The Hindu rope plant, known also by its Latin name, Hoya carnosa or Hoya compacta, is one of those plants that looks foreign, exotic, and unusual but is actually quite easy to grow and maintain.
What begins as a small sprout will spend three years growing into tightly compacted rope-like tendrils that drape over their pot and will extend up to 8 feet long. Yes. It’s called a rope plant for a reason.
This plant is not for those looking for quick growth. While the Hindu rope plant will ultimately flower, you won’t see those star-shaped buds until at least year three. But they’re worth the wait.
A Hindu rope plant will make an excellent addition to your home or office décor, and all you have to do is figure out where to get yours and where to place it.
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A Hindu Rope Plant Is Good for Homes and Offices
Why is a Hindu rope plant good for homes and offices?
For starters, it’s a great conversation piece. The Hindu rope plant makes you want to reach out and touch it. It really is like bringing nature from the outside world into your four-walled space.
With thick, waxy leaves that hold water, the succulent plant also provides many real health benefits to your home or office.
The Hindu rope plant will:
- Purify your air, removing carbon dioxide, carbon, monoxide, and toxic particles.
- Release oxygen, making your home a cleaner environment.
- Add humidity, gradually releasing water vapor throughout the day. Added humidity, helps remove viruses and diseases from the home, where they are more prone to thrive in dry air.
- Act as an anti-inflammatory. You can use the extract of the plant on your skin to help clean pores and even heal wounds.
In addition to these health benefits, the Hindu rope plant is also safe for pets and easy to care for.
As a bonus, it adds an antique air to your space, filling your room with the deep green or variegated colors of the leaves and the bright pops of the flowers.
Are Hindu Rope Plants Good for the Feng Shui Flow of a Room?
Classic bad feng shui plants are the cactus, because of its “spiky” energy and the snake plant because of its long, pointed leaves.
In contrast, the Hindu rope plant is a deep green, flowing, slow-growing plant that promotes patience, stillness, and mindfulness, making them great for feng shui flow.
If you’re not familiar with feng shui, it’s not hard to learn more about this simple practice that places an emphasis on creating positive energy through the placement of furniture and plants in your home.
Are Hindu Rope Plants Easy to Grow and Maintain?
While there are plants that take up a lot of time just to maintain and ensure they stay alive, the Hindu rope plant is not one of them.
On the contrary, this vine, as long as it has proper placement, light, and attention to a watering schedule, will thrive in virtually any room of your home or office.
How Do Hindu Rope Plants Grow?
Hindu rope plants are difficult to grow from seed. The best method to get started with a Hindu rope plant is to propagate from cuttings.
Simply take a piece of 4 inches from a healthy stem, ensuring you get at least two or three nodes on the cutting, remove the leaves from the lower section, and leave the cutting out overnight to dry.
The next day, place your cutting in a well-drained pot with soil and be patient. The cuttings will take time to root and grow.
What Kind of Soil Does a Hindu Rope Plant Need?
Because you want good drainage and because your Hindu rope plant should stay in its original pot for the duration of its life, you want to choose an airy potting soil.
Also, choose a small pot for this plant to ensure it does not get overwatered.
How Much Light Does a Hindu Rope Plant Need?
Place your plant near a window, so it has access to filtered indirect light. Avoid giving your plant too much access to direct sun, which can cause scorching and yellowing of the foliage.
How Much Water Does a Hindu Rope Plant Need?
In general, because the plant is a succulent of sorts, it will store water in its foliage. It’s a good idea to keep yourself on a schedule, checking the soil about once a week to be sure that it doesn’t get fully dried out.
A good method is to hold your plant under the sink faucet once a week and allow the soil to fully soak. Once the water has drained out, placed your plant back on its saucer. During the winter, you will likely need to water less.
Educate yourself and avoid making common watering mistakes that can kill your plant.
Other Conditions that Are Important to a Hindu Rope Plant
It’s also a good idea to provide your Hindu rope plant with a light dose of fertilizer during its growing season in the late spring and summer. Aim for a fertilizer high in potassium to support flower growth.
Also, be sure to cut back dead growth during spring, taking care not to cut off the peduncles, which are the stalks of the flowering portion.
Hindu Rope Plant Decorating Ideas
This plant really does deserve a location in your home or office, where it can get attention from visitors or passerby.
It loves living in a pot, so be creative and choose a pot that draws attention.
Keep your Hindu rope plant up high on a shelf, a ledge, or even hanging, so you can experience the dramatic draping its vines and flowers.
Do Fake Hindu Rope Plants Look Real?
Because the Hindu rope plant is a waxy succulent, artificial versions can look as real as the live plant itself.
Thus, if you have difficulty keeping plants alive and you’re worried that you might kill this beautiful plant, you should absolutely check out artificial options. Don’t worry about whether artificial plants and flowers are tacky. They have come a long way from the obvious plastic plants of half a century ago.
However, the Hindu rope plant is an ideal plant for novice plant lovers because it is so easy to maintain and it practically grows by itself, so this is one area where you might want to take a leap of faith in yourself and your burgeoning green thumb.
If you’ve been asking yourself “should I get a Hindu rope plant?” the answer is a resounding yes.
It’s great for your feng shui flow, and it will make a beautiful addition to any office, not to mention the health benefits.
Do you already have a Hindu rope plant? How is it working out for you? Tell me all about your tips for decorating with a Hindu rope plant in the comments below.
