How to Propagate Hoyas

Hoyas are great houseplants. There are four ways to propagate Hoyas. Two ways are easy and two are tricky and can be time-consuming.

I love Hoyas and know this for sure: if I have 1 of them, then I want more. There are so many fun species and varieties of Wax Plants on the market making it hard to choose.

Maybe you have 1 that you love and want to share it with a friend. Here are 4 ways, that I know of anyway, to propagate Hoyas.

Video Guide

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Let me clarify that by saying I’ve had great success with 2 of these methods, no success with 1 and haven’t tried the last. I’ll start with the “no have tried” method which is by seed.

Hoya Propagation by Seed

Fresh Hoya seed can be hard to find, difficult to germinate, and the most time consuming way to propagate from start to finish. Enough said on that.

Hoya Propagation by Leaf Cutting

The 2nd way I’ve tried but haven’t had any success with and that is by leaf cutting. I’ve had leaves fall of my Hoyas when repotting and was curious as to whether this method would work for me. The leaves start to root after 5 or 6 weeks but there was no new growth action at all, and I waited a full year.

I started some leaf cuttings again a few months ago, just know that the petiole has to be attached, and once again they all rooted fairly quickly. I’ve read quite a few things about propagation by leaf cuttings and the camp is definitely divided. A handful say they have success with this method and the majority say “no go” – a new plant never appears. I understand that even if you can get new growth to appear, it’s not true to the parent plant. Ixnay on this method also.

These single Hoya leaves all rooted in a terra cotta saucer. This method also takes too time in my book.

Hoya Propagation by Stem Cuttings

Moving on to something I have experience and success with. This makes me happy because it’s the basis of this blog – sharing my knowledge and mostly my experiences. I’ve always had success with stem cuttings whether I rooted them in water or in a mix. The 1 that you see below is a cutting taken with 1 node which I rooted in water. The roots started to appear in about 4 weeks. Right after I filmed the video and took the pictures, I planted the cutting in the planter with the mother Hoya.

The roots forming off the stem cutting.

Make sure you take your cuttings from softwood. This cutting was only about 4″long but I’ve taken them as long as 12″ and they’ve rooted just fine. I always take my cuttings at an angle using clean, sharp pruners. I used a popsicle making container (fancy propagation equipment!) for the rooting because it held the leaves up above the rim. Keep water in the container just above the bottom node and when the roots appear, make certain they’re covered too. You don’t want to submerge the whole stem in water.

You can also root stem cuttings in a mix formulated for propagation which is very light so the new roots can easily form; 1 you make or purchase. I’ve also used succulent and cactus mix which has worked just fine. Some people like to dip the ends of their cuttings in a rooting hormone before planting.  That’s your call. When rooting in a mix, I take shorter stem cuttings – 1, 2 or 3 nodes at the most and strip off all the leaves except those at the very top.

Hoya Propagation by Layering

I’m wrapping up the ways to propagate Hoyas with layering. This method has always worked for me too. Now, I just want to clarify by saying this isn’t air layering – that’s a completely different method of propagation.

Simply take a softwood stem of the plant, which is still attached to the mother, and pin it into a pot filled with light mix. Make sure the mix is thoroughly moistened. Most times you’ll see little roots appearing on the stems and that’s what you want to get on top of the mix.

I’m pointing at the emerging roots.

If you don’t see roots, just pin the softwood stems down and they’ll appear. Again I use stems no longer than 12″ and have put up to 5 of them in a 4″ pot. Place in bright light (no direct sun) and make sure the mix doesn’t dry out.

By the way, I use greening or floral pins, like you see in the picture below, quite a bit. They’re fabu  for holding down cuttings, making wreaths, flower arranging and training topiaries.

These pins work like a charm, and in most cases, you can reuse them.

If you don’t feel like propagating Hoya cuttings but want a plant of your very own, here’s a Hindu Rope Hoya for you.

Have you ever propagated Hoyas before? What method has been successful for you? Inquiring horticultural minds want to know!

Happy Gardening,

You May Also Enjoy:

How to Care for a Hoya Houseplant

Care Tips For Growing Hoya Plants Outdoors

How I Prune, Propagate & Train My Stunning Hoya

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• About the Author
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Nell Foster

Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.

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