That is great! Obviously you are doing something right. These tents work well for the more delicate warm and humid growers, but you are correct about them taking up a lot of room! Not for everyone, but much cheaper than a greenhouse.
Thanks for the video! How do you water all your plants? It would be helpful if you could do a video on watering/a day of plant care and when to water. I tend to over water my Hoyas...so I could learn a lot from you 😃
Hi Piyumi, I have been at this now for more than 15 years and I still make mistakes on watering, and I'm a compulsive overwaterer like you. I think that it is an art more than a science. Many times I heft the pot and the weight is the biggest indicator to me that it needs water. Have you watched my video on using net pots to grow Hoyas which give you a far greater idea of when to water: th-cam.com/video/ZAqr3y2T8S8/w-d-xo.html
I pretty much have constant humidity in the 70% range during the day and it gets much higher at night. Yes, mold can be a problem; it will grow on power cords in particular and other plastic surfaces inside the tent. It has never led to fungal or other disease issues for me on the plants themselves. You can have less humidity by opening a vent or two, but then that kind of negates the benefit of the tent.
Thank you, Doug, for sharing this video! I almost put an order for the grow tent. By watching this video, I realized I have the problem of heat from the LED light. It's too dry in my room and I cannot circulate the air through the room. Since this video was from 7 years ago, is there any way today to cool down the tent now? How high temperature the Hoyas can take? Thank you!
First of all, as far as grow tents go, get the biggest one that you have room for as there is never enough room, and they just seem to work better. Hoyas can take temperatures into the low 90s F with no problem as long as there is enough humidity. If it gets dry, then forget about it. I grow my plants on trays filled with water so that provides the humidity, which averages 65-70% with the lights on and higher with them off.
Hi Doug, greetings from Canada, just setting up a 8'x4'x7' grow tent, trying to get some advice on ventilation to grow hoyas and some orchids, I watched the video above, I don't want to add a lot of humidity to the room my tent is in, but, just wondering if the plants would benefit from brief period of new air being brought in every once in awhile, so much advice for pot growers but so little for hoya growers. Thanks, for any help you could give.
Hi Lisa, Greetings from Vermont! Congrats on buying your first grow tent. There is simply no better way to grow Hoyas to see results quickly. I have used them now for at least 15 years so you cam to the right person to ask your question. I try to open my tents for at least 15 minutes a day, which is enough to change the air in the tent and to allow a little CO2 inside. There is no need to continuously vent these things using any kind of blower or fan. Make sure that you do have a fan inside the tent though that runs 24/7 as this provides for proper air circulation inside the tent, and helps to even out the temperature from the lights. If you don't run a fan all of the heat will sit at the top of the tent and the bottom will be cold. Good luck with your tent, you will love it!
Hi Doug, I notice you have made the best of your window light by adding shelves to the windowsills combined with hanging system above. Do you have a video showing how to best do this? My windowsills are small but I'd like to be able to put large plants on them like you have here in your lounge 😃😃😃
Hi Tom, I have used this method of putting shelves on windows now for years and have done it in two different houses. I do not have a video of me doing it, but it is not that hard. First your window cannot exceed about 34" in width, because the shelves are 36.25" long. You must use these shelves in this link, which come with the brackets and are exceptionally strong. If you substitute other wire shelving, the shelves will sag: www.homedepot.com/p/ClosetMaid-ShelfTrack-12-25-in-D-x-36-25-in-W-x-3-in-H-White-Wire-Book-Shelf-Steel-Closet-System-2283/100345038 Buy the Closetmaid standards of the length that you need; I suggest going the entire height of the window as it gives you maximum flexibility. (The standard it what the bracket fits into) Screw the standards in to the wood casing that goes around your window. Sadly, the shelves and standards are now more than twice the price that I paid when I bought all of mine. I am glad that I bought a lot of them, back when I did. Be prepared to now spend about $50 per window to put up one shelf and over $80 for two. Hope this helps!
