The Hindu rope plant is a waxy semi-succulent that’s really a slow grower. It originates from Southern India – where it is native. In its natural habitat, the plant adapted to feed and nourishes mainly from air and surfaces of other large growth and vegetation. Therefore it is epiphytic in nature.
If you love orchids, snake plants and zebra plants, certainly you’ll find all the reasons to love Hindu rope plants.
This one mimics the succulence possessed by those real succulent plants. Out there, this hoya stays green all around the year. The great thing about it is that it is non-toxic to cats, dogs and humans.
Hindu Rope Plant Flower (Photos)
Hoya (Hindu Rope) Compacta Care
For it to grow happily, this one requires a warm indoor garden with slightly higher humidity. Pot size, soil drainage, and fertility are critical too.
1. What is the Soil for Hindu Rope Plant?
A potting medium with excellent aeration, super drainage, and lightweight qualities are all the critical growth aspects the hoya compacta plant requires.
Go for the commercial potting mixes. When making your purchase ensure that it is comprised of the following:
- Coconut coir chips
- Sphagnum moss
- Pine bark
- Compost
Alternatively, you can also DIY your own soil. Consider going for ingredients with similar qualities to these ones:
- Perlite
- Loamy compost
- Sphagnum moss
- Water-holding soil pellets
2. What is a Good Pot Size for your Hoya Compacta?
To settle on the right size of the pot, you ought to decide why you are growing these magnificent hoyas.
Hindu hoyas prefer when the pots allow for the roots to kind of get snuggly and tight. Keep in mind that pots that are too tiny or too big can’t be good for most hoyas.
Pot Size for Hanging Basket
A small size pot is beneficial for root growth and function. While that is true, ensure that the vessel you select is no more than 2 inches deep. Let the smallest size of your pot choice be 4 inches wide.
Pot Size for Trailing Hindu Rope
If you wish to have your plant grow more freely or just dangle use a regular planter (6 inches wide). Additionally, you should consider investing in grow lights for easier maintenance of your indoor garden.
3. What Lighting Is Best For Hindu Rope Plants?
Hindu ropes with solid green leaves can well tolerate low lighting conditions. But the downside is that you discourage it not to blossom.
Light (Foot Candles) for Variegated Forms
In sunny locations, place this plant 3 inches away from north-facing windows. It is possible to induce blooming by increasing the lighting duration from 6 to 12 hours of sunlight.
If your home is poorly lit or can receive sufficient light, use fluorescent light. Invest in devices that give at least 400 foot-candles, full spectrum light. Such that, this plant is able to get 10 – 12 hours of light exposure a day. To encourage blooms, increase those lighting hours to 14 from 12.
In absence of at least 6 hours of constant indirect light, your plant may drop leaves. It will struggle to thrive.
For Non-variegated Hoya Compacta
If you have a complete solid green Hindu rope plant, situate it 2 – 3 inches away from the South-facing window.
Another great optional lighting for your hoya is acquiring bright fluorescent lighting. Check to see that these lighting sources can provide well over 300 foot-candles. Moreover, they should have full-spectrum light for a minimum of 12-14 hours a day. For enhanced growth and performance of non-variegated Hindu rope, increase this hour duration to 16. Consequently. This would encourage blooming.
4. What is an Ideal Temperature-humidity Index Hindu Rope Plant?
Variegated or not, hoya compacta love growing in locations with consistent warmth and humidity.
Your houseplant should grow so comfortably in a 70°F – 85°F. This is also the ideal warmth to subject your Hindu rope to during the day.
A temperature drop during the night should not be an issue. Bring your plant indoors when it is cold (60 – 65 °F. As is the case with night shifts in warm and cold areas, it is prudent to have a reliable plant app to simplify your gardening.
With most types of indoor environments in our houses, Hindu hoyas love consistency. Just like in temperature, you should not allow a fluctuation in humidity. If you live in sub-tropical and tropical climate zones, achieving this environment for your indoor plants is easy.
Variegated Carnosa Hindu ropes are comfortable in household humidity. As such, they may not need extra humidity. With most living rooms, this plant will grow just fine at 40%.
With that said it is reasonable to maintain humidity levels between 40 – 60% in your indoor spaces. This is the recommended healthy humidity for humans.
To help elevate these levels by 10% or so, use a water-filled tray with a layer of river rocks or finer gravel. Grouping this hoya with snake plants and zebra plants is quite beneficial.
Another fabulous trick for this is to keep your hoya in a bathroom. Just situate it such that only bits of showers can reach the trailing vines and not the pot itself.
5. How Much Water does Hoya Compacta Need?
How often do you water a hoya compacta? Hindu rope plants don’t need much water to grow and perform well.
