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A plant species from the ivy family, the Wax Plant, which adds vitality and freshness to our homes, not only decorates the windowsills with its texture and appearance, but also amazes flower lovers with its fragrance reminiscent of perfume…
So how to grow this plant that adds color to our living space? What are the care and tricks? Let’s look at it together in this article…
Characteristics of the Wax Plant
Wax plant is a plant of the family Apocynaceae, the Hoya genus, which is grown as a potted flower in temperate regions.1
The Wax Plant, which stands out as a decorative and easy-growing plant, continues to make us love plant cultivation with its features.. Let’s list the points of interest as follows;
- The wax flower has a star-shaped, waxy texture, a racemose appearance consisting of flowers of white, pink and pale red colors. (This name was given because of its fleshy and waxy texture.)
- The leaves are oval in shape and long. Its bright green color adds a difference to the environment in which it is located and provides a beautiful appearance.
- Because it is a kind of ivy, it should be shaped by supporting it with sticks or grown in suspended pots.
- When it blooms, it delights everyone with its perfumed scent.
Types of Wax Plants
The Wax Plant, which is among the most preferred indoor plants with its uniquely beautiful flowers and leaves that remain green for 4 seasons, has more than a hundred species that bloom in different colors and shapes. Among them, we can list the most common ones as follows;
- Hoya carnosa
- Hoya obavata
- Hoya compacta
- Hoya kentiana
Hoya kentiana wax flower plant
Wax flower is among the plants that are easy to care for for many years, can grow quickly and reproduce by many methods. Let’s explain how this plant, which attracts attention with its peculiar smell, is reproduced as follows;
Although it can be propagated by rooting paddies taken from its trunk, in order to cut these paddies, it is necessary to have 2-3 leaves on the branch and cut them so that they are 10 cm long for the correct reproduction process. These cut paddies can be rooted in water or planted directly into the ground. The paddies left in the water are kept until the rooting is completed. Water can be added when the water is low during the waiting period.
How to replicate wax plant? If you want a hands-on view, you can watch the video below.
How To Care For the Wax Plant
The wax plant is one of the easy to care for. In houses and balconies, it offers a spacious environment with its unique flowers and leaves, while also cleaning the air of its environment.
Toprak ve saksı seçimi
The soil mix suitable for this plant would be to mix torf-blended soil with fine pumice stone. Adding some worm dung will also be beneficial for the plant.
You don’t need to change your plant’s pot often, but you can do it every 2 years based on the rate your flower develops. The time deemed suitable for potting change is the spring months. When choosing pots, root-width pots should be preferred, and when they are in large pots, the time to give flowers may be delayed. While this change is happening, it must be treated sensitively and done diligently without harming their exile.
Location selection
The wax plant, like many plants, loves sunny, bright and moist places. But it should not be exposed to direct sunlight. It’s cold-resistant, but if you want to keep growing on the balcony in winter, you’ll have to watch the frequency of irrigation. Otherwise, when irrigation is done, you can cause the roots to freeze.
Irrigation
Accurate irrigation is one of the most important factors in care needs. For the development and flowering period of your plant, you can increase your irrigation frequency twice a week in winter and once a week in summer, or according to soil dryness. Spraying water on leaves during very hot weather will also help keep the plant moist.
Fertilization
You can make a small amount of nutritional supplements every 3-4 months so your wax plant can grow healthier. The timeframe suitable for fertilization is spring months. You need to add fertilizer based on your potted width and plant size. Otherwise there may be a pause in the development of your plant.
Pruning
Wax plant does not want regular pruning, but young plants do tip-taking to encourage branching.
When Does Wax Plant Bloom?
Its star-shaped image varies from its perfume scent and durable nature to its frequent interior decoration, when the candle blossom blossoms bloom, its age, the environment in which it is grown, and the pruning pattern.
The flowering of the plant, which offers a fascinating view of its colourful flowers from its first year onwards, can sometimes last 2 -3 years.
Cleaning the dried and yellowed leaves of this flower will allow the plant to grow much healthier. Due to the light and ambient temperature of your plant, which is expected to bloom in the spring months, this can extend even into the end of summer.
Wax Plant Pests
The most dangerous and common pest of wax plant is soil creatures called nematodes. They form small urine in the roots and consume all the nutrients and energy of the plant. Another is earth fly larvae.
Wax Plant Prices
Bringing vibrancy to our homes, this plant has a price range of between 40 TL and 90 TL. Its price also varies based on the type and sophistication of the plant.
