Hoya Krimson Princess is a variegated cultivar of the standard waxplant. It belongs to the family of “Apocynaceae” – and is among the Hoya genus.
Hoyas are perennials plants that were very popular decades ago and then suddenly fell out of fashion. But due to the renewed interest in houseplants, Hoyas are gradually finding a place in the hearts of many plant growers.
Their waxy, succulent-like leaves and beautiful geometrically ideal flower clusters are gaining them lots of interests.
Krimson Princess grows long, winding vines and is usually eager to climb up, but will easily cascade down the sides of the container, making it a suitable choice for a hanging planter or trellis.
Now, let’s look at how to grow and care for your Hoya Krimson Princess plant:
Table of Contents
Hoya Krimson Princess | Plant Overview
| Plant Family | Apocynaceae |
| Native | India, Thailand, Indonesia, and China |
| Plant Habit | Shrub, Vine |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Soil Requirements | Well draining soil |
| Light Requirements | Bright, indirect light |
| Plant Uses | Culinary Herb |
| Water Requirements | It's drought-tolerant. Water when the top couple of inches of soil are dry |
| Fertilizer Requirements | Requires well diluted liquid fertilizer |
| Scent | Chocolate-like fragrance |
| Is it Toxic? | No |
| Temperature | Normal home environment is fine |
| Humidity | 40% humidity minimum |
| Repotting | Water or soil |
Hoyas are native to India, Thailand, Indonesia, and China. They grow wild across New Guinea, Australia, the Philippines, and Polynesia.
Hoya comes in different species and varieties, and the climbing, woody-stemmed Hoya carnosa is one of them. They are related to milkweed, being a member of the Apocynaceae family.
Hoya carnosa has firmly-packed ball of pink, and more rarely, white-clusters of flowers that resembles tiny candies before flowering. The flowers also have a fine layer of hair.
Their nocturnal flowers grow sticky nectars with a sweet fragrance that are described as chocolate, vanilla custard, or honey by most indoor gardeners.
How To Care For Hoya Krimson Princess
Now that we already know what hoya Krimson Princes is are its history, let’s now look at how to care for Hoya Krimson Princess plant to ensure healthy and beautiful growth.
1. Soil Requirement
Just like most other houseplants, Krimson Princess thrives best in well-draining soil mix. I’d suggest you use a combination of vermiculite, perlite, and peat moss if you make your own soil mix.
Using an equal ratio of these ingredients will serve you and your Hoya Krimson Princess pretty well. It’s also worth noting that the lighter, chunkier, and airier your soil mix is, the better. Therefore, go for a soil that is both well-draining and airy.
Below are some of our recommended ingredients that you can use to supplement your normal houseplant potting soil:
- Coconut husk: This helps to prevent root suffocation – and allows oxygen to get to plant roots
- Vermiculite: This is great for moisture retention, adds aeration, and helps added fertilizer release
- Coarse sand: Will prevent the soil from getting too compact
- Orchid bark: Makes sure there’s airflow to the roots
- Orchid bark: Chunky pieces of orchid bark also helps to make sure airflow to roots
- Peat moss: Softens the soil, keeps humidity, and improves drainage
- Clay Balls: Clay balls helps to add chunkiness and makes the soil mix airy
But you don’t have to worry if don’t have these ingredients. Already a mix of some of them will ensure a good soil quality that protects the root of your Krimson Princess from rots and other plant diseases.
2. Krimson Princess Water Requirements
Hoya carnosa are known for storing water in their waxy leaves. Interestingly, they will still be very fine and blooming if you fail to water them for some time.
When it comes to watering Krimson Princess, too much watering is always worse than not enough, just like it is for many plants.
Krimson Princess typically needs more water in the summer periods, on hotter and more humid weather, and you can slightly reduce watering in winter.
It is generally believed that you can know it’s time to water Hoya Krimson Princess once you notice that the leaves are puckering, but that’s not true. Any amount of drought that affects the leaf structure of your plant is too much over an extended period.
It’s totally fine if it happens once or twice; however, if you use puckering of leaves as a major sign to water your Krimson Princess plant, then you may soon lose the plant.
3. Light Requirements
Hoya Krimson Princess prefers bright indirect sunlight or bright filtered light – and it should be kept in an east-facing window. However, if you cannot meet the right conditions in front of a window or if there’s a specific place you want the plant to be, you can always use a plant grow light.
It worth mentioning that variegated plants require more sunlight to survive than the non-variegated plants as the variegation won’t help the plant to photosynthesize.
