The Hindu Rope Plant, also known as Hoya Carnosa Compacta, is an easy-to-care, slow-growing, sexy-looking wax plant with curly leaves, perfect for your indoor collection of plants to add oxygen and relieve stress.
This long-living vine with shiny, lush waxy curling leaves and star-like blooms are beginner-friendly plants. It can be grown anywhere from Australia and Asia, taking the following care tips below.
About Hindu Rope Plants
The Hindu rope plant belongs to the Asclepiadaceae family. The succulent, perennial plant is also called the Krinkle Kurl, porcelain flower, and Wax plant.
The Compacta variety would look better in hanging baskets because of its pendulous growing habits, compared to the Hoya Carnosa.
Growing Instructions
For starters looking for easy-maintenance indoor plants, the unique-looking curly Hindu rope is an ideal choice. You simply need a well-draining soil mix, enough warmth, and indirect light, and you’re good to maintain this houseplant for more than a decade.
Light
The Hindu rope plant needs indirect sun. Direct exposure to the sun can dry the thick waxy leaves and make them yellow and unattractive. For growth and flowering, keep it in a bright warm area.
You may place your Hindu rope near the window with filtered sunlight coming through thin curtains or in a sunny window but indirect sunlight.
Water
Overwatering can cause root rot for the plant. Feel the top few inches of the soil. If dry, then that’s the time to water the plant. Water is stored in the leaves of the Hindu rope. During summer and spring (their growing season), they appreciate deep watering where you allow the water to run out of the drainage holes.
You can also put the pot over a saucer with pebbles so that the roots will not sit on water and rot. Ensure that the pot has adequate drainage holes and is not clogged to get rid of excess water.
Holding the Hindu rope over the sink is the best way to water it. This soaks the soil and lets the water run out. After this, put it on a plant saucer once properly drained.
During the dormant season, especially in winter, water the plant less. But don’t forget the humidity needs of your plant. You can do this by putting a humidifier near the plant.
The Hindu rope can survive drought as a succulent, but be careful not to leave your plant dry for too long. It will affect growth and flowering or may kill the plant.
Soil
The Hindu rope belongs to the epiphytic species, plants that can grow on the branches of other plants, like orchids. Thus, it’s not suitable to use heavy soil. It needs a light, airy, well-draining medium.
Use an orchid bark or perlite added to potting mix to achieve good drainage and good aeration. Remember, soggy soil can kill your Hindu rope.
Fertilizer
The Hindu rope will yield more vibrant flowers if you feed it with fertilizer rich in potassium during the plant’s growing season. During its dormant season, there is no need to apply fertilizer. You could also apply a weak fertilizer every couple of months.
Humidity
Humidity will help keep the Hindu rope curly leaves shiny and healthy. Keep it close to a humidifier if there is little humidity.
Temperature
To grow a Hindu rope, the temperature should be not less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit or 10 degrees Celsius. Too low temperatures can kill it, but if kept happy in warm temperatures, you will be able to keep it for at least a decade. During winter, put it indoors and control the temperature.
Flowering
The tiny star-shaped flowers of the Hindu rope grow in ball-shaped clusters, appearing in early spring through summer.
Overwatering or no watering for long periods can adversely affect the flowering of the Hindu rope. It may result in flower or bud drop or no flowering at all.
Applying too much fertilizer may also produce crinkled and smaller than average flowers. Use weak fertilizer rich in potassium to help the plant bloom during the growing season in summer and spring.
Pruning
The mature size of the Hindu rope is 15 inches, and a healthy Hindu rope will add at least 6 inches per year. You may prune it if there are dead growths or leggy stems. Be careful not to cut the plant’s peduncles because this will affect the plant’s flowering next blooming season.
Potting
If your Hindu rope starts to wilt, it may be a sign to repot it in a bigger one a few inches larger than the previous pot. Hindu ropes love to be root bound, so do not repot in a much bigger pot.
Propagation
The Hindu rope can be propagated through seeds and cuttings. It is very difficult to grow Hindu rope seeds, so propagation by cutting is preferred. You do this by cutting around a four-inch long healthy stem with at least 2-3 nodes.
Remove the lower leaves and dry overnight. You can root the cutting in a well-draining and airy potting mix or put the cutting in water. Be patient because it will take a while to see roots because the Hindu rope is a slow-growing plant.
Common Pests and Plant Diseases
A Hindu rope plant is hardy and doesn’t easily attract pests. But a stressed Hindu rope might be attacked by aphids, scales, or mealy bugs. Keep it healthy by proper watering, proper lighting, temperature, and moisture. You may also apply horticultural oils to ward off bugs and pests.
Root rot due to waterlogging is common due to overwatering. To avoid this, use a well-draining potting mix with perlite or orchid bark and use a pot with ample drainage holes. Also, water only when the top few inches are dry.
Yellowing leaves may be a sign of fungal infection in the Hindu rope. This may be due to overwatering. To solve fungal diseases, use a quality fungicide.
Yellowing leaves may be natural if old leaves wither and die. A few old leaves turning yellow should not worry you, but the plant is in big trouble if all leaves turn yellow.
Conclusion
Caring for a Hindu rope plant is relatively easy. Put it in a well-draining, airy potting mix; place it in a bright indirect sunlit location; water only when the top soil is dry, and apply weak fertilizer every two months.
We hope to have helped you deal with your lovely Hindu rope. Happy gardening!
