Hi, I am a new member and think this is a cool site. I live in Brampton, Ontario, Canada and have indoor and outdoor plants. I also garden at a cottage. Included in my houseplants are a Stephanotis and a Hoya. I usually put the Stephanotis vine outside in the Summer and bring it back when the weather begins to cool, usually October. I found that the leaves turn yellow and then drop off after the plant is brought indoors. Is there any way to stop this, also can I prune back the vine as when the leave drop off the vine looks very bare. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has had similar problems with this plant and how they fixed it.
Hoya Hoya: Several cautions - do not repot, remove dead flowers, or disturb the plant once the buds appear. Keep the plant at a temperature of 50 degrees F in winter. Leaves falling off are a symtom of stress, in this case too much cold too soon. Bring the plant indoors sooner and allow the temperature to gradually increase over the next 12 or so days so the plant doesn't experience the sudden change in temperature which has caused the folliage to drop. If you were to cut the vine back you would be cutting the flower spurs off and all next years flowers. Look along the stem to find the flowers spurs which are swellings at the base of the leaves.
