Content
- Porzellanblume
- ancestry
- growth
- blossom
- Location
- to water
- Fertilize
- transplant
- overwinter
- To cut
- Does not bloom
- multiply
- Toxic
- pests
- offshoot
- sorts
- Popular varieties
- Hoya carnosa
- Hoya kerrii
- Hoya bella
- Hoya australis
- Hoya linearis
Porzellanblume
The porcelain flower has become more of a rarity on the window sills of plant lovers. The tropical beauty from the Far East has a lot to offer optically, olfactorily and with regard to design. She is not particularly caring for this.
ancestry
The Hoya (named after the English gardener Thomas Hoy) is a plant from the tropics and subtropics of the Far East. Its homeland spans relatively large areas of Asia, Australia and Oceania - naturally the various Hoya species occur in, for example, China, Vietnam and Thailand, Japan, the East Indies and Indonesia, colonizing both tropical rainforests and dry forests, coastal areas and Altitudes of up to 2500 meters.
growth
The porcelain flower is an epiphyte, that is a sedative plant, which choose other plants as a growth reason in the wild. So they grow, such as orchids or bromeliads, preferably on trees. It grows quickly and forms flexible shoots - this makes the porcelain flower also well suited for the trellis or round arch culture. Also that most species are climbing, predestines the wax flower for the culture of rank on scaffolding and railings. Over time, the shoots more or less lignify.
blossom
Its nickname wax flower has the Hoya of the mostly fleshy and waxy nature of their flowers. They appear in grapey (fake) umbels with small, star-shaped single flowers, which form a very pretty structure through their five-rayed sepia and petal combination. It is also nice that the porcelain flower blooms again and again from spring to autumn. Many species also exude a sweet, sometimes heavy scent in the evenings. Less beautiful is the nectar, which secrete the flowers and glued to the windowsill.
Characteristics of the Porcelain Flower Blossom:
Location
According to its origin, the wax flower likes it warm and bright. However, it does not tolerate full sunshine - after all, it thrives in woody habitats in its homeland. As with all exotic ornamental plants from warmer areas of origin, you can not cultivate the porcelain flower outdoors in our latitudes. It is therefore best kept as a houseplant.
The substrate should be loose and permeable to air and water - it is best to put drainage in the pot with expanded clay. This will prevent the roots from suffocating or getting waterlogged - they just do not like that.
to water
Too much watering is therefore taboo in the case of the porcelain flower. However, you should regularly give it water, especially during the growing season. Make sure, however, that the pot ball is completely dried before the next pouring. As a tropical to subtropical plant, the porcelain flower also likes a shower or two: spray its leaves occasionally with a refreshing mist of water.
Remember:
Fertilize
The porcelain flower can be fertilized with a moderate dose.You should use a rather weak green plant fertilizer, which you add to the irrigation water. This is not necessary more often than every 3-4 weeks. The risk of over-fertilization is certainly greater than a growth or bloom weakness due to nutrient deficiency. In winter, not fertilized.
transplant
You do not need to repot the porcelain flower too often. She is as reluctant to be disturbed on the feet as she is constantly relocated. So only season them when absolutely necessary, that is, when the pot gets too tight. Also, the new pot should not be disproportionately larger than the old one - that would mean getting used to too much and increasing the risk of leaf and flower weakness. The new substrate provides you again with a expanded clay drainage and possibly some sand.
overwinter
In winter, when the porcelain flower here is not enough light for a normal vegetation, you should allow her a corresponding rest period. But it is generally true that the location difference to the summer place should not be too high / must. So the winter quarters should also be relatively bright and not too cold.
While the optimum temperature for the porcelain flower in summer is between 18 and 23 ° C, it should not fall below 10 ° C in winter. Of course, she can not get frost in any way. But it should not be too warm, because that is not compatible with the inevitable lack of light. In addition, the risk of pest infestation increases with warm temperatures. A good winter location for the porcelain flower, for example, is a window seat in an unheated staircase.
The porcelain flower should be watered only moderately in winter according to its low vegetation.
The wintering rules:
To cut
Apart from the bloomed inflorescences during the summer, you can cut back the wax flower relatively uncomplicated. When shoots become excessively long, they can be trimmed without much loss. You should always make sure that the scissors are positioned directly above a blade axis. There, the plant can best drive out again. By regularly shortening the shoots, you can keep the wax flower compact or in a special shape.
In general, you should also regularly perform a Auslichtungsschnitt to increase the flowering joy.
Does not bloom
A relatively common problem with the porcelain flower culture is the absence of the so popular flower. For certain care mistakes, the wax flower may be somewhat sensitive.
Most likely for a lean or totally absent flowering is:
Above all, the porcelain flower does not like relocation. So right at the beginning of the cultivation, make sure you have a suitable, sufficiently bright place, preferably without drafts. When waiting in vain for flowering, switching to another location is usually counterproductive.
What the porcelain flower can also spoil the bloom is a too dark location. The tropical plant needs some light to produce its flowers. In that case, a change of location to a lighter pitch is of course inevitable.
