How to Grow & Care for Hoya Carnosa Variegata ‘Tricolor’ (2024)

by Becky Decker · November 2, 2023

Hey folks! Welcome back!

I hope you are doing gerat in your gardening field. Do you know about Hoya Carnosa Variegata ‘Tricolor’? It is native to Australia and eastern Asia’s tropical rainforests. The Hoya Carnosa Variegata ‘Tricolor’ is a natural epiphyte that can grow on trunks of trees and that can grow under any condition.

The plant does have variegations of pink and white on waxy. If you are planning to grow Hoya Carnosa Variegata ‘Tricolor’ in your house, I have here explained how to grow and take care of Hoya Carnosa Variegata ‘Tricolor’.

Key takeaways:

It does have thick, waxy leaves rimmed with white and cream variegation.

Hoya Carnosa Variegata ‘Tricolor are happy climbing up plants that climb up over the pot edges in your home.

Hoya Carnosa Variegata ‘Tricolor are basically known for their pinkish stem and sweet smell.

Scientific Name	Hoya carnosa variegata ‘Tricolor’
Common Name	Wax Plant, Wax vine, Porcelain Flower
Light	Bright indirect sunlight
Watering	Bi-weekly, water if the top half of the soil is dry
Temperature	70-80 ºF (21- 26°C)
Hardiness Zone	USDA hardiness zones 11-12
Humidity	40-60%
Soil Type	Rich in OM and quick-draining
Soil pH	pH 6.1-6.5
Fertilizing	A balanced feed twice a week in spring and summer
Repotting	When the growth has stopped and roots began to protrude
Pruning	Beginning of the growing season
Propagation	Stem cuttings
Toxicity	Non-toxic
Mature Size	Up to 2-3 meters tall
Bloom Time	Spring to early summer

Table of Contents

What’s Unique About Hoya Tricolor?

Do you know about the Hoya genus? It is one of the evergreen genera that includes various cultivars. One of the best ones is the hoya tricolor.

It is native to the subtropical regions of Asia. They will also observe that it is distributed in the western Pacific. Also, it will grow in humid conditions and moderate sunlight for its growth.

This plant is famous because of its waxy and succulent leaves that come in pink or white color. It Will grow best in the hanging basket. It has a trailing nature, so it produces lush foliage in the plant.

Grow & Care for Hoya Carnosa Variegata ‘Tricolor’

There are some important requirements for growing Hoya Carnosa Variegata ‘Tricolor’ such as:

Light
Temperature
Watering
Soil
Fertilizer
Humidity
Potting and repotting
Pruning
Propagation

Light:

For growing the Hoya Tricolor light requirements are bright indirect light.
Don’t increase the range of sunlight as that can damage the leaf foliage.
For maintaining the beautiful streaks of colors in the leaves, light is a very important aspect.
By placing the Hoya Carnosa Variegata you can place the pot near a window where the plant receives a good amount of filtered light.
Don’t place the plant in a high-intensity area of light that will make the leaves scorch and turn yellow.

How to Grow & Care for Hoya Carnosa Variegata 'Tricolor' — hoya carnosa variegata

Watering:

In the case of watering the Hoya Carnosa Variegata plant the less you water the more for the plant.
You need to avoid overwatering which will lead to root rot.
Before watering the plant you can check first and if you find the top inch of the soil is completely dry then water the plant.
The perfect way for watering Hoya Carnosa Variegata is once every two weeks.
In summer you need to adjust the watering as they need more moisture while in winter reduce the watering to the plant.

Temperature:

Plantation done by knowing the right temperature for the plants helps to keep the plant healthy.
The perfect range for Hoya Carnosa Variegata ranges from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
The plants thrive according to the USDA Hardiness zone between 11-12.
Don’t plant plants where the temperature is below 50 ºF that will damage your plant.
The plant is able to grow at home temperature because usually they can be grown in temperature that ranges from 18-24°C
Keeping the plant outdoors in winter or extreme cold will kill the plant.

Pro Tips

Placing this plant near a window will help it grow more.

Repot your plant after 1 to 2 years.

Keep checking your plant so that you remove aphids from it.

Prune the plant to remove all the dead and decaying leaves from the plant.