This is awesome, thank you Doug! I just bought my first grow tent yesterday. It's 4x4. I did order a duct work and fan because I thought you have to set that up based on the regular online instructions from the retailer. I live in the South where indoor humidity stays around 40% or so. Do you think the duct will take out too much of the humidity still for the hoyas? I also bought a pet fountain lol to add to it since I've seen people use it to raise humidities. I love your tray idea and will be implementing this as well. Thank you for all of your detailed instructions. (Side questions, do you have any tips on growing Hoya xiaojie 001? I spent $270 on a cutting of this that's growing in sphagnum moss and has about 8 leaves and am kind of freaking out about it because it's the most expensive hoya I've gotten to date. I'm having lots of trouble finding any care information or videos on it.)
Hi Rebecca, you will find out in short order that your tent will produce astounding results. Don't use the duct as it is completely unnecessary unless your tent is getting into the upper 90s for temperature, and unless you are using HID lighting, that will not happen. It will pull out your necessary humidity. I had to look up Hoya xiaojie 001 as I had not heard of it. I would be nervous if I was you as well. It looks much like Hoya serpens, which is nearly impossible for me to grow well these days. I am also nervous about sphagnum on Hoyas as it is very tricky business to grow one well long term in it. If it seems happy, I would not mess too much with it. Get some more growth on it, as that will help insure that you will have enough plant in the future to take cuttings and restart if necessary. I wish you the best of luck with it and keep me updated on its progress!
@@DougChamberlainVTHoyas Thank you for taking the time to reply. I actually got my tent set up last night and am using today to move in! :) I'm going to hold on the duct work then. And I'm going to leave my xiaojie 001 in the moss. It actually has 4 new growth points so it makes sense to just let it do it's thing. :) I actually recently got Serpens and Hoya Tengchongensis too. They look so similar so I'll probably treat them similarly. :)
The humidity does reduce the watering, but I water all of my Hoyas in tents generally every week to 10 days. The warmer temps and humidity makes them grow quickly hence the need for regular watering.
What are your thoughts on led lighting ? I have some small Hoyas and I am a bit worried about over wintering them in the house . I am thinking about a small tent but I am so confused about all the choices for lights . Most research I do has mostly to do with growing marijuana so I’m not too sure if it is helpful to Hoyas ? . Please let me know I have spent a lot of money on multiple Hoyas and want them to have there best life and thrive . Thanks again for any advise .
Here is a link to a light that I own several of that work great on Hoyas: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B4GQ6MO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Keep the light 18-24 inches above the plant tops. That size light should cover an area approx 2X4 feet. You are doing the right thing, if you want to keep your plants happy through the winter.
Hi Doug. Thanks for the video. I am inspired now to get a grow tent, but I have no idea what I will need. I am thinking getting 24 x 48 x 60 grow tent. Pardon me if I am asking stupid questions: 1) If I am going to get the light that you recommended, will I need a couple as you told one subscriber here or just one since you mentioned that light will cover an area approx. 2 x 4 feet? 2) what fan do I need? can I just have a clip fan or the size I am getting will need ductwork of ventilation system? 3) I like the idea of the big tray filled with water for humidity. where did you get the materials for that: the big tray, crate and nylon mesh? Is there anything else I need to get? Thank you dearly..
I use no duct work and don't even use a fan in tents that are that small. Most of these LED lights have small fans inside and they more a little bit of air around which is sufficient. You may very well get away with one light; try it. If there is not enough light, you can always add another later. The big tray is a Jumbo Boot Tray and it is available here: www.gardeners.com/buy/jumbo-boot-tray/33-533.html I no longer use the plastic grid, but have switched to the widest closetmaid shelving: www.lowes.com/pd/ClosetMaid-12-ft-x-20-in-White-Wire-Shelf/3034428 The screen can be found anywhere. Hope this helps a little.
