Help i have a hoya plant that my mother had for over 30 years! Now it is in my care as she has since passed away, but some of the leaves are shriviling off the steams and dying i have tried everything such as repotting, firtilizing, not watering as much and misting the leaves but nothing seems to help! i don't want to loose this plant! i did notice however that my mom had clipped off several steams on the base of the plant i guess it was doing the same thing. Any sugestions would help tremendously.

It's hard to diagnose your problem without seeing your plant, but there are a number of things that could cause such damage. There are many pests that can infest Hoya, the ones I have the most trouble with are mealybugs. You can rid your plant of most bugs by simply washing them with soap and water. You can spray a plant with a soap & water mixture, but with bad infestations and to be sure of success, I like to take my plants outside or to a bathtub and actaully bathe them. BE SURE TO RINSE ANY SOAP FROM THE PLANT AND DON'T LET ANY REMAIN IN THE SOIL WHERE IT CAN GET ON THE ROOTS AND KILL YOUR PLANT.
Hoya like:
* bright light for good flowers
* cool to medium temperatures
* slightly dry soil (overwatering leads to loss of leaves & root rot)
* average humidity is fine, but high humidity improves flowers
* don't repot often, Hoya bloom better with more tightly bound roots
* use well-drained soil
* let the faded flowers fall anddon't remove the flower stalk (flowers will rebloom from the same stalk)
* cut back scraggly vines (sacrificing flowers for a while) Be advised that Hoya has milky sap that can easily drip onto furniture and flooring.

P.S. I am amazed that you have a 30-year-old plant! How cool. I love Hoya.

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Guzmania_girl