Hoya Kerrii Care
The sweetheart vine with thick, heart shaped leaves, and the care that keeps those hearts plump and happy year round.
The hoya genus runs through Asia in many shapes, sizes, and colors, but hoya kerrii are unique vining succulents. Their thick, heart shaped leaves have earned them a handful of common nicknames: sweetheart vine, hoya hearts, lucky heart plant, and Valentine’s hoya. Every year around Valentine’s Day, these little hearts have their moment.
Light
Like the succulents they resemble, these hearts want real light, several hours of bright, direct sun a day. A west or south facing window is ideal, and bright light matters more than anything else for flowers. If that window runs hot enough to scorch the leaves, bright indirect light a few feet back keeps the plant growing without the burn. If your windows can't manage either, a full spectrum LED grow light can stand in for the sun.
Water
Let the soil dry thoroughly between waterings. Those thick, water storing leaves mean hoya kerrii will ride out a long drought, and the real danger runs the other way: overwatering and root rot. Water more often in summer, and cut back hard in winter.
The leaves will tell you when it’s time. Still plump means not yet. Thinner and slightly wrinkled means it’s ready for a good drink.
Temperature and humidity
Hoyas like it warm and a little humid, and hoya kerrii are no exception. Keep them between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and never leave them anywhere that drops below 50. Ordinary household humidity works, though they’ll reward you for more: a humidifier nearby, or a naturally humid room like a bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room. Outdoors they only live year round in USDA hardiness zone 11, which is why these hearts mostly stay on windowsills in the United States.
Fertilizer
Hoya kerrii aren’t big eaters, but a little food helps while they’re in active growth. In spring and summer, a balanced liquid fertilizer once a month is plenty. For the amount, follow the product label. Hoya kerrii is slow growing, so give it time: new growth shows at the tips of the vine, and plump new leaves mean the light and water are right.
Soil
As an epiphyte, hoya kerrii require extremely airy, well draining soil. A dense bagged indoor mix on its own compacts around the roots and stunts growth. Blend in plenty of perlite, orchid bark, and sand instead, and your hoya kerrii will love you for it.
Common hoya kerrii questions
What kind of container does hoya kerrii want?
Choose a container with drainage holes, because water that collects at the bottom of the pot is how roots rot. Hoya kerrii is happy to be a little root bound, so a snug container is fine and a roomy one only holds extra wet soil.
Will it flower?
Mature vines that get plenty of light bloom in small clusters of star shaped flowers, fuzzy and fragrant, in pink or cream with a darker center. Young plants rarely bloom, and on a slow grower the first flowers can take years, so patience is part of the care.
What are the fine webs on the leaves?
Warm, dry air invites spider mites, which leave fine webbing and a speckled look on the leaves. Wipe the leaves, rinse the whole plant, and keep it apart from your other plants until the leaves stay clean.
Will a single leaf hoya grow into a vine?
Hoya kerrii is often sold as single leaf cuttings, one heart in a small container. A single leaf hoya kerrii will root and stay green for a long time, but without a node, the point on the stem where new growth starts, it rarely becomes a vine. If you want a vine, pick a sweetheart hoya with a stem and several leaves already on it. Fuller hoya kerrii plants like that are the ones that climb.
This plant’s famous climbing cousin, Hoya carnosa, has its own story.
You’ll find it in our guide to the plants of Asia.
More from the plant atlas
Come by with your hoya questions
We're at 326 N Charles St, downtown Baltimore, plants at the front and the bar just behind them. Ask anything, and take your time.