Hoya collina (IR-26) | 2-Inch

I love this species because of the sun-stressing and splash it gets but I also love how the leaves are kind of translucent, which looks really cool when the leaves are red. They are also easy to grow and grow quickly.

This plant is often confused with several other plants so I've been trying to gather information about the different varieties to share with you. Here's what I can find out -

There is no such thing as these hoyas -

• Hoya Biakensis (most plants labeled as this are actually Collina IR-26)
• Hoya IR-26 (most plants labeled as this are actually Collina IR-26)

Here are the properties of the various varieties -

• Hoya Collina - doesn't splash but does sun stress red
• Hoya Collina sp Biak - only splashes in the shade and does not sun stress
• Hoya Collina IR-26 - splashes and sun stresses in bright light; it is the most popular variety and the IR-26 is often left off the name but it should not be since that is a different variety
• Hoya Collina NOID - splashes and sun stresses, leaves are much larger and thicker than other varieties

Leaves

The leaves are small to medium size and sunstress red and get splash under high light fairly easily.

The leaves like to grow in groups of either one or two and I think they make a beautiful hanging basket. 

Flowers

It can take a year or two for the plant to get mature enough to bloom, depending on the size of the plant you started with and your growing conditions. The flowers look like yellow starfish with a red center and I have heard they smell like light butterscotch, but I have not bloomed mine yet to verify this.

Growth

Like most hoya, they take a while to root and get started growing, but once they do, they grow quite fast for me. I would say they get new leaves every two weeks once they get going.

Soil

I have experimented with different potting mediums over the years for hoyas and this one does fine in any of them. My favorite substrate currently is Lezchuza Pon or a DIY pon mix of 4 parts pumice from my local garden center, 2 parts lava rock, and 1 part zeolite.

Water

A good rule of thumb for all hoyas is to water when the pot feels lighter than when it is moist. It takes a little practice to learn how heavy each pot size normally is but it really is the best method.

Light

The general advice is bright light with no direct sun - but that has never been helpful to me. If you are growing near a window,  keep them a few inches away from a south window or directly in a north window to start then move them around if they look like they could use more or less light.

I can tell you that I grow mine with the top of the plant about 5-7 inches away from a Barrina T5 grow light for 14 hours a day. I do recommend a light meter so you can check the amount of light. Mine are generally at about 400 foot candles when measured from the top of the plant - so they get a light sun-stressing but also grow quickly. You can tell it isn't getting enough light if it is leggy or slow-growing.

Humidity and Temperature

These will grow fine in ambient room conditions but will grow faster with higher humidity and temperature. I keep my plant room pretty consistently at 60-65% humidity and 73-78 F and most of my plants love this. You can do higher humidity, but make sure to also increase the temperature relative to the humidity so there is good VPD.

Fertilizer

I add Tezula Plants MSU Fertilizer to my watering can every time I water for three weeks then water with plain water for a week to flush the pon.

When to Repot

These tend to have a relatively small root system and prefer small pots and they take a long time to get root-bound. I would stick with the pot it's in as long as it's happy in it and isn't root-bound. When you do repot, only go up one inch in size. I use these 2-inch pots for all my small hoyas and these 3-inch pots for all my larger ones.

Pests and Disease

I have personally not had a problem with either of these on this plant but I also avoid a lot of these problems but having good soil, light, and humidity conditions and by doing routine pest control. 

For my routine pest control, I currently rotate weekly between PureCrop1 (good for all-around killing pests on contact), Horticultural Oil (for flat mites), and AzaMax (liquid systemic that takes about three weeks to start working but will then protect your plant from anything that tries to eat it).

Propagating

I like to take a mature hoya and snip off a long section. Then I cut it into sections with one node to a section,  get a small pot full of substrate, stick the cutting in the mix, and keep it consistently moist. The node should not be in the substrate. It's hard to explain in words, so if you don't already know how to propagate hoyas, I would check out some YouTube videos.

If you don't have already at least 60% humidity, you can do something like put it in a take-out container or Rubbermaid box to increase the humidity for a week or two then gradually get it used to regular household humidity once it has a few roots. 

Are hoyas toxic to pets?

Good news! They are non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Winter Shipping

Please do not order plants if your weather will not be above 28 F for a high in the next 10 days.

During the winter it may take me up to two weeks to ship your order while I wait for favorable weather conditions.

In addition to the insulated bubble wrap I use year-round, in the winter I may also use double insulation and/or a free heat pack if I think it is necessary.

General Shipping

Orders are shipped USPS Monday through Saturday, depending on your location and the weather.

I will do my best to pack your plant so it will arrive in the best possible shape. I use insulated bubble wrap year-round to insulate your plant from the cold and heat.

I recommend you have the post office hold your mail if it will be below 40 F or above 80 F on the day of delivery. A lot of the problem with plants in the cold or heat is sitting in the mail person's cold or hot truck all day. You can watch the tracking and hold it the day before the plant is going to be delivered. Then you go to the post office and pick it up, where it is in a temperature-controlled environment. The minimum days to hold is four but you can cancel your hold online right after you pick up your mail on the first day. If you do have it delivered to your door, sign up for their text updates so you can get it off your front porch right after it is delivered.

I will do my best to pack your plant so it will arrive in the best possible shape, including a free heat pack if I think it is necessary. I use insulated bubble wrap year-round to insulate your plant from the cold and heat.

I recommend you have the post office hold your mail. A lot of the problem with plants in the cold or heat is sitting in the mail person's cold or hot truck all day. You can watch the tracking and hold it the day before the plant is going to be delivered. Then you go to the post office and pick it up, where it is in a temperature-controlled environment. The minimum days to hold is four but you can cancel your hold online right after you pick up your mail on the first day. If you do have it delivered to your door, sign up for their text updates so you can get it off your front porch right after it is delivered.

Terms

Although I will send the plant to you in good shape with no known pests, disease, rot, dying leaves, etc. please understand that stress and damage to the plant can occur during shipping. This may include browning or yellowing of the leaves, bent leaves, and rot on the stem and or roots.

This plant will require time to recover and adjust after shipping. With proper care, your plant will recover, produce new leaves, and won't affect future growth. For plants shipped in pots, it is best to let your plant acclimate for 30 days before repotting.

I, the seller, am NOT liable for damage done to the plant by shipping, shipping delays, weather, loss in transit or mishandling of packages by the carrier. I will ship the plant with care, exactly as described above. While I try my best to carefully package each plant, the buyer understands the risk associated with shipping live plants. Please be aware that damages to the plant can occur during transit of your plant. All plant purchases are FINAL. No refund. No returns. No exchange. No replacements. No cancellations. By purchasing this plant, you agree to these terms. If there are any issues with your order, you have 2 hours upon delivery to notify me. Please provide photo documentation along with a short message detailing the issue.

Questions?

If you have any questions or requests feel free to contact me.