I came home last night, ate dinner and fell asleep until 10PM. Then I didn't get back to bed until 1AM.
Ugh.
Anyway, it looks like ALL of the Hoyas will root successfully. They all have roots down below...they just need to fill the pot. Now it remains to be seen if the virus will spread. Eep!
Now for the bad news:
Somehow - someway - root mealybugs found at least two of my Hoyas. I found them 2 days ago and immediately went to deal with it. I filled a bucket with lukewarm water, took the Hoyas out of their pots, removed as much of the soil as possible and then went crazy and just cut the whole (nice, white) rootball away. I took cuttings and they're sitting in a bucket full of water and a little Superthrive.
Ugh.
I then went to check everything else in a clear pot. Nothing else looked affected, but now I'm going to be super vigilant. Just because you don't see anything doesn't mean nothing is there. Root mealybugs move fast and they can easily move when you water in the same saucer or share runoff after watering.
Guilty as charged. When you have almost 100 plants, shit happens.
I was wondering HOW those two, who did not spend the winter together until maybe a week ago, got the affliction. Then I remembered the runoff. Bleh. I'll be sure to water separately now. I'm just bummed because both of them had months worth of root growth. Good thing hoyas as tough as they come. That also explains why both plants had either stalled growth or started aborting leaves. I made sure another other plant showing similar signs was checked.
Surprisingly, I didn't get upset. I hate bugs. I just got my hands dirty and did what I had to do!
Oh well. I'll have to check the plants in non-clear pots, too. I might have to invest in some BATS. I hate systemics because of what they do to pollinators, but most of these will either be A) covered while outside completely (greenhouse) or B) stay inside year-round.
'Til next time.
