Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Hoya Pubicalyx 'Royal Hawaiian Purple' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Royal Hawaiian Hoya (Hoya pubicalyx 'Royal Hawaiian Purple').

More about hoya pubicalyx 'royal hawaiian purple'

About Hoya Pubicalyx 'Royal Hawaiian Purple'

Hoya pubicalyx 'Royal Hawaiian Purple' · also called Royal Hawaiian Hoya · flowering

Hoya pubicalyx 'Royal Hawaiian Purple' is a vigorous climbing wax plant famous for dramatic ball-shaped umbels of deep burgundy-purple, fragrant flowers with near-black centres. Foliage carries faint silver flecking. It blooms readily for a pubicalyx given bright indirect light, a chunky mix, and a slightly pot-bound root system on a trellis or basket.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Won't bloom: The main complaint with this prized cultivar. It needs bright indirect light, a slightly pot-bound pot, and intact old peduncles — never cut off the spent flower stubs, as next year's blooms emerge from the very same spurs.

The reasons hoya pubicalyx 'royal hawaiian purple' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming hoya pubicalyx 'royal hawaiian purple' traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding hoya pubicalyx 'royal hawaiian purple' a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get hoya pubicalyx 'royal hawaiian purple' to flower

Maximise sun. Give hoya pubicalyx 'royal hawaiian purple' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for hoya pubicalyx 'royal hawaiian purple' and get the feeding right with the hoya pubicalyx 'royal hawaiian purple' fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Hoya Pubicalyx 'Royal Hawaiian Purple' flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full hoya pubicalyx 'royal hawaiian purple' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Hoya Pubicalyx 'Royal Hawaiian Purple' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my hoya pubicalyx 'royal hawaiian purple' flower?

Hoya Pubicalyx 'Royal Hawaiian Purple' blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make hoya pubicalyx 'royal hawaiian purple' bloom?

Give hoya pubicalyx 'royal hawaiian purple' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does hoya pubicalyx 'royal hawaiian purple' normally bloom?