Hoya kerrii- Indian Gem For Lovebirds

Sure, love month is far behind us. However, you should make your significant other feel special every day, right? If you’re lucky to have a succulent lover for a soulmate, getting the perfect gift is a real no-brainer. Now, other than a heart on a palm of your hand, you can give them a heart in a pot. While we are used to succulent coming in all shapes, colors, and sizes, did you know there’s a heart-shaped succulent out there? Meet Hoya kerrii, an unusual succulent that will become a perfect addition to your collection or even a star of the arrangement.

Hoya kerrii– The Queen of Blooming

Hoya kerrii is known and loved for its unusual shape and beautiful flowers. This is a bushy, but somewhat climbing succulent and it works the best indoors or at balcony and garden climbing arrangements. Hoya kerrii is also called “The Hindu Rope” or “Wax Plant”. This amazing succulent has a wax-covered stem, pretty thick leaves and blooms with waxy, almost porcelain flowers.

Flowers appear in wheel-like clusters and often have stars in their crowns. Also, flowers are coming with a strong, beautiful scent that fills up the air. Flowers of Hoya kerrii appear in the summer and have deep red, almost burgundy star-shaped patterns on them. This plant has thick, heart-shaped leaves. They are bright green with creamy-yellow or even white variegation. Leaves can grow up to 4 inches (10 cm) long and up to 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide.

Hoya kerrii is usually sold as a single heart-shaped leaf in a pot. Since this is a slow-growing succulent, in order to enjoy its beautiful flowers and bushy shape sooner, you should look for plants that already formed a stem with few leaves on it. This way, you won’t have to wait up to two years for a fully mature Hoya kerrii.

Grow and Care Tips

Being a tropical succulent, Hoya kerrii loves warm and humid growing conditions. This succulent grows from spring to early fall. In that period, it will love decently warm temperatures. You should provide Hoya kerrii at least 50°F (10°C) up to higher temperatures. During the winter, this succulent will go into the semi-dormant phase.

Hoya kerrii needs at least 6 hours of sunlight during the day. This succulent doesn’t require direct lighting, but it won’t do that well in a shade for too long either. You should plant Hoya kerrii somewhere with balanced light conditions. If you’re planting it in a pot for an indoor growing, the brightest window will do just fine. Whenever you decide to place your Hoya kerrii, just make sure it’s protected from the hottest sun in the summer.

When it comes to water, Hoya kerrii needs moist soil to thrive. You should water it once in 5-6 days and keep the soil from drying out completely. Hoya kerrii loves the humid environment, so you should also mist the leaves during the summer. Also, leaves should be cleaned from time to time. However, you should avoid misting and cleaning leaves when Hoya is budding or blooming.

Since this succulent loves moist, the soil needs to be really well-draining. This way you’ll avoid rotting of the roots due to overwatering. This plant also needs a good airflow around the roots as prevention for pests and fungi infections. In order to make your Hoya kerrii happy, plant it in a regular succulent soil mix with extra perlite, sand or even small rocks. Also, to keep it healthy, you can add some liquid fertilizer a few times during the spring.

Propagation

The fastest way of propagation is from cuttings. Leaf cuttings are shown to produce a new plant in less than two years. All you have to do is pull out the leaf and pin it down in a rooting medium. After the cutting roots, just plant it in a light, well-draining soil. You can also get the cutting from the top growth. The best time of the year for propagating Hoya kerrii is early spring, right after the plant starts its growing period.

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