Hoya Wayetii Care

Ensure your wayetii plant looks its best with my hoya wayetii care guide. It provides all of the care info you need, propagation tips, and a few interesting facts about this unique hoya.

Hoya wayetii care & intro to this cool hoya plant

Yes—it’s another hoya post! And yes, before you even have to ask, I have begun my journey into the Hoya Collectors Cult. I haven’t ventured into dropping major cash on the rare and expensive hoya imports, though. Don’t know that I’ll ever get there.

Today we’re talking about the hoya wayetti plant, which I would consider it a somewhat hard-to-find plant. I wouldn’t call it rare, but you don’t usually see it hanging around nurseries too often.

Much like other more common hoya plants, the wayetii is easy to care for. Its foliage looks quite different from the common carnosa variety, though—but it still trails just as beautifully.

Wayetii background

Hoya wayetii plants originate from the Philippines. It is a unique-looking plant with long, thin leaves and long tendrils. Hoya wayetiis love to trail along the ground and can reach a length of a few feet long.

The hoya wayetii is very low maintenance. However, this is a slow-growing plant. Overall, just ensure that your hoya wayetii is receiving enough light and the correct amount of water and you’ll be good to go!

Want more hoyas? Check out my hoya chelsea care guide, hoya linearis care guide, hoya curtisii care guide, hoya krimson queen care guide, hoya rope plant care guide, and hoya obovata care guide!

Ideal lighting conditions

Hoya wayetiis require a minimum of 6 hours of bright, indirect sunlight. It loves bright light more than other hoyas do, so make sure many hours of bright indirect light are provided. However, the leaves can be delicate so there is still a risk for burning. 

Make sure that your light is filtered or indirect. Indirect sunlight will help your hoya wayetii to thrive. If exposed to too much direct light, the wayetii’s leaves will get a brown tinge on the edges. This happened to mine!

Watering your wayetii

Keep your hoya wayetii on the drier side of things as overwatering will do more damage than underwatering. Keep an eye on your soil; once the top few inches dry out, you’re safe to water again. However, I generally try to let my hoyas dry out almost completely before watering them again since they are so prone to root rot from overwatering.

When you water your wayetii, give it a good soak, ensuring that the water flows out of the bottom drainage holes of your pot. Do not let your hoya wayetii sit in water. The best way to water these plants is from the top.

Soil needs—think of drainage

And speaking of watering, the best way to ensure you’re watering appropriately is to plant your wayetii in a very well-draining soil. Choose a chunky, well-draining indoor potting mix that allows the water to flow easily. 

Do not allow your hoya wayetii to sit in water for long. An indoor soil with some moss or coco coir, perlite, and orchid bark can help provide both the aeration and drainage needed for hoya roots. (Read my soil 101 post for more info on the different soil additives you might encounter.)

Personally, I have almost all of my hoyas in a haphazard mix I threw together. I use high-quality indoor potting soil with lightweight materials already added in. Then I generally throw in an extra handful of perlite and coco coir to lighten it up a bit more!

Temperature & humidity

A temperature range of 60–80°F is best. So that means wayetii plants tolerate a wide variety of normal household temperatures quite well. Do not leave your wayetii outside on a cold night, though.

Hoyas in general do not tolerate frost and will get damaged or die completely. Under 50°F is a danger zone for these plants, though my hoyas I have outside for the summer have done just fine with a few colder snaps of the occasional high-40s night at the beginning of growing season.

Normal household humidity will be fine for your hoya wayetii. However, since it is native to the humid Philippines, it’ll thrive with a little added humidity. Use a humidifier to encourage gorgeous foliage. A humidity range of 60 to 80 percent is perfect.

Humidity-loving hoyas also enjoy a good summer vacation outside. It helps even the slower growers speed things up a bit. I put many of my hoyas on my covered patio outside for the spring and summer. Hot temperatures + high Maryland humidity + bright indirect light = crazy growth!

To fertilize or not?

Fertilizing your wayetii is totally up to you. If you want to fertilize it for a bit of an extra boost, you can do so once a month in spring and summer with a high-phosphorous fertilizer to encourage blooms. Do not fertilize in fall or winter. Choosing a high-nitrogen fertilizer instead will encourage faster and bigger leaf growth.

However, I don’t really do any fertilizing on my houseplants anymore. Instead, I simply repot with fresh high-quality soil in the spring, which includes ton of nutrients and typically a slow-release fertilizer. 

