning during the summer months.

7. Transfer

Hoya Sarawak is transplanted after the roots are entirely entwined with an earthen ball. Young specimens are transplanted annually, and the adults once every 3-4 years.

The pot is taken no more than 5 cm larger than the previous one. The pot must be stable, well suited from ceramic and clay material. The substrate can be purchased in a store or prepared independently. For this, leafy earth, humus, sand, and peat are mixed in the same ratio.

The process consists of several steps: A drainage layer and some soil are poured at the bottom of the pot. The plant is carefully removed, the roots are slightly shaken off and washed under warm water.

Hoya Sarawak is examined. If rotten roots are present, they are cut off. After the plant is installed in the middle of the flowerpot and sprinkled with earth, water abundantly and apply the first top dressing.

Hoya Sarawak propagation

1. Propagation by seeds

The seed must be less than one year old. Dry the purchased seeds and plant them in loose soil. For the soil to absorb moisture well, mix pieces of artificial fabrics. The seedlings will sprout in some days.

During this period, you should not allow waterlogging or drying the soil. The seedlings should be kept in a warm room with good lighting. After some months, like three, they can be transplanted into pots when the sprouts are strong.

2. Hoya propagation by cuttings

The cuttings to be propagated should contain 2-3 leaves and several nodes. Please place them in a foil-wrapped jar to keep out the light. Then fill with water with a temperature of about +22 °C.

Place the cuttings in a shaded and warm place. To create greenhouse conditions, cuttings can be covered with foil. They will stand for two weeks and put the roots out of the nodes in this state. Then transplant them into potting soil.

Diseases and pests

If you follow the correct care regimen, diseases and pests will not visit Hoya Sarawak. But sometimes, the florist does not follow even the most necessary rules for caring at home, and then the plant gets sick.

When the air and soil are dry, the plant is affected. All its visible parts are removed mechanically and then treated with Aktellik.

Hoya Sarawak 3
“Question about my 1st Hoya Sarawak” via Reddit

Root rot occurs with excessive watering. In this case, the plant is removed from the soil, the decayed parts of the roots are cut out.

If there are still many, they are planted in the new earth, and irrigation is arranged less often. If there are no roots left, then the cuttings are placed in water to build up the root mass.


Conclusion  

The Hoya Sarawak is quickly grown at home. To do this, you need to provide the plant with a small hanging pot and standard care. 

Like any other house plant, Hoya Sarawak needs good lighting, timely watering, and the correct temperature regime. It is a light-loving plant, so it should be placed in a bright place.

This can be a well-lit room or a window sill on the east or west side. Avoid direct sunlight, because of which the foliage can turn yellow and fall off.