Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple Care - Growing Hoya Chimera Indoors

Last Updated on January 23, 2023 by Admin

The Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple is known by many names including:

Royal Hawaiian Purple Hoya
Royal Hawaiian Hoya
Hoya Hawaiian Purple
Hoya Pubicalyx Hawaiian Purple
Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple Splash
And other similar names.

It is also referred to as the Hoya Chimera by some people.

from its full name, you can tell that it is a cultivar of the Hoya Pubicalyx. And as such, it is closely related to the many varieties and cultivars of that plant including the Hoya Pubicalyx Red Button.

In case you were wondering, the plant does get its colorful name from the fact that its leaves turn a reddish-pink when kept in bright sun.

It is a native of the Philippines which means it is tropical in nature. There, the plant grows as an epiphyte in the forest.

The Hoya Royal Hawaiian Purple is a very attractive plant that feature long, narrow, oval shaped green leaves with light silver/gray flecks (which is why one if its names includes the term splash).

But the most attractive thing about this houseplant are its pink and purple flowers that some in the shapes of stars and grow in clusters.

Each cluster (called an umbel) is about 3 inches in diameter and comes in a ball-like shape consisting of many blooms.

Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple Plant Care

Light Requirements

The Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple thrives on bright light. And it is best kept indoors In a well-lit room. This will allow it to grow optimally.

If kept in strong light, the plant’s leaves will turn bronze or a reddish in color. This is an indication that the plant is sun stresses.

Many growers keep the plant in this condition as the leaves look gorgeous and unique with this color.

Additionally, this extra light also promotes flowering and accelerated leaf production.

Therefore, if you want your Hoya Royal Hawaiian Purple to get bushier and produce more blooms this is the way to go.

However, note that there is a limit to this. If the plant is kept under direct sunlight for long periods of time, its leaves will eventually get sunburned. As such, indirect or filtered light is best.

On the other hand, it will also do well in low light. But, it is important to know that it is less likely to bloom in this condition. And if it does, it will take much longer to do so.

Outside, the plant enjoys partial shade to full shade. The latter especially during the hottest times in the afternoons. Make sure to keep it under dappled or filtered light outside.

Temperature

The Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple is a tropical plant. As such, it is best suited for USDA Hardiness Zones 10 through 12 where there is sunshine all year round even during wintertime.

In these locations, the plant will have no problems kept outdoors throughout the year. However, in colder regions, make sure to take it back indoors once the temperature gets colder.

While it will not get through the freezing winters, although they can tolerate frost for short periods of time.

That’s because the plant is one of the more cold hardy hoyas. Therefore, it can take 50 degree Fahrenheit temperature during winter without any problems, especially when there is lots of light.

That said, its ideal climate condition is between 60 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. This is where it is most comfortable and will grow the fastest as well.

Humidity

The Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple also enjoys humid environments, ideally between 50% and 70%. This makes it perfects for tropical climates as well as greenhouses, terrarium and grow cabinets.

However, the plant will likewise tolerate average home humidity to a certain degrees (40% and higher). It is able to do so because of its thick, succulent-like leaves.

This allows the plant to store moisture. And it doing so, it is able to tolerate some drought and withstand lower humidity.

This makes it easier to care for the plant inside most homes.

That said, if you live somewhere with dry air or the summers get very hot, you may need to monitor the plant to see if its leaf tips turn brown or crispy on the tips.

This is a sign that it does not have enough moisture. Thus, you will need to help it out.

You can do so by investing in a humidifier. If you prefer something that is free, misting works as well. Although its effects are temporary which means you’ll need to mist regularly.

Other options include moving the plant to a more humid location like the bathroom, placing it on top of a pebble tray or placing it together with other plants.

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How Often to Water Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple

Watering is where you want to put most of your attention to in the beginning as you get to know the Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple.

That’s because it is sensitive to too much water. Therefore, you do not want to overwater it.

If you do, you’ll notice that the plant will get swollen. Also, in shaded areas, its growth will become unruly when it gets a lot of water.

More important, the roots are susceptible to root rot if they soil stays damp for extended periods of time.

As such, it is important to understand the plant’s needs when it comes to watering (more so than the other aspects of care).

The most important thing here is not to keep a fixed watering schedule.

In the summer it needs to be watered regularly. This comes out to around once a week more or less ( every 4 to 8 days) depending on how hot it gets and how much sun the plant receives.

But in the winter, you want to scale back significantly.

The plant has succulent-like foliage where it stores moisture. Therefore, it can take long periods of no water. Additionally, the cold winter weather and lack of light makes the environment rife for overwatering.

In order to avoid that, keep the plant dry during winter and make sure it gets enough air circulation to the roots. Cut back on water to once every 14 to 21 days. It can likewise tolerate once a month waterings during this time.

Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple Potting Soil

Since the Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple is an epiphyte, it needs well-draining soil that has good aeration and porous in nature.

This way, the soil does not stay wet. And the roots get a lot of air circulation.

This is important because in its native habitat, the plant lives on trees. As such, its roots get a lot of air from the wind. And when it rains, they quickly dry after getting soaked.

To achieve this kind of soil, you can use any of the DIY potting mixes for Hoya Royal Hawaiian Purple below.

1 part orchid mix with 1 part cactus mix and 1 part perlite
2 parts peat moss and 1 part perlite
1 part potting soil with 1 part succulent & cactus mix
1 part potting mix with 1 part orchid bark

These use few ingredients to make it easier to create without a lot of the hassle and trial and error. They are all similar in that they have at least one component that helps with drainage.

Thus, you can use perlite, pumice, vermiculite, orchid bark, pine bark, charcoal and the like. All of them help remove excess moisture quickly sot he roots don’t end up standing in water.

In addition to using the right kind of soil, it is also important to make sure that the pot you keep the plant has drainage holes. This way, the excess moisture does not pool at the bottom of the container. Instead, it has a way to exit it.

Doe the Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple Climb?

Yes, the Hoya Royal Hawaiian Purple is a climbing epiphyte. And if you give it a trellis or wire, it will happily climb it. Once you train it to go up, it will take the shape of the structure as it tends to wrap itself around things it climbs onto.

This is why many growers use decorative trellises or shaped wires.

Fertilizer

During the growing season (spring and summer), feed the Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple with a balanced water-soluble fertilizer (15-15-15 N-P-K). Stop feeding when the weather gets colder during fall as the plant’s growth will significantly slow down due to the climate.

Don’t feed it during winter. Then start over once spring arrives.

As an epiphyte, it does not have a large nor extensive root system. It also does not need a lot of fertilizer. So, all you need to do is follow the instructions on the label.

Once the plant is about to bloom, you can help it along by using a bloom booster or bloom fertilizer. Doing so will help the it bloom and aid in prolonging the blooming period as well.

Flowers / Blooms

The Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple has one of the most stunning flowers even among hoyas. These have a rounded star shape with a light purple color and a smaller pink star in the center.

You’ll most likely see it bloom between mid spring to the early summer.

And like other hoya species, its blooms are small. Individual flowers are only about 0.4 inches (10 mm). Although they grow in clusters called umbels. Each umbel has anywhere from 20 to 40 of these lovely blossoms.

As a result, these clusters can get to about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter.

The most important thing to keep in mind is try to let the plant be when it is blooming. During this time, it is more sensitive. So, avoid moving it, pruning or repotting.

Also, one of the reasons why many growers sun stress their Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple or give it a lot of bright light is this helps it flower.

The amount of light it gets is the biggest factor in encouraging this particular plant to bloom.

Pruning

The Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple can grow to a good sized plant reaching 20 feet in the wild. However, indoors, it will usually get to about 4 to 6 or so feet high.

That said, its height is mostly composed of its vines. Therefore, it is not a big plant per se, but a long one.

Given a support to climb on, it also has better growing potential. Not only does it get taller, but it also grows faster and will produce larger foliage.

In general, it can be a fast grower with the proper care and environment (at least by hoya standards. Compared to other houseplants, it is still a relatively slow grower.

As such, pruning is not a heavy maintenance task but more so to keep the plant looking neat and removing any dead or discolored foliage. You’ll also want to cut off leggy stems.

What you don’t want to do so is deadhead the plant. Make sure to leave the peduncles as they are. These are flower stalks from which the blooms grow.

And after the blossoms have faded, you don’t want to cut off these peduncles as new flowers will re-bloom from them later on.

How to Propagate Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple

The Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple is easy to propagate using stem cuttings. You can root the plant in water or plant it directly in soil.

if your plant has aerial roots, you can likewise take advantage of these by using them for stem proppation.

Taking stem cuttings with aerial roots increases the propagation success rates. New roots also grow faster from aerial roots when kept in a moist medium.

As such, if you have aerial roots with your stem cuttings, water propagation is a good way to go as you’ll quickly see new, healthy white roots grow out of these woody roots.

To propagate your Hoya Royal Hawaiian Purple:

Take a healthy stem cutting. Anything between 3 to 6 inches long with at least a few leaves on it.
Remove the lower leaves t expose the leaf nodes.
If you can get a stem with aerial roots, do so.
Place the cutting in a glass container filled with water. Submerge both the leaf nodes and aerial roots in the liquid. But remove any leaves that end up in the water.
In just a few days you should see some small white roots start developing from the woody air roots. Although, it will take about 3 to 6 weeks for these new roots to grow in number and length.
Once the roots get to about 1-2 inches long (or more), you can move the cutting into a pot with well-draining potting soil.

