Heart leaf plant: the best care tips

The heart leaf plant has a very special leaf shape and is often used as a romantic gift. We show you how to properly care for the heart leaf plant.

The heart leaf plant is a great alternative to the traditional red rose on Valentine's Day and also serves as a particularly long-lasting token of love. In this article you will learn how to properly care for them and how to multiply them yourself.

Heart leaf plant: origin and characteristics

The heart leaf plant is particularly suitable for Valentine's Day (Hoya kerrii) at least as good as the classic red rose (pink). It has other, melodious names such as heart plant, little darling, its botanical name - Hoya kerrii - or often wax flower. But be careful: the wax flower will also be

Porcelain flower but which is a different species. Heart leaf plants belong to the silk plant family (Asclepiadoideae), which form a subfamily of the dog poison plants (Apocynaceae). the Hoya kerrii is native between China and Java - one of the main Indonesian islands. It has its origin in the local mountains.

The climbing, herbaceous plant can grow up to four meters high. The pale-bare stem is covered with opposite leaves that remain on the plant during hibernation. Each leaf has a petiole about 2 cm long and a thick, simple leaf blade about 12 cm wide and 10 cm long. The peculiarity of the bare leaves is the two-lobed leaf tip, which is very similar to the shape of a heart. This is also the origin of the name of the plant and the reason why it is so popular as a gift on Valentine's Day.

The flowers between March and July Hoya kerrii. The conspicuous umbellate flowers each consist of an inflorescence with up to 25 flowers and have a total diameter of approx. 5 cm. White sepals and red, downy, hairy petals are formed. A lot of red-brownish nectar is formed from the flowers, but it is mostly odorless. The anthesis of the flowers - this is the time it takes for the flower to open completely - takes up to two weeks.

Varieties of the Hoya kerrii

There are three special varieties of the heart leaf plant:

• "Albo marginata": Also written simply Albomarginata, especially conspicuous because of the white variegated leaves; more common than other varieties.
• "Variegata": The leaves have a prominent yellow border and turn green towards the center; occurs less often.
• "Reverse Variegata": As with Variegata, the leaves have a gradient, only the other way around: the border is green and becomes yellow towards the center; therefore sometimes also called Yellow Splash; occurs less often.

Maintain Hoya kerrii

As far as the location is concerned, the heart leaf plant has certain preferences. It should be bright and shady; lots of direct sunlight can cause burns to the leaves. In summer, a room temperature of around 21 ° C is ideal, as is high humidity. This is mainly due to the fact that the heart leaf plant comes from tropical regions. It is therefore the perfect plant for bright daylight bathrooms. The plant should be sprayed with water regularly, as this increases the humidity. The heart leaf plant's growth phase is between March and October. The plant can survive outdoors in summer without any problems if the tub is in partial shade or the sun is set up, but during the winter it should be put in winter quarters in the house relocate. This should be cool and yet light, 10 ° C to 15 ° C is optimal. The heart leaf plant is very sensitive to frost.

Cactus soil is suitable as a plant substrate. If you do not have such a special earth at hand, you can also make one yourself from universal earth, quartz sand, pumice and expanded clay. You can use our Plantura organic universal soil use which, thanks to its sustainable production without peat, ensures ideal care for the plants.

Tip Mix the cactus soil yourself: Mix around 50% universal soil with 20% quartz sand, 20% expanded clay fragments and 10% primary rock powder made from basalt or granite. The result is a loose, slightly acidic and well-ventilated substrate that can store water well and at the same time avoid waterlogging.

During the vegetation, the heart leaf plant should be watered regularly, whereby the soil has to dry well in between. Since the plants are very sensitive to lime, rainwater can be used as irrigation water. Waterlogging should also be avoided, but this is not a problem with good drainage. In addition, it should be fertilized every 3 to 4 weeks. In particular, adding a liquid fertilizer with the irrigation water ensures a quick effect. This is how the heart leaf plant becomes juicy, green and strong. A fertilizer like ours is suitable for this Plantura organic indoor & green plant fertilizerthat promotes healthy root growth and active soil life.

If the plants get bigger, they can grow upwards along a climbing aid, or alternatively they can be set up as a hanging plant. If the pot gets too tight, the heart leaf plant should be repotted. This is usually the case every two years. The best time for this is early spring, between February and March. The new pot shouldn't be too big. Good drainage is important to avoid waterlogging. First of all, the old soil should be removed a little from the root ball. Then you can put the plant in the new pot, carefully cover it with soil and press it lightly.

The heart leaf plant does not have to be cut, it is sufficient to remove diseased or stunted parts. Since new buds for the next year will be formed on the faded flower umbels, these should also remain on the plant.

Propagate the heart leaf plant

To the Hoya kerrii To multiply, it is enough to put cuttings. To do this, a leaf of the plant can be cut off and placed in fresh seed compost, for example ours Plantura organic herb & seed compost be plugged. With good watering and regular watering, roots begin to form and the leaf grows. If the heart leaf plant has grown well, it can be repotted in cactus soil. This is the case when the first roots grow out of the underside of the pot.

Is the heart leaf plant poisonous?

The Indian Hoya kerrii The sap contained and the flower umbels are slightly poisonous. In birds in particular, the ingestion of small amounts of the poison can be sufficient to trigger symptoms of poisoning. Symptoms of poisoning include gastrointestinal problems, vomiting, and diarrhea. When touched it is Hoya kerrii but not dangerous.

Do you think the classic red rose is a more appropriate gift for Valentine's Day? Then read here which one red rose varieties are most romantic.