When properly cared for, string of pearls plants are one of the more manageable succulents to grow.
- 1. Use an airy soil mixture. To flourish, succulents require excellent drainage. Your string of pearls will be planted in the proper quantity of pumice or perlite if you use a prepackaged succulent or cactus potting mix. Regular potting soil can benefit from the addition of pumice or perlite to help with aeration and allow the soil to drain excess water.
- 2. Pick a tiny terra cotta pot. String of pearls plants don’t require a lot of space and have little root systems. Larger pots allow water to pool and keep the soil from drying out, while terracotta and other porous clay pots assist reduce excessive wetness. Choose a small clay pot with drainage holes to help reduce the risk of overwatering because excessively wet soil can cause root rot.
- 3. Position your plant at the pot’s top. String of pearls plants only require a depth of one inch below the soil’s surface. To enable appropriate air circulation around the plant, the top of the soil should also be near to the top of the container.
- 4.Situate your plant in an area with plenty of indirect light. Your string of pearls needs a combination of bright sunshine and some partial shade to thrive, whether you intend to keep it as a houseplant or eventually propagate it outside. Keep an eye out for too-intense afternoon sun since it may scorch your strand of pearls.
- 5.Avoid watering too much. Most succulents will die from overwatering. Water once every two weeks in the spring and summer to maintain the soil’s slight moisture. In the winter, water just once a month at most. The plant requires additional water if the pearl-like leaves start to shrink.
- 6. Fertilize while the plant is growing. Every other week in the spring and summer, feed your plant water-soluble fertilizer that has been diluted to half its normal strength. Fertilize plants once every six weeks during the winter.
- 7. Preserve a dry, warm environment. The ideal indoor temperature for string of pearl plants is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. They can survive temperatures between 50 and 70 degrees during the cooler months. Keep string of pearls plants where the humidity is the lowest because they don’t thrive in humid environments.
How long do Pearl succulents take to grow?
Unique vining succulents known as “string of pearls” are distinguished by their tiny, pea-shaped leaves. Similar to the string of rubies succulent, the leaves are borne on trailing stems that elegantly drape over the sides of planters and hanging baskets. The plant, which is strong and grows quickly—gaining between 5 and 15 inches each year—can be propagated using these stems because it does not survive without them.
String of pearls plants are commonly grown as hanging plants year-round across the world, but in their native desert habitat in east Africa, they are terrestrial and cover the ground. Although you can grow it at any time, the warmer months will yield the best results. The string of pearls produces white flowers with a lovely cinnamon-like aroma in the spring in addition to its unusual sphere-shaped leaves, yet it rarely blooms inside. Both people and animals should avoid this plant.
How is a pearl succulent maintained?
- Avoid drafty regions and keep the string of pearls at room temperature, which is typically 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
- String of pearls can withstand droughts like the majority of succulents. Make sure to use cactus-specific potting mix and to put it in a container with a drainage hole. When watering, make sure to soak the soil completely. Then, wait until the topsoil is completely dry before watering again.
- Simply snip off any dead stems or beads to prune.
A potted plant gives a space a touch of irreverence. See our articles on using houseplants as focus points for more ideas:
How long does it take for a string of pearls to grow?
With the proper care, a string of pearls can grow up to one inch (2.5 cm) per month during the warmer months. Given the correct care circumstances and given that they are succulents, they will grow swiftly, especially during the spring and summer growing seasons.
Should I Wear a String of Pearls in the Bottom?
Between waterings, let the soil completely dry out, and check to make sure the container feels extremely light before another watering. If the plant is in a sunny area, it is acceptable to water directly through the foliage, but for more assurance, irrigate from the bottom up. Put the pot on a saucer of water so that it is covered by 25% of the water to ensure complete absorption and deep hydration. Every time you come to hydrate the plant, wetting the foliage will cause excess moisture to sit, turning the leaves yellow and rotten. For additional information, scroll down to “Common Issues.” Over-watering indications include quickly yellowing or shriveling leaves, mushy foliage, and eventually plant death. Deflated leaves, little to no growth, and a progressive loss in leaf quality are all signs of under-watering. Study the surroundings carefully; a position with too much sunlight can quickly dry up the soil and eventually blister the plant’s leaves. Find a place with less sunlight.
