Hoya Callistophylla Care
The key to hoya callistophylla care is to never let it sit in water logged soil…
Hoya Callistophylla Care Summary
| Light needs: | Bright indirect sunlight. |
| Watering needs: | Check weekly, water if soil is dry. |
| Fertilizer: | A balanced fertilizer once a month in the spring and summer. |
| Soil: | A mix of soil, perlite and orchid bark. |
| Humidity: | 60%. |
| Temperature: | 15-28°C (59-82°F). |
| Where to buy: | Try our list of Rare Plant Shops or Etsy. |
| Common issues: | Overwatering due to wet soil. |
Introduction
Originally hailing from Borneo and growing epiphytically, the hoya callistophylla is an impressive hoya with big leaves for a small plant that have dark green veining giving it an almost dragon-skin look.
See also: Hoya Rotundiflora, Hoya Elliptica, Hoya Archboldiana, Hoya Bilobata, Hoya Burtoniae, Hoya Lacunosa, Hoya Nummularioides Care, Hoya Krimson Princess, Hoya Krohniana, Hoya Gracilis, Hoya Caudata Sumatra, Hoya Fitchii, Hoya Chelsea, Hoya Curtisii, Hoya Sunrise.
Tip: we recommend Etsy for buying plants. Look for the best rated seller you can, and try to buy as close to your home as possible so the plant does not travel too far.
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Light Needs
Bright indirect sunlight is best for a hoya callistophylla. They grow fine in medium sunlight, but to encourage flowering and the best growth you want to give them bright indirect sunlight.
How Often to Water
Check the soil once a week but only water it if dry. These plants are not fans of wet soil! Hoyas are epiphytes and grow in trees in the bark in the wild, so they hate to be in heavy wet soil. You must let them dry out before watering them again. Also make sure you let the water pass through after watering, and tip out any excess water left in the external container to make sure the soil does not get water logged.
Tip: make sure you do not water the plant until the soil is completely dry all the way down, as the biggest killer of hoyas is root rot. If in doubt, underwater it!
Hoya Callistophylla Fertilizer
Feed your hoya callistophylla a balanced fertilizer once a month in the spring and summer to encourage growth and flowering.
Soil
This epiphytic plant must have great drainage, it cannot sit in wet soil. A mix of soil, perlite and orchid bark is ideal. For more on hoya soil (what to buy and how to make your own) see our guide here: Hoya Soil.
When To Repot
Repot them every 2 years in spring. They are not fussy about repotting and can be allowed to get a bit pot bound.
Humidity
60% is best for a hoya like this, they are tropical plants. They will be ok with less, but will do much better when put in a humid part of the home.
Temperature
15-28°C (59-82°F) is best, so they will be just fine in almost all homes.
How To Propagate Hoya Callistophylla
They are fairly easy to propagate, if slow growing like most hoyas. The best thing to do is to take cuttings with 3 or 4 nodes, and take the leaves from the bottom two nodes but keep leaves on the top ones. Then put the cuttings in water so the leaves are not touching the water, and the naked nodes are under the surface. It should take a month or so to start rooting, and then in two months you can pot the cuttings up into soil.
For more on hoyas see our hoya category with all our hoya care guides.
Hoya Callistophylla USDA Zone
They can grow outside in zones 9-11.
Hoya Callistophylla Price
At time of writing they go for 30USD to 75USD in North America, depending on size in. Small ones in Europe go for 25 euros up to 60 Euros for a big plant.
Is It Toxic To Cats?
They are non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Hoya Callistophylla Vs Kalimantan
The key to telling the difference between the hoya callistophylla and the kalimantan is the flowers of the callistophylla have much more red on them around the edges. These plants are really similar and it can be very difficult to tell the difference without them flowering.
Hoya Callistophylla Vs Finlaysonii
These plants are really similar, but the way to tell them apart is the veins on the finlaysonii are less bold than the callistophylla .
Hoya Callistophylla Vs Gunung Gading
The hoya gunung gading has really defined veining, and the leaves feel thinner to the touch.
Where To Buy
Try our list of Rare Plant Shops or Etsy.
Hoya Callistophylla Care FAQs and Common Problems
Overwatering is a major problem for hoyas like this, they need to be in a very well draining soil and watered only when dry. They are epiphytes which mean they live up in trees in the wild and not in soil, so they get root rot really easily when left in wet soil.
Additional Resources
Buy: we recommend a digital thermometer hygrometer (amazon affiliate link) to measure humidity.
Links:
- More info on the Vermont Hoyas page.
- More info on the Kew Gardens plant page.
Other Articles You Might Like
You might also like our other articles: Hoya Krimson Princess, Hoya Kentiana, Hoya Shepherdii.
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