does anyone want to learn more about house plants?

[Windrider]

You got any tips on hoya Australis? I've got most Hoyas figured out but I just killed three different variegated hoya australis trying to make them work. I've got 20 other hoya that thrive in the same conditions o.o

Which Hoya australis? There are five subspecies, at least one of which is sometimes considered difficult, in addition to several varieties of each subspecies. The usual one kept is Hoya australis tenuipes which includes the popular variegated variety "Lisa."

I have three Hoya australis tenuipes; regular, "Brookfield," and "Lisa." I grow them outdoors all year round here in So Cal. I find they like more light than my other Hoyas and resent being over-potted more as well. The only problem I've had is with a bit of rotting out because of being in too large a pot.

I gave my variegated Lisa what I thought was a prime spot in the patio for a hoya; full shade and in a corner where the house keeps it warmer in the winter. It had lack-luster growth until it climbed high enough up the wall to really get some sun. It even has vines on top of the patio now that are in direct sun part of the day and it is doing much better.

Here's mine, still recovering from winter. It got down to 39F one night and there was a bit of die back. See how some climbed up onto the top - that part has better variegation. Note that this pot sits on the ground so there is another 4' of this plant below the window and another 3' along the beam to the right. She's getting big!

 

[Windrider]

Here's my regular Hoya australis tenuipes, trained over an arch in my lath house. This one also gets enough sun that it would burn a carnosa or pubicalyx. Sometimes there is a red tinge on the leaves, but it blooms like crazy so I don't worry.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Hello fellow chicken lovers,
I was wondering if any of you would want to learn more about how to take care of houseplants such as... how to fight pests, how to water different kinds of plants, how to prevent pests, and so on and so forth. I have been in to house plants for a while now so I have gathered lots of knowledge along the way!

I you have interest great! if not then just let me know!
Thanks

Hello! I need help with a Song of India Dracaena I recently bought. I would like to make it bushier with more horizontal branches. Where/how should I cut it? And is it too early to cut it (it's currently maybe 10" tall and in a 4" pot. I can get a photo if you need it.

 

[Windrider]

Hello! I need help with a Song of India Dracaena I recently bought. I would like to make it bushier with more horizontal branches. Where/how should I cut it? And is it too early to cut it (it's currently maybe 10" tall and in a 4" pot. I can get a photo if you need it.

Dracaenas are never what you would call a well-branched, bushy plant. It is quite common to see one that is very tall with a naked "trunk" and just a puff of leave on top. Even if you cut it, they don't always put out more than a couple side sprouts.

The most common way to get the appearance of bushiness is to root many cuttings and put them all in the same pot. I have a couple Dracaenas, and I waited until they got very tall and leggy. Then I cut off the top (the part with the leaves), chopped the "trunk" into around 6" sections and rooted all those cuttings. I left around 6" of the trunk attached to the root ball and it sprouted too. Put them all in a pot together and it now looks decently bushy.

If you don't want to wait that long to get a bushy plant, a good way to go is to buy two more of the same variety and plant them all together in a bigger pot.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Dracaenas are never what you would call a well-branched, bushy plant. It is quite common to see one that is very tall with a naked "trunk" and just a puff of leave on top. Even if you cut it, they don't always put out more than a couple side sprouts.

The most common way to get the appearance of bushiness is to root many cuttings and put them all in the same pot. I have a couple Dracaenas, and I waited until they got very tall and leggy. Then I cut off the top (the part with the leaves), chopped the "trunk" into around 6" sections and rooted all those cuttings. I left around 6" of the trunk attached to the root ball and it sprouted too. Put them all in a pot together and it now looks decently bushy.

If you don't want to wait that long to get a bushy plant, a good way to go is to buy two more of the same variety and plant them all together in a bigger pot.

Thank you! I don't mind just a couple more horizontal branches. I'm hoping to keep it in the smallest pot possible since I planned to put it in my chameleon's cage, though I do plan to take cuttings from it for my own enjoyment.