How long do hoya cuttings take to root?

For cuttings stood in water, the RHS says roots should form in two or three weeks. For houseplant cuttings in general, Illinois Extension notes that soft, water-filled stems may root within a week while tougher stems can take 10–14 days, and Penn State notes that some plants take months.

Can I root a cutting that has a flower spur on it?

Illinois Extension advises removing flowers from cuttings so the energy goes into rooting. On a hoya, it is usually better to leave spurs on the parent plant, where they flower again.

How to take hoya stem cuttings, step by step

Why stem cuttings

Stem cuttings are the standard way to propagate hoyas. NC State Extension notes that most species are easily propagated this way ^[4], and the RHS describes cuttings and layering as the two home methods for hoyas ^[1]. A cutting is a clone: the new plant is genetically identical to the parent ^[6], which matters if your plant is a named cultivar or a variegated form.

Before you cut

Timing. The RHS recommends spring or early summer ^[1], when the plant is in active growth. Illinois Extension says houseplant cuttings can also succeed in other months ^[7].
A healthy parent. Penn State advises starting with plants free of disease, insects and stress, and not short of water or overheated ^[6].
Clean tools. Use a sharp, clean blade ^[6]. NC State’s handbook suggests dipping the tool in rubbing alcohol or a 1:9 bleach solution to avoid spreading disease between plants ^[5].
Gloves. The RHS warns that hoya sap is a skin irritant ^[1], and the Flora of Singapore notes that contact with hoya latex can cause dermatitis in hypersensitive people ^[9].

Step by step

Choose the stem. The RHS recommends semi-ripe cuttings from the previous year’s stems for hoyas ^[1]. In its general guide, the RHS describes semi-ripe material as firm at the base while the tip is still soft, and advises avoiding damaged or unhealthy shoots ^[2].
Count the nodes. A node is the point where a leaf joins the stem, and it is where roots form. Penn State and Illinois Extension both ask for at least two nodes per cutting ^{[6, 7]}. Illinois suggests a length of about 3–6 inches (8–15 cm) with no more than six nodes ^[7].
Make the cut just below a node, where new roots will form ^[2], using a clean, sharp blade ^[6].
Strip the lower leaves. Remove the leaves that would end up below the surface of the medium ^[7]; Penn State suggests removing the leaves on the lower half ^[6].
Skip the flowers. Remove any flowers from the cutting so it can put its energy into rooting ^[7]. Take cuttings from stems without spurs where you can, because spurs on the parent will flower again ^[8].
Optional: rooting hormone. Penn State says a little rooting hormone on the cut end speeds root development, and that too much slows it ^[6]. See the rooting hormone guide.
Insert or stand in water. In a rooting medium, insert the cutting to one-third to one-half of its length, buds pointing up, into medium that was moistened beforehand ^[5]. Alternatively, stand it in a glass of water as the RHS describes ^[1]; the trade-offs are covered in water or mix.

The rooting environment

Penn State lists what cuttings need while they root ^[6]:

Factor	What Penn State recommends
Light	Bright and indirect
Water	Medium moist but not saturated
Humidity	High, to stop the cutting drying out, but not so high that disease develops
Temperature of the medium	75–80 °F (24–27 °C) for best results

NC State’s handbook suggests keeping humidity high by covering the pot with a clear plastic bag or a bottomless milk jug, in a container with drainage holes, kept in indirect light and moist until the cuttings have rooted ^[5]. The RHS notes that moulds and rots can cause heavy losses among cuttings, and that regularly removing diseased material and giving some ventilation helps ^[2].

Knowing it has rooted

For water rooting, the RHS expects roots in two or three weeks ^[1]. Rooting time varies by plant: Illinois Extension notes that soft-stemmed cuttings may root within a week and tougher stems in 10–14 days ^[7], and Penn State that some plants take months ^[6]. Illinois’s rule for when to move a cutting into its own pot is roots about one inch (2.5 cm) long ^[7]. The potting-up guide covers what happens next.

Common reasons cuttings fail

Rot from a medium kept too wet; NC State recommends a well-drained, sterile, low-fertility medium ^[5]. See rooting media.
Drying out when humidity is too low, which is what the plastic cover is for ^{[5, 6]}.
No node buried in the medium or water; roots form at the nodes ^[6].
A single leaf with no stem. A leaf cutting has no bud of its own, so it can make a new shoot only if it forms one from scratch ^[5], and NC State says single sweetheart hoya leaves are unlikely to grow well without some stem tissue ^[3]; see single-leaf cuttings.