Common Name(s) | Hoya Sunrise, Wax Plant, Porcelain Flower |
Scientific Name | hybrid between Hoya lacunosa ssp. Pallidiflora and Hoya obscura |
Sun Exposure | Bright, Indirect Light |
Soil pH | 6.0-7.0 |
Watering Requirement | Once every 5-8 Days (Spring and Summer) Once every 31-21 Days (Fall and Winter) |
Hardiness Zone | Zones 10 and 11 (USDA) |
Plant Height | Up to 20ft under ideal conditions, however, most indoor plants will not exceed 1-3ft |
The Hoya Sunrise is a hybrid flowering epiphyte bred by combining one Hoya lacunose (pallidiflora) and one Hoya Obscura.
This climbing cultivar is extremely rare, located exclusively in Southeast Asian forests.
This plant is best known for its unique teardrop-shaped leaves, which turn a bright pink when exposed to the sun for extended periods.
While some owners may refrain from sun-stressing a plant, many Hoya Sunrise owners ensure adequate sun exposure in order to maintain the gorgeous pink foliage.
Like other members of the Hoya family, this plant also has flowers, which come in beautiful shades of white and yellow.

Hoya Sunrise Care
Hoya Sunrise prefers a medium amount of bright, indirect light.
Hoya Sunrise can be grown under a variety of natural and artificial light sources alike, such as high-intensity discharge (HID) lights, fluorescent, or filtered light from a window.
It is recommended to provide your Hoya with 6-12 hours of sunlight each day, ideally with a few hours of direct light in the morning followed by direct or filtered light for the remaining amount of time.
The best location to place a Hoya Sunrise is an east-facing window, as it allows for the aforementioned direct morning light while allowing your plant to avoid the harsh midday sun.
It is important to find the ideal balance between direct sun exposure and maintaining the plant’s health.
If you begin to notice signs of leaf burn, such as dry, discolored foliage or burnt edges on certain leaves, reducing direct sun exposure is advised.
If you are lucky enough to be able to grow this plant outdoors, partial shade with access to filtered light is best.
Be sure to place the Hoya in a location where it will receive an adequate amount of light, as insufficient light levels will result in ina failure to produce flowers during the blooming season.
Hoya Sunrise is also capable of growth via artificial light fixtures, such as fluorescent tube lighting or LED growing lights.
What Is The Best Soil Type & pH For Hoya Sunrise?
As an epiphyte, Hoya Sunrise is accustomed to growing without soil in its natural environment, however, indoor plants prefer well-draining, nutrient-rich soil.
The roots of the Hoya Sunrise specialize in absorbing nutrients from the air, debris, and rainwater that fall on the trees it climbs.
As a result of adaptations to its environment, the plant’s roots prefer high amounts of air circulation.
The best soils for Hoya Sunrise are breathable, often including drainage holes to ensure the roots aren’t sitting in any excess water.
The ideal materials for a Hoya Sunrise soil mixture are perlite, pumice, vermiculite, charcoal, or any other material that helps increase drainage and airflow to the roots.
Hoya sunrise plants can be grown successfully in any well-draining potting mix that provides plenty of air to the roots for good growth.
How Much Water Does Hoya Sunrise Need?
Hoya Sunrise needs to be watered once a week (every 5-8 days) during the warmer months and once every two to three weeks (every 13-21 days), or when you notice the top two inches of soil begin to dry.
Due to their succulent characteristics, Hoya leaves are able to hold water within their leaves, meaning they’ll be able to survive even if you forget to water them every now and then.
A clear indicator your Hoya needs water is when the leaves begin to pucker.
After watering, it is a good idea to tilt your pot to one side, allowing ample time for excess water to drain from the soil.
This aids in preventing root rot and other harmful diseases from affecting your plant by minimizing the Hoya’s exposure to harmful bacteria within the remaining water.
How Much Humidity Does Hoya Sunrise Need?
Hoya Sunrise thrives in humid conditions between 60-80%.
While it can tolerate humidity levels as low as 40%, it is best to keep this plant in conditions as close to its natural environment as possible.
If your home environment doesn’t have the right conditions for this plant, purchasing a humidifier, misting the plant often, or placing a pebble tray beneath the Hoya will help to increase humidity levels.
In areas with dry climates, check for symptoms of insufficient humidity, such as discolored, crispy leaves.
As extremely warm summers and cool winters can impact air moisture, be sure to routinely check on the condition of your plant, increasing or decreasing environmental humidity as your Hoya Sunrise needs.
What Is The Ideal Temperature For Hoya Sunrise?
The ideal growing temperature for Hoya Sunrise is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
As Southeast Asia has a warm, tropical climate, you will have the greatest growth results when emulating these conditions.
If you choose to grow this plant indoors, keeping the environment between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit is best, however, it can withstand conditions as low as 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Unfortunately, due to its tropical nature, it cannot withstand temperatures under 50 degrees Fahrenheit for extended periods.
Repeated exposure to dangerously cold temperatures will result in slowed or stagnated growth in your Hoya.
What Is The Ideal Hardiness Zone For Hoya Sunrise?
Hoya Sunrise thrives in USDA hardiness zones 8-10.
While fairly adaptable, this plant cannot survive in conditions that are much different than its natural habitat.
If you are interested in owning a Hoya Sunrise and live outside of these Hardiness Zones, it is best to keep this plant indoors.
Which Fertilizer Is The Best For Hoya Sunrise Growth?