@@malteserus Yes, if the light is too powerful, some Hoyas can get 'sunburned' from the light. Humidity sounds perfect ant the temp should work out well too!
You absolutely do not need a fan in the small grow tent shown in this video. In larger grow tents, I find them helpful to help equalize temperature and humidity throughout the tent.
Hello Doug, I didn’t know where to better post my question and I’m sorry if it’s not relevant. I have a Hoya Verticillata potted cutting growing in a terrarium. It likes it there, growing a long vine. But every time new baby leaves come out, it drops it. The baby leaves usually become yellow/reddish, and fall off. It happened 3 separate times already. But it the very beginning(right after I potted in summer) it grew one big healthy leaf. I tried to ask on reddit, but people there don’t know what could be wrong. The vine is healthy with aerial roots on it. The cutting is in a soil mix with coco coir, bark and perlite. Could it be some nutrient deficiency? I’ve recently bought Great White Shark and Recharge per your recommendation, and want to try it on my Verticillata. Thank you in advance for your time.
Hi Adele, I have had those same symptoms that you described a few times over the years. The newly emerging leaves turn yellow/reddish and fall off. It generally happens because something is not to the plants liking and it is usually linked to watering. I don't believe that it is a nutrient deficiency, and most of the time it will correct itself. I always found that it happens after I've watered a little bit too much. Some Hoya species seem more prone to this issue than others and verticillata must be one of those. Could it be a little too moist in your terrarium? Does your plant get any air in there?
@@DougChamberlainVTHoyas thank you so much for your answer! It happened first time before its terrarium-life, when it was sitting on a shelf and room humidity was 60-70%. I have a fan in my terrarium that I turn on every morning and night (I don’t keep it on since it’s very loud) to prevent stagnant air and to drop some humidity. I think you might be right about watering issue. The cutting is in a 3,5-inches pot, because I tend to pot my hoyas in bigger pots than they could thrive in. That one I water every 8-10 days, but I probably have to water even less.
Hi Doug, I was rewatching many of your videos, including this one, and I was wondering if you remember where you got those white grid trays/risers that you have in your grow tent(s)? (not the egg crate louvers, the ones on top of them that are raising the plants up about a foot) I realize this is from 2013, but I would love to track some of these down for my tents.
Those risers were purchased in the kitchen/closet organization area in a store called Big Lots. I think they were meant to be stackable to put things like shoes on. They pretty quickly rust and become pretty grungy looking when used in a tent.
@@DougChamberlainVTHoyas That's unfortunate that they rust, I thought they might be coated with plastic or something... I just bought some 18" tall plastic grid top greenhouse benches that I think I will be satisfied with to use for risers like this. Thank you for all the invaluable information you've passed on to us over the years.
I am a very long way from brilliant, but I will say that I think that I pioneered the use of grow tents for cultivating Hoyas. Everyone seems to be using them now!
While many Hoyas will exist and even grow some in a north window, it would be unlikely that they would flower for you without some supplemental lighting.
That is great! Obviously you are doing something right. These tents work well for the more delicate warm and humid growers, but you are correct about them taking up a lot of room! Not for everyone, but much cheaper than a greenhouse.
Thanks for the video! How do you water all your plants? It would be helpful if you could do a video on watering/a day of plant care and when to water. I tend to over water my Hoyas...so I could learn a lot from you 😃
Hi Piyumi, I have been at this now for more than 15 years and I still make mistakes on watering, and I'm a compulsive overwaterer like you. I think that it is an art more than a science. Many times I heft the pot and the weight is the biggest indicator to me that it needs water. Have you watched my video on using net pots to grow Hoyas which give you a far greater idea of when to water: th-cam.com/video/ZAqr3y2T8S8/w-d-xo.html
@@DougChamberlainVTHoyas Thanks for the watering tip! I'm also going to rewatch the net pots video.
Great information as always.. I just set up a grow tent.. what humidity do you keep yours? I worry mine might be too humid and invite mold..
