1

I have the right climate, lighting and even a good location.

There is a wooden fence between the neighbors and us. If I let the Hoyas climb the fence, I will have to plant them in the ground or put the planter on the ground. However, the area has already been dedicated for succulents as of last year. I have installed shelves in a terraced fashion. The wooden fence is made-up of stacked horizontal beams held by few posts, so there is no vertical support of proper width to bind around.

My plan is to hang the Hoyas high up and give them enough length to hang down. Way back in the past, I had few Hoyas that were allowed to hang. As one of the branches has found something to hold-on to and climb, it grew quite fast leaving the others way behind. Only the one which has found something to hang-on had a satisfactory growth.

But if there is nothing to hang-on to at all, will the vines still get long enough, or will I end-up with what looks like hanging heads with a bad haircut?

Improve this question
2
  • What part of the world are you in and does the fence belong to the neighbour, or you?
    – Bamboo
    Apr 15, 2019 at 10:12
  • I live in Tel-Aviv, Israel, my climate is warm-to-hot Mediterranean. I have no frost in winter and summer is humid, close to the sea. The wall is southern, so my plants face North. I have dedicated this corner to all shade-loving plants (Few Aloes, Haworthia, Gasteria, Sansevieria) . The area further away from the wall begins receiving some direct light already in spring. I have placed my spiny cacti over there (mainly to keep my dog away). They receive enough light and don't etiolate. I also have the option to hang few pots on the fence without disturbing the neighbor, so it is ok.
    – Christmas Snow
    Apr 15, 2019 at 10:19

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

I don't see you have a choice other than to allow the hoya to trail downwards, since you don't have room at soil level to plant them there. These plants are often grown in hanging pots, but you are right in that they tend not to get so long as they would if given some support to grow upright, but usually, it's the constriction at the roots from being contained in a pot that reduces the amount of top growth the plant can produce. Obviously, the larger the pot, the more root room and that would mean an ability to produce more topgrowth.

Improve this answer
2
  • I have a plan to plant few in a container, and allow them to grow long enough to be planted in the ground behind the shelves. The top part will be long enough to climb above the highest shelf (2ft high), and hold-on to a trellis. The problem is the bottom leaves will remain in almost pitch-black darkness as a consequence. Would this cause any harm to the plant even if the top part is receiving enough light? If the plant is long enough and I take-off those leaves, will the lower part of the stem be fine, or suffer from pests and diseases? I don't want my dog to have access to the base as well
    – Christmas Snow
    Apr 15, 2019 at 13:19
  • If the base of the plants are in darkness beneath the shelves, then presumably they will also be out of any rain that falls and therefore sitting in very dry soil .. as for how well they'd do in such a situation, hard to predict - you might just have to try it and see.
    – Bamboo
    Apr 15, 2019 at 18:10

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.