3 Key Elements of the Best Hoya Potting Mix + Advice for New Hoyas 

100L of perlite... I feel u 😂😂😂 I live in Malaysia where it is usually 70-90% humidity during rainy season, a little less during dry season. I use super chunky mix because if I dont, i might experience rootrot from waiting for soil to dry. Some of my hoyas are still in cocohusk chunk (cocochip) and I water it everyday. Some even left outside and get rained on almost 4-5 times per week but that is how it is when it is in nature. When I walk round the orchard and found some hoya on the ground, i notice it grew on leaf compost and went up a tree, intermingling with ferns and orchids, so I try to make my mix well aerated like those in nature

Omg I can’t take it. How are you so funny and so informative at the same time. I freaking loved this video. They just keep getting better!

This guy really seems to like plants.

Hoya Curtisii is the first Hoya I got and it is doing so well. I used coco coir with perlite, bark, horticultural charcoal and pumice. It is directly in a southeast window and loves it. I am in Canada and right now we are in the dead of winter and it’s growing really well

I encountered something very interesting. I bought a small Hoya undulata on ebay for about ~25€, it was planted in some stoney substrate and the roots did not look good. I gave it a chunky mix in a transparent pot, again no rootgroth... So I bought a 4,250 L glas with a lid, took some pine bark and forest moss (not spaghnum), made a drainage with stones in the pot as well as in ther glas, inserted a layer of pine bark and soil, and placed a lot of forest moss on it (Like done in this experiment were some guy put soil, moss and a plant into a large glas, closed it and never opened it up for 30 years so the glas become its own eco-system), in the center sits the small undulata, in its tiny transparent pot with some bark and forest moss... and after some time the undulata went nuts, pushing out a new leaf like there is no tomorrow (While the two older leaves are strict green, this new one has the typical green/red/splash pattern), growing roots everywhere and some roots grow even out of the substrate on top of the pot. I bearly water the plant since the moisture within the glas seem to never let the substrate dry out. The 4,x L glas is placed on a west-window. Hopefully one day I can get the undulata out of the glas without killing it.

This is literally the first video that I found very informative! I keep killing my Hoyas because I’m so scared to water them because everyone says don’t water them much. I followed everyone’s rule that water my Hindu rope when leaves start to pucker but by that time I water and they just get worse and worse! I can keep all my Calatheas beautiful and everyone says those are hard and Hoya is like a walk in the park!! I’m going to try your method and pray I don’t kill my other Hoyas

Why do I love Sundays? Because after work, it's Miro time! 💗 Thankyou for just generally being a lovely person.

I love when plant vids have some humor mixed in. Very funny and informative.

Okay, so after a very long time of trial and error with hoya mixes and figuring out stuff on my own, I can attest to the fact that every single word you said is 110% truth. Even down to the species you mentioned (esp. undulata). Thank you for making this video to help other hoya hoes figure stuff out, I wish I had this video to reference when I first got into hoya! I love your channel and I love anyone who is a hoya hoe like me.

Super informative, thank you for taking the time to make this. It's always a joy to watch your videos. 💚

I have made that mistake of using the cactus soil mix because I wanted a well draining soil only to find that it is really not well aerated at all, and becomes very compact.

, i literally just started to seaech for hoya potting mix when you said no one asked you!! ❤ 🌱🦋🌿 ❤

good advice...and thank you as usual. Here in Jakarta, Indonesia we just stick them to a wood-cut (usually pine tree), wrap them with living moss, and water them every day, or once in 2 days. And most of them love very bright light and even full sun.

So grateful still that I found this channel! You are a treasure, sir! Also very knowledgeable.

Love how you actually take the time to explain

That might be the best video I've ever seen on RU-vid 😊 informative and funny

Oh and I live in Houston, Texas where summers can get stifling hot in the three-digits degrees and humidity is low. So if I keep my Hoyas outside, I use Orchid potting mix, organic regular potting mix, and perlite. I use a ratio of 2:2:1. The Orchid mix & perlite allows for good aeration and good drainage. And my organic potting mix has some peat moss which gives it a good fair amount of moisture retention during this high heat/low humidity Houston summer weather.

