Hoya microphylla - the culmination of my Hoya holy grail

[Sara H]

When I first started collecting hoyas, like many, I didn't realize how very diverse the genus was.  As my knowledge grew, and my collection exploded, I fell in love with nearly all of them.  I don't think that there is a single hoya that I dislike.  There are hoyas that I dislike growing, and there are aspects of growing hoyas that I dislike, including mealies, mites, and the obsession that goes with them (i.e. dreaming of hoyas, shrieking at kids to not bump the hoyas, cats that I normally love, but would consider skinning when hoyas are knocked over...etc.)
 
I got Hoya macrophylla about 1 1/2 years into collecting, and figured that if there was a Hoya macrophylla then it stood to reason that there would be a Hoya microphylla to counterpart.  I started searching the web, and what I found was that it was either nearly impossible to find, or if one did get it, nearly impossible to grow.
 
This last August, David Elliot received a very nice cutting of microphylla from a lady in Sweden.  Amazing really, he sent me half.  I am not sure whether I could have done the same.  Probably, I have sent him halves before, but this would have been tough.  Initially I rooted it the way I was instructed by a couple of Swedish growers that I questioned about their rooting and growing techniques - pinned down in sphagnum moss in an African violet pot.  After a month of this, and no roots I was feeling a bit desperate.  The stem on this hoya is literally about as thick as thread. 
 
In September I cut up the cutting into 3 pieces and rooted them the way I do everything else, in water.  I got nice roots, and planted each cutting in their own pot.  One cutting now has two new growth points, one with 3 nodes and the other with only one.  The other two cuttings were newer growth, but they each have the light green new growth bumps that are very encouraging.
 
I have nearly decided that my collection is complete.  There are still a couple of hoyas that I would like to have, but my space is pretty much full, and the hoyas are getting pretty big.

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[treelover3]

Way to go, Sara! Wow, the ultimate in miniature hoyas! (:o)

When I first saw your photos, I thought the photos were of hoya seedlings. It wasn't until I clicked on the images, to make the photos full-size, that I could tell the plants were not seedlings.
Mike

[Nancy]

Congrats Sara!! Those are the tiniest hoyas I have ever see...way too
cute for words!!
Like Mike, I also thought they were little seedlings. Amazing and
great job getting them rooted!

Nancy

On Nov 15, 1:51 pm, treelover3 <treelov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Way to go, Sara! Wow, the ultimate in miniature hoyas! (:o)
>
> When I first saw your photos, I thought the photos were of hoya seedlings.
> It wasn't until I clicked on the images, to make the photos full-size, that
> I could tell the plants were not seedlings.
> Mike
>

> > ------------------------------
> > Windows 7: It works the way you want. Learn more.<http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/windows-7/default.aspx?ocid=PID24727...>

[sara]

Thanks you guys, these little hoyas scare me to death! Honestly
though, they just need to be treated the same way the others are. I
find that when I go out of my way to baby "hard" ones, they inevitably
die.

Nancy and Mike, they do look like seedlings though don't they?

Things have inevitably slowed down with the winter season, and I spent
the day playing with plants. I read recently that MT gets over 300
sunny days a year - pretty good odds for year round growth, and while
I have backed off a bit on the water, everything is still growing
steadily.

[Sara H]

 David was inquiring about which pot of microphylla is his, so I told him I would post better individual photos of each baby piece......

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[Donna Florida]

Sara:
They do look so small. It's funny how we want to treat them
differently when that little. I am sure you will have great success
based on your other photos.
Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving to all.

> _________________________________________________________________
> Windows 7: It works the way you want. Learn more.http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/windows-7/default.aspx?ocid=PID24727...
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[dmichael]

Well i'm certainly glad that one of us was able to keep that damned
thing alive!!!! I've never had such a difficult time trying to get a
hoya cutting to root as I did with that one!!! I lost the other half
of the cutting from which yours came. I then found a second Swedish
source for it that was willing to sell me a 10 inch rooted cutting for
$30 so I bought it. Guess what ?? it died faster that the first one!!!

Congrats on getting it to root and grow!!!

David

[treelover3]

Well, this just goes to show that sharing plants has advantages.

When I purchase a plant, if there is enough material to take a
cutting, I propagate the plant so if the original plant does not
survive I have not lost the plant entirely. If both survive, then I
have one to share with someone else in the Indoor garden club I belong
to. Doing this has saved me a lot of money over the years.
Mike

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[o7sugar]

Hello Sara!! I know it's been awhile so I have ALOT of catching up to
do !! ;)
CONGRATS on the microphylla by the way, and the funny thing is I knew
it was tiny, but not THAT TINY!!!! It's like a fairy hoya :) Has
anyone seen pics of the flowers for this one??? I thought I might
have but I'm not 100%, in the pic I think I saw, I thought it only
ended up with 1 or 2 flowers on the peduncle and I believe it was
white with a marroon center. Experts here you go!! :)
-Nicole-

[sara]

Hi Nicole, thanks for the congrats, I love this hoya! I really almost
feel as though I can stop collecting now, or at least ALMOST. Rooms
are nearly completely filled, and I have been really enjoying the
hoyas that I have. Of course it is winter, and all of that may change
come spring or summer.

I don't know if I have seen the flowers on microphylla. I thought
they were similar to bella, but I am not sure. I agree with you
though, it is like a fairy hoya. Ha. Love, love, love it!

Mike you are right, there are advantages of sharing hoyas with
collector friends. I have found this to be true many times with a
local friend who grows hoyas too. We have on several occasions
replaced a lost cutting for each other because we often go halves on
them.

Happy holidays everyone,
Sara