Therefore, when you’re growing a plant with some variegation, it’s important to give it some more sunlight exposure than you would give to the non-variegated plants.
Your Hoya Krimson Princess need sufficient sunlight to grow healthily and beautifully. However, I’m not advising you to expose it to direct sunlight, as it will most likely scorch the leaves.
4. Krimson Princess Fertilizer Needs
Hoya Krimson Princess needs fertilizer that is very rich in phosphorous and potassium. You want the (K) value in NPK to be low because succulent-like plants like Hoya Krimson Queen only require small amounts of potassium to grow.
We recommend organic fertilizers whenever possible; however, if you’re using liquid synthetic fertilizer, ensure you always dilute it at half-strength of the indication written on the package for your houseplant so you don’t experience any adverse effects.
Additionally, always be cautious when fertilizing your Hoya Krimson Princess plant as overfertilizing the plant can kill it. On the other hand, underfertilizing is often not a big problem.
Besides, many gardeners don’t even fertilize their houseplants. So, it’s always better to underfertilize than to overfertilize Krimson Princess.
What we suggest is that you apply organic fertilizer on your Krimson Princess about once per month during its growing season (spring and summer).
Reduce or even pause fertilizing the plant in autumn and winter periods, as the plant will not need much nutrients during these seasons, just like most houseplants.
How To Propagate Hoya Krimson Princess
One of the best ways to propagate Hoya Krimson Princess is through stem cuttings. It’s pretty easy to take cuttings – and you’ll also have a bunch of growing options. Once a cutting is made, it will now be all about your preferences and the growing mediums available to you.
When it comes to cutting propagation, you can root your cuttings in water, root it directly in soil, or just use another way of propagation like peat moss or perlite.
The spring or summer periods is the ideal seasons to propagate a Hoya Krimson Princess plant. You can also propagate it in winter; however, we generally don’t recommend that, as it takes much more time and success rates are relatively lower.
That said, follow the steps below to propagate your Hoya Krimson Princess, even if you’ve never done it before:
- Choose a cutting that is still young and not too woody (avoid cuttings with blooms). Ensure that the cutting you choose has at least 1-3 leaves in it (this will help to speed up the entire propagation process)
- Get a knife or pruning shears
- Use rubbing alcohol to sterilize your desired tool and put it under an open flame for some seconds to get rid of every fungus, bacteria, contamination, or virus that can come from the cut
- Doing a diagonal cut, cut below a node. With this type of cut, the cutting will be able to take in more humidity and the cut piece will also be protected from rot
- The next step is to dip your cutting in cinnamon or rooting hormone. Although, this step is optional, it will somewhat speed up the propagation process
- Prepare your preferred rooting method. If you’re going to use water, you want to ensure that the water is at room temperature. We suggest you use distilled water
- Ensure that the node of the cutting you got earlier is in touch with the rooting medium
- The leaves of your cutting should also not be in touch with the water, soil, or sphagnum moss as they might rot
- A high humidity environment is highly necessary for the plant, you can increase humidity with a humidity dome or a plastic box
- Make sure the cutting remains warm. You can use a heat mat to achieve this
- Keep your cutting in a well-light location. Avoid direct sunlight at all costs
- Replant the cutting into the soil once roots start forming that are at least a few inches long. Remember to always use a fresh pot and fresh soil
- Have it in mind that it usually takes a few weeks for your cuttings to root, so patience is vital here
- Once your cuttings are replanted into the soil, take care of your Hoya babies exactly how you do for the mother plant
How To Repot Hoya Krimson Princess
Just like every other Hoya carnosa species, Krimson Princes does not like their roots disturbed at all. They thrive very well in a cozy pot. But this doesn’t imply that you should leave the plant root bound.
Overall, here are some things to always have in mind while growing Hoya Krimson Princess:
- Do not repot the plant in winter, when it is resting
- Repot if you discover any yellowing symptom on the leaf edges
- Repot when roots start growing out of the top or bottom of the pot
- Do not repot if your Hoya carnosa is flowering
- Repot if the plant is outgrowing its current container
To repot your Krimson Princess plant, use a pot that is a bit larger than the one it currently lives in, this is generally known as the “next size up.” It’s also not wise to go for the largest size of pot with the belief that the plant will grow into it.
Going for the next size up lets your plant stay comfortable, while also having sufficient space to absorb nutrients and water from the soil.
