With its little green bubbles along a slender stem, the succulent string of pearls evokes the plastic pop-apart beads of childhood dress-up bins. It can’t help but be odd. Continue reading to learn everything there is to know about this unusual succulent.
This succulent, sometimes known as “string of beads” or “rosary,” is a perennial vine belonging to the Asteraceae family that is native to southwest Africa. It, like most succulents, takes little attention.
You may easily propagate new string of pearls plants (or make your existing one look fuller) by planting cuttings in soil and letting them to take root.
String of pearls can produce tiny white blooms with brightly colored stamens in addition to its distinctive leaves. (Some think the blossoms have a cinnamon scent.) During the winter months, reduce watering and relocate the succulent to a slightly cooler place (about 60 degrees Fahrenheit) to encourage spring blooming.
Is a string of pearls a succulent?
String of pearls plants are unusual vining succulents with tiny pea-shaped leaves that are instantly identifiable. The leaves are carried on trailing stems that cascade over the sides of planters and hanging baskets. These stems can be used to propagate the plant, which is a hardy and rapid grower (gaining 5 to 15 inches per year) but does not live long without it.
Do string of pearls have to hang?
During its active growth, keep the indoor temperature of this string of beads houseplant around 72 degrees F (22 degrees C). During its dormancy, though, you’ll need to keep the temperature lower, around 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit (10-13 C.).
The String of Pearls plant is considered TOXIC to both cats and dogs AND humans but like, just don’t eat your house plants you goof!
Vomiting, hypersalivation (drooling), diarrhea, sadness, lack of grooming, increased aggression, lethargy and weakness, excessive sleeping and/or hiding are all symptoms of String of Pearls intake.
Ingestion of the sap can cause nausea and diarrhea in humans, and skin contact with the sap can produce irritation or a rash.
Any plant can cause vomiting and gastrointestinal upset in cats and dogs, and those with big leaves can be a choking hazard. If you think your pet is sick or has consumed something toxic, call your veterinarian or the APCC’s 24-hour emergency poison hotline at 1-888-426-4435.
Can you grow string of pearls from a pearl?
Also, keep in mind that more light means your plant’s soil will dry up in a decent amount of time, which I’ve already mentioned is critical for these plants.
If you live in or near a desert, you should keep your plants away from windows facing west or south.
In most cases, these plants prefer a few hours of direct sunlight.
Grow Lights for String of Pearls
Unfortunately, I don’t have any bright windows where these plants can thrive. This is especially vital in the dark winter months! By putting a grow light, I was able to remedy the problem.
I had great results with the Sansi 70W Full Spectrum LED Grow Light I bought on Amazon.
My pearls hung about a foot below the light, which I suspended from the ceiling.
If you’ve had trouble growing these plants indoors because you lack the intense light they require to thrive, consider investing in a Sansi 70W Full Spectrum LED Grow Light.
It made a huge difference in my life.
Once you have enough light, you’ll be astonished at how easily they are to grow!
The Sansi 70W Grow Light, best of all, emits white light.
Not the dreadful purple light emitted by many LED lights!
You will not be sorry!
Winter
With less light in the winter, there is less growth. As a result of the lowered growth, watering is required much less frequently. In the winter, let your String of Pearls dry out a lot more.
However, keep an eye on the plant to ensure the pearls don’t shrivel or dry up.
You don’t want to go too far in the opposite direction and dry out the plant.
Do you want to buy a string of pearls? Etsy is one of my favorite and most convenient one-stop-shops for buying almost any plant. Today, have a look at the String of Pearls collection (link to Etsy)!
Propagation
It is fairly simple to propagate a string of pearls. You can either try water propagation and then pot them into soil once they’ve rooted, or you can plant them directly in the ground.
Sometimes you’ll be lucky, and you’ll see that your plant is already sprouting aerial roots, as shown in the photo below.
During the summer, I kept this plant outside.
Remove a few pearls from one end of each cutting for water propagation, and set that section of the strand in a vase with water.
It should have no trouble rooting.
When it comes to soil propagation, you have two options.
The first step is to simply bury a few inches of each strand in the soil mix.
Remove a few pearls from one end of the strand and bury it in the ground.
The other soil option is to simply coil each strand and place it on the earth’s surface.
Use a large staple or a paper clip to secure the strand in place so that it makes adequate contact with the soil.
For the optimal rooting, the soil should be kept somewhat moist.
I love water propagation since the roots can be seen and you can tell if it’s growing.
However, this is really a matter of personal preference, and either way will suffice.
If your string of pearls plant is towards the end of its life and you only have a few strands left, it is unlikely to survive in its current state and will continue to deteriorate.
The pot will most certainly be far too big for the remaining strands at that moment.
If your plant is dying, it’s advisable to cut your losses and take cuttings from the remaining threads.
BUT NOW IS THE TIME TO LEARN FROM YOUR FAILURE and figure out what went wrong so you don’t do it again.