You should also cut off the flowered inflorescences in any case. This will prevent the formation of new flowers in these same places. If you leave them alone, the porcelain flower will soon, if it is not yet autumn, give you a new umbel of its tiny, waxy star-shaped blossoms.
multiply
The wax flower can best be increased by lowering. You can also cut cuttings, this method is explained below.
In the sinking method, place a tendril of the mother plant in a pot of sandy, loosely packed soil. This is best done in the spring, when the light supply rises. At the rooting point, remove the leaves, cut off the shoot tip. Particularly beneficial for growing is a uniformly moist warm environment - to create this, you best use the well-tried film method. Keep the sinker permanently damp, but do not pour too much here.
Once roots have formed at the point of contact, you can cut the connection to the mother plant.
Toxic
The toxicity of the porcelain flower is a somewhat nebulous thing - on the one hand there are some different information from expert pages. On the other hand, it is also dependent on the species. Some are quite easily poisonous - above all, it is often warned against leaving cats, dogs and, above all, birds with the wax flower alone. But even toddlers should not necessarily play unsupervised in the Porzellanblumennähe.
pests
Fortunately, porcelain flowers are relatively insensitive to diseases and pests. If there are problems with growth or flowering, this is usually due to unloved relocation, over-fertilization, waterlogging or other care mistakes.
However, the wax flower can also be attacked by pests, especially during the wintering phase, in which it is slightly weakened. Prevent yourself at this time in particular, to protect them from unfavorable conditions. Most often occur in the porcelain flower aphids, shield or mealybugs.
In case of an aphid infestation, you should first work with cumshot. In the case of scale insects, it is best to add some nettle, garlic or tansy to the spray mixture. The best way to combat lice is to remove affected parts of the plant and treat the plant with a solution of spirit, curd soap and water.
offshoot
In addition to the casual Absenkermethode you can also use the familiar cutting method to get a new porcelain flower. This works in most cases completely without complications. Time for the cuttings breeding is the spring like the lowering method.
You get a cutting in the form of a shoot cut off above a leaf axis - so you can also use the cut material at one of the regular cutbacks.
Plug the cuttings into either roasting in a water glass or in a soil substrate. With the water glass method, you should occasionally change the water due to the risk of rot. In a soil substrate you can give some rooting hormone.
sorts
The wax flower genus is extremely rich in species - no wonder in the diversity of provenance habitats across the entire tropical and subtropical Fernasiengebiet. There are about 200 different species altogether. For a long time only the Hoya carnosa with its flesh-colored blossoms became a potted plant. Meanwhile, the Topfkultuvierungsspektrum but has significantly expanded. Here is an overview of particularly popular and varieties:
Popular varieties
Hoya carnosa
The Hoya carnosa is named for its pink to flesh-colored flowers. This quite extraordinary color makes it an attractive ornament on the windowsill or in the conservatory. The umbels are upright or slightly hanging and exude a very firm scent. However, they are also strongly nectar-secreting.
The Hoya carnosa forms soft, later woody and climbing shoots, which are covered with fleshy, shiny leaves. Overall, it can reach a height of up to 4 m.
It needs a bright location without too much direct sunlight, in winter it should be relatively cool, so not over 14 ° C.
Hoya kerrii
This variety also owes its name to a visual peculiarity: and these are their heart-shaped leaves. Lately, the Hoya kerrii has enjoyed growing popularity, perhaps because of the viviparous culture that has been reviving for years. The leaves also have the property that they can be individually rooted. A simple leaf cuttings is therefore particularly suitable as heartwarming souvenirs. Whether the heart leaf expels, however, is very individual and can take up to 6 years!
As a location, the Hoya kerrii prefers a sunny to partially shaded spot - it can handle relatively little light compared to other hoyas.
The flowers of Hoya kerrii are white with contrasting red petals and appear between May and October. It trains long, creeping shoots, which should soon be guided by a climbing aid. Overall, the Herzblatt-Porzellanblume reaches only about one meter of height.
Hoya bella
The Hoya bella is characterized by its elongated, conical leaves, which give an interesting structural effect. Its rich branching makes the Hoya bella ideal for compacted shrub formations. It can be cultivated without increased cut as a hanging plant. Overall, it belongs with only about 50 to 60 cm growth height to the smaller varieties.
Its particularly beautiful blooms show up from May to October in white with pink-colored Kronblättern. The Hoya bella is also well suited for a rather shady location on the windowsill.
Hoya australis
The Hoya australis has its origin, as its name suggests, especially in the tropical areas of northern Australia. It is again divided into different subspecies within its species. It is particularly strong and can grow up to 5 meters in total - In the room culture it must therefore be cut back a little more often. Their shoots writhe and lignify moderately with age.
The flowers of the Hoya australis are like the Hoya kerrii white with red petals and smell very pleasant.
Hoya linearis
The Hoya linearis is characterized by particularly elongated, thickening leaves and is very robust. It tolerates relatively warm temperatures in winter, without immediately becoming susceptible to pests. That makes her ideal as a houseplant. Due to its long-haired growth, it can also be wonderfully cultivated as a hanging plant. Overall, it is a very small variety and only reaches about 60 cm in height.
Her flowers are white with a cream-colored crown and smell delicate. It prefers cooler temperatures than the other types of porcelain flowers, but overall it should not be colder than about 7 ° C.