Representatives of the genus are evergreen, with creeping shoots, or curly bushes and plants. The leaves are ovate, oval in shape, whole, leathery and moderately fleshy. Inflorescences axillary with flowers collected in umbrellas; Corolla fleshy, rounded-pentaden; crown of 5 convex, thick, flat, bidentate and dissected posts.
These are very unusual ornamental plants. They are well tolerated by the dryness of the air, so they can be grown both in cool and in moderately warm rooms. For hoyi, a different kind of support is required, to which their vine-like shoots are tied.
Care of the plant
Lighting should be bright, the indoor plant waxy ivy responds well to the effects of bright sunlight. But when in the sun in the hottest summer hours, the plant can get burned.
It is better to grow on windows from the east or west sides. When placed on the windows on the south side, at midday summer hours the lighting should be scattered. To do this, use transparent fabrics (gauze, tulle) or paper (tracing paper). Plants that were previously in the shadows or just acquired should not be immediately exposed to the sun, it is necessary to accustom it to it gradually. When positioned on a window with a north orientation, the plant will not bloom (there is not enough light).
Autumn-winter pritenyat plant is not required. In the spring months, when the level of illumination increases, in order to avoid a burn, a lot of light must be taught gradually.
In summer, the most suitable for the plant t ° is from 22 to 25 ° C. In autumn and winter t °, the temperature should not be lower than 16 ° C (with the exception of H. carnosa, which can be kept in winter at 12-14 ° C). In winter Hoyu can be kept at 20-22 ° C, but then the flowering will be less abundant. The room in which Hoya grows must be regularly ventilated, avoiding drafts.
Beginning from March to October, the plant needs to be watered with excess soft water in excess as the top layer of the land is dried. Starting from autumn, hoyu watered less often, only 2-3 days after drying the upper layer of the earth. Water for irrigation can be slightly warm. If you completely stop watering the plant or watering it very rarely, the roots will partially die, the plant will weaken and enter the vegetative period.
In autumn and spring (2 times a year), it is necessary to immerse the plant for 30-40 minutes in water, heated from 30 to 40 ° C. The earth is immersed in water for two hours. These measures help to improve growth and speed flowering.
For wax ivy, the humidity of the air is not significant, but spraying is necessary. Spray should be carefully, so that droplets of moisture do not fall on the flowers. During the vegetation period (in spring and summer), plants should preferably be fed with complex mineral fertilizers (every two to three weeks).
In the presence of a large amount of light, flower buds are better formed. Wax ivy blooms until September.
When the buds are fastened, the plant will no longer be moved, otherwise the flowers may crumble. Under heavy inflorescences put support. When flowering ends, long shoots are cut off, leaving only short branches, those where still flowering continues. Do not also remove the peduncles, because the next year they will bloom. To keep plants in a vertical position, strong supports are required.
Plants younger should be transplanted annually, because larger dishes provide the most intensive development; plants must be transplanted every three years. Plant should be nutrient and easily permeable, weakly acid and neutral (pH 5.5-7). For hoyi, almost any soil, for example garden, mixed with sand, is suitable. The best soil is composed of leaf, clayey-sod and greenhouse land (1: 2: 1) or from leaf, clayey-turf ground, peat and sand (1: 2: 1: 1). Hoyu beautiful (N. bella) is best grown in a mixture of leaf land, peat, humus and sand in equal parts with the addition of charcoal. Requires good drainage.
Hoya (waxy ivy) - well suited for growing without soil (on nutrient bases).
Hoyu is propagated with the help of cuttings in autumn-spring (in general, it is possible to multiply the entire vegetative period). Cuttings must be cut with 1-st, 2-pairs of leaves, possibly longer ones. The roots of the petioles do not appear on the nodes, but between them, on the basis of what, cuttings should be cut not under the knot, but slightly lower. The soil for reproduction is mixed from 2 parts of peat, 1 part of sand, rooted even in water. For cuttings, the temperature should not be lower than 20 ° C. Hoya easily takes root and at home. Rooted (on the 20th-25th day) cuttings are planted in 9-cm pots. Prepare a mixture of several types of land: turf - 1 hour, leaf - 2 hours, humus - 0.5 parts of soil and sand - 1 hour; complex fertilizer is added to it.
If you want to achieve flowering during the first year, you need to use a different method of reproduction - stem cages. To do this, on the shoot of the multiplying plant, it is necessary to make an incision, overlay it with moistened moss, tie it with twine and cover with polyethylene film. Immediately after the appearance of the roots, part of the shoot, that from above, cut off and land in a bowl. To obtain well-developed thick specimens, no less than 3 rooted cuttings should be planted in one bowl.
To obtain the branching, the houseplant must be pricked after the formation of the third or fourth leaf.
Possible difficulties
- If t ° is too low, or the sun shines too brightly, the leaves begin to turn pale, they may wither and curl.
- If the air in the room is excessively dry and hot, the leaves fall off.
- With excess or insufficient humidity, and if the air in the room is excessively dry and hot, the flower buds fall off.
- When watering with stagnant or cold water, shoots and leaves may fall off.
- With excessive moisture, the roots and base of the stem begin to rot.
- In case of insufficient illumination and rearrangement, the flowers fall.
- The lack of nitrogen in the soil leads to a slowdown in the growth of plants, the leaves can acquire a greenish color (in such cases, feed urea at a concentration of 1 g / l).
- If t ° is too low, and irrigation is insufficient, or vice versa, then the leaves can turn yellow and fall off.
- Damaged: spider mite, mealybug, scab, whitefly and aphids.