I pretty much have constant humidity in the 70% range during the day and it gets much higher at night. Yes, mold can be a problem; it will grow on power cords in particular and other plastic surfaces inside the tent. It has never led to fungal or other disease issues for me on the plants themselves. You can have less humidity by opening a vent or two, but then that kind of negates the benefit of the tent.
Thank you, Doug, for sharing this video! I almost put an order for the grow tent. By watching this video, I realized I have the problem of heat from the LED light. It's too dry in my room and I cannot circulate the air through the room. Since this video was from 7 years ago, is there any way today to cool down the tent now? How high temperature the Hoyas can take? Thank you!
First of all, as far as grow tents go, get the biggest one that you have room for as there is never enough room, and they just seem to work better. Hoyas can take temperatures into the low 90s F with no problem as long as there is enough humidity. If it gets dry, then forget about it. I grow my plants on trays filled with water so that provides the humidity, which averages 65-70% with the lights on and higher with them off.
@@DougChamberlainVTHoyas Thank you so much! I thought the humidity should be 80+%. Looks like it doesn't need that high.
Hi Doug, greetings from Canada, just setting up a 8'x4'x7' grow tent, trying to get some advice on ventilation to grow hoyas and some orchids, I watched the video above, I don't want to add a lot of humidity to the room my tent is in, but, just wondering if the plants would benefit from brief period of new air being brought in every once in awhile, so much advice for pot growers but so little for hoya growers. Thanks, for any help you could give.
Hi Lisa, Greetings from Vermont! Congrats on buying your first grow tent. There is simply no better way to grow Hoyas to see results quickly. I have used them now for at least 15 years so you cam to the right person to ask your question. I try to open my tents for at least 15 minutes a day, which is enough to change the air in the tent and to allow a little CO2 inside. There is no need to continuously vent these things using any kind of blower or fan. Make sure that you do have a fan inside the tent though that runs 24/7 as this provides for proper air circulation inside the tent, and helps to even out the temperature from the lights. If you don't run a fan all of the heat will sit at the top of the tent and the bottom will be cold. Good luck with your tent, you will love it!
Hi Doug, I notice you have made the best of your window light by adding shelves to the windowsills combined with hanging system above. Do you have a video showing how to best do this? My windowsills are small but I'd like to be able to put large plants on them like you have here in your lounge 😃😃😃
Hi Tom, I have used this method of putting shelves on windows now for years and have done it in two different houses. I do not have a video of me doing it, but it is not that hard. First your window cannot exceed about 34" in width, because the shelves are 36.25" long. You must use these shelves in this link, which come with the brackets and are exceptionally strong. If you substitute other wire shelving, the shelves will sag: www.homedepot.com/p/ClosetMaid-ShelfTrack-12-25-in-D-x-36-25-in-W-x-3-in-H-White-Wire-Book-Shelf-Steel-Closet-System-2283/100345038
Buy the Closetmaid standards of the length that you need; I suggest going the entire height of the window as it gives you maximum flexibility. (The standard it what the bracket fits into) Screw the standards in to the wood casing that goes around your window. Sadly, the shelves and standards are now more than twice the price that I paid when I bought all of mine. I am glad that I bought a lot of them, back when I did. Be prepared to now spend about $50 per window to put up one shelf and over $80 for two. Hope this helps!
This is awesome, thank you Doug! I just bought my first grow tent yesterday. It's 4x4. I did order a duct work and fan because I thought you have to set that up based on the regular online instructions from the retailer. I live in the South where indoor humidity stays around 40% or so. Do you think the duct will take out too much of the humidity still for the hoyas? I also bought a pet fountain lol to add to it since I've seen people use it to raise humidities. I love your tray idea and will be implementing this as well. Thank you for all of your detailed instructions. (Side questions, do you have any tips on growing Hoya xiaojie 001? I spent $270 on a cutting of this that's growing in sphagnum moss and has about 8 leaves and am kind of freaking out about it because it's the most expensive hoya I've gotten to date. I'm having lots of trouble finding any care information or videos on it.)
