Over-watered Hoya Shooting Start Plant
I believe I have a Hoya Shooting Star Plant? I’m not sure, since I had inherited it at my previous job, which it was doing good and bloomed yearly. I changed jobs and had a 3 week vacation in between. During the 3 weeks (in August) I had my plant at home, which did not have any sunlight access, and I re-potted it with addition new soil. I brought the plant to my new job, so it received more light. The last I watered it was 9/12/16, since it looked as if it had to much water. Can you help me to get it back to good health?
Hi Deanna,
I think you diagnosed the problem yourself (good job)! You put it in poor light, shocked the plant by re-potting it, and increased the soil so that it took longer to dry out. The roots stayed wet too long and many of them died. Hopefully there are a few that are still alive. I’d suggest that you take the plant out of its pot. Shake off any soil and cut off any roots that appear soft and mushy. If you haven’t watered it since 9/12 the soil should hopefully be very dry. If the soil is still wet, then you may not be able to save the plant. Re-pot into a container with drip holes in the bottom that is only a couple of inches larger than the root ball. Your current pot is much too large. There’s a product called SuperThrive that you can read about in the Glossary that does wonders for houseplants in trouble. Add it to your water each time you water your plant for the next month or so. Be sure to allow your plant to dry out before watering it. Let me know how things work out.
