To receive wax ivy as a gift is a great success, as the flower is unusual and beautiful, very easy to care for. It will delight all winter with the juicy color of the green of its leaves and all summer with umbrellas of fragrant flowers. Hoya, or wax ivy, is the perfect roommate for both beginner growers and connoisseurs. To grow it, you do not need special efforts and skills.
The place of origin of the plant is the warm edges of India, China, the islands of the Pacific Ocean. It belongs to the subspecies of lianas, and the name "wax ivy" received due to the dark and shiny leaves, as if covered with wax and the ability to wrap around the area of supports.
Blooming beauty
In nature, there are about 200 species of hoya, the most common of them:
- Pale. The name of the flower acquired due to the light green color and light yellow flowers, stars. It features an unusual mint or citrus aroma of inflorescences;
- Pitted. It got this name because of the pressed veins along the dark green leaves. Blossoms in greenish-yellow inflorescences;
- Regal. Due to flowers, the size of which is significantly larger than other species, it is considered the princess of wax ivy.
Regal hoya
- Longleaf. Leaves of this species reach 18 cm in length (when usually a leaf is about 6 cm) and 1 cm in width. The flowers are white and small;
- Large-leaved. The deserved name of the species, since the leaves of this beauty are really large - up to 20 cm long, 10 cm wide. The leaves are decorated with white veins;
- Emglore. Unusual appearance, not at all like the others. The leaves are small and bent, rare flowers, up to 4-5 pieces in inflorescence;
- Multi-flowered. The yellow flowers of this curly liana reach the number of 50 pieces in inflorescence;
- Beautiful. The leaves are small, creepers reach 6 meters in length. This species is distinguished by a beautiful inflorescence - light petals pubescent on the inside, and a bright raspberry crown inside.
Hoya is beautiful
- Fleshy. The most common hoya. The leaves are dark green, medium length, inflorescences of 40-50 flowers, white or pink-cream color. The smell is pronounced, sweet. Shoots reach 3 meters, grow very quickly.
Flowering wax
Reproduction occurs most often by grafting directly into the soil or into water with further planting. But not everyone knows that a homely wax flower of hoya is able to bloom. It’s easy to care for a flower, but for it to bloom, you need certain conditions:
- Abundant sunshine, preferably the western or eastern sides. At the same time, if direct sunlight hits the flower, its leaves will begin to turn yellow and fall off.
- Watering should only be done when the earthen lump is completely dry. In winter, watering should be even less common;
- The temperature in summer is 18-27 ° C, in winter not higher than 15 ° C;
- Bathing the plant provokes flowering twice a year - in autumn and spring (after and before flowering). In warm water (not higher than 40 ° C) fully immerse the vines with the pot for 40 minutes. After pulling out the branches, leave the pot in the water for another hour;
- Hoya houseplant is a flower of one place, if you change it even twice a year, this can cause a lack of flowering.
Flowering on the window
- There are no special requirements for humidity, but spraying with water will only benefit;
- It is necessary to transplant the flower with maximum preservation of the root system. An ideal option would be transshipment into a pot of a slightly larger size. The first 3 years, a transplant is required every year, later less often.
- Often a flower refuses to produce buds when it grows in a large, spacious pot.
The roots of the hoya must be tightly interwoven in the soil so that it blooms throughout the summer season
Interesting fact! You can provoke flowering by planting a flower in a small pot.
With proper and such simple care, flowering lasts from the beginning of summer until autumn. Flowers are collected in bunches (umbrellas) from 20 to 50 flowers in one. Flowers have the same waxy effect as leaves. The flower itself consists of petals and a crown in the center. Beauty lies not only in quantity, but also in color contrast. Most often, the petals are light, and the crown is raspberry, red, bright orange, and purple.
Important! Flowers that have already wilted do not need to be plucked, new ones will bloom in their place.
Flowering is accompanied by a strong smell, depending on the type of plant, aromas are different - from honey to delicate notes of citrus. The most domesticated ones have a pronounced smell, so it is not advisable to place them in the bedrooms.
Fleshy hoya - the most common indoor view
Hoya (wax ivy) can I keep at home?