🤣 ”I like perlite too much" "mud castles" So many Miro gems in this video. But also SO informative. Thank you for helping me understand the difference between aeration and well draining. Hoyalicious. 😂

Best video for a Hoya newbie like me. There are a lot of misconceptions. People like me are looking for the info and sometimes people will give a short answer based on what little they know or misinformation they have. We have to all learn by trial and error unless informative videos like this can hasten our learning. So thanks for making this informative video. And I love your personality and wit too.

The best explanation I’ve ever watching about Hoya care tips here in RU-vid. I love it and really such a big help for me.

You are a STAR! 🥰🤩

I live in Wisconsin, USA - harsh winters and humid summers. I use a general potting mix, pumice, and a medium sized bark equal parts. My pots are either ceramic or plastic with holes for drainage. When I water, I let the water go through a couple of times to be sure everything is wet. I use a moisture meter to be sure the mix is completely dry before I water again. My Hoya are all pretty young, less than a year old. They need weekly watering now in summer, and I am sure will need less often in the winter. They are all doing very well! I love your humor, and the knowledge you share in all of your videos! Thank you!

Your content is knowledgeable and entertaining. Thank you! I love it 💚✨

Oh my! Totally loved this video! I learned so much! Thank you! And you are aooooo funny! I hope you have lots more videos I can watch...keep them coming! 💚

I use a similar mix to you, except more peat because I live in dry ass Ohio. I also bottom water with a mix of tap water and like 1:10 fish water from my female betta sorority tank. The bettas don’t like nitrates but the plants sure do. ;p I grouped most of my plants on one shelf to help keep up the humidity, they also share a grow light.

Une des meilleures vidéos sur le sujet selon moi! Merci 🙏🏼

OMG WHY IS THE DRAWER OPEN I CAN’T 😂 1. Roots don’t actually turn to dust. They fall apart when they are dry too. (When it's overwatered, they fall apart and are mushy, when they are dry, they also fall apart, but like... dry plant matter 😂) 2. White stuff on the bark is from preventative spider mite treatment :) You can see some on the leaves as well :)

Very informative lessons today. Thank you.👏🏽🍀

I find you very watchable, funny, and informative. Thank you for the content and the time that you take making it.

Thanks for another great video. I’m going to repot some of my hoya’s now. Some aren’t thriving and I think you explained why. So thanks I learned a lot!

You’re so funny!! Thanks for the laughs and the educational info!!

For epiphytic hoyas, I use a mix of 1/3 regular soil mix, 1/3 perlite and 1/3 orchid bark, and I will throw a bit of charcoal in it, because drainage. I water about once every 7 to 10 days depending on the hoya. For the terrestrial types, I use 1/2 regular soil and 1/2 perlite.There are species for which I use crushed egg shells too, since they like a more limestony environment (according to Summer Rayne Oakes if you've ever watchd her videos). I found out in the past year that I really enjoy customizing my soil mixes, and boy do I add perlite everywhere too XD

Love your videos much fun to watch.

Since hoyas are similar to orchids, I have been using orchid spray on my hoyas! And yes they look great!!

Thanks so much for this video! I live somewhere dry and high altitude (Wyoming, USA) and used your base mix and added in some potting soil w/perlite and extra sphagnum moss. Can’t wait to see how my Hoyas do!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is the second time you saved my hoyas!...

And this guy really seems to know his hoyas!❤️😎 Very good, informative video. Thank you! ( when people are saying that they water their hoyas once a month, I’m like: WHAT!?!!)

I agree...this guy knows his stuff...im a new hoya head...need all the info I can get!!

