Hoya Imbricata Complete Plant Care Guide

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Hoya Imbricata is a unique looking houseplant that is known for its shingling growth pattern. You can grow this plant on a piece of wood which is really fun. Just like most Hoya’s, this plant is easy to care for and doesn’t ask for much.

Hoya Imbricata main care directions.

Water. Soil should dry out completely before watering. Check soil by inserting finger two inches into soil or by using a moisture meter.
Light. Thrives in bright sunlight (south facing windows) or under artificial grow lights. My Hoya’s grow under T5 Barrina plant grow lights that stay on for 12 hours each day.
Fertilizer. Feed Hoya Imbricata a high quality fertilizer like Dyna-Gro. This plant isn’t a heavy feeder so you could opt to fertilize on an annual basis or bi annual basis.
Humidity. Hoya Imbricata thrive in high humidity in the 50%+ range.

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

Light

This Hoya thrives in bright indirect sunlight, but can also handle a few hours of direct sunlight as well. This is definitely one of those plants that needs high light or else you’ll see it struggle.

South facing windows are prime spots for Hoya’s because this area of the home receives a lot of light throughout the day. South facing windows are areas in your home receiving afternoon light, which is the hottest most intense sunlight of the day.

I try to place the majority of my houseplants near a south facing window because it’s such great light, but I’ve also run out of space, which is where artificial grow lights come in.

I have my Hoya Imbricata sitting under T5 Barrina plant grow lights which are on 13 hours per day from 8AM-9pm. All of my Hoya’s are grown under plant grow lights in a DIY cabinet I made. This allows me to control the humidity and lighting quite easily without doing much work at all.

If you don’t have a south facing window or artificial grow lights, consider putting this plant near an east or west facing window, but understand this is less light than a south facing window and therefore, you may notice slower growth.

Water

Hoya Imbricata likes to be watered when the soil completely dries out. This plant can tolerate a little bit of drought but you don’t want it drying out for too long. Check the soils moisture level by sticking your finger in about two inches deep. If the soil is dry, it’s time to water your Hoya.

You may find that you water this plant once a week in the summer or once every two weeks in the winter.

Depending on where you place your plant your watering schedule will change. For example, if you place your plant on a south facing window you’ll water it more often than if you placed this same exact plant on a north facing window. South facing windows get much more light than north facing windows which is why you’d water one more than the other.

Soil

My Hoya’s grow in super chunky soil and contains a blend of perlite, orchid bark, and coco coir. If you want to make the same blend, an easy recipe calls for 1/3 orchid bark, 1/3 perlite, and 1/3 coco coir. Perlite comes in different sizes and I find size #4 perlite to be the best but any size works.

If you don’t want to make your own soil, use a premade potting mix. A great option is Fox Farm Ocean Forest that contains a blend of high quality ingredients. You don’t need to add anything to this premade mix, but if you want, you can add extra orchid bark or perlite to create an even chunkier mix.

Well draining soil is essential for Hoya’s because these plants suffer from root rot easier than other houseplants. You never want to put this plant in compact, dense soil which is usually what you get when you buy a plant from Home Depot or Lowes.

Temperature

Hoya Imbricata do well in any home that is between temperatures of 60 degrees F to 90 degrees (15 degrees Celsius to 32 degrees Celsius). Do not place this plant in a drafty area (window, door, or vent) of your home.

Fertilizer

If you want your Hoya Imbricata to grow faster, feed it a high quality fertilizer.

There are tons of fertilizers available on the market and they widely vary in nutrients and quality. I personally like to use Dyna-Gro, which is an all purpose plant fertilizer that contains all of the nutrients my plants need to grow healthy in my home.

When plants are given fertilizer, this promotes healthy growth and allows the plant to grow new foliage and possibly even bloom.

You can also use something like Liqui-Dirt which is a plant food, not a fertilizer. However, Liqui-Dirt contains everything your plant needs to grow healthy so it doesn’t necessarily matter that it isn’t classified a fertilizer. Liquid-Dirt contains 18 ingredients and includes beneficial bacteria great for your houseplants.

Humidity

Hoya’s thrive in high humidity. This is one of those plants that you want to make sure you place in a spot getting at least 50%+ humidity or else you’ll see it struggle.