It’s relatively easy and straightforward to repot your Hoya Krimson Princess, just follow the steps below:
- Water your plant very well 2-3 days before the repotting date. This will help to stop it from being dry and stressed when it’s finally transplanted to a new pot
- Gently remove the plant from its pot. This may take you some time if your plant is already growing roots out of the bottom of the pot. But if you have a somewhat flexible pot, such as a nursery or grow pot, then a few squeezes can help to loosen up the rootball
- Partially fill your new pot with water and soil evenly and lightly – and then set the pot aside to drain.
- Lightly loosen up the rootball of your Krimson Princess to help discharge the used soil. Remember that Hoya like their roots being bunched up, so don’t tease out the rootball
- Once the depleted soil is removed, put your plant into the new container, making sure the rootball top is in line with the top of the pot. You don’t want to sink the rootball in the new pot, it will find it hard to breathe when it’s settled.
- Add more mix around the rootball slowly until it becomes stable and snug, and doesn’t lean to one side or wobble out of the mix. Your Hoya Krimson Princess should stand upright, sitting in the center of the pot.
Since you have watered plant and your soil before planting, do not water again for some days to give your plant some time to settle. Then water it very well and let it drain.
Krimson Princess Humidity & Temperature Needs
The Hoya Krimson Princess thrives in temperatures between 61°F (16°C) and 95°F (35°C). They dislike sudden temperature changes and cannot endure temperatures that are too cold. In other words, they are not frost-tolerant.
If your Hoya Krimson Princess is kept outside, remember to take it inside before the first frost. The plant survives better in high humidity habitats, and most growers will find it difficult to meet up with the high humidity demand of hoya just like that.
Good enough, there are a few hacks you can use to improve the humidity level of your environment, such as:
- Using plant humidifier
- Grouping plants that have similar needs together, this will enhance humidity for all of the plants in that cluster
- Placing a pebble tray underneath your plant pot and filling it with water. Water evaporation will go directly to the plant, increasing the humidity around it
Some houseplant lovers might advise you to always mist your Krimson Princess leaves in order to increase humidity level. But we do NOT trust this method because misting the leaves won’t necessarily produce the desired results.
While it might boost the humidity for some time, it won’t deliver in the long run. And misting your plant will cause more harm than good in some cases.
Bottom line: Your Hoya need high humidity levels to thrive. But that doesn’t mean that the plant won’t survive in lower humidity levels. But the higher the humidity level of the environment, the better.
Pests And Diseases Control
One thing you must have in mind is that Hoyas are very susceptible to pest infestations.
There are a few pests you might have to deal with when growing your Krimson Princess. Some of the most common pests that will attack Krimson Princess include Spider Mites, Mealybugs, and Scale.
Now, let’s look at these pests one after the other to see how to get rid of them to ensure healthy and happy Hoya Krimson Princess growth:
1. Spider mites
Spider mites typically come in big numbers, they’re indeed a real nuisance. These little bugs are incredibly small; hence, when they are spotted on plants, it’s usually already too late.
The easiest way to spot spider mite infestation on your Hoya Krimson Princess plant is by checking for the small webs they produce.
Like mealybugs, spider mites often assemble on the underside of plant leaves and nodes, leaving spiderwebs all over your adorable plant. Sadly, it’s not always very easy to identify spider mites.
Take drastic measures immediately you are sure that it is spider mites you are dealing with. One of the first things to do is to isolate the affected plant to prevent the pest from spreading over and infesting your other lovely houseplants.
Once your plant is isolated, get a few things you will need to fight the bugs, such as:
- Insecticidal sprays
- Neem oil
- A soap-based spray
- A cloth with diluted rubbing alcohol
You can use these things to get rid of the spider mite for good. And the best way to avoid spider mites’ infestations in the future is to increase the humidity, as these pests survive in dry environments.
The bathroom usually has the highest humidity in any home, so your best bet to increase the humidity is to keep your Hoya Krimson Princess there.
Or just use a humidifier. Whichever way you want to go about it, don’t give spider mites a chance to thrive in your plant!
2. Mealybugs
Mealybugs are white insects that really disturb plants. It usually looks like some dust particles have built up on the leaves or stems of your Krimson Princess. If overlooked, these troublesome pests will suck the life out of your adorable plant.
These pests are not always easy to notice, and they usually can be found on the underside of the leaves. Mealybugs are also attracted by new growth – and another easy target for them is the softer parts of the Hoya Krimson Princess.
The good thing, however, is that these pests are somewhat slow in attack and the damage they do is often limited compared to spider mites.
But how can you get rid of Mealybugs?
