Looking for hoya krimson princess care tips? Much like other hoyas, the princess variety is easy to care for and offers gorgeous variegated foliage. Also learn how to propagate the princess!
Learn all about hoya krimson princess care
Well I said in my hoya bilobata care and propagation post that it would be my last hoya care post for a while. BUT I LIED! Because I forgot I also had hoya krimson princess care on my list of things to write about, too.
I have written about jade hoya carnosa care, as well as hoya carnosa krimson queen care. The full name for this plant is the hoya carnosa krimson princess, so it’s also a carnosa. But it’s a bit harder to find that regular jade carnosa.
Krimson princess background
Alright, so I’ve been over hoya as genus a bunch of times, but if you’re new to my posts (hi!), hoyas hail from Southeast and East Asia. They grow prolifically in the warm, wet environments there.
The all-green jade variety of hoya carnosa is easiest to find, and the princess and queen varieties are slightly harder-to-find variegated carnosa varieties. I was lucky to score my hoya princess at a big box store, but it is the only time I’ve seen them outside of a nursery.
Krimson princess loves to climb and also does well hanging and trailing. Mine came in a hanging basket, and I have kept it in the same basket. It is trailing quite nicely!
Hoya krimson queen vs. hoya krimson princess
You might be wondering what the difference between the hoya krimson queen and hoya krimson princess is. They look very similar and even have about the same colors in their variegation.
Krimson queens have variegation on the outside of the leaves. The leaves are deep green with white, cream, and pink around the border. Some of the leaves are even completely light pink or white.
Krimson princesses, on the other hand, have a medium-green border. Inside the border is a mix of pink, white, cream, and even sometimes yellow. The stems on my princess are also super pink, which is pretty neat.
How much light does a hoya krimson princess need?
So let’s jump right in to hoya krimson princess care needs. Like other hoyas, the princess enjoys bright, indirect light. It will do well in slightly lower conditions, but keep in mind that variegated plants generally need a bit more light to maintain variegation.
Don’t give the princess too much direct light, though. It can do some direct morning sun since that light isn’t as harsh, but watch it closely. Direct light can burn the foliage. I have mine hanging indoors in an east-facing window.
Want to learn about using grow lights? Check out my full guide all about the different types that exist and how to use different grow lights with houseplants.
Signs of burnt foliage are deep red or brown leaves—the borders of the leaves, spots, or the entire leaf. Trim these off because you can’t bring back their green and cream color.
If you aren’t giving your plant enough light, the variegation can begin to dull and be less striking. You can also end up with less variegation overall. And the area between the leaves can increase as the plant literally “reaches” for more light—this is called “getting leggy.”
Outdoors for the summer, I had my princess hanging under my deck with most of my other vacationing hoyas. Under the deck on my DIY hanging plant rod is the perfect spot for plants that like bright indirect light!
Watering needs
Most hoya plants have thick, juicy leaves that store water. Much like succulent plants. That means that they do not need a lot of water. In fact, less is more.
I generally water my hoyas only after the soil has almost completely dried out. I know others say to water when the top few inches of soil dries out—but in my experience, that can lead to overwatering.
I try to make sure the soil doesn’t get so dry that it begins caking and shrinking away from the edge of the planter, though. It’s a delicate balance, but you’ll figure it out once you get to know your plant.
This means roughly weekly indoors in the summer and every 2–3 weeks in the winter. It’s less about the timeframe and more about the moisture in the soil. Outside in the summer, I might even water them every few days if it’s scorching hot.
If your plant’s leaves are wrinkling or you can easily bend and fold them (and if the soil is dry), your princess desperately needs a drink. Your plant should rebound fine, but try to monitor it more closely to avoid it happening again 🙂
As far as time of day, I prefer to water all of my plants in the morning. That way, higher temperatures and light during the day can help evaporate excess water. Especially on foliage.
Speaking of foliage, the slightly cupped leaves can hold water like a tiny bowl. Try to avoid this—it can cause fungal growth and kill the leaf. Just gently shake off pooling water from leaves that collect it!
Soil—make it well-draining
I’ve harped on watering and making sure you don’t water your princess too much. Soil is always a critical part of your plant care routine, and hoya krimson princess care is no different. Choose a well-draining houseplant soil.
For my hoyas, I use my well-draining houseplant mix that came premixed with some perlite, coco coir or fine moss, and other goodies in it. I then add in a bit more perlite and coco coir for enhanced drainage and aeration.
For more about houseplant soil and all of the different soil amendments you’ll encounter, check out my houseplant soil 101 post!
This way, when you water your princess, all of the excess water will flow out of the drainage holes. Well-draining, airy soil will help your plant’s roots get the water it needs without bogging things down. If your soil is too heavy, it will likely lead to root rot.
Temperature needs
The krimson princess plant likes to be warm. However, hoyas in general tolerate a wide range of normal household temperatures. I would say that you shouldn’t have your hoya in temperatures lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
I have not personally experienced any negative effects having my princess outdoors in extremely high temperatures during the summer, either. It can easily clear 100 degrees Fahrenheit here, and I find I simply need to water it more.