I also mix in some organic worm castings because there isn’t a danger of using too much or those and burning the plant like there can be with fertilizer. If I’m not switching out the plant to new soil, I just work the castings into the top of the soil with a fork.

Growth rate & repotting

Do not repot your hoya wayetii too often as these plants prefer to be slightly root-bound in their pots. They are also slow-growing so they could not require a repot for a few years. However, if you are having any pest or soil issues, it is best to repot to provide fresh soil.

Hoya wayetii care & propagation

As with other types of hoyas, this is a very easy plant to propagate. Simply cut below the node on a growing tendril. (A node is where the leaves meet the stem—or look for little brown spots or nubs.)

In soil: Make sure that the tendril you cut has at least 2 nodes to ensure a better chance of rooting…but I often chance it with one! Then, plant the entire stem horizontally slightly covered by soil, and keep moist. 

Roots will begin to sprout and dig into the soil from all of the node areas—even on ones that still have leaves! Soon new growth will emerge.

In water: Another way to propagate that works well with hoya wayetiis is water propagation. Put your stem cutting in water and you’ll see roots grow quickly. Transplant to soil and keep moist as the water roots convert to soil roots.

In sphagnum moss: My favorite way to propagation hoya cuttings is in sphagnum moss. I have a whole post about how to propagate plants in moss, but here is an overview.

Soak some sphagnum moss and wring out all of the excess water so it is just damp. Mix in some chunky perlite and put the moss and perlite mixture in a plastic cup. Add the wayetii cutting and keep humid.

The easiest way for me to keep my propagations toasty and humid is by using a plastic DIY plant propagation box. You can also put a clear plastic bag over the cutting. Make sure the moss remains moist.

I like rooting in sphagnum moss because it helps develop really nice, strong roots. The conversion to soil is usually easier on the plant, too.

For more hoya propagation, check out my hoya carnosa propagation post!

Hoya wayetii flowers

If you provide your hoya wayetii enough sunlight, there is more of a chance that it will flower and bloom for you. Hoya wayetii blooms almost look like a cluster of waxy berries due to their round, reddish appearance.

They smell faintly sweet and have been compared to smelling like butterscotch. But your wayetii might not flower right away. Mine has never flowered, and I’m hoping to get blooms next season!

Hoya wayetii vs. hoya kentiana

Hoya wayetii and hoya kentiana are often confused with one another. Some people even say that they are the same plant. Honestly, they are really similar, but when you put them next to each other, there are some clear differences.

Hoya wayetii plants typically have shorter and wider leaves, while the kentiana leaves are a bit longer and more narrow. The wayetii also develops a dark leaf border when exposed to direct light and can have that same darker border even without direct light.

Common hoya wayetii care problems

1. You’re not providing enough light

If you do not provide enough bright light for your hoya wayetii, you could experience even slower growth or no blooming. Or, your leaves could easily drop. Be sure to place it by a bright window or supplement with a grow light.

2. Root root and overwatering

If you do not allow your hoya wayetii to dry out between waterings, or if you are using a potting mix that is suffocating for the roots, you could experience root rot. If you notice your hoya wayetii’s leaves turning yellow, curling, or falling off, this could be due to overwatering.

Let the plant dry out, trim any black or gray mushy roots, and repot the plant in fresh well-draining soil. Establish a watering routine and make sure to let the soil dry out before watering the plant again.

3. Bad air circulation

Ensuring you have great air circulation around your hoya wayetii is especially important when you are providing humidity. If you do not have air circulation and give the plant high humidity, this could result in unhappy leaves and fungal infections.

I don’t have much air circulation in my plant propagation box or when I cover plants with plastic bags. So I usually just take the lid or bag off and air things out during my routine root checks. It has worked just fine for me so far.

4. Pests

The most common pests for hoya wayetiis are mealybugs and fungus gnats. If you are experiencing fungus gnats, this could be a result of keeping the soil in the pot too wet. If you have yellowing leaves, this could be a result of mealybugs. 

These bugs can usually be spotted as a powdery-looking cluster on the stem of your hoya. To get rid of them, you’ll need to scrape them off or use a strong hose to spray them off. Just be careful not to harm your plant! 

Also, while removing mealybugs, be sure to quarantine your hoya wayetii to make sure that they do not spread to any of your other plants. I’d also spray it down thoroughly with a store-bought insecticide spray.

Pin my hoya wayetii care guide!