Best tips for increasing humidity:

Group together plants (this creates a microclimate of higher humidity)
Use a humidifier and run it daily near your houseplants
Place houseplants in the bathroom that gets daily showers or baths
Use a greenhouse or dome for consistent humidity
Cover plants with plastic wrap or sheer bag

Propagation

This Hoya has nodes all along the stem that make it easy to propagate and grow more of. All you do is take a cutting right below a node and submerge the node under water or into soil. You can also propagate this in sphagnum moss.

I personally like to submerge nodes under water because I like to see if the roots are growing or not. If I put this plant into soil, I won’t know if the roots are growing or not because I can’t see them.

Once the roots are at least four inches long, move the plant to my preferred substrate. You can grow Hoya’s in potting mix, sphagnum moss, leca, or even lechuza pon.

Hoya Imbricata Common Questions

Is Hoya Imbricata rare?

Hoya Imbricata 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 plant shops, but you might get lucky and spot one. You can find this plant at online plant shops or Facebook marketplace (depending on where you live).

How much is a Hoya Imbricata?

Hoya Imbricata vary in price depending on where you buy it, but you’re likely to find it for around $35 in a 4 inch pot.

Is Hoya Imbricata hard to care for?

Hoya Imbricata isn’t difficult to take care of as long as you give it high humidity in the 50%+ range and bright sunlight (with even a few hours of direct sunlight).

Is Hoya Imbricata a fast grower?

Hoya Imbricata is a medium speed grower, with some people experiencing really slow growth. The speed really depends on the growing conditions of the plant.

Can I grow this plant on a piece of wood?

In the wild, Hoya Imbricata is known for growing along trees. This is why a lot of people love to move this plant from soil to driftwood. Below is a helpful video on mounting Hoya Imbricata on wood.

If you find your Hoya Imbricata is dying, this may be due to lighting, humidity, or watering schedule.

Make sure the Hoya is getting bright light, possibly even direct sunlight for a few hours. This is one of those Hoya’s that can definitely handle direct sunlight.

Hoya’s thrive in high humidity and this is one care tip you shouldn’t skip out on. Give this plant higher humidity by placing it near a humidifier or by placing a plastic dome over it. This simple little trick will keep the humidity around the plant and make your plant grow a lot quicker.

How do I get my Hoya Imbricata to bloom?

Hoya Imbricata get crazy cool looking blooms. The two key things for getting a plant to bloom into the home is warm temperatures (80 degrees F) and high humidity in the 50%+ range.

I’ve heard Hoya Imbricata blooms have a very sweet smell. Hoya blooms widely range in scent and everyone smells something different.

Is Hoya Imbricata 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 Imbricata is susceptible to pest pressures just like all plants. There are key things you can do to limit your risk of pest pressures because trust me – you don’t want pests to take over your plants and home.

Before bringing any new plant home, make sure to inspect it at the store. You want to check the soil and foliage (especially the undersides of the foliage) for bugs. There are good beneficial insects out there, but my eyes can’t easily spot them so if I find any kind of pest moving on plants at a store, I just don’t bother.

Once I do my best to inspect a plant and it doesn’t have any pests seen by my eyes, I bring it home and do my best to quarantine the plant for at least two weeks. I was really good at doing this when I first got into houseplants but I’ll admit I typically just throw my houseplants into the rest of the my plants. I’ve regretted doing that twice.

Pest preventive will save you time and money in the long run because it’ll increase your chances of not falling to pest pressures. One of my favorite pest killers is Bonide Systemic Granules. I sprinkle this stuff on top of my plants soil and it’s been a game changer. I never have fungus gnats and I owe a lot of this to the following: 1) I don’t overwater but mostly 2) I use Bonide Systemic.

I also like to take a mixture of a few drops of Dawn Dish Soap and a liter of water and spray this on my plants foliage. I wipe this off with a clean towel and it not only cleans up my plants but it helps get rid of any bugs.

Common issues

Yellowing leaves: If your Hoya Imbricata gets yellowing leaves, this may be a sign that your plant is getting too much water. Dial back on the watering and make sure to only water when the soil dries out. You can figure this out by pressing your finger two inches deep into the soil. This gives you a real feel of how moist your soil is before watering it.

Key Points To Remember

Hoya Imbricata is a fun shingling plant that stands out from other Hoya’s. If you’re looking for a plant you can mount on driftwood, this is it.

Here are the key things to remember for Hoya Imbricata

Place in a spot getting bright indirect sunlight (south facing windows) (also enjoys a few hours of direct sunlight)
Water once the soil completely dries out
Fertilize once or twice a year during the active growing season
Place in a spot getting at least 50%+ humidity