The top guiding factors are the size of your plant as well as the size of the vessel. To get the right water needed for this plant, use a measuring cup. With the combination of pot size, evaporation and how often the potting media top 1/2 inch dries out, watering should be fun and easy.
If your houseplant’s pot size is 6 inches wide, make it drink up to 1 cup of water in 14 days. Water sparingly if you have grown your Hindu plant in a pot without holes.
During the cooler months, allow the top inch of pot soil to dry out completely. Cut back water further by 1/3 of the measuring cup. And water the plant once in a while.
If you often use a watering tray, limit the sitting allowance to 12 minutes.
6. How + when to Fertilize Hindu Rope Plant
Monthly feeding of Hindu rope plants is essential for continuous growth during active seasons. Attributed to its slow-growing nature, you should treat this one as a light feeder. It does not require as much fertilizer as the fast grower, hoya obovata.
Start feeding your houseplant from mid-summer to late spring. Use a water-soluble fertilizer at a half-strength recommended rate.
You want to realize consistent growth and performance. Yes, go for a commercial fertilizer Dyna-Gro.
If your plant is flowering or shows signs, you need to pay attention to fine details. These include changes in leaf size, color and vine status.
Refrain from any kind of feeding when this hoya is blooming – whether it is in the summer or winter. Withhold feeding when the plant has entered the resting phase too.
A prompt feeding may be required but don’t rush. You could be on the wrong way to overfeeding your plants. Signs of an over-fertilized Hindu rope plant include:
- dry, crinkled leaf edges
- new leaves that are small
- Newly grown vine tips dying off
- White crusty residue on the surface
If you suspect to have overfed yours, flush the pot in the next 6 waterings. Alternatively, move the plant to a new pot if it is young.
7. How should you Repot a Hindu Rope Plant?
Hoya Carnosa compacta don’t like to be repotted more often than not. IF you’re not patient with growing, buy a mature plant. Well, that should be the end of the 2nd or in the 3rd year.
Otherwise, here are the basics required to successfully repot a Hindu rope.
How-to Steps
What you need:
- 1 part each of peat moss + complete compost
- 1 part of course sand (for terracotta pots)
- 1 inch bigger new pots
Go for ready orchid commercial potting mixes for the best growing experience.
Alternatively, DIY your own well-aerated mixture. Use perlite, finished loamy compost, coconut coir chips and peat moss.
To transplant one here are the steps:
- Carefully slide the plant out of its current pot
- You should cut the plastic container or knock clay pots if the plant can’t out that easily
- Add your fresh repotting mixture to a new pot in bits
- Hold the plant by the top of the root ball and replant it without pressing it down
- Add more potting media around the root ball leaving not more than 3/4 inch upper space
- Water thoroughly until water flows out of the holes
If you have used a terracotta or clay pot, use a 0.6 or 0.8 measuring cup.
- The potting mixture is drying out quickly after watering
- The potting mixture has become compacted and is depriving the roots of oxygen
- Roots are obstructing the pot’s drainage holes
- The plant looks sickly
How Do You Propagate A Hindu Rope Plant?
The cheapest and easiest way to propagate Hoya carnosa compacta is through the manipulation of stem cutting. You only require a healthy mother plant, propagation soil and tools.
The best time to propagate is when the conditions are conducive for new growth. Naturally, the summer–spring is normally the opportune period.
Remember to always work with sterilized tools and avoid contamination with your hands.
Useful Propagation (Water)
What you need:
- Cut 3-5 inch stem cutting
- Disinfected pruning pair scissors/sharp knife
- Water jars
- Propagation mix
Growing a new plant from hoya compacta involves easy manipulation of the vines. There are two cheap means to achieve this.
Using water as a means of propagation is the cheapest and simpler way to root your Krinkle Kurl cuttings. Have your healthy cuttings and here are the steps:
- Locate the lower part 1 – 2 inches below the node and make a cut
- Then remove the lowest leaves off each stem cutting
- Submerge each one in a clear glass of water, ensuring the lowest node in wholly in water
Check to see that no leaf or part is in direct contact with the water
- Situate your new-to-be plants in warm and humid rooms
- Regularly check the water levels in each glass and replace them as is necessary
Depending on how external conditions may play out, your cuttings may start to root at different times. Early ones should have rooted in 2 – 3 weeks’ time.
In the 3rd or 4th week, transplant those that have 2-inch long roots to a well-aerated potting mix. Use small 4” pots.
Keep these stem cuttings in warm and humid surroundings. When they have a few more leaves and a few inches long vines, you can translocate them to your living room to company other hoyas.