While these plants develop fine on their own, their slow growth rate can benefit from the appropriate fertilizer, ideally a nitrogen-rich mixture.
As the Hoya Sunrise has flowers in addition to beautiful foliage, a bloom booster during the growing season will aid in producing gorgeous flowers.
Aside from the growing season, the Hoya is not very particular about the type of fertilizer it receives, as long as it has all of the necessary nutrients.
Whether you choose to use a slow-release fertilizer, emulsion mixture, or organic plant food, they will be equally effective so long as they have the nutrients your Hoya Sunrise requires.
It is recommended to only feed the plant during the growing season, around spring and summer.
During the fall and winter months, your Hoya does not need to be fed, as the colder temperatures often result in slowed or stagnated growth in the plant.
How Do I Propagate Hoya Sunrise?
Propagating your Hoya Sunrise is simple, and can be done via stem cuttings.
The ideal time for propagation is during spring and summer, as the plant will be able to regrow any areas where you removed stem cuttings.
The plant roots and grows quickly, which allows you to grow multiple new Hoyas simultaneously if you choose.
Stem propagation has a very high success rate in the Hoya Sunrise, and can be done by following these steps:
- First, take a healthy stem cutting and split it into multiple cuttings (this will allow you to propagate multiple plants).
- Next, ensure each cutting has 3 or more healthy leaves attached, as you need healthy leaf nodes for the successful growth of a new Hoya.
- Then, root the stem cutting in water, moss, or directly into the soil.
- While water propagation is the most popular method of propagation as it allows you to see the roots develop, they require an additional step, as they need to be transplanted from the water and into suitable soil.
- Placing your stem cutting in soil from the start is more convenient, however, you will not be able to see the plant’s growth on a day-to-day basis.
- After approximately 3 to 6 weeks, the cuttings will develop strong enough roots to survive independently.
- Once the roots grow to about 1-2 inches in length, it is safe to transfer them into a new pot, where the plant can remain until it needs to be pruned or repotted.
What Is The Average Hoya Sunrise Size & Growth Rate?
Hoya Sunrise plants are slow growers, but as climbers, can reach heights up to 20ft tall under ideal conditions and proper care.
It produces narrow leaves that can grow to be up to six inches long by two inches wide.
If kept indoors under artificial light, this plant will only grow about half as quickly as it would if it were grown outdoors.
Problems Growing Hoya Sunrise
Some common problems you can encounter while growing Hoya Sunrise are pests and diseases.
Pests
The Hoya Sunrise is vulnerable to several pests, including mealybugs, fungal gnats, and other sap-feeding insects like spider mites and aphids.
Mealybugs are an issue for Hoyas due to their succulent-like leaves, as the bugs love to snack on them.
If your plant has too much moisture, fungal gnats may attempt to make a home in and around your Hoya.
To combat this, perform frequent checks on the moisture level of your plant’s environment, ensuring humidity does not exceed 70-80%.
As previously mentioned, insects that rely on sap for nourishment will try to prey on your plant.
If you begin to notice signs of pest infestation, such as damaged leaves, wilting stems, browning, etc. the best course of action is neem oil or another insect-repellant.
Diseases
Hoya Sunrise is pretty resistant to most diseases, especially if kept primarily indoors.
However, overwatering leading to root rot is one of the most dangerous threats to your Hoya Sunrise.
Too much water in the roots of your Hoya will suffocate them, preventing necessary oxygen from reaching the plant, eventually leading to root rot.
Another factor to be aware of is that when the relative environmental humidity drops below 50%, leaves will begin browning, thus it is best to keep this plant within its ideal growing conditions.
Do Hoya Sunrise Flower?
While they are best known for their bright pink foliage, Hoya Sunrise produces gorgeous small, round blooms in hues of yellow and white.
Like many hoya species, this plant’s blossoms grow in clusters of up to 35 fragrant flowers in each umbel.
Other Hoya species have flowers that come in shades of red, yellow, white, and pink.
How Do I Get Hoya Sunrise To Bloom?
Hoya Sunrise will not bloom on its own, instead, it requires careful handling and meticulous care for the plant to produce flowers.
Many inexperienced owners fail to see Hoya Sunrise’s beautiful flowers in their lifetime, but we want to help every Hoya Sunrise owner experience the full beauty of their plant.
These are the three most important steps to implement when attempting to cause your wax plant to bloom:
- Sufficient light – Hoya Sunrise needs at least 6 hours of bright, indirect natural light or 14-16 hours of artificial light. If you are failing to see blooms on your Hoya, insufficient light for growth is one of the most common challenges owners face.
- Pruning – Avoid pruning your Hoya’s peduncles, as this is where the blooms will grow from. Similar to other plants in the same family, blooms grow from old peduncles as well as new ones, so refrain from removing any unless they are diseased.
- Movement – It is important to keep the plant in one position during bloom, as adjusting the plant’s light level or moving it around may halt the blooming process, forcing you to wait another year to see the Hoya Sunrise’s beautiful flowers.
Is Hoya Sunrise Toxic?
The Hoya Sunrise is safe to keep around cats, dogs, young children, and other small pets.
There are no toxins contained within the plant or its leaves, making it the perfect decor piece for any room in your home.
Feel free to decorate your home or garden without needing to worry about keeping this plant out of reach.
Where Can I Find Hoya Sunrise For Sale?
Hoya Sunrise is available for purchase via online storefronts or independent retailers on platforms like Etsy.
Prices range from $12 to $50, however, some larger plants can cost as much as $150 to $300.