Hi Rebecca, you will find out in short order that your tent will produce astounding results. Don't use the duct as it is completely unnecessary unless your tent is getting into the upper 90s for temperature, and unless you are using HID lighting, that will not happen. It will pull out your necessary humidity.
I had to look up Hoya xiaojie 001 as I had not heard of it. I would be nervous if I was you as well. It looks much like Hoya serpens, which is nearly impossible for me to grow well these days. I am also nervous about sphagnum on Hoyas as it is very tricky business to grow one well long term in it. If it seems happy, I would not mess too much with it. Get some more growth on it, as that will help insure that you will have enough plant in the future to take cuttings and restart if necessary. I wish you the best of luck with it and keep me updated on its progress!
@@DougChamberlainVTHoyas Thank you for taking the time to reply. I actually got my tent set up last night and am using today to move in! :) I'm going to hold on the duct work then. And I'm going to leave my xiaojie 001 in the moss. It actually has 4 new growth points so it makes sense to just let it do it's thing. :) I actually recently got Serpens and Hoya Tengchongensis too. They look so similar so I'll probably treat them similarly. :)
@@rebeccagober6881 I wish you the best of luck with your very rare plants!
Great video, I have to ask do you ever water your hoyas in the grow tents? Or is humidity alone enough?
The humidity does reduce the watering, but I water all of my Hoyas in tents generally every week to 10 days. The warmer temps and humidity makes them grow quickly hence the need for regular watering.
What are your thoughts on led lighting ? I have some small Hoyas and I am a bit worried about over wintering them in the house . I am thinking about a small tent but I am so confused about all the choices for lights . Most research I do has mostly to do with growing marijuana so I’m not too sure if it is helpful to Hoyas ? . Please let me know I have spent a lot of money on multiple Hoyas and want them to have there best life and thrive . Thanks again for any advise .
Here is a link to a light that I own several of that work great on Hoyas: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B4GQ6MO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Keep the light 18-24 inches above the plant tops. That size light should cover an area approx 2X4 feet. You are doing the right thing, if you want to keep your plants happy through the winter.
Hi Doug. Thanks for the video. I am inspired now to get a grow tent, but I have no idea what I will need. I am thinking getting 24 x 48 x 60 grow tent. Pardon me if I am asking stupid questions:
1) If I am going to get the light that you recommended, will I need a couple as you told one subscriber here or just one since you mentioned that light will cover an area approx. 2 x 4 feet?
2) what fan do I need? can I just have a clip fan or the size I am getting will need ductwork of ventilation system?
3) I like the idea of the big tray filled with water for humidity. where did you get the materials for that: the big tray, crate and nylon mesh?
Is there anything else I need to get?
Thank you dearly..
I use no duct work and don't even use a fan in tents that are that small. Most of these LED lights have small fans inside and they more a little bit of air around which is sufficient. You may very well get away with one light; try it. If there is not enough light, you can always add another later. The big tray is a Jumbo Boot Tray and it is available here: www.gardeners.com/buy/jumbo-boot-tray/33-533.html I no longer use the plastic grid, but have switched to the widest closetmaid shelving: www.lowes.com/pd/ClosetMaid-12-ft-x-20-in-White-Wire-Shelf/3034428 The screen can be found anywhere. Hope this helps a little.
Oh it does Doug. Thank you so much!
Thanks for the video! Is the fan on when the light is on? Or are they on different timers? Thanks
You're welcome! The fan that clamps on the inside corner of the tent is not on a timer; it runs 24/7.
Doug Chamberlain thanks for the quick reply! I would not have thought they need fan on 24/7!
@@malteserus It just helps create air circulation and prevent disease, but you can go without it.
Doug Chamberlain The temp is around 71F & the humidity is also around 70%. Does any plant ever get “sunburn “ from the grow light? Thanks.
