How to Get Your Hoya Plant to Bloom: Wax Plant Tips

Hoyas are easy and enjoyable plants that are becoming increasingly popular as houseplants. Their easy-going nature and attractive foliage are great reasons to love these epiphytes. However, it’s the flowers that many people look forward to the most.

Known and nicknamed wax plants or porcelain flowers, hoyas have wonderful blooms that often look as though modeled from wax or porcelain. They vary in appearance from one species to another, and many have a wonderful fragrance. Others can smell rather off-putting, so it’s a good idea to find out before you buy if scent is what you’re looking for. 

Hoyas are native to tropical and subtropical climates, mainly in Asia, Australasia, and the Pacific Islands. They require similar care to orchids and have some characteristics of succulent plants. Let’s examine the needs of your hoya and explore how you can encourage it to produce its unique and beautiful blooms. 

Use a Smaller Pot

Hoyas are epiphytes, which means that they grow in a manner similar to orchids. These plants are not closely related, but I mention them because orchids are another common epiphyte that folks keep as houseplants. If you know how to care for an orchid, a hoya is not much different. 

An interesting similarity between them is their preference for staying in the same pot for a long time. In nature, these plants grow on trees and use their roots to anchor themselves. In cultivation, their roots do the same thing: attach to whatever support they are close to. 

This makes their roots somewhat vulnerable to repotting, because it’s easy to damage them as you detach them from their present container. If you plant your hoya in a terracotta pot, this presents an even greater issue, as the roots attach more effectively to the rougher, more porous surface. 

Hoyas also prefer to be slightly root-bound. These two factors work together, meaning you don’t need to repot this plant often. In fact, it’s beneficial to leave them in the same container for several years, even if they look crowded in there. 

This is especially important for blooming, for a few reasons. For one thing, being root-bound slows the rate at which the plant applies energy to root growth. As a result, the energy is applied to setting buds and flowering. 

In nature, the roots of these epiphytes can become restricted by their growing conditions. So this is a more natural state for them, which is always conducive to flowering. They also dislike wet roots, and a smaller container will hold less water. 

If your hoya has more space than it needs, you can size down or wait for the plant to grow into its current container. Sizing down will encourage flowering sooner, but allowing it to grow into its current container helps to maintain the integrity of the roots. 

If you decide to repot, choose a container that has good drainage and a bark-based, well-draining potting mix. You can combine orchid bark with peat or potting soil to provide a healthy foundation. Size down slightly from its current container.

Be gentle when working the roots loose from their current pot, and consider using a plastic or glossy ceramic container to prevent sticking roots in the future. Once it’s in the right size container, allow it to stay put for a while. You should only need to size up about every three years, or when the roots are growing out of the container and need more space.

Strike the Right Fertilizer Balance

For most of the year, hoyas should receive a balanced fertilizer to promote blooming. This helps with the all-around growth of foliage, roots, and flowers. However, as it gets close to blooming time, which is typically late spring to early summer, you can switch it up to get healthier flowers. 

During active growth and after flowering, apply a light dose of a balanced formula to your hoya every two weeks. If you’re using a synthetic fertilizer, make sure to dilute it to half strength to avoid overdoing it. Yellow leaves are a sign of over-fertilization. 

As you move into fall and early winter, reduce your fertilizing applications to once per month to avoid bombarding it with more than it can take in. Keep this up, or stop fertilizing altogether, until late winter. 

As the plant is about to re-enter its active growth time, switch to a formula that is higher in phosphorus. Phosphorus aids in bud development, while nitrogen increases green growth. If you want to encourage flowering, decrease the nitrogen and increase the phosphorus for a better bloom. 

After it flowers, return to using that balanced formula for the duration of the summer. Then, reduce the application to once per month again in the fall. This cycle should help your hoya produce flowers every year.

Raise the Humidity

As tropical plants, hoyas prefer a humid environment to bloom properly. This is another area where they are similar to orchids in terms of care. Humidity is essential to these plants’ ability to bloom. 

Hoyas need humidity in the range of 60-80%. That’s pretty high for most homes. Placing your plant in a bathroom where frequent showers happen will help it to get enough moisture through its foliage and roots. 

Without appropriate humidity, the leaves of your hoya may shrivel or develop brown tips. It may also slow the growth and stunt the ability to flower. This is the case for many tropical plants. I take mine outdoors for the summer, as I live in a humid climate. This is helpful in increasing the growth rate all around. 

If you need to supplement the humidity in your home, and you don’t have a bathroom with a bright window, there are other solutions. The space above the kitchen sink also tends to get more humid. 

You can also use a humidifier or a pebble tray, depending on how many plants you have that need a higher level of moisture in the air. Increasing the humidity around your hoya should boost growth quickly and will promote healthy bud development. 

Give the Right Light

Another important factor in blooming is the amount of light that your hoya receives. These are understory plants that grow in trees, under the canopy. While they like plenty of bright light, they don’t tolerate direct sun well. Dappled light is the most similar to their natural condition. 

Without sufficient light, your plant is unlikely to bloom. With too much, you’ll get sunburned leaves. Some types can tolerate more sun than others, but in general, any direct light should be in the morning or early evening. 

For the best results, place your hoya near, but not directly in the path of bright sunlight. Next to a window is a good spot. If you have a sheer curtain or privacy glass, this will act as enough of a filter to place your hoya directly in a window. If you’re not seeing much growth and all other care factors are in line, try giving it more light. 

Water Sparingly

Finally, there is the matter of water. While they are tropical and do like moisture, they get plenty of it in properly humid conditions. Watering too frequently can result in root rot, as the substrate remains damp. This causes it to break down and ultimately invite fungus, which deteriorates the roots. 

Wait until the soil is dry to the touch before watering your hoya. But, don’t wait so long that your leaves wilt or pucker. If the leaves begin to curl slightly in a way that is not natural to the species, it’s time to water. 

During the spring and summer, you’ll want to water about once every two weeks. Reduce this in the fall, along with your fertilizing, to once per month until late winter. It will need more water when in an active growth phase, and less when it is dormant. 

When you water, make sure to give it a long drink. Because of the loose potting medium, there won’t be much water hanging around. Make sure the roots absorb enough by allowing the water to run through the pot for a minute or two. You can also soak it in a sink with water and fertilizer. 

As long as the pot drains well, this type of watering should keep your plant healthy and happy. A healthy, happy hoya is far more likely to bloom regularly and robustly.