Hoya Linearis Propagation: Step-by-Step Guide With Pictures!

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Wondering how to propagate Hoya linearis? It is simple and easy to do, so keep reading and I will show you step by step and with photos so you can easily follow along!

TAKING CUTTINGS

First go ahead and take some cuttings. My own Hoya linearis plant grew over 6 feet long, so I went ahead and took some cuttings by chopping off a few strands.

When you take cuttings, you’ll notice that the ends will exude a white, milky substance that is sticky. This is characteristic of any plant in the milkweed family.

Be sure to wash your hands if you come in contact with the white sap.

Next, I went ahead and made several small cuttings to use for propagation just like in the photo below:

Each of my cuttings contained two nodes (where the leaf meets the stem). In the photo above I have illustrated approximately where you’d bury each cutting into the soil.

Essentially, you’ll want to bury one node just under the soil line. It is OK if you bury the bottom set of leaves partially and it is not necessary to take the bottom set of leaves off.

You could have also taken single node cuttings instead of two node cuttings like I showed above. Either way will work.

INSERT THE CUTTINGS INTO POTTING MIX

At this point, you can use water propagation if you’d like, but soil propagation is a much more efficient process.

For water propagation, just make sure that the bottom node on each cutting is under water. Once the roots start growing and are about half an inch long or so, you can plant them.

My preferred method though is soil propagation. Use a small pot (I used plastic 4″ nursery pots) and fill it with a potting medium. A good propagation medium includes 2 parts of an all-purpose potting mix and 1 part perlite to make it nice a fluffy.

Lately though, I’ve been absolutely loving the House Houseplant Mix made by Tilth Soil. I use it straight out of the bag for both soil propagation as well as for general use for potting plants.

It’s an amazing, nutritious, and sustainable potting mix. Food scraps are collected and composted and used in this blend, lessening the burden in landfills, and providing an incredibly wonderful medium! I’ve tested out the potting mix and it works beautifully!

Once you have your small pot full of potting mix, take each cutting, dip the bottom node in water, and then in a rooting hormone (you can easily purchase from Amazon).

Dipping it in water first will allow the rooting hormone to adhere to the cutting. Although it is not completely necessary to use rooting hormone, it will speed up the process and increase the success rate.

Then insert the cutting into the potting mix in a small pot so that the node is buried slightly under the surface. Keep repeating and don’t be afraid to insert many cuttings into the pot. Spacing them about half an inch apart is not too close.

Once you have all your cuttings planted, very gently water your pot. Keep the medium fairly moist. I like to wait until the surface feels dry, and then I go ahead and water again. Never let the medium go completely dry while the cuttings are rooting.

Lastly, I recommend using a heating mat. By providing bottom heat, it is incredibly helpful to encourage rooting and will expedite the process significantly!

You can obtain a heating mat very inexpensively from Amazon, and I use it every time I propagate now. Simply place the pot with your cuttings on top of the mat, and make sure your plant is getting good light, either right in front of a window or under grow lights.

If you are using a heating mat, which I highly recommend for good results, keep a very close eye on the soil moisture since it will dry out more quickly.

HUMIDITY

Lastly, increasing humidity while cuttings are rooting can help out tremendously. Cuttings will continue to transpire water through their leaves, and with no roots yet to draw in water, it can cause them to dehydrate.

Plants transpire water more rapidly in low humidity, so if you increase the humidity, they’ll release less water and this will benefit the cuttings while they’re trying to root.

I wrote a blog post on general methods to increase humidity for your houseplants. However, if you just want to increase the humidity on a smaller scale for your cuttings, there is a simple method you can employ.

You can create a mini “greenhouse” by inserting a couple small bamboo stakes or supports in your plant’s pot, and then suspending a clear plastic bag on top.

Another method is to use a cloche, which you can purchase on Amazon. Not only is it functional, but it is also beautiful!

That’s about it! I will update this post as my cuttings proceed along and start growing. If you’d like to know further details on growing this plant, check out my Hoya Linearis care blog post with everything you need to grow a beautiful plant.

Do you have any questions on Hoya linearis propagation? Comment below. I’d love to hear!