@@malteserus Yes, if the light is too powerful, some Hoyas can get 'sunburned' from the light. Humidity sounds perfect ant the temp should work out well too!
Just to be clear, if I were to set up a grow tent in my house (in Massachusetts) without a fan, I should be fine?
You absolutely do not need a fan in the small grow tent shown in this video. In larger grow tents, I find them helpful to help equalize temperature and humidity throughout the tent.
Thanks for the video Doug. Do you use humidifier at all? Or just trays filled with water is enough?
Hi Netty,! trays filled with water give plenty of humidity - No humidifier necessary.
@@DougChamberlainVTHoyas Thank you! I will definitely try this, once my grow tent arrives.
Hello Doug, I didn’t know where to better post my question and I’m sorry if it’s not relevant. I have a Hoya Verticillata potted cutting growing in a terrarium. It likes it there, growing a long vine. But every time new baby leaves come out, it drops it. The baby leaves usually become yellow/reddish, and fall off. It happened 3 separate times already. But it the very beginning(right after I potted in summer) it grew one big healthy leaf.
I tried to ask on reddit, but people there don’t know what could be wrong. The vine is healthy with aerial roots on it. The cutting is in a soil mix with coco coir, bark and perlite. Could it be some nutrient deficiency? I’ve recently bought Great White Shark and Recharge per your recommendation, and want to try it on my Verticillata.
Thank you in advance for your time.
Hi Adele, I have had those same symptoms that you described a few times over the years. The newly emerging leaves turn yellow/reddish and fall off. It generally happens because something is not to the plants liking and it is usually linked to watering. I don't believe that it is a nutrient deficiency, and most of the time it will correct itself. I always found that it happens after I've watered a little bit too much. Some Hoya species seem more prone to this issue than others and verticillata must be one of those. Could it be a little too moist in your terrarium? Does your plant get any air in there?
@@DougChamberlainVTHoyas thank you so much for your answer!
It happened first time before its terrarium-life, when it was sitting on a shelf and room humidity was 60-70%.
I have a fan in my terrarium that I turn on every morning and night (I don’t keep it on since it’s very loud) to prevent stagnant air and to drop some humidity.
I think you might be right about watering issue. The cutting is in a 3,5-inches pot, because I tend to pot my hoyas in bigger pots than they could thrive in. That one I water every 8-10 days, but I probably have to water even less.
I’m happy to hear that the issue could resolve itself (especially if I water less), so I’ll try to be patient.
Hi Doug, I was rewatching many of your videos, including this one, and I was wondering if you remember where you got those white grid trays/risers that you have in your grow tent(s)? (not the egg crate louvers, the ones on top of them that are raising the plants up about a foot) I realize this is from 2013, but I would love to track some of these down for my tents.
Those risers were purchased in the kitchen/closet organization area in a store called Big Lots. I think they were meant to be stackable to put things like shoes on. They pretty quickly rust and become pretty grungy looking when used in a tent.
@@DougChamberlainVTHoyas That's unfortunate that they rust, I thought they might be coated with plastic or something... I just bought some 18" tall plastic grid top greenhouse benches that I think I will be satisfied with to use for risers like this. Thank you for all the invaluable information you've passed on to us over the years.
@@JL-gz4kt You are so welcome!
What lights would you recommend? I have 48x24x60 grow tent and can't decide which lights to get...
I would choose a couple of 300 watt LEDs similar to these: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B4GQ6MO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You are brilliant 👏 😀
I am a very long way from brilliant, but I will say that I think that I pioneered the use of grow tents for cultivating Hoyas. Everyone seems to be using them now!
i live in california have hoyas in north light do you think i need more light
While many Hoyas will exist and even grow some in a north window, it would be unlikely that they would flower for you without some supplemental lighting.
great video
Thanks Joshua! These tents are the only reason that I'm as successful as I am growing these warmth and humidity loving plants.
I spy the hoya kerrii ^.^