Opinions about the dangers and benefits of growing different indoor flowers differ among lovers and connoisseurs of home greenery. Some people know by heart the list of "undesirable" apartment dwellers and bypass such plant species, others grow everything that makes their eyes and soul happy, regardless of fiction and horror stories. Why do such superstitions arise, if you liked hoya, is it possible to keep this wax miracle at home?
The belief that ivy is a symbol of something bad has gone since antiquity. These plants like to wrap around cold stones, trail on rocks and in caves, which have always been associated with something bad. Ivy often encircled tombs and tombstones. Hence the connection of plants with evil spirits and vampires who supposedly lived in such places.
The unnatural brilliance of the leaves and flowers of this plant also aroused suspicion and fear. Plants were considered poisonous because of its luster. And the stupefying aroma during plentiful flowering only added confidence to fans to invent beliefs. The smell can really cause malaise and an allergic reaction, therefore it is recommended to place the wax beauty in large rooms, which are often aired.
Wax gloss looks like artificial
The next horror story is that ivy sucks energy. The very ability to wrap around and wander is reminiscent of snakes, creeping and other things, which again causes a comparison with evil spirits, something poisonous and bad. If the plant wraps around, then over time it’s as if strangling. So, it takes all the juices and strength. Yes, many ivy species are parasites. They entwine plants, shrubs and trees, clogging, depriving them of light and leading to death. Some species receive nutrition from other plants. Because of some types of such parasites, the label was hanged by everyone creeping.
Girls who dream of getting married connect the plant with their failures in search and loneliness. Attaching a negative built over the years to a plant, it began to be attributed to those flowers that drive husbands out of the house. And not only spouses, but also sons.
Myth or truth
If you believe all superstitions about the hoya flower, whether it is possible to keep it at home, you should remember its roots - it is not ivy. It is so called among the people for the similarity of the growth method and the ability to braid. She is a representative of the sub-families of the Lastovnevs, who are not at all related to ivy. She eats exclusively with the help of her root system, not being a parasite, and gets along well with other roommates.
Important! Attributing "bad qualities" to a home flower hoya would be a mistake.
People who have difficulties in life and family frustration often shift responsibility for their failures to others. Sometimes an ordinary indoor flower also plays this role. The experience of such people has led to the spread of myths that flowers can affect the quality of family relationships and the level of luck and happiness in life.
Of course, a flower affects the atmosphere in the room where it is located. Adding coziness, finished notes of design and making their accents, indoor friends become full-fledged family members for flower gardeners. And it is these people who dispel the myths that some of the plants can bring misfortune.
Hoya in the midst of flowering
Opinion: why wax ivy can not be grown at home
Hoya flower why you can’t grow at home, another opinion is the exhaustion of energy. Moreover, this property of the plant is considered both useful and harmful. Initially, green absorbs negative energy in those places where they often swear, quarrel and pour their negativity. It is advised to place this flower in rooms where a large number of people are associated with any problems. Maybe Ostuda Hoya is so popular among government agencies, offices and schools. In these places, streams of different energies and thoughts collide. A flower is just the same able to settle them.
Later, when all the negativity was absorbed, the waxy beauty begins to feed on positive flows of energy, taking away joy and strength. Some advise moving the flower from room to room, or placing it in places where people do not linger for a long time. But then flowering can not be seen, since the hoya does not like moving and rearrangements.
If you believe in the bad signs associated with this handsome man, you should not bring him to the house. With his thoughts, a person attracts negativity and misfortune into his life, while blaming the plant. But sometimes people bring this plant into the house and then disbelieve in such slander, proving that the flower brings only positive emotions and pleases the eye. Believing signs or not is a personal matter for everyone, but at the same time there is no clear evidence that the hoya negatively affects the life of the household.
Hoya is poisonous or not
During growth and flowering, the plant does not emit toxic or harmful substances. On the contrary, it helps to replace carbon dioxide with oxygen in the room. The only negative reaction can be caused due to strong odor during flowering.
Interesting fact. Numerous studies have proven that Hoya is not toxic and does not emit hazardous substances.
The reverse side of superstitions about green beauties is only in the positive qualities of this roomman. It gives a friendly atmosphere, absorbs negative, contributes to the development of strong family relationships. Hoya can be kept at home, it is absolutely harmless. The plant is loved for its unpretentious care, the beauty of flowering and the ability to create full-fledged compositions from long shoots.