Time for the Hoya
So, my Hoya plant was looking a bit cramped. You know how it is. Roots were peeking out the bottom drainage holes, soil looked pretty tired. Just felt like it was time for a change of scenery for the roots.
First thing, I got my stuff together. Didn’t need anything fancy. Found a slightly bigger pot, not too much bigger, Hoyas don’t like swimming in soil. Grabbed my usual potting mix – I mix some orchid bark and perlite into regular potting soil. Seems to work okay for drainage. My hands are my main tools, maybe a small trowel if things get stuck.
Getting Down to Business
Alright, getting the plant out. I turned the old pot sideways, gave it a few taps. Tried to gently wiggle the whole thing out. It was a bit rootbound, yeah, definitely needed more space. Had to carefully loosen some roots that were stuck to the pot walls. Took a minute but got it out in one piece mostly.
Looked at the roots. They seemed alright, nothing mushy or dead looking. Didn’t mess with them much, just gently loosened the outer layer a tiny bit so they’d spread into the new soil. Some people go crazy cleaning roots, I don’t really bother unless there’s a problem.
New Home Setup
Next, the new pot. Made sure it had drainage holes, that’s important. Put a bit of my soil mix in the bottom. Just enough so the plant would sit at the right height, same level as it was in the old pot, maybe slightly higher.
Placed the Hoya root ball right in the center. Then started filling in around the sides with more of the soil mix. Tapped the pot gently on the table a few times to help the soil settle around the roots. Didn’t pack it down hard, just made sure there weren’t huge air pockets. Filled it up to about an inch below the rim.
Finishing Touches
And that was pretty much it. Some folks water right away, I usually wait a day or two with Hoyas. Lets any broken roots heal up a bit before getting wet, less chance of rot. Just put it back where it usually lives, maybe somewhere with slightly less direct sun for a week while it adjusts.
There. Done. Hopefully, it likes its new space and keeps growing those waxy leaves. It’s always a bit of a gamble, but usually works out fine.
