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What's the best way to root hoyas?

Posted by loi tran on

There are many ways to proprogate hoyas.   The 4 common ways are:

in water

in LECA

in perlite

in sphagnum moss

I've experimented with all those methods and I like perlite and sphagnum.  

Water works better for some species, but there is a concern that the roots that developed in water aren't conditioned for the potting mix so there is risk when transferring to the potting medium.

Leca worked okay for me, but I found the cuttings would root faster in perlite.

Perlite in a ziplock or to go container was my favorite method before I started experimenting with sphagnum moss.

Moss is my favorite method now.  As long as you squeeze out the excess moisture, I find that it stays moist longer than perlite and promotes faster root growth.  I didn't like moss before because the roots would get tangled in the moss and was more trouble to transplant into the potting mix.  The moss can be untangled if you soak the hoya cutting in water and gently remove the moss. 

I've experimented growing hoyas in sphagnum moss and a 50/50 sphagnum and perlite mix instead of potting mix with more success.  There's less chance of new cuttings dying from root rot when compared to rooted cuttings moving to a potting mix.  The moss/perlite holds moisture better while still being airy, so new cuttings have a lower chance of having their roots dry out as well.  

In summary, all 4 methods work well, but I prefer sghagnum moss and perlite due to the higher success rate of rooting and transplant as well as it being lower maintenance.