The easiest way is to use rubbing alcohol. Put some rubbing alcohol on a q-tip. The mealybugs will be a thing of the past once they get in touch with the alcohol.
There are several ways to control mealybugs in your houseplants.
If the mealybugs' infestations are larger, another tip is to use soap-based sprays. Castille soap does an excellent job in this case.
Just put one tablespoon of Castille soap in 1 liter of water and use it to spray your Hoya Krimson Princess every 2 weeks until the mealybugs become a history.
3. Scale Insects
Scale is a beautiful, armored, motionless insect. It does not mean that they can’t move at all, they generally stay in one place.
They can usually be spotted at the stems of plants and once they’re there, it might look like your plant has some damages to its stems. They are also a plant life-sucking bugs with a very strong shell for protection.
Since there’s a strong shell protecting them, they are often immune to any kind of soap treatment or pesticide. The best approach to kill the insects is to remove them one after the other. You can do this with either your fingernails – or a dull knife.
You can also use a toothbrush and scrape them off your Hoya Krimson Princess stems. Whichever way you decide to do it, ensure you remove all of them and don’t allow any of them to fall into the pot where your Hoya is planted as they will reattach to its stems.
Once you’ve removed all of them, use a q-tip with alcohol, a soap-based spray, or an insecticidal to completely finish them off.
How to Protect Hoya Krimson Princess from Problems
- Use a well-draining potting soil mix
- Use a pot that has at least one drainage hole
- They thrive in average household temperatures (avoid excessive heat and cold temperatures)
- Water them only when the soil is dry to the touch
- High humidity of more than 70% gives the best results (although, average humidity is also ideal)
- Fertilize once per month during growing period, and less during colder months
- You will get the best result from bright, indirect sunlight from an east-facing window
- Repot your Hoya Krimson Princess every other year
How To Get Hoya Krimson Princess To Flower
You must first understand that Hoyas must be mature (at least 3 years old) before it can bloom. As stated above, the plant will need bright diffused sunlight at the very least to thrive, a little direct sun is beneficial though.
If you’ve got the age and light, you can also encourage your Hoya to flower by keeping it in a snug pot without disturbing the roots at all.
You also don’t want to cut those peduncles! Once it starts to bloom, avoid repotting the plant, misting it, or moving it around often. Doing any of these things will increase the chances of the plant dropping its blooms.
With the right conditions, your Hoya Krimson Princess is very much likely to provide you with nectarous blooms for years.
How To Prune Hoya Krimson Princess
Hoya carnosas are generally low-maintenance plants and can live for years without a single pruning. However, if you must prune your plant, probably because you have a little space for it in your home for it to run amok, do not deadhead the flowers.
New flowers grow from the same spurs, and if you remove them, they won’t grow back. The best thing to do is to propagate your cuttings to grow new Hoya Carnosa Krimson Princesses for your family and friends.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hoya Krimson Princess toxic?
No, Hoya Krimson Princess is not toxic. However, they produce poisonous milky white sap that can make your pets sick when their parts are ingested.
So, don’t allow your children or animals to eat their leaves or flowers.
Why are the leaves of my Hoya Krimson Princess shriveling up?
Your Hoya Krimson Princes leaves shriveling is generally a sign that the plant isn’t getting enough water.
The best way to tackle this is to increase how often you water the plant, keep your plant in the same place as other plants to encourage a more humid environment, or add rocks to the saucer of the plant to grab water and boost humidity.
Why is my Hoya Krimson Princess looking leggy and straggly?
This is likely a sign that your Hoya carnosa is needs light, and is trying to conserve its energy to get closer to a source of light. Move it closer to where there’s bright light for some weeks, and see if it helps.
Why are my Hoya Krimson Princess’ leaves turning black or red?
Your plant is probably getting too much sunlight, which scorches or scalds its leaves. Move it away from direct sunlight and see what happens.
Why won’t my Hoya Krimson Princess flower?
Hoya carnosa only bloom when they are matured as I said earlier, so it will take at least, 3-4 years of the plant’s life for you to see flowers. Once it ages, your only duty is now to give the plant the right conditions for optimal flowering.
Conclusion
Hoya Krimson Princes is a very beautiful plant that you should really consider having your home (if you don’t already).
The good thing is that the plant is very easy to maintain and care for you. And given the right growing condition, it will flourish and bloom, giving you those adorable flowers.
So, if you’ve been looking for ways to grow a Hoya Carnosa plant, I believe you have all the information and tips you want now.