How may a string of pearls be made longer?
You might be curious about how to make your String of Pearls look as full as those in photos of very full ones. The length and weight of a string of pearls tend to increase dramatically. Long trails may cause the plant to sag, which will make the top appear sparse. How can you accentuate the fullness of your String of Pearls?
Trim the plant down and put the cuttings to the top of the plant to give your String of Pearls a larger appearance. Within a few weeks, the stem cuttings will begin to root and grow like normal plants. Whenever your plant becomes really long, you can continue doing this. And eventually, your String of Pearls plant will look fuller and healthier.
I also use stem cuttings to produce String of Pearls in the same way. This fantastic post I wrote, “Three Ways To Propagate String of Pearls and String of Bananas,” will teach you more about how to propagate String of Pearls.
These more articles I have on String of Pearls may be useful to you as well:
My pearl plant is withering; why?
Most typically, overwatering or excessive soil moisture retention cause a string of pearls plant to die, turning the pearls brown, yellow, or mushy. To avoid dying from root rot, string of pearls need the soil to dry out between watering sessions.
However, string of pearls frequently shrivel and take on a withering appearance as a result of drought stress brought on by watering too little, seldom, or because the soil has baked and now repels water from the top, preventing water from properly reaching the roots.
Having too much heat, too much sun, or not enough light can all be contributing factors to a dying pearl plant.
It is crucial to mimic the conditions of the plant’s natural habitat when reviving a string of pearls plant. This includes using bright, indirect light, watering deeply, letting the soil dry completely before watering again, and planting string of pearls in soil designed for succulents and cacti that is porous and well-draining to prevent root rot.
Find out why your string of hearts plant is dying and how to save it by reading on.
Why aren’t the pearls on my necklace growing?
Leave the misting to the air plants; they require it to thrive in the dry surroundings of our homes. They are indigenous to the drier regions of southwest Africa and can tolerate lower humidity levels, unlike Your String Of Pearls. Rot is likely to result with frequent misting of this plant, especially at the top.
Your plant is in hot, direct sun
Keep your plant away from windows facing south or west. The glass heats up, especially during the summer, which will result in sunburn for a String of Pearls. It can be in a room with lots of light as long as it is five to ten feet away from a window (how far depends on your climate). Their preferred lighting is very bright, indirect light.
For instance, a String of Pearls plant here in the Arizona desert would need to be seven to ten feet away from windows facing south or west (even an east window in the hotter months). Mine is hung in a sizable, north-facing window that gets enough of light yet shields it from the sun.
No adjustment for the darker, cooler months
All indoor plants rest a little during this time, therefore this is true of them all. You might need to relocate your String of Pearls to a room with more natural light during the winter.
If you water your plant every 7–14 days in the summer, you should probably water it every 14–21 days in the winter. Another aspect is how warm you keep your house.
ADVICE: You might find this guide to winter houseplant care helpful.
It’s planted in a pot that’s too big
Pot size is important. The root system of a String of Pearls plant is not very extensive. A tiny pot is preferable to a large pot when repotting one. For this reason, I occasionally repot mine every 5-7 years just to switch up the potting soil.
One can develop root rot if it is planted in a pot that is too large, which can keep the soil moist. The bead-like leaves and the majority of the slender stems at the top lying on the moist mixture will “mush out.”
I consider the following four to be the most crucial:
Not enough light
They require intense shade or filtered light to flourish outside. Indoor String of Pearls plants require abundant natural light. They require a medium to high light exposure with no direct, hot sun in order to successfully develop.
Can pearls on a thread survive in water?
Not all potting mixtures are made equal. I use a readymade potting mix designed especially for cactus and succulents for the majority of my succulent plants.
