Learn all about hoya curtisii care and propagation. This cute trailing hoya will make a great addition to your houseplant collection and is the perfect harder-to-find hoya to add to your wishlist.
Hoya curtisii care and propagation guide
With all the plant competition out there, it can sometimes be difficult to find a plant that instantly makes it into my favorites lineup. I know you’re not supposed to have favorites, but I do 🙂
My hoya curtisii plant is one of those plants. I generally do like collecting some of the more common hoya varieties—hoyas are such easy plants to grow and look very pretty. Curtisii is a bit harder to find than some other hoya varieties like the hoya carnosa and hoya pubicalyx.
So when I got some intel that they were hitting our local Lowe’s stores, I RAN out the door to see if I could snag one! My friend got a few, and I was as well able to snag one. It was overwatered and a bit unhappy, but it was also full and only 15 bucks!
Hoya curtisii background
The hoya curtisii plant is native to tropical southeast Asia. It grows a lot like the string of turtles plant, in my opinion—densely packed, eventually spilling over the sides of its pot and trailing very nicely.
The leaves are green with a speckled almost silverish variegation on them. The name on its tag was “striped wax plant,” but I think it’s definitely more of a speckle or splash. The leaves stay small—about 1 inch—and have a heart-shaped look like the string of hearts plant.
What light does a hoya curtisii need?
Hoya curtisii enjoys bright light. Indoors, near a bright, sunny window or under a grow light is best. (Learn more about how to use grow lights with houseplants.) Outdoors, a shaded spot is nice.
Like a lot of houseplants, curtisii will likely burn with too much direct sunlight. It will probably tolerate direct morning sun and bright indirect afternoon light, but you’ll want to work it up to any direct light.
I have mine under my covered patio on my DIY hanging plant rod. It gets no direct sunlight here. Just lots of bright indirect light all day. And I supposed some dappled sunlight through the deck slats above.
Watering needs
Since curtisii is a type of hoya, it does well with minimal water. The thick, juicy leaves store water, so it can survive a few snaps where you forget to water it. The watering timeline, though, depends on a lot of factors.
Therefore, it’s always best to just check the soil before watering your curtisii again. I don’t use moisture meters. I just stick my finger into the top layer of soil to see if it’s dry. If it’s dry, I water.
This usually ends up being about every week in the late spring, summer, and early fall—every 10–14 days in the winter. The biggest danger is overwatering.
Overwatering your plant will lead to root rot. Signs of overwatering include yellowing leaves, and sad, droopy foliage. My curtisii was super overwatered when I got it. I simply picked off all of the yellow leaves, let it dry out, and started a les frequent watering schedule.
Signs of underwatering include shriveling, shrinking foliage. I try not to let my hoyas get this far, but if they do, it’s a telltale sign that they need water! Water freely until water is coming out of the pot’s drainage hole.
What is the best soil for proper hoya curtisii care?
A well-draining houseplant soil is great for hoyas. I still have my curtisii in the soil it came in, to be honest. It was so wet when I got it that I decided to let it dry out and rest for a bit. Then it seemed to be doing great so I just left it!
For my other hoyas—when I repot them, I focus on aeration and drainage. That means I usually use a normal well-draining houseplant soil and add in some additional perlite for enhanced water flow. Check out my soil 101 post about soil amendments for more.
If you notice your soil caking on the top or shrinking away from the edge of the pot, make sure to aerate it before watering again. I like to aerate the top inch or two of soil with a fork to help with air flow.
Sometimes this is necessary with plants don’t need to be watered often because the soil can dry out too much. Then this can lead to a lack of air circulation and prevent water from getting everywhere it needs to go.
Temperature & humidity
This tropical trailing plant enjoys warmer temperatures, but it does well in a variety of normal household environments. It is not cold hardy, so I’d take it in when the temperature consistently drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
As for humidity—hoyas love it! It’s why I have my curtisii outside on the covered patio for the summer. I want it to soak up all of that amazing Maryland summer humidity!
Indoors the plant will likely be fine without a humidifier. However, if you have a sunny window in a bathroom, it will probably be happy there. You can always add a humidifier or pebble tray if your house or climate is super dry.
Growth & pruning
I would say that, in general, hoyas are slower growers. So you shouldn’t have to repot yours too often. Keep in mind that they do not like to be in pots that are much larger than their root ball. This can lead to the soil retaining too much moisture.
The vines can grow to about 2 feet long and look absolutely lovely trailing from a hanging planter or high on a shelf. However, if you need to prune your plant, you can do so by snipping the vines to the desired length.
Pruning your plant can also help to encourage fullness since new growth will emerge from just above the area you cut. This new growth will branch out a bit instead of growing straight down.
How do you propagate a hoya curtisii cutting?
While you’re trimming your curtisii, why not propagate cuttings to share? I love propagating plants, and the curtisii is a popular plant. You can propagate it fairly easily using stem cuttings.
- To propagate a hoya curtisii plant, follow these steps:Take a cutting of about 4–8 inches. Remove the leaves from the bottom ~2 inches of the cut stem to reveal the nodes (areas where the leaves sprout from the stems).
- Place the leaf-less end of the cutting into a damp sphagnum moss and perlite mixture or damp soil. You can jumpstart the growth process by dipping it in rooting hormone first.
- Keep the moss mixture or soil moist but not wet as the plant roots. Eventually you will notice new growth from the cutting, meaning it has successfully rooted.
One thing I really like about rooting in moss and perlite is that you can watch root growth. Then, once you see beautiful new roots, you can transfer the cutting to soil and begin watering as normal. Hoya cuttings do great in high-humidity propagation boxes.
Are hoyas toxic to pets?
Hoya plants are generally not toxic to pets, but they aren’t meant to be ingested, either. I always recommend keeping even non-toxic plants away from prying paws and young kids. See my post about 16 plants that are non-toxic to pets for more!
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Brittany is a seasoned DIY home and garden expert, running a creative brand since 2014 that inspires others with approachable plant care guides, woodworking tutorials, and decor projects. She is a certified project manager and has completed extensive coursework in the art and science of growing your own plants. Her work has been recognized by major publications, and she routinely collaborates with fellow DIY industry leaders—but her favorite thing to do is inspire you! Learn more about her here.
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