The Crassula muscosa is ideal for hanging baskets or rock gardens because it gives fantastic “thriller” to succulent arrangements as it grows and “spiller” when it starts to trail.
Watering
“Watch Chain requires regular irrigation like other succulents do. You should utilise the “Use the “soak and dry” method, letting the soil to dry out in between waterings.
Note: This succulent may need more frequent watering in the summer if grown outdoors in full sun.
Additionally, make sure to get our FREE watering cheat sheet to learn how to determine whether your succulents are receiving too much water (and how to save them if needed).
Where to Plant
When the temperature drops below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, Crassula muscosa should be taken indoors because it is not cold hardy (-6.7 C).
Plants should be placed in a garden area with six hours of direct sunlight each day. If you’re planting indoors, choose a location with lots of natural light, such as next to a window with a southern orientation (if you live in the Northern Hemisphere).
How to Propagate Crassula muscosa “Watch Chain
The crassual muscosa “Watch Chain” reproduces a lot. Cuttings of the stem make for simple propagation. It’s better to plant it where it can spread and trail since it can be invasive when grown outside.
Cuttings
To develop “Watch Use a clean, sharp knife or a pair of scissors to make the chain from the cuttings. Take a stem from the main plant and place it on well-draining soil after letting it callus for a few days. When the soil is fully dry, add water.
How big can a succulent watch chain grow?
Growing Watch Chain is comparable to growing the majority of Crassula succulent plants. When the outside temperature is at least 45 to 50 degrees F (7-10 degrees C) during the coldest portion of the morning, gradually introduce them to full morning sunlight. Even in the warmest part of the summer, some early sun does not appear to harm this plant, although it is best accompanied with some sort of shade.
Grow Watch Chain plants outdoors as groundcover in hardiness zones 9a to 10b, where they may eventually turn into tiny shrubs. These succulents, which can grow up to 12 inches (31 cm) tall, look lovely as a backdrop for other low-growing succulents, as a short border, or trailing through a rock garden. Watch Chain can be grown in pots for those in lower zones.
The tall, slender form brings excitement to the realm of succulent cultivation, which can occasionally be supplanted by rosette-shaped plants. The complex shape of Watch Chain succulent makes it a wonderful addition to container arrangements as the towering attention-getter and thriller. If allowed to get top heavy, the plant may cascade, which is also appealing in a display.
If you already have a specimen with roots, just plant it in soil that drains quickly, either in the ground or in a container with drainage holes. Small, fragmented bits can quickly establish roots in the ground. Yellow flowers are occasionally produced by mature plants. This plant can thrive in the early sun stated above, as well as in dappled light or even a position that is partially shaded. Avoid the afternoon sun for a long time. The Watch Chain plant prefers shaded afternoons, even in chilly coastal locations.
Wait to water deeply until the soil is entirely dry. If you plant Watch Chain Crassula in the proper location, it will grow and flourish for many years.
How is a watch chain plant cared for?
The intriguing succulent Crassula muscosa has a spreading habit of branching stems and narrow, closely stacked, light green leaves that totally conceal the stems. It can reach a height of 12 inches (30 cm). The stems begin upright before sagging under the weight of the leaves. From spring to mid-summer, the tight-lipped, pale yellowish-green leaves and tiny, musty-scented blooms appear. This succulent works well as a small-scale ground cover in a well-drained mound or rock garden or to offer a distinctive texture to a mixed planting.
Due to its tiny interconnecting leaves that resemble the tight jewellers’ links used to fasten a pocket watch to the waistcoat, this plant is more well known by the name Watch Chain. Princess Pine, Clubmoss Crassula, Zipper Plant, and Rattail Crassula are some of its alternate names. The specific epithet “muscosa,” which means “mossy” in Latin, describes how this plant looks like moss. In allusion to the plant’s resemblance to the Lycopodium genus of clubmoss, it has also been given the name Crassula lycopodioides.
Although it frequently grows only in well-drained stony quartz fields, Watch Chain is widely distributed in South Africa from the Western Cape, where winter rainfall occurs, to the Eastern Cape, where summer rainfall occurs, and farther north into Namibia and Lesotho. It can withstand temperatures as low as 20 F (6.7 C), although it dislikes being both cold and wet at the same time.
Growing Conditions and General Care
Plant in broad sun to moderate shade or indoors, in well-drained soil. If you’re planting indoors, put it in a space with lots of light. Even on the seaside, the best colour is preserved with a little shade.
Watch Chain requires regular irrigation like other succulents do. The “soak and dry” technique is recommended, letting the soil entirely dry out in between waterings.
When the temperature drops below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, Watch Chain should be brought indoors because it is not cold-hardy (-6.7 C).
During the growing season, the plants should be fed with a controlled-release fertiliser. Weekly feedings of a mild liquid solution are possible.
It requires a lot more water in the summer and shouldn’t be exposed to direct sunshine because it solely values brightness and would suffer in direct sunlight. The plant generally starts to harden and dry out from the base of the stem up to the tips when these parameters are not satisfied.
Repotting
Watch During the warm weather, chain should be repotted. When repotting the plant, it is important to make sure that the soil is completely dry. Before putting the plant in a fresh container, any old soil needs to be brushed off the roots. During this operation, any dry or damaged roots should also be removed.
Propagation
Stem cuttings can be used to quickly multiply the invasive plant known as the Watch Chain. But if the surrounding air is consistently between 68 and 70 F (20 and 21 C), the cutting will root and grow quickly with enough humidity and light.
