Hoya is the genus. The usual houseplant is Hoya carnosa, also called wax plant, wax vine, or porcelain flower. Hindu rope is Hoya carnosa 'Compacta'. Sweetheart hoya is Hoya kerrii. Those stay on this URL.
NCSU lists stem cutting as the recommended strategy. UF/IFAS: it is easy to make new plants by rooting stem cuttings. Iowa State: stem cuttings are the most reliable method. Illinois also lists leaf-bud cuttings. Missouri lists herbaceous cuttings and compound layering, and says to use leafy shoots, not long thin vines.
Iowa: a cutting needs at least one or two nodes. A leaf with no node may grow roots and never make a vine. Garden centers often sell sweetheart hoya that way, as a single heart-shaped leaf.
For mix in a drained pot, see soil propagation. Iowa names water as one of three places to set the node; that method lives on water propagation.
Stem cuttings
Iowa, All About Hoyas: include at least one or two nodes. Strip the lowest leaves. Put the node in water, moist sphagnum, or a light propagation mix. Plants often produce roots within weeks, depending on warmth and light. Pot into a small container with a well-draining mix.
Iowa's stem-tip houseplant page lists Hoya carnosa (wax vine) with that list's general recipe: 3 to 6 inches, at least two nodes, lower leaves off, flowers off if present, hormone optional, at least one node in the media and no buried leaves. Most houseplant stem cuttings on that page form roots in 3 to 6 weeks. Early spring is ideal; any time of year can work. Those weeks and inches are the list page, not a hoya-only trial.
UF/IFAS: hoyas are related to milkweed and bleed milky sap. Keep it off furniture.
Illinois: wax plant under stem cuttings. Their general stem recipe is 3 to 6 inches, two to six nodes, 1 to 3 inches into pre-moistened media. The “within a week” and “10 to 14 days” lines on that cuttings page are for houseplant stems in general.
Missouri: herbaceous cutting. Use leafy shoots, not long thin vines. Their general cutting length is 4 to 6 inches.
Illinois does not recommend rooting houseplants in a jar of water. Roots that form in water are often weak. Iowa still names water for hoya, next to sphagnum and mix. Keep both names on the page.
Leaf cuttings and leaf-bud cuttings
Iowa: leaf cuttings will often root, but will not form a vine unless a node is also attached. Sweetheart plant (Hoya kerrii) is often sold as a leaf cutting with the node missing. It stays a single leaf.
Illinois leaf-bud cuttings: a leaf blade, the petiole, and a piece of stem that holds a bud. That is the node, written as a cutting type. Illinois lists wax plant for this. NCSU's leaf-bud examples do not include hoya.
Layering
Iowa lists Hoya carnosa for simple layering, not air layering. Flexible stem. Pin or bury at least one node, 2 to 4 inches deep, in soil, perlite, or sphagnum. Leaves off the buried stretch. On that page, new roots in 6 to 12 weeks, maybe longer depending on the species. Cut free when the stem is firmly rooted.
Missouri lists compound layering for wax plant (Hoya), not air layering. Same leafy-shoot note.
Simple layering and compound layering are different. Follow one source.
Common mistakes
- A sweetheart leaf with no node. Iowa: it can root and never vine.
- Long thin vines. Missouri: use leafy shoots.
- Treating Illinois's general 10 to 14 days as a hoya clock.
- Skipping Iowa's water option because Illinois dislikes jars in general. Name both.
People also ask
Do I need a node?
Iowa: yes. At least one or two on a stem. A leaf with no node can root and never make a vine.
Water or mix?
Iowa: water, moist sphagnum, or a light mix. Illinois prefers rooting media over a jar.
How long until roots?
Iowa's hoya page: within weeks, depending on warmth and light. Iowa's stem-tip list: 3 to 6 weeks for most houseplant stems on that page. Iowa simple layering: 6 to 12 weeks. Those are not one number.
Is Hindu rope or sweetheart a different page?
No. Hindu rope is Hoya carnosa 'Compacta'. Sweetheart is Hoya kerrii. Same URL.