Hoya Burtoniae Complete Plant Care Guide

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Hoya Burtoniae is an easygoing plant that grows quickly once acclimated to your home. I’ve had zero problems with this plant and find it to be one of my easiest Hoya’s.

Hoya Burtoniae main care directions.

Water. Leaves store a lot of water so this plant only needs to be watered once a week or when the soil is almost completely dried out.
Light. Bright indirect sunlight like a south, east, or west facing window or under artificial grow lights.
Fertilizer. Feed Hoya Burtoniae a high quality fertilizer like Dyna-Gro Grow. Feed every watering, bi-weekly, or once a month.
Humidity. Hoya Burtoniae thrive in high humidity in the 50%+ range. My Hoya’s stay above 50% humidity in a greenhouse cabinet.

Here’s what to know to keep Hoya Burtoniae thriving in your home.

Light

Hoya Burtoniae thrives in bright light settings. The brighter the light, the quicker this plant will grow, as long it’s not getting direct, scorching sunlight.

A great spot for this plant would be near a south facing window since this part of the home gets the longest, most intense sunlight of the day. If you place this plant near a south facing window, make sure you place some kind of sheer barrier between the plants and the window to create some dappled sunlight.

An east or west facing window will do, but this gets less light, so you may notice slower growth.

North facing windows get the least amount of light so while this could possibly work, your Hoya wouldn’t thrive in this location.

I have my Hoya Burtoniae sitting under T5 Barrina plant grow lights which are on 13 hours per day from 8AM-9pm. This is a big reason why my plant grows so quickly.

Water

Hoya Burtoniae have semi-succulent leaves which means this plant can tolerate some drought. This isn’t the kind of plant you’re watering more than once a week, and you may even find in the winter months you’re only watering this plant once every two weeks.

Check the soil by sticking your finger in about two inches deep – if the soil is dry, it’s time to give a thorough watering. If your Hoya is in some thick chunky mix that doesn’t allow you to stick your finger in properly, then make sure to only water once a week and keep a close eye on this plant to figure out the kind of watering schedule it’ll need.

How often you water depends on a variety of factors including: how big the plant is, what kind of substrate you’re using, what kind of humidity the plant is getting, etc.

Soil

Hoya’s absolutely thriven well-draining, well aerated mix. Think of the chunkiest soil mix possible – Hoya’s love it. They thrive in this kind of environment and reward you with growth when given this kind of environment.

I’m actually growing my Hoya Burtoniae in sphagnum moss, which is what I originally bought the plant in. I’ve never repotted the plant (because I’m lazy like that). However, I also don’t like to disturb plants right when I bring them home, which means I’m not touching the potting mix until the plant has adjusted to my house which usually takes 2-3 months.

An easy potting mix for Hoya’s calls for 1/3 orchid bark, 1/3 coco coir, 1/3 perlite. This mix is super chunky and will allow for proper airflow throughout the plant.

You can also use a premade potting mix like Fox Farm Ocean Forest. This stuff is awesome and is one of the highest quality houseplant mixes on the market.

Temperature

Hoya Burtoniae do well in any home that is between temperatures of 60 degrees F to 90 degrees (15 degrees Celsius to 32 degrees Celsius).

Fertilizer

A high quality fertilizer can make plants go from slow or average growth to rapid growth. If you’re looking for large, bushy, tall plants in your home, you need to feed your plants a fertilizer.

How often you fertilizer is up to you and most fertilizers will have directions on the back of the product saying how often and how much to fertilize.

I fertilize my plants every watering because it keeps things simple for me and I don’t have to remember the last time I fertilized. Plus, it doesn’t hurt my plants. I lay off fertilizing as much in the winter since plants typically go dormant during that time.

One of my favorite fertilizers is Dyna-Gro, which is a complete all purpose nutrition formula. This fertilizer comes in a tiny 8 oz bottle but lasts forever. I mix roughly 1 teaspoon of this fertilizer into a gallon of water and use that gallon of water to feed all of my plants. This fertilizer contains 16 essential elements and promotes healthy growth for your houseplants.

Humidity

All Hoya’s love and thrive in high humidity. When you give your Hoya’s humidity in the 50%+ range, you’ll be rewarded with some crazy growth. Humidity is also a big factor when it comes to getting your Hoya’s to bloom in the home.