Thank you thank you thank you! You just got yourself a new subscriber. It’s SO HARD to find plant people (influencers? experts?) online that don’t say “oh just throw every single plant into some miracle grow bagged soil”. My plant issues have always been soil related, but I didn’t know that until I started doing extensive research. I thought I just had a black thumb. I was constantly losing plants to root rot.

Haha instantly subscribed because I love your sense of humor! And thank you for mentioning that most plant-shops/ -nurseries have no clue how to water their plats in a healthy way, so that the customer doesn't buy a plant, which is pretty much healthy looking but has rotten roots inside😩 even smelling the pot every single time, I still end up with a zombieplant from time to time. Therefore (learning from many lessons) I report some type of plants right away, too which is an extremely stressful situation for acclimatization, but you know...what else can you do?! Parenting sometimes means being able to cope with sacrifices 😭 last September I bought the most beautiful Bordeaux-ish orchid and it was in full bloom - looking too sexy for it's cover-pot! after a week "the dying" started and one by one it dropped all it's flowers and buds. I looked at the roots and after I got the orchid-bark out I saw that not only did the 3 little Woodstick's rot and infected all the bark around them but also the roots and the main stem had completely rotten because they were wrapped in a layer of soaked sphagnum moss pretty tightly 🤯 wtf?! I was sooooo pissed because i bought it in the kind of "higher quality -nursery" I trusted all these years! since then I keep noticing more and more drops in the quality of plants and of the substrates they use. @Basie Plants: do you think this is due to the current ( slowly getting a little better🙏 ) hype around houseplants and therefore rising pressure in order to please the increasing demand for plants? And Do you think it will normalize, once the "main hype" is over? It really frustrates me because i don't have a better option for plantshopping in the nearby whatsoever! Should I seek a conversation in the shop or just go somewhere else right away? It happened to two other plants I bought there, too You did an excellent job on the further explanation on the whole moisture retention- watering- drainage - cycle ! 👍 Thank you for making me laugh today!

This is SO completely helpful! I have been trying pon and could not understand why my pon roots have been dying! This was great thank you!!!

LOVE your videos always informative and humorous 😁 I live in West Virginia, USA, we have harsh winters in the mountains so my humidity is crap right now. I have to run 3 humidifiers throughout my home to keep it at a even 60%. So for most my Hoya's I have them growing in a mix that has good amount of orchid bark, perlite, and a little coco peat. I have to water about once a week during the winter, twice in the summer.

I love your humour and really enjoy your videos. I bought a 1.13L bag of perlite! Lol

Sydney, Australia . I am using 1/3 succulent/catus, 1/3 orchid, 1/3 perlite (summer rayn recipe). I am just starting so will see how that goes. I learn a lot with your videos so heaps of thanks. Will be repotting all my Hoya Australis (5) in terracotta pots already bought with the Australis 1 month ago. I water all my plants with tap water . Oh well if they can’t survive, that’s Darwin’s Law. I grow up in Vietnam. Hehehe. I can’t collect rain water. Distilled water would be an luxury expense that I can’t afford.

Thank you! Super informative.

Superbly bro. Thank you. Greetings from 🇮🇩

Thank you! Great info and a laugh, as always. 😊💚

Great video! I am struggling to find the right mix for my Hoyas! Thanks for all of the information!

"I think there's a bark in my coffee" 😂 I love your videos Miro, both very informative and entertaining. Keep it up!

Hi, Miro! I appreciate your rational correlation: growing mix, water, temperature. It's fit to my location, here in Romania. I was looking for new trellisis, and you insipred me. Thanks!

Holy SHIT, I love you. Ugh yes,someone new, so full of GOOD information and HILARIOUS. I wanna be friendsssssss

Thank you, you're so helpful and I really enjoy your personality 😁❤️

I would love a video on how to determine what our plants are already potted in from the store. I never really know what is good and what is bad, when I should let it alone or completely repot🤓 Love your channel❤️

Thank you! Soo helpful!! 🙌💚🪴

Thank you!

