Why is my hoya rope getting wrinkled?

Having trouble with your rope plant? Here’s why your hoya rope plant is getting wrinkled and what to do about it!

I love my hoya rope plant (Hoya Carnosa Compacta) because I think it has the most interesting, unique foliage.

Check out my complete hoya rope care guide here.

These plants are easy to care for – but they can be a bit picky on watering.

If you don’t get the watering right, the leaves can get wrinkly, limp, and eventually die

Why is my hoya rope plant getting wrinkled?!

If your hoya rope plant is getting wrinkly limp leaves, this is usually a sign that your plant is being underwatered.

These plants store water in their leaves – just like a succulent. When the soil runs out of moisture that they can pull from, they start “drinking” the water reserves in their leaves, and they dry up.

If you’ve just repotted your plant, you could have damaged the roots. The roots are what absorbs water, so damaging them could lead to the plant dehydrating.

Hoya rope plants are fine to dry out a lot between waterings, but they do need to be watered regularly. I water mine about every 2 weeks.

I prefer to bottom water my hoya rope. This means that I set the black nursery pot (with drainage holes in the bottom) in a shallow dish of water for about 30 minutes.

This allows the soil to absorb water without it coming in contact with the leaves of the plant.

You can also increase the humidity around your plant to help it need to be watered less frequently. But, don’t mist droplets into the folds of the leaves.

Remember – hoya rope leaves tend to get mushy and rot if moisture sits on them. So, keep them dry to keep them happy!

I also prefer to water my hoyas with rain water. Here’s a guide on the best water for houseplants!

Will wrinkled leaves perk back up again?

If the problem with your plant is dehydration and it hasn’t gotten too severe, then it should perk up within a couple of hours of being watered.

Stick your finger 2 inches into the top of the soil. Don’t water again until it feels completely dry!

Be sure that your pot has proper drainage holes. Pooling water in the bottom of the plant can lead to root rot, which will kill the plant!

Any more questions about the Hoya Rope plant?

Thanks for reading!

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