I have two: my Hoya Linearis is doing well solely because I ignore it, it’s hanging directly in a southwest-facing window, lives above my humidifier, and I water it once a month. My Hoya Carnosa Tricolor, or wax plant, is a mess. It has given me such a hard time since I got it in July. It did really well and then started dying. I reached out to a few plant lovers who have some experience with the divisive plant and asked them why people might hate hoyas. Here are the five reasons they shared. “Hoyas often send out long tendrils that have tiny leaves and they never grow big. These tendrils can grow in different directions looking for something to climb," she said. “I’ve gotten poked in my eyes multiple times by them when I check on plants. It’s better to give them something to attach to.” This can be especially true of the Linearis which grows in weird directions until their tendrils are long enough to hang nicely. I have had experience with edema, which actually really bothered me. Some people use it as a tool to perfect their watering habits, but I just can’t get it down, so the black spots keep coming back. “Hoyas can be tricky and hard sometimes. In my experience, it’s hard to find a balance between treating them like a succulent or a common tropical foliage plant. As a succulent plant, they hold water in their leaves and watering too often may be not good for them. And this is where it gets tricky: once I waited to do the next watering too long and they are likely to have problems after that (losing leaves, root rot). So I hope I’ll find this balance some day and can manage to keep it alive for more than a couple of months.” “The reason most plant parents go wrong with hoyas is that they underestimate how particular they are with light and water. Due to the fact they are drought tolerant and succulents, people often think they are pretty relaxed and don’t need looking after,” she said. Maybe following Beth’s tips will help our luck improve with hoyas.