Thoroughly enjoyed this video! Excellent and accurate information, thanks so much.

This has such great information.! Thank you!

Thanks for this info. No word about vermiculate? A must-add for some people!

Great information. Thanks for sharing👍💞

Great video, as always :D

Trying to rescue a Lowe’s Hoya carnosa right now. This is the video all plant RU-vidrs need to make, but don’t. THANK YOU!!! I tried waiting two weeks like everyone says to do and it didn’t dry out so the roots died even more. I lost a lot, but it was cheap and the cuttings look good, so I will have something left…

Hahahahaha. Garden nursery’s are trying to make a mud castle. 😂 So True. Even in Australia 🇦🇺 most seam to want to drown the Hoya. Constantly chop and prop the new Hoya I buy as plant insurance. The mother usually dies as they are to far gone but the prop survived.

Hahaha I love your videos! “Bark in your coffee” is my life! Thankyou for this, you are so smart, and honest! Your trellis not for sale? What?. 😂😂😂😂😜

Loved the video and I’m am now subscribed to Betsy’s channel. ❤

Thank you again. 🌱 ❤🌱❤🌱

What a helpful video I just got my Hoya Carnosa I am not sure what the max is in the higher but it looks very happy so I won’t be changing a tire needs to

Thank you... this has been very informative.

You are informative and hilarious!! From the Bronx here, Zone 5er and appreciate you!!!

Excellent! Summarized very well!!

Thank you once again ,learning more from you..😘

I always repot .....I mean what else is there to do? Lol 😂 I like moss for props with a heat mat and a lot of light. However for bigger plants 🪴 I like orchid bark, moss, perlite, little bit of charcoal. My pots Terra-cotta or clear orchid pots. But I use a serious aspect light and a great humidifier. Hoyas do love moisture. I need to water at least once a week or twice with some Hoyas. Great content ❤️🌱

Hi Miro, I just love all your videos. But this one is a⭐. You know, what are you talking about and lovely bonus - lots of fun. I'm hoya beginner, so very happy I found you. My Irish 😉 environment is cool (even in summer) and with high humidity so I learned my lesson NO LECA. I made mistake with my orchids and will not do the same with Hoyas. Also thanks to you 👍 All the best Elena

I really love your humor 😆!

Thank you!!

Alawsys happy to watch your videos! Great info I have my first Hoya coming in the mail. A krimson princess

Hello 👋 ran into you video just started my hoya collection been growing orchids for a few years now my 1st hoya was the bella and she grows in orchiata and kiwi mix with just a few strands of spagnum moss my environment is meduim to warm so bella and my other hoyas are thriving I water once a week and feed every 2ks....happy growing💞💞

OMH THANK YOU !!! You are the best, PLEASE don't stop talking about hoyas - ever :D I butchered my curtisii out of that coconut plug :D and it's now in sphagnum moss, I'll try to root it. Same to my retusa and sigillatis. I hope they will root. And I hope I will not need to do this to my linearis - it looks so fragile to me ( and I think it's my favorite hoya right now) when I bought it from a local plant shop it was in a peat moss (retusa also, because I bought them from the same shop) and they where soaking - I think they just dumped them in a bucket full of water and tried to drown them :DD so the first thing I did - I dried them with paper towel for TWO DAYS always changing to new paper towel and after peat moss had dried out I repoted my linearis. It now lives in regular poting mix with LOTS of orchid bark and perlit :D

Informative video plus funny. How? Love it!

Thank you so much for this! So informative! I’m in Texas, usually pretty humid. My home is usually about 50-60% humidity level, and I use a mix of orchid bark, perlite, charcoal, worm castings, and a small percentage of soil. So far it’s working for me, but have only been collecting Hoya for a year. I’m sure my mix will continue to evolve! Your content is so helpful. Thanks again!