To begin, plant the strands in a very small pot once they have been rooted.
When watering, keep in mind that you want the pot to be properly hydrated, but you also want it to dry rapidly!
Utilize the right potting mix recommended in this page, provide enough light for your plant, and use small pots to do this.
Still Struggling With String of Pearls?
If you’re still having trouble with String of Pearls, you might want to look into another option. String of Bananas has banana-shaped leaves and is MUCH more forgiving and easy to grow than a banana plant.
Hopefully, this post has taught you something new that will help you build String of Pearls once and for all!
Where should I put my string of pearls?
If kept indoors, string of pearls appreciate bright, indirect light, such as that provided by a south-facing window or a sunny part of your home. If kept outside, they prefer to be kept in a moderately shaded area during the summer and brought inside during the winter.
How often should I water my string of pearls?
Overwatering can kill string of pearls, so make sure you just give them just enough water. Once every two weeks is the recommended amount. Check if the soil is half an inch (1.2cm) dry before watering again to ensure you don’t overwater your plant.
Why are my string of pearls mushy?
The most common cause of a string of pearls plant dying is overwatering or too much moisture in the soil, which renders the pearls brown or yellow and mushy. To avoid root rot, string of pearls require the soil to dry out between watering sessions.
Strings of pearls, on the other hand, frequently shrivel and die because to drought stress caused by watering too lightly, not watering frequently enough, or because the soil has baked and repels water from the top, preventing water from reaching the roots effectively.
A dying strong of pearls plant can also be caused by excessive heat, too much sun, or insufficient light.
To revive a string of pearls plant, mimic the circumstances of the plant’s native environment by watering with a good soak and letting the soil to dry before watering again, and by planting string of pearls in porous and well-draining succulent and cactus soil to minimize root rot.
Continue reading to learn why your string of hearts plant is dying and how to bring it back to life…
Is string of pearls rare?
- Our magnificent rooted VARIEGATED Senecio rowleyanus ‘String of Pearls’ in 4-inch size is featured in this item.
We produce new plants from cuttings because they are scarce. As a result, the majority of these are infants who aren’t yet long and trailing. They’ll develop quickly if you take good care of them:).
Senecio rowleyanus is a plant native to Namibia, Africa, with hanging stems reaching 3 feet or more with peculiar circular “leaves” that resemble a “string of pearls.” The stems are green, while the leaves are both white and green in this variegated variety. The plant is extremely rare, and we are the only grower in the United States.
The plant looks lovely in a hanging basket and can be cultivated indoors in a light, open room or outdoors in a sheltered patio. You’ll need to give frost protection.
It’s quite difficult to ship and grow variegated pearls. They are delicate, sensitive, and dramatic. There’s a risk of rot if we ship them completely rooted in their own soil. To ship, the soil must be fully dry, but if the soil becomes too dry, it begins to shrivel. There’s a risk of decay if we ship them out of the soil with their roots still attached.
How do you water a string of pearls?
Because string of pearls plants are sensitive to excess moisture around the roots, the pot must include a drainage hole in the base to let excess water to drain after watering.
One of the best methods to be sure you’ve given your succulent enough water is to water it until you notice a trickle of water coming out the bottom of the container.
Water collects around the roots of your plant if you put string of pearls in pots without drainage, turning the pearls yellow or translucent and causing the plant to perish.
It should be noted that, despite containers with drainage holes, extra water can still collect around the roots of your string of pearls due to:
- Roots have grown into the drainage hole and are obstructing it. Check to see if any roots have grown into the drainage holes and delayed the rate at which water drains if you got your string of pearls as a mature plant.
- Underneath pots, saucers and trays are used. To keep water from leaking in their homes, many people use saucers and trays underneath pots with drainage holes. It’s critical to empty the saucer on a regular basis to ensure that any water that has accumulated is removed, as this keeps the soil around the roots overly wet.
- Pots on the outside that are decorative. When string of pearls plants are offered in stores, they are frequently planted in a plastic pot with drainage holes and a decorative pot with drainage holes, which mimics the effect of saucers or trays with standing water. To maintain your string of pearls healthy, make sure water can exit easily.
Key Takeaways:
- String of pearls are drought-tolerant plants that need to be watered once every 14 days with a good soak. Before watering again, make sure the soil around the roots is fully dry. During the string of pearls, only water once every three weeks. Summer dormancy is necessary to prevent root rot.
- To allow excess water to drain away from the roots, string of pearls require a potting soil that resembles the well draining soil in their native environment.
- Plant string of pearls in pots with drainage holes in the bottom so that water doesn’t collect around the roots and cause root rot.
- Pearls that turn yellow or translucent and have a mushy texture are indicators of an overwatered strand of pearls. Strings of pearls become discolored and withered when submerged in water. Green pearls that are firm and moist can be found on a healthy string of pearls plant. Before watering, make sure the soil is completely dry.