Generally, caring for hoyas isn’t too tough. People love keeping these vine houseplants in their homes.
They look fantastic in hanging planters and they’re also capable of climbing. Depending on what you want, you might prefer to use these houseplants in specific settings.
When keeping these plants in your home, it’s important to give them an appropriate environment where they can thrive. Do hoyas like humidity?
Do you need to keep them in a high-humidity environment for them to stay healthy? Continue reading to learn about the recommended humidity levels for these plants.
How Much Humidity Do Hoyas Need?
Since hoyas are tropical plants, it makes sense that they would like humidity. If you keep hoyas in a dry environment, they’re not going to thrive.
For the most part, hoyas need to be kept in fairly humid environments. If the humidity is mild, they might be okay, but they won’t grow as fast.
It’s also worth noting that hoyas are a diverse group of plants. There are many different types of hoyas out there.
Each type of hoya plant might have slightly different humidity preferences. Regardless, you should know that most hoyas will do just fine with humidity levels that are kept around 50%.
Some types of hoyas might need humidity levels that are higher than that. So you’ll need to base things on the specific type of hoya plant that you’re caring for.
There are hoya plants out there that thrive with humidity levels above 60%. It’s certainly important to learn specifics so you can get the environment right for your houseplants.
Which Hoyas Need High Humidity?
Two types of hoyas that are known to need high humidity are the hoya patella and the hoya wayetii. These plants need so much moisture in the air that it’s said you should only grow them in greenhouses.
Many types of hoyas that you can find will do best with humidity levels above 60%, though. So a lot of the plants that you’ll find being sold at garden centers and nurseries will require fairly high humidity levels.
You should be able to get clear information about humidity requirements when buying these plants. When purchasing from a reputable store, you’ll get care information so you can give the plant the best possible environment.
Of course, the problem with needing to give plants high humidity is that your home isn’t naturally that humid. Hoyas are a popular houseplant option, but you’ll need to figure out how to keep your house humid enough to get appropriate results.
Which Hoyas Don’t Need High Humidity?
There are hoyas out there that don’t need such high humidity levels. One of the more popular options is the hoya carnosa.
These hoyas do okay when they’re placed in houses with standard humidity levels. They might have some issues if your home gets very dry during the winter months, but it’ll be okay in many areas.
To keep plants like this in good shape, it’s important to focus on meeting the basic care needs of the plant. You want to ensure that it gets plenty of sunlight so it can stay healthy.
This is going to be true no matter what type of hoya you’re caring for. Paying attention to the light requirements of the plant and the water requirements will always play a huge role in how successful you’ll be.
How Can You Increase the Humidity?
When it comes to increasing the humidity levels near the plants, there are many things you can do. You know that it isn’t good to have the humidity level be above 60% throughout your home.
The humidity level in your house should never be higher than 60%. This presents a bit of a problem when you’re caring for plants that need high humidity.
In your house, the humidity level should be somewhere between 30% and 50%. Depending on where you live, the humidity might be slightly higher than that.
When humidity levels get too high, it’ll encourage mold growth. You don’t want this, and this is why you need to increase the humidity levels only in the areas of your home where you keep the houseplants.
You have options that are known to work well. Below, you’ll see some methods for raising the humidity that could work for you.
1 – Misting
Misting the plants is one of the most common ways to increase the humidity level. You can easily raise the humidity a bit near the plants by misting them every so often.
To do this, you’re going to need some type of spray bottle. You need to pick a spray bottle that has a nozzle that can create a fine mist.
You don’t want to shoot streams of water at the plants. It’s best to simply mist the plants and the area near the plants several times per day.
Some people buy hygrometers to keep near the houseplants. This allows them to measure the humidity levels near the plants.
You can keep the humidity in the plant area a good bit higher if you mist them. However, this might not be enough to get the humidity levels high enough depending on certain factors.
For example, if you live in a dry area, misting likely isn’t going to help much. It can raise the humidity a bit, but you might need to do something more to get the right results.
2 – Place Plants in Trays With Pebbles and Water
Placing the plants in trays with pebbles and water can help, too. This little method is something that many plant enthusiasts like to utilize.
The basic idea involves getting clean trays that are large enough so the pots will fit in them. You want to line the trays with pebbles.
You then fill the trays with water until up to half of the pebbles will be submerged. The water shouldn’t go higher than halfway up the pebbles.
Next, place the plants on top of the pebbles in the trays. This should raise the humidity in the area.
You’ll have to refill the trays with water every so often. It’s easy enough to do this, though.
Keep in mind that the pots are absolutely not supposed to touch the water. If the pots touch the water, this might cause issues with root rot.
Whenever you water the plants you’ll need to empty the tray and rinse things out. This is important for keeping things clean and discouraging problems with insects.
3 – Using Plant Humidifiers
For many, using plant humidifiers will be the right way to go. You can easily purchase humidifiers at department stores and home improvement stores.
There are small humidifiers that are specifically meant for plants. These little humidifiers can raise the humidity in a localized area without making the rest of your house too humid.
One good thing to know about doing this is that the small humidifiers are generally inexpensive. You can get something that will get the job done without having to spend much cash at all.
This doesn’t require much effort either. You’ll still want to monitor the humidity in the plant area, but you won’t have to regularly go around and mist the plants.
If you’d like something that allows you to take a more hands-off approach, this is the way to go. Buying a plant humidifier is highly recommended.
Can You Use a Terrarium?
You might think that using a terrarium is a good idea for raising the humidity. For many plants, this can work out nicely.
However, it’s not good for most types of hoyas. Some hoya plants might respond well to being grown in a terrarium, but many of the most popular types will not.
The idea is to use a terrarium to trap the moisture. It’s a good way to raise small plants that need high humidity levels to thrive.
So just look things up before deciding to go with the terrarium idea. Some hoya plants might do well in this environment, but others might not.
Looking things up on a case-by-case basis is in your best interest. You can do things right and your plants will stay healthy.
Final Thoughts
You’ve learned that hoya plants need fairly high humidity to thrive. Most hoya plants need to be kept in decently humid environments to stay healthy.
Some types of hoya plants are better at dealing with humidity levels that are a little on the low side. Others need very high humidity to be able to grow at all.
You’ll likely need to raise the humidity in your home to care for certain types of hoya plants indoors. This can be done by misting the plants or placing the pots on a tray with pebbles.
It might be easier to simply use a small humidifier to keep the plant area at the right humidity level. Just be careful to keep an eye on things for the sake of the plants.
If you live in a very dry area, it might be tougher to get good results caring for these plants indoors. You can take steps to improve things by using a humidifier, but just be aware of the plant’s needs.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.