This plant definitely cannot tolerate cold or frost, though, so it needs to come indoors where I live. If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere where it stays above 50 degrees year round, you can keep it outdoors, but growth will slow when it’s colder.
If your hoya krimson princess suddenly drops leaves and temperatures are low, that’s probably why. I have not experienced too much shock after moving this plant, but that’s also a possibility to keep in mind.
Humidity—the more, the better!
Hailing from tropical areas in Asia, krimson princess plants humidity and moisture in the air. However, they do well in average humidity, too. They may not thrive, but they’ll be fine.
I noticed that my krimson queen had barely grown for like 2 years and decided to take it outside during the summer of 2021. And guess what? It EXPLODED with growth! Thanks largely to the super high humidity levels, no doubt.
I’ll plan on keeping my krimson princess in a bathroom with a small window. It won’t get a ton of light, but the extra humidity from the shower should help keep it happy until I can get it back outside next spring.
You could also choose to add a humidifier near the plant or set it on top of a saucer with rocks or LECA and water in it. Or consider something like an Ikea glass greenhouse cabinet to keep humidity levels a tad higher.
Fertilizer needs
Generally I don’t fertilize my houseplant since the soil I use has a slow-release fertilizer in it. When repotting, I use fresh soil to replenish the nutrients. If I’m not repotting, I work some fresh organic worm castings into the top layer of soil.
If you want to fertilize your plants, you can dilute any liquid houseplant fertilizer and feed your plant roughly monthly, I’d say. Only in the spring and summer. Don’t overdo it—you can shock and burn the plant. More isn’t better, the right about is best 🙂
When should I repot my hoya krimson princess?
These are not fast-growing plants, so you can generally expect to not have to deal with repotting too often. They also quite like being a bit root-bound in their pots, meaning they don’t like a pot that is too much bigger than their rootball.
For all of my hoyas, I only repot when I see roots beginning to grow out of the bottom of the pot. This means that they are desperately searching for more room, and it’s time to give them a slightly bigger home!
One caveat, though—whenever possible, avoid repotting your plants in the winter. They won’t be growing much anyway, so if they aren’t actively suffering and dying, wait until the spring.
When your krimson princess is ready to be repotted, choose a pot that is about an inch wider in diameter. If you choose a pot that is too large, there will be too much soil, leading to too much water retention.
Hoya krimson princess propagation
I have a post all about how to propagate all hoya carnosa varieties—including the princess. You can check that post out for all of the detailed info, but here is an overview!
Propagating krimson princess in moss
One of my favorite ways to propagate hoya krimson princess is using a stem cutting in sphagnum moss. The stem cutting should look a lot like the cutting below, having a handful of leaves on it and an inch or two of stem with the leaves removed.
Next wet some sphagnum moss and squeeze out all of the excess water. Mix with some chunky perlite, dip the stem cutting in rooting hormone, and pop it into the moss and perlite mixture. (Check out my post all about how to root sphagnum plants in moss for more.)
Keep the moss damp and the humidity levels high by either placing the cutting in a DIY plastic propagation box or popping a clear plastic bag over the cutting. After a few weeks, you should have some nice roots!
Plant the cutting in soil, water it, and then water roughly weekly for a few weeks as the plant gets established. At that point, back off the watering a bit and treat the plant like any other hoya.
Krimson princess water or LECA propagation
Water and LECA propagation are also great options for rooting hoya krimson princess cuttings. To propagate in water or LECA, take a similar cutting to the one described above in the moss section.
For water, put the cutting in water and refresh it every week or so until it has nice roots. You can then transfer the cutting to soil. Keep it moist but not soaking wet for another few weeks while the water roots take root in the soil.
For LECA, put an inch of wet LECA into a clear jar. Add the cutting and fill in around it with more wet LECA. Then fill the jar with water into that bottom LECA area—you want the water to only be about an inch or so. It shouldn’t touch the cutting.
Refresh the water every week or so. The cutting should start to grow some nice strong roots pretty quickly. I find that LECA propagation is really fast! For a much more detailed overview of this process, check out my LECA propagation post!
Hoya krimson princess care & flowering
Your hoya carnosa krimson princess will flower if you’re lucky! It will take a few years; the plant has to be mature, established, and happy. The optimal care conditions requires for flowering (other than age), are proper light and humidity.
Make sure you’re giving the plant plenty of bright, indirect light and as much humidity as you can. You can also opt to use a fertilizer designed to encourage blooming, but I don’t have experience with that (yet). After your plant flowers, don’t trim the stems the flowers grow from or remove the dead flowers—they will grow from there again!
Are krimson princess plants safe for pets?
Yes! I included hoya carnosa plants in my roundup of pet-safe houseplants to add to your collection. However, they aren’t meant to be eaten, so it’s best to keep them out of reach from nibbling pets or kids.
Pin my hoya krimson princess care guide!
