The Krimson Queen plant is a low-maintenance plant part of the Apocynaceae family. It can make a colorful addition to your home by adding variegated, pink, and white leaves. Here are some care tips to get you ready for your new plant!
Other Names
- Hoya Carnosa Krimson Queen
- Hoya Tricolor
- Variegated Hoya Carnosa
- Hoya Variegata
- Hoya Carnosa
What is the Krimson Queen Most Known for?
With pink, green, white, or creamy colors around the edge of the leaves, the Krimson Queen offers a unique flair to any home. As new leaves grow, they are often bright pink. And in some cases, you may even notice that some of the leaves are entirely white when fully grown.
A cluster of scented flowers often complements the thick waxy leaves of the plant. With up to 30 in a single group, the red center and pink-edge bouquet are a beautiful sight for any plant owner.
What Types of Krimson Queen Are There?
It is easy to confuse the Krimson Queen with its close relative, the Hoya Krimson Princess. These plants are both variants of the Hoya Carnosa and grow similar foliage. However, look at how the leaves are variegated to tell the difference. If the light-colored variegation is around the edge, it is a Krimson Queen. If it is in the center, it is a Krimson Princess.
What Soil Mix Works Best for Krimson Queen?
Like most indoor plants, the Hoya Krimson Queen likes to have well-draining soil that can retain some water for later release. In addition to that, the Krimson Queen also does best with chunky, fibrous, and airy soil. Here are some organic materials you can add to your potting mix to get the right texture.
By adding coconut husk, orchid bark, perlite, clay balls, pumice, or coarse sand to your potting soil, you can help the root system by adding a chunky and airy combination.
Some of your best options to increase moisture retention include adding peat moss or vermiculite to the mixture.
Can you use Fertilizer?
When feeding your plant, make sure to use a low potassium fertilizer – the K in the NPK mixture. During the growing season, provide once a month.
How Much Sunlight Does a Krimson Queen Need?
To give this plant the best lighting conditions, you should place it in an area with bright indirect light. The best locations will be in an east-facing window with plenty of indirect sunlight or 2-5 feet away from windows that may have more direct sun. If, however, it gets too intense, you risk burning the leaves.
What Temperature Works Best for Krimson Queen?
The best range will be between 60-95 degrees Fahrenheit for a Krimson Queen plant. It does not do well in big temperature swings. Be careful about leaving this plant near an AC unit or a cold window during the winter.
What Humidity Requirements Does the Krimson Queen Have?
A Krimson Queen Plant does best with 70-80% humidity levels. Since the plant is native to the Amazon rainforests, it prefers to be in humid-like environments.
If you need to raise the humidity in your home for this plant, you have a few options. You can use a pebble tray, humidifier, or nearby plants to increase humidity. Finally, misting the plant, which can help increase humidity, comes with different opinions from experts if it creates fungal build-up.
How Often Should You Water a Krimson Queen Plant?
The Krimson Queen needs a consistent watering routine of 1-3 waterings a week. If the top two inches of soil are dry, you can water the plant again. Otherwise, you can hold off on watering as a way to reduce overwatering the plant.
This method can often be reduced to 1-2 times per week once you get into the autumn and winter. The Krimson Queen is drought tolerant and will survive without water.
What Size Does Krimson Queen Typically Grow to?
These plants are epiphytic vining plants, making great hanging plants. They are large growers living up to 20 feet long in the wild! However, it will be under ten feet tall if you keep this plant in your home or office.
Most Common Bugs
Variegated Hoya Carnosa can attract mealybugs, spider mites, and scale. You can use neem oil on mealybugs and spider mites and rubbing alcohol on spider mites to remove these plant pets. If these solutions don’t work, you may have to use an insecticide.
Most Common Diseases
If you notice that your plant develops brown or yellowing leaves, it can be from overwatering or too much sunlight. If you suspect overwatering, resulting in root rot, you will need to put the plant into fresh and dry soil. However, if you suspect that the plant is getting too much light, try placing it in an area with more direct light and seeing how it performs.
Can you Propagate a Krimson Queen Plant?
You can propagate this plant via stem cuttings through either soil or water rooting mediums. The whole process takes weeks depending on how fast it grows and when you plant it, as it will not take as long during the growing seasons of spring and summer.
- Diagonally cut a stem with 1-3 leaves with a sharp, sterile pair of shears.
- Once cut, place the branch in the medium with the rooting hormone until it develops an established rooting system.
- Keeping this cutting in a warm, high humidity environment is best to encourage growth.
Can you Trim this Plant?
Giving your plant regular trimmings will allow you to clear old and dead leaves and encourage new growth.
Can you Repot this Plant?
When repotting your Krimson Queen, make sure you choose a slightly larger pot than your current one to provide the best growing conditions. The best options will be terracotta pots with drainage holes in the bottom.
Where Does the Krimson Queen Plant Originate From?
The Krimson Queen is a tropical plant native to rainforests Asian countries like Thailand, China, Indonesia, The Philippines, Polynesia, and Oceanic countries like Australia and New Guinea.
What USDA Zone Works Best?
A Hoya Krimson queen plant works best in a USDA zone of 10-12.
Conclusion – How to Take Care of Krimson Queen Plant
In summary, taking care of a Krimson Queen plant is straightforward. It does best with bright indirect light, consistently warm temperatures, and watering once to twice per week. This variegated plant offers a great way to add some color, and with hanging baskets, this vine will make a great addition to your home or office!