The porcelain flower (or wax flower) of the "Hoya" genus cannot only be propagated by its seeds. The plant, which grows vigorously under the right conditions, can also be propagated relatively easily with rooted offshoots.

Long shoots of the porcelain flower are well suited as offshoots

The best time to form offshoots in Hoya species

If a side shoot of the wax flower, which sometimes climbs strongly, should at a certain point in time reach a length that would bother you on the windowsill, the material obtained during pruning can in principle be used at any time to form offshoots. However, the best time for a targeted propagation of the porcelain flower is spring. After cutting, the cuttings should be placed directly in a glass of water or in the moist growth substrate so that they do not dry out.

Root the offshoots of the wax flower in the glass of water

The more than 100 different Hoya varieties worldwide can basically all be grown in the same way from seed or rooted offshoots. For rooting in a water glass (filled with rainwater) or directly in the substrate, pieces of a shoot about 10 centimeters long are cut off, whereby the cutting point for taking several cuttings should always be directly below a leaf axis. Ideally, there should be about 3 to 4 leaves on each offshoot. Any flower buds attached to the offshoots of the porcelain flower should be removed so that the entire growth potential can be channeled into the formation of the roots.

Rooting directly in the substrate

When cultivating the offshoots of Hoya species in the substrate, the following criteria should be observed:

  • Use of peat-sand mixture
  • no direct sunlight
  • even humidity

Depending on the species to be propagated, there may well be differences in rooting. While some wax flowers root within two weeks even without rooting hormones, others may take 6 to 8 weeks even with the right help. You can promote root formation in many species if you ensure constantly high humidity by putting plastic bags over them or with a greenhouse.

tips

It is not difficult to recognize the rooting of the self-grown offshoots of the wax flower. As soon as new leaves have formed at the tips of the offshoots, the small porcelain flowers can be transplanted into individual pots. After that, however, it can take several years for the offshoots to flower for the first time.

Category:

Vegetable garden