Hoya Serpens
Welcome to our guide to the Hoya Serpens all to you need to know about care and propagation. They key to getting the best out of your Hoya Serpens is to give it a bright sunlight and only water it when dry.
Hoya Serpens Care Summary
| Light needs: | Bright indirect sunlight. |
| Watering needs: | Check soil weekly, only water if dry all the way down. |
| Fertilizer: | Use a balanced feed monthly in spring and summer. |
| Soil: | A Hoya Soil Mix. |
| Humidity: | 60% |
| Temperature: | 15-25°C (59-77°F). |
| Where to buy: | Try our list of Rare Plant Shops. |
| Common issues: | Overwatering. |
Introduction
The hoya serpens is a small round-leaved vining epiphyte, know for it’s hairy blooms. They come from the Himalayas originally and do not like to get too hot. In general they like high humidity and bit more water (but not too much) than other hoyas, and lower temperatures.
See also: Hoya Soil, Hoya Curtisii, Hoya Krimson Princess, Hoya Cumingiana, Hoya Callistophylla Care, Hoya Sunrise, Hoya Chelsea, Hoya Pachyclada, Hoya Polyneura, Hoya Retusa Care, Hoya Heuschkeliana, Hoya Imbricata.
Hoya Serpens Light Needs
Bright indirect sunlight is best, especially to encourage blooming. Medium indirect sun is ok too. Do not give them direct sun.
How Often To Water
Check the soil each week but only water it if it is almost dry all the way down. They don’t ant to totally dry out as their small leaves can suffer if dried out, but you must not over water a hoya.
Fertilizer
You can use a balanced feed every 2 or 3 weeks in the summer to encourage growth. Always over dilute your fertilizer rather than under to avoid fertilizer burn.
Hoya Serpens Soil
They need a chunky really well draining mix of something like orchid bark, perlite and cactus compost. They grow in tree back in the wild, not on the floor, so we soil will give them root rot easily.
For more on hoya soil see our guide here: Hoya Soil.
Tip: make sure you give them a soil mix suitable for epiphytes that has plenty of orchid bark, as they hate to sit in heavy wet soil and will get root rot easily. Remember that they grow on tree bark in the wild and not in soil. For more info see our guide: Hoya Soil.
When to Repot
Check the plant yearly to see if the roots are crowded, give them a bigger pot if they are getting root bound, so they have the best chance of growing well, also crowded roots can lead to root rot.
Humidity
60% or more is ideal to get them to thrive and grow their best. They will be fine in less though.
Temperature
15-25°C (59-77°F) is a good range in the daytime, and 0°C (32°F) as a minimum at night. They are better at the lower end of household temperatures.
Tip: To give it the best chance of blooming, aim for a temperature range of 20°C (68°F) – 22°C (72°F) as optimal in the day, and give it 60% humidity.
How to Propagate Serpens
Take stem cuttings with a couple of leaves and a node and root them in a sphagnum moss (you can use soil instead if you like). Keep it moist and humid and well lit and it should root in a month or so. You can put a bag over it to up the humidity, but make sure some air can get in and out or you could get fungal issues.
Hoya Serpens USDA Zone
They can grow outside in zones 10-12.
How To Make Hoya Serpens Bloom?
You can encourage flowering by giving the plant bright indirect sun and give it fertilizer every 2 or 3 weeks. They only tend to bloom when fully grown which can take about 5 years.
Hoya Serpens Vs Hoya Mathilde
They are similar plants and are related, the mathilde is a mix of the serpens and the carnosa, so it also has characteristics of the later. For more on the mathilde, see our guide: Hoya Mathilde.
Why Does My Hoya serpens Have yellow leaves?
Make sure you’re not overwatering the plant, the medium should almost dry out before you water it again. Yellow leaves are normally a sign of root rot.
For more on hoyas see our hoya category with all our hoya care guides.
Is It Toxic To Cats?
It ‘s not toxic to cats or dogs.
Where To Buy
Try our list of Rare Plant Shops.
FAQs and Common Problems
Common issues are overwatering, it is really easy to overwater a hoya, so give them a really well draining mix and only water them when the soil is dry.
Additional Resources
Buy: we recommend a digital thermometer hygrometer (amazon affiliate link) to measure humidity.
Links:
- More info on the Wikipedia page.
- More info on the Kew Gardens plant page.
- More info on the RHS plant page.
Other Articles You Might Like
There you have it, here ends our guide to this beautiful plant. You might also like our other articles:
Hoya Soil, Hoya Curtisii, Hoya Krimson Princess, Hoya Callistophylla Care, Hoya Sunrise, Hoya Chelsea.
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