Wax Plant Care
Hoya spp.
A succulent-like vine with waxy leaves and clusters of usually fragrant flowers. Never prune the flower stalks (peduncles) on which it blooms again; it likes bright, indirect light and well-drained soil, and prefers its pot to be snug.
Monthly care calendar
Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.
- Watering: Water lightly once a month or when the soil is completely dry.
- Plant protection: In the winter months, check for mealybugs and scale insects; wipe them off with an alcohol-soaked cotton pad if necessary.
- General care: In a heated environment, increase humidity by misting the leaves.
- Pests & diseases: Check the undersides of the leaves and the joints for pests.
- Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 5 °C.
- Watering: Increase watering slowly, as the soil dries out completely.
- Pests & diseases: Check for pests that may have hidden over winter.
- Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 5 °C.
- Watering: Water as the top of the soil dries out.
- Fertilizing: At the end of the month, start applying a diluted (1/2 strength) balanced liquid fertilizer (e.g. 20-20-20 NPK).
- Pruning: Prune only to shape or to remove dry parts. Do not cut the flower stalks.
- Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 5 °C.
- Plant protection: Check the new shoots for aphids.
- General care: The best time for repotting (only if really necessary, every 2-3 years).
- Watering: Water regularly as the soil dries out completely.
- Fertilizing: Feed with a diluted fertilizer every 2-4 weeks.
- Plant protection: Be watchful for mealybugs and scale insects.
- General care: Drainage is vital for this plant. In heavy, water-retaining soil, plant on a mound or bed raised 20-30 cm, and keep the root collar above the surrounding soil level.
- Watering: In a long drought, water deeply once a month.
- Fertilizing: To encourage flowering, you can switch to a fertilizer high in phosphorus (e.g., NPK 10-30-20).
- Pests & diseases: Avoid overwatering to prevent root rot.
- Watering: In midsummer, deep watering every 15-20 days is enough. Water so that the soil is wetted to a depth of 10-15 cm from the surface.
- Fertilizing: Continue fertilizing every 2-4 weeks.
- General care: Keep it in a position sheltered from midday sun; scorching at the leaf edges is a sign of burn.
- Watering: In midsummer, deep watering every 15-20 days is enough. Water so that the soil is wetted to a depth of 10-15 cm from the surface.
- Fertilizing: Continue fertilizing every 2-4 weeks.
- Pruning: Faded flowers drop by themselves; leave the flower stalk (peduncle) on the plant.
- Watering: In a long drought, water deeply once a month.
- Fertilizing: Reduce fertilizing to once a month.
- Watering: Around now (20 September), as temperatures begin to cool, lengthen the intervals between irrigations. Allow the soil to stay dry for longer periods.
- Fertilizing: At the end of the month, stop fertilizing completely.
- Pests & diseases: Do a general pest check going into winter.
- Watering: Reduce watering significantly (e.g. every 3-4 weeks).
- General care: In winter rains, make sure water does not pool in the root zone; for this plant, drainage is more critical than irrigation.
- Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 5 °C.
- Watering: Water once a month or less often, only when the leaves begin to wilt slightly.
- General care: Evergreen leaves continue to lose water in winter. Water thoroughly once before the soil freezes.
- Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 5 °C.
The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.
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