If you don’t like to have to transfer the cutting from water to soil, you can just plant the cutting straight into a pot with moist, well-draining potting mix.

It will happily root in soil as well.

And this will allow you to leave it to grow until it is big enough that it needs to be repotted.

How to Repot or Transplant Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple

The ideal time to repot your Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple is from spring to early summer. Although you can do so any time as long as it is not too cold or too hot. The reason is that extreme weather will add to the stress the plant already feels during transplantation.

Therefore, you don’t want to exacerbate it.

In most cases, you’ll only need to repot the Hoya Royal Hawaiian Purple once very 2 or 3 years. It enjoys being snug against the pot so you can keep it slightly pot bound for a while.

But, try not to let it get too tightly in there. Once it gets very pot bound, it will get stressed which will affect it healthy and growth.

When repotting, avoid using an overly large container. The Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple is an epiphyte and its root system will not get very big. So, you’ll never need a large pot for it.

Instead, go up one pot size at a time (2 inches wider than the current pot). Also, replace the soil with fresh, well-draining potting mix.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

The Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple is non-toxic to people, cats and dogs. It does not contain any poisonous substances that will put your pets or kids at risk.

However, note that the sap of the plant can cause skin irritation. This only affects a small portion of the population. So, if you have sensitive skin or are prone to allergies, it is a good idea to wear gloves when pruning or working with the plant.

Problems & Troubleshooting

Pests

The Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple is prone to mealybugs. And you don’t want these white, cotton-like bugs to be hanging around your plant.

For one , they suck of the sap of your plant. This robs it if moisture and nutrients that are meant for the leaves.

Also, mealybugs grow quickly in number. So, as they populate, the will cause more damage over time. More importantly, as they do, the damage can attract fungus which will worsen the problem.

Of course, other pests that like to feast on sap can likewise occur including aphids, thrips and scale.

Therefore, it is important to keep an eye out for them and immediately treat these pests.

Diseases

The plant is less susceptible to diseases. However, it is not immune. Therefore, you want to take precautions to avoid them.

The most common cause of infections and diseases is too much moisture. This includes wet leaves and overwatered soil.

As such try to avoid these situations.

Also, if you see any dead or dying leaves and stems, remove them as soon at you find them. Leaving them on can affect other healthy stems and allow whatever pathogen to spread.

After a while, this can cause your plant to get very sick.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Are Hoya Pubicalyx fast growing?

The Hoya Pubicalyx is a vigorous grower. It grows quickly especially if you allow it to climb up a support. The plant can reach as big as 20 feet or bigger in the wild. Indoors, it will grow to 8 to 10 feet high.

Is Hoya Pubicalyx easy to care for?

Hoya Pubicalyx are easy to care for. As long as they get sufficient light, a warm and humid environment the plant will grow. Ideally, supply your Hoya Pubicalyx with 4 to 6 hours of bright, indirect light daily. Avoid leaving it in low light or very shaded locations.

Can I put hoya in direct sunlight?

Hoya prefer bright, indirect sunlight. They can tolerate 2 hours of direct sunlight but too much exposure can damage or scorch its leaves. Avoid low light as well since this slows down hoya growth. And it reduces the ability to flower.

Can hoya grow in full sun?

Outdoors the hoya can grow in full sun but keep it away from the hottest times of the day during mid-afternoon. Excess sunlight exposure can turn its leaves yellow and burn them. Instead, place the hoya in bright, indirect light or partial shade. Indoors, Hoya grow best in indirect, filtered or dappled light.

Does hoya need fertilizer?

Hoyas can grow without fertilizer, but if you want your hoya to grow faster and produce more flowers, it needs fertilizer. Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer like 10-10-10 or 15-15-15 once a month during the spring and summer to boost growth. Don’t feed the plant during winter.

How do you make Hoya Pubicalyx bloom?

You can make Hoya Pubicalyx bloom by providing it with plenty of bright, indirect light. If it is not flowering, either it hasn’t matured yet or it isn’t getting enough light. High humidity and leaving the Hoya Pubicalyx in a tight pot also encourage blooming.

How often do hoyas need repotting?

Hoya need repotting every 3 to 5 years. They enjoy being in tight pots and they don’t have very deep, strong roots. How often you repot depends on how fast your hoya grows. The more light, humidity and fertilizer, the faster it will grow. Some hoyas may not need repotting past 5 years.

Hoya Pubicalyx Royal Hawaiian Purple Care – Growing Hoya Chimera Indoors