Humidity:

For planting Hoya Carnosa Variegata the humidity ranges from moderate to high.
If you are not able to manage the humidity you can adjust the moisture by using a humidifier or by the use of regular misting.
The perfect humidity for growing Hoya carnosa Variegata should be between 40 to 60%.
Another way to maintain the humidity is by setting up a pebble tray that is filled with water.

Soil:

The ideal soil for growing Hoya carnosa Variegata is well-drained and should be rich in organic matter.
You can maintain the soil requirement for Hoya carnosa Variegata by mixing equal amounts of garden soil, coco coir, and compost together.
For planting Hoya carnosa Variegata the oh level of the soil is about 6.1 to 6.5.

Fertilizer:

In the case of adding fertilizer to the plant, Hoya carnosa Variegata as water-soluble can be used with a balanced ratio but for the foliage plant, you need a fertilizer having nitrogen content in ratio of 2:1:2 or 3:1:2.
Providing the perfect amount of ratio makes the plant happy and they are able to produce healthy shoots.
You need to dilute the fertilizer to half-strength and apply the mixture once every two weeks.
The perfect timer for adding fertilizer is during the growing season that is in summer or spring.
Don’t apply the fertilizer during the winter season.

Potting & Repotting:

The repotting of Hoya carnosa Variegata should be done in spring and summer.
If you see that the roots of the plant are growing out of the pot then it’s high time to repot the plant.
In case of selecting the pot size for repotting it should be twice the size of the original pot and should have sufficient drainage holes.
For repotting Hoya carnosa Variegata you need to prepare a good potting mix that should be rich in organic matter.
The way for filling the mix is by filling the new container with half substrate and planting the Hoya carnosa Variegata in the center and filling the remaining space with soil and at last watering the pot thoroughly.

Pruning:

In the case of pruning, Hoya carnosa Variegata is done once a time in a year
With pruning, you do the trimming off spent foliage and flowers for keeping the plant vibrant and beautiful.
Hoya carnosa Variegata pruning is done by trimming the vine off an inch below a node of the plant.
The pruning of plants encourages the growth of new shoots and flowers.

Propagation:

Hoya carnosa Variegata the most common way for propagating is by using stem cutting.
For propagating by using the stem cutting you need to find healthy stems having few nodes and should be at least 4 Or 5 inches long.
To cut the stem you need to use a knife or shears having few leaves.
Propagation can be done by either directly planting the stem cutting it into soil or keeping it in a jar of water.
After propagation, you need to place the plant in bright, indirect light, and within 3-4 weeks you will notice some roots forming through it.

Cultivars of Hoya

Some of, the best varieties of Hoya are explained below, so you can choose the best one as per your requirements. they are as follows:

Hoya carnosa

It is one of the best varieties also known as wax plants.
You will observe ovular and green color leaves in this plant.
You have to fertilize the plants smoothly so that the flower birds emerge fragrant.

Hoya carnosa ‘Rubra’

Another variety of Hoya is Hoya carnosa ‘Rubra’ which is also known as Krimson Queen.
It is famous for its amazing green color leaves that have streaks of cream, yellow, and pink.

Hoya carnosa variegata ‘Tricolor’

It is another variety that has no non-green border around the edges of the leaves.
Also, it produces pink and cream-coloured leaves in the plant.
It has also amazing streaks of cream, yellow, and pink.

Hoya obovate

Another variety that reduces round leaves in the plant.
It is hard to find the cultivar in your area.
It will grow more quickly in your garden area.
You can easily propagate this variety with the help of cuttings or air layering methods.

Hoya pubicalyx

It is one of the varieties that produce green-colored leaves in the plant.
It is not a vine but a shrub and it is a drought-tolerant plant.
This plant is not toxic for the pets.
Also, you can grow them indoors as they will suit best there.

Conclusion

In this guide, you come to know that this plant is native to the subtropical regions of Asia. They will also observe that it is distributed in the western Pacific. Also, it will grow in humid conditions and moderate sunlight for its growth.

You need to protect the Hoya carnosa Variegata from diseases, pests, etc. there are many other growing problems that you can solve after reading this article as maintaining the environment helps them to grow big, quicker, and more beautiful.

Thanks for reading! Happy Gardening!