Best ways to increase humidity:

Place your plant in a group with other plants (creates a microclimate of higher humidity)
Place a humidifier near your plant and run it daily
Do not place plants near drafty areas like windows, vents, doors
Place high humidity plants in a greenhouse or DIY greenhouse cabinet (I use the IKEA Milsbo)

Propagation

As you can see pictured below, Hoya Burtoniae have nodes making this a simple propagation process.

To successfully propagate this plant, do the following:

Use clean cutting sheers and cut below the node.
Submerge the node underwater or under soil.
I like to place my propagations in a spot getting some kind of sunlight, so a north, east, south or west facing window will do.
In about 3-4 weeks, your plant should have roots. Transfer cutting to your preferred substrate.

Hoya Burtoniae Common Questions

Is Hoya Burtoniae rare?

Hoya Burtoniae is somewhat of a rare plant. You won’t find this plant at big box stores and it’s rare that you’ll find it at a plant shop. I bought my Hoya Burtoniae from a local online plant seller.

How much is a Hoya Burtoniae?

Hoya Burtoniae varies in price depending on where you’re buying it. I’ve seen large 6 inch pots full of Hoya Burtoniae for under $40. I bought a tiny 3 leaf cutting of H. Burtoniae for less than $5 and now it has 20+ leaves.

How do you care for Hoya Burtoniae?

The two most important factors for caring for Hoya Burtoniae is making sure the plant is sitting in bright indirect sunlight and getting at least 50%+ humidity. Very bright consistent lighting is one of the most important things for this plant.

Is Hoya Burtoniae hard to care for?

Hoya Burtoniae is not hard to care for and I’ve had very few problems with this plant. It’s really effortless once this plant is acclimated to its new home.

Is Hoya Burtoniae a fast grower?

Hoya Burtoniae is definitely a fast grower. I bought my 3 leaf H. Burtoniae a few months ago when it only had three leaves, and now it has over twenty leaves.

How big do Hoya Burtoniae get?

Hoya Burtoniae can get quite bushy and long (up to a few feet long!). Hang this plant from the ceiling or on a shelf and watch the plant hit the floor. This plant grows fast once it finds a happy place in its new home.

How do you propagate Hoya Burtoniae?

Propagate Hoya Burtoniae by cutting off the stem right above a node. Submerge the node under water or place back into soil or sphagnum moss. In a few weeks the cutting will have grown roots and you can move to your preferred substrate.

How do I get my Hoya Burtoniae to bloom?

Increase your chances of Hoya Burtoniae blooming by making sure the plant is getting high humidity and sitting in a warm spot. Those two things are the most important factors for increasing the chances of plants blooming in the home.

I’ve never been lucky enough to see Hoya Burtoniae bloom, but I’ve heard that it has a honey scent.

Is Hoya Burtoniae toxic to pets?

No, this plant is not toxic to pets. You can get more information on toxic and pet-friendly plants at ASPCA here.

Common pests

Hoya Burtoniae is prone to pest pressures just like any other houseplant. One of the most common pests for Hoya’s is mealybugs, which are white sticky looking bugs that can easily take over your plants.

To get rid of mealybugs and make sure they never come back, make sure to do the following:

Inspect houseplants before bringing them into your home
Quarantine new houseplants away from other plants for 2 weeks
Sprinkle Bonide Systemic Granules on top of houseplants soil
Spray Azamax pest preventative (natural pest killer) on houseplants

Common issues

Yellow leaves: If your Hoya Burtoniae gets yellowing leaves, this is a sign your plant is getting too much water or not enough water. This plant shouldn’t get watered more than once a week in the summer, and in the winter you may find you only have to water it once every two weeks.

Brown leaves: Noticing brown leaves? Your plant may be receiving too much sunlight. Make sure the plant is placed in a spot that gets dappled sunlight – never direct sunlight.

Key Points To Remember

Hoya Burtoniae is an easygoing houseplant that’s given me zero problems. This plant grows fast and makes for a great plant to hang from a ceiling or shelf. Propagate this plant to make more and share with friends.

Here are the key things to remember for Hoya Burtoniae

Place in a spot getting bright indirect sunlight (south facing windows is best)
Water once the top two inches of soil are dry
Fertilize during the active growing season with a high quality fertilizer like Dyna Gro
Place in a spot getting at least 50%+ humidity

Hoya guides:

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