Complete Care Guide: Hoya Curtisii
Complete Care Guide: Hoya Curtisii
In this article, you'll find…
Plant Info
Care Guide
Lighting
Watering
Humidity
Soil Needs
Types
Propagating
Common Issues
Frequently Asked Questions
Plant Info
Hoya curtisii is a small-leaved, epiphytic hoya (which means it grows on trees and things, instead of in the ground, generally). It climbs by sprouting many roots along the length of the stem, and can grow to an impressive length. The leaves are olive green with a silvery pattern of variegation on them, spade-shaped, and about thumbnail size.
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Common Name(s) |
Hoya curtisii, Chain of Spades, Courtesy Hoya, Waxplant, Waxflower |
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Botanical Name |
Hoya curtisii |
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Botanical Family |
Apocynaceae, the dogbane family |
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Mature Size |
Individual vines can grow 2m/6ft long! |
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Lighting |
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Watering |
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Humidity |
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Soil Mix |
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Flowers |
Appear in clusters on mature plant; often very fragrant, very showy. |
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Hardiness |
Tropical -- keep above 10C/50F |
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Native Region |
Southest Asia |
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Toxicity |
Take a look at this care guide as an infographic!
Care Guide
This plant is a relatively slow grower most of the time, but in the right conditions, you'll find seemingly random growth spurts throughout the year. Don't be afraid to take cuttings to fill out your pot -- they root easily, and cut vines very often branch out.
Flowers will appear on very happy hoyas, generally only on mature ones.To encourage blooms, make sure your hoya is getting lots of light and humidity, and spray it with orchid fertilizer. (There's some indication that being root-bound is helpful in encouraging blooms, but that can stress your plant and stunt growth!) They are at the end of a small stem called a peduncle, which will persist after flowering -- make sure not to cut it off, because it'll flower from there again the next time! Inflorescences come in clusters of pink star-shaped flowers.
Lighting
To get the best growth and the best chance of blooming, give your hoya curtisii lots of bright, indirect light! A South-facing window with a sheer curtain (if you're in the Northern hemisphere) is perfect. If you don't mind slower growth and are growing it for the foliage rather than the flowers (which is valid!), it is also perfectly capable of handling lower light situations.
Make sure to check out our general article on lighting!
Watering
Generally, the advice for hoyas as far as watering goes is called the taco test. Basically, try to gently fold a leaf of your hoya that's near the soil level in half lengthwise. (Gently.) If there's a lot of resistance, then the hoya doesn't need to be watered yet; if it's particularly pliable, then water away! But I can't stress gently enough -- I've broken more than one leaf down the middle!
For the Curtisii, it's a little more difficult to tell than on bigger-leaved hoyas. Try folding a leaf in half, the same way (gently). If there's any resistance, stop folding -- they are particularly prone to breaking this way. You need to let the soil dry out nearly the entire way between waterings -- lift the pot, and if it's light, then it's due for a watering!
Make sure to check out our general article on watering!
Humidity
Hoyas definitely prefer high humidity -- you'll notice a faster growth rate and higher chance of blooming -- but hoya curtisii will adapt to standard household humidity perfectly fine.
Make sure to check out our general article on humidity – including a couple common myths!
Soil Needs
Hoya curtisii is an epiphyte, meaning that it grows attached to tree trunks by many short roots instead of out of the ground. To recreate this, make sure your soil is extremely well-draining and extremely chunky.
Suggestion: Start with 1 part peat-based potting mix or coco coir (cactus/succulent mix, if you have it), mix in 1 part perlite, and 1 part orchid bark.
Don't know why you're adding these things? Check out our article on potting mixes!
Types
There aren't really any different types of Hoya curtisii, but there are over a thousand different types of hoyas, not to mention cultivars!
Propagating
Want more baby plants? You can easily propagate with stem cuttings, the exact same way as you do with most vining houseplants!
Simply cut off a section of stem with a few leaves, just above a node (where the leaves meet the stem), take off the lowest leaf or two (making sure to leave at least one leaf on it, but ideally a few), and then stick it in water or a moist substrate, making sure that at least one node stays moist. Put it in a bright spot for a few weeks, and you'll see roots forming -- often even after only a week!
Alternately, lay the vine on top of a wet substrate, and watch roots form along its length!
Check out our articles on water propagation, soil propagation, or air layering for more details on common propagation methods!
Common Issues
The most common issue for Hoya curtisii is overwatering, by a wide margin -- but it's also possible to underwater it, so make sure you're doing the taco test!
All houseplants are susceptible to pests, including mealybugs, spider mites, and more. This plant isn't notably susceptible to anything specific!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you put Hoya curtisii in a hanging basket?
Yes! In fact, hanging baskets or spilling over the edge of a pot and the shelf below it are pretty much the only two options for displaying Hoya curtisii!
Is Hoya Curtisii toxic to pets?
Nope! Like all other hoyas, Hoya Curtisii is perfectly safe to be consumed (though we still don't recommend it) -- but any plant can cause an upset stomach in pets, so still watch your pet closely!