Dischidia Cascade Care Guide

Family: Apocynaceae

Genus: Dischidia
Botanical Name: Dischidia ovata

Difficulty: Great for beginners

If you love Hoyas, you need a Dischidia plant! The care for them is very similar, and they grow beautifully next to a Hoya. Keep reading to learn more about the under-appreciated Dishidia Cascade!

Light

Dischidia thrive in filtered sunlight, and they do best when they can get a lot of it throughout the day. They don’t mind medium-bright light, but this can stunt their growth. Bright, indirect light filtered through sheer curtains is the perfect option for your Dischidia.

Water

It’s important to remember that your Dischidia is blessed with succulent-like leaves that will be a life saver! They are very hardy and can do just fine if the soil gets a little on the dry side. Always test the soil before watering! Ideally, you should wait for the top 25% of soil to dry.

Climate

Dischidia love warmer climates. They are pretty hardy, which allows them to tolerate lower temperatures, but you want to pull them inside once they start to drop to keep their conditions stable. Average household temperatures (65-80°F) are perfect for your Dischidia. Give them a boost with a humidifier once a day for a little while to keep them happy.

Soil

Keep your Dischidia out of those heavy potting mixes! They need an aerated, well-draining soil meant for epiphytic plants. A good soil will have some type of shredded bark or coconut husk for excellent drainage.

Pests & Diseases

Unlike most succulents, Dischidia are not typically bothered with pests. This doesn’t mean you should forget about your worries, though! Always be vigilant because pests can be very difficult to deal with in a cascading plant like Dischidia. It doesn’t hurt to be wary of mealybugs and mites.

When it comes to diseases, root rot is your main thing to worry about. It can be super tempting to water your plant with all your love, but you have to be careful with plants like Dischidia that are very susceptible to root rot!

Tips

• Don’t chance it with cold temps.

• Their sap can be a skin irritant, so be careful when taking cuttings.

• Fast growers so keep an eye on the roots

• Keep them in high humidity levels with consistent warmth to get them to flower.

• Don’t let the leaves get wet!

Signs your plant is unhappy

• Black leaves/stems: root rot from over watering

• Leggy stems with weird leaf spacing: not enough light

• Yellow leaves: underwatered

Propagation

Like with most houseplants, it’s best wait until the growing season to propagate your plants so both your cuttings and the mother plant have the best change for success.With sharp, sterile scissors, cut about 1 inch below the node. You should take 3 or 4 cuttings at a time that are about 2 inches long, and each cutting should have a node for the roots to grow from. Place your cuttings in a glass of water, and find the perfect warm well lit spot for them to grow. Wait for the roots to reach about two inches long before moving your cuttings to soil.

Fun Facts

• Dischidia are cousins to Hoyas!

• They are naturally epiphytic.

• In nature, they get nutrients from air, water, and surfaces around them, which is why they’re so susceptible to over watering!

• Dischidia do not really need to be fertilized that often. Once in the spring will be enough.

Hardiness Zones

Even though Dischidia are pretty hardy, they do best when their conditions are the most stable. If you don’t live in a climate that stays warm year-round, you can over winter your Dischidia to protect them from cold weather!

The USDA Hardiness Zones for Dischidia are 10-11. If you’re unsure what your area’s hardiness zone is and you live in Tennessee, check out the hardiness map below!