Hoya crassipetiolata is a lovely plant to add to your collection. If you’re wondering whether or not hoya crassipetiolata care is difficult—this is the post for you! (Spoiler: It’s not.)
My hoya crassipetiolata care guide
I recently wrote about the hoya polyneura, one of the more recent hoyas I’ve added to my collection. Around the same time, I also added a hoya crassipetiolata to the family. Although crassipetiolata wasn’t on my radar initially, I saw it while browsing and loves the look.
The leaves remind me a lot of the more common hoya pubicalyx, and the one I saw originally was vining around an arch trellis like I use for my hoya obovata and hoya australis. So, I popped that bad boy in my cart and checked out before I changed my mind!
What is a hoya crassipetiolata?
Hoya crassipetiolata is a less common hoya. There isn’t too much information out there on this type specifically. But luckily hoya crassipetiolata care is much like most other hoya plants. Nothing earth-shattering here.
The crassipetiolata seems to be more of a viner than a trailer. I find that many hoyas can do both beautifully, but some seem happier when vining or trailing. For example, my hoya carnosa krimson princess trails happily, but my carnosa krimson queen seems to naturally trend more toward climbing.
Crassipetiolata’s leaves have longer pointy medium- to light-green leaves with darker pronounced veining. The leaves emerge from stems that can sometimes climb and twist without many leaves on them at all.
How much light does it need?
I mentioned that caring for this plant is much like caring for other more common hoyas. The crassipetiolata prefers bright, indirect light. Its leaves will stay green with bright, indirect light.
Too much direct sun will burn the leaves. However, you can acclimate the plant to direct light and “sunstress” the leaves. Suntressing will morph the colors on some of the leaves to shades of deep red and purple-ish brown.
I love the sunstressed look on my hoya obscura (below is an example), but it isn’t my preferred look on most hoyas. As long as you acclimate the plant slowly and don’t burn the foliage, sunstressing is mostly just a personal choice.
Monitor your plant to make sure you don’t have it in too much light. I have many of my hoyas on a shelving unit about a foot or two away from one of the sunniest windows in my house in my sunroom. And they are doing great—no sunstressing at all.
Hoya crassipetiolata care & watering
As with other hoyas with thicker, succulent-like leaves, crassipetiolata can withstand a bit of neglect when it comes to watering. I let the soil almost dry out completely for many of my hoyas. At minimum, I’d make sure the top half of the pot’s soil dries out before watering the plant again.
A sign of underwatering is wilting, thinning leaves. Leaves on many underwatered hoyas can go from plump and thick to papery thin.
However, you must be careful not to overwater as well. Always check the soil moisture before watering the plant again. If the soil is consistently moist and the plant is showing signs of suffering—like yellowing, wilting leaves—it’s likely root rot from overwatering.
Soil needs
Any well-draining houseplant soil mix will do just fine. I repotted my crassipetiolata not long after getting it and used some soil from my big bag of Foxfarm Ocean Forest soil. It’s a high-quality mix with plenty of things mixed into lighten up the soil and help encourage drainage.
If the soil is too dense, this will help contribute to root rot. And make sure to pot your plant in a planter that has drainage holes. That way, when you water the plant, all of the excess water will drainage through the soil and out of the holes.
Want more? Check out my Hoya Linearis Care guide, my tips for Hoya Rope Plant Care, and my post about Hoya Krohniana Silver Care & Rooting!
Temperature & humidity needs
Hoya crassipetiolata loves both water temperatures and humidity. It’s best to keep it in temperatures in the 70s or 80s Fahrenheit. If you have the plant outdoors, 90-degree days are fine, too—just monitor to make sure you’re watering it enough.
The plant will begin to slow its growth in temperatures that dip down into the 60s, and you shouldn’t keep your plant in temperatures that regularly get into the low 50s or below. The crassipetiolata is not cold or frost hardy, and it will die.
I got my plant at the start of our hot and humid Maryland summer, so I put mine on our covered patio. It doesn’t get any direct sun—just a lot of bright, indirect light. And it can soak up all of that wet air all summer long before I bring it back inside in the fall for the long dry winter.
Hoya crassipetiolata & pet safety
Hoyas are not considered to be toxic to pets or humans. However, they are not meant to be ingested—as houseplants, they are ornamental. I always recommend keeping plants away from pets or kids that might need a bit of extra supervision.
Pin my hoya crassipetiolata care guide!