Even though I think many of these mixtures are great for many succulents, they would be even better if you added some coarse pumice.
Never ever consider growing string of pearls somewhere other than the fastest-draining potting soil you can provide!
Pumice is a great product, and I’ve been experimenting with it lately. You can get it on Amazon. The soil will become more aerated, chunkier, and sharply draining as a result.
Test a mixture of 25% pumice and 75% cactus/succulent soil blend, also available on Amazon, depending on the size of the pumice. Even 50/50 is an option.
Sincerely, employing the aforementioned soil mixture with pumice added could mean the difference between your pearls living or dying! I strongly advise trying it out if you haven’t already.
The objective is to produce a potting mixture that drains incredibly quickly and dries out rather quickly. If a string of pearls is left damp for too long, it can easily rot.
How frequently should I water my succulent string of pearls?
1. Light
String of Pearls plants must be placed in a location where they may receive at least 6 to 8 hours of bright, indirect sunshine each day, whether they are planted indoors or outdoors. Again, though, you’ll need to cultivate this plant outdoors in an area that receives some shade.
If kept indoors, place your String of Pearls near an east-facing window or another location where it may get enough of bright natural light. If you reside in a hot, desert-like environment, you may also grow it close to a South or West-facing window as long as you keep the plant 5 to 10 inches away from the glass to avoid it from getting sunburned. To ensure they receive all the light they require each day, move them closer to a window or to a brighter location during the colder, cooler months.
The minimum number of hours of direct, strong sunlight that string of pearls plants require each day is six to eight.
If the lighting in your home is inadequate for your String of Pearls, you might want to put them 6 to 12 inches beneath a fluorescent light source for 12 to 16 hours a day to keep them happy.
The ideal indoor temperature for String of Pearls succulents is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the plant cool during the winter, at a temperature of about 5560 degrees Fahrenheit. Avoid keeping them in places with drafts, air conditioners, or open windows since the cold air may cause the leaves to fall. String of pearls must be brought indoors throughout the winter since they cannot withstand frost.
3. Moisture
For String of Pearls to flourish, only moderate humidity is necessary. In actuality, since this succulent is native to arid regions, dry air won’t hurt it. Additionally, it can be used in virtually any typical household humidity situation (about 40 percent relative humidity).
4. Ground & Pot
Like any succulent, pearl plants require well-draining soil to flourish. Therefore, the first step to making your spring of hearts happy is picking a well-drained pot. Due of their exceptional drainage, terracotta and unglazed ceramic pots are the two most preferred options.
Another critical element in choosing the ideal container size for succulents is soil fertility. If the container is too big for the plant, the soil will remain wet for too long and the pearls lying on that wet soil will rot. Therefore, the pot must be large enough to allow them to fill it to the brim. Additionally, String of Pearls don’t require a deep pot because their roots are so shallow.  
The crowns of the pearls must remain level with the top of the pot or no more than 0.5 to 1 inch lower than the top; otherwise, the aeration will decrease and, in combination with the wet soil, the crowns and stems of the plant will rot more quickly.
You may practically start with any type of succulent potting soil because string of pearls are so easy to care for, however sandy soil is recommended. Follow this mixture with three parts high-quality potting soil and one part sharp sand.
5. Water
Be careful not to overwater String of Pearls because they are extremely sensitive to it. It is advised to do so every two weeks. The soil should be at least half an inch (1.2 cm) dry before the next watering to prevent overwatering. Reduce watering to once a month throughout the winter.  
Even though string of pearls are frequently planted indoors, they may still make wonderful outdoor plants. Depending on how hot the region is, you can modify the frequency of watering the plant or you may let the rain take care of it for you for outdoor String of Pearls.
Fertilizer, no. 6
Typically, succulents don’t require a lot of fertilizer, and too much fertilizer can also be fatal to pearl succulents. In the spring and mid-summer, they might receive fertilization once every two or four weeks while they are growing. Additionally, fall and winter do not require fertilizer. In addition, the fertilizer needs to be diluted so as not to overload the plant.