Excellent video. I can't imagine the effort that went into making it. Well done. Oh - btw - I've found that a coarse grind coffee, with some orchid bark mixed in, (make sure the orchid bark is ground finer than the coffee) taken once each morning makes you one with the plants. They appreciate a kindred soul. (Don't ever use pearlite because it doesn't break down and is terrible coming out, and coco coir tends to bind one up!)

Perfect timing Miro! I've used an orchid mix which is mainly bark and expanded clay pellets... It has worked well for me in the past but just today I found my Chouke drying from the bottom up and the roots have pretty much completely died back... I had recently moved that hoya (for better light) and I forgot to water it... for a month! 😭 Rescue mission under way, still viable stems are now in sphagnum moss in a propagation box. Wish me luck! 🤞

You are very entertaining 😄 thanks for this video 🥰🌿💚

Great video, thanks Miro! It seems i'm on the right way with my hoyas. I use an orchid mix with large proportion of bark, add a generous amount of perlite and charcoal. My hoyas grow at about 50% of humidity. I tried a net pot only once for H. buotii and it didn't work in my contidions, it turned to be too dry for the roots. I water my hoyas accordingly to the amount of light they get; less ligtht - less water. I let all of them dry between watering, some longer than others.

Omg Miro, this might win the price for the most informative hoya video I ever watched. Thank you so much! I thought I had found the perfect hoya mix. My plants were very happy with my coir/bark/perlite/lava mix during summer. But then winter came and my mix now stays wet for way too long. They are all slowly dying. I think my problem lies with temperatures being too low. Ironically, those that are doing best are those that I left in the coco plug they came with. I will take my time to experiment and find a better solution for the survivors when spring finally arrives. In the meantime I am chopping and propagating everything I think I am losing. Fingers crossed that some will make it!

Perfect🍃I learnt

I use Rockwell to root them all the time works great

Come from Reb's Channel and...I am so glad!!!New sub.Instantly love your vids. Thank you for your work and your sense of humour🙏😉 Greetings from France 🌿

Love your videos! "I'm glad you asked" "Nobody asked" I'm still laughing. Please don't change! :)

I found that once I increased the aeration in my Hoya soil(s), I saw an immediate response in growth. Giving them brighter light levels and water was also a factor. I plan to continue experimenting with different combinations of soil amendments. 🖤

Thank you so much for this video. And for the humour :) It made things clearer in my mind. Thank you also to not do like other "hoya youtubers" who give solutions that actually only work for them - like to put hoya bella constantly in water while living in a very dry region somewhere in the USA... I'll use then something like an aroid substrate for most of my hoyas, and mght add a little bit of humus for the most delicates of themalso . Now I understand why latest hoya bella is surviving better as all others I have/had, since this one is not in peat and gets way less water/moisture.

Great info. I have made the mistake of thinking well-draining = well-aerated.

Very good advice

‘Accept differences” great advice. I have a question. Everything I’ve read about Hoyas is that they hate wet feet. But I’m seeing that some of yours have beautiful, healthy roots and they are sitting in Water. I feel like I’ve been depriving my babies of moisture. Changing my watering habits. Thank you.

I just got my first Hoyas so no clue what works here in the desert. I bought them from a local shop. I think the mix is ok. Lots of bark. It's very pretty.

With some hoyas like lacunosa (the finer root ones) people let it dry out too much, the roots die and then if you water it, the dead roots start to rot and people mistake it for overwatering. I think this is the case for the undulata.

I am always tinkering with my hoya mixes; I have not tried lecca as an addition to make the medium chunker. Will try now!

tnk u, i really enjoyed this video

Awesome

Wow i need to watch this like 100 times. So much info. Hey any suggestions on monstera? We are in a sub tropical central Texas. And summer are hot, and some humidity, about 7 to 8 months warn to hot to over 100 by August. Right now, indoors for winter, my babys are dropping leaves, and dying.

I freaking love your sweatshirt (white/red with humans on it)!