A water chain is what?
Downspouts can be replaced with attractive, practical rain chains. They skillfully transfer rainfall from gutters to drains or ornamental water features, transforming a rather unglamorous task into a captivating water feature.
Rain chains, also known as kusari-doi, are well-known to have originated in Japan. They are frequently discovered in serene gardens, stunning temples, and other well-known locations. Here in the United States, the popularity of these rain chains has soared in recent years. They can be found all over the country, not just at renowned botanical gardens but even next to the porches of common houses.
Rain chains have been thoughtfully created to bring character and appeal to your outdoor space, whereas most homeowners go to great measures to conceal unattractive gutters. A rainchain can be found in just about any colour and theme, but the copper-colored variation is undoubtedly the most well-liked.
Do poisonous watch chains exist?
Succulents and other houseplants of particular varieties are poisonous to animals. Sadly, watch chain succulents are poisonous to animals and should also be kept out of the reach of young children. This is what?
How do you cut a heart from a heart chain?
Photos from the test and second round propagation are combined in this how-to. The sunroom is now (unfortunately) empty of plants, therefore my ultimate goal is to have several specimens to hang there. In the upcoming months, I intend to add pictures of (hopefully) thriving String-of-Heart kids to this article.
Ideally, cut a few (or many) vines and place them in some water during the growing season. Put this on a cool window sill that is well-lit. Make sure at least one of your nodes is underwater. The roots will start to show here. Wait until you observe at least 1/4 of the root length, which should take about 3 weeks.
Rootlets! Before potting up the cuttings, I roughly let the roots grow for this amount of time. It was successful even though I hadn’t removed the leaves before immersing this one in water.
If there are any leaves, remove them. Optionally, take a snapshot of your work on a potting table that is 60 years old and impossible to clean.
The cuttings should be placed in an indoor pot filled with moist, standard potting soil. If you have a tendency to overwater plants, consider using a cactus mix. Regular potting soil works for me because I keep my plants hydrated. I used a pencil to hollow down each hole so that I could subsequently pull them apart more easily. I assume you could group all the cuttings into a single clump if you wanted a large plant.
Put the rooted cutting in the hole at least an inch and a half deep so that it will be held in place when you fill the hole back in. You may also use your phone to snap a subpar photo since you let the batteries on both of your good cameras run out of power. Fill the gap and lightly tamp it down.
I’m done! Because of local wildfires that caused smoke to fill the air, the sun was shining, so I had to take the customary outdoor pot-in-hand photo. Yay?
Place the potted cuttings on a cool window sill that is well-lit. If the ends start to dieback, simply cut them off. To avoid mould growth, remove and discard any cuttings that completely die back.
Evidently, this is not the sole method for propagating this low-maintenance shrub.
Although I’ve read that vine-grown tubers can be used, I haven’t yet encountered any. And the one blossom that our plant produced this summer did not produce any seeds. The process of rooting appears simple right now. Watch this space for updates on the cuttings’ progress. Here, you can read a little more about String of Hearts.
Does the succulent watch chain bloom?
The blossoming of the plant is particularly unusual; rather than sprouting at the ends of the stems, the blooms develop alongside the leaves down the stalk. They emerge primarily in the spring or summer and are greenish-yellow. After rain or watering, the blossoms may also occur during other seasons.
Size and Growth
Not much height is gained by the muscosa watch chain. It has an 8-inch width and a height of nearly 12 inches. The plant’s light green leaves will appear differently depending on the lighting circumstances.
The interlocking leaves will develop into close, tight, and compact light green leaves when put in a south-facing window. Conversely, vegetation that is growing in darker environments will be more supple and open.
Flowering and Fragrance
The watch chain crassula is a little shrub with stems that resemble thin zippers. It has narrow branching that resembles a tree, and the leaves are arranged in little rows that are opposite one another.
The standard watch chain species comes in a wide range of varieties. Some have a cockscomb-like appearance, while others are tinted red or brownish-yellow.
It expands like a corkscrew and has silver stripes as well. The primary type, with its straightforward and lovely greenish-white blossoms, continues to be the most alluring.
It is unlikely for Crassula muscosa (Crassula lycopodioides) to bloom when grown indoors.
However, under certain circumstances, little, pale yellowish-green, musty-smelling flowers may also appear on the branching stems from spring until mid-summer, along with the leaves. It typically occurs following a period of rain or irrigation.
Light and Temperature
The Watch Chain Crassula muscosa prefers full sun, like most succulents do. If kept in a cool room, it may still thrive in darker environments.
It can withstand temperatures as low as 20 degrees Fahrenheit, but when it’s cold and wet at the same time, things don’t look good.
On the other hand, temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit should not be used to store muscosa watch chains.
Watch Chain Watering and Feeding
The Muscosa crassula Watch Chain can withstand drought. It thrives when watered frequently in the summer and only sometimes or not at all in the winter. As with other succulents, avoid overwatering to prevent root rot.
During the summer, these plants should get a balanced water-soluble fertiliser feeding every month. Weekly feedings of a diluted liquid solution are also an option.
Soil and Transplanting
Plant Crassula muscosa in well-draining soil, and give it some or all of the sunlight it needs to flourish. Make sure the pot you choose isn’t too large.
A 4 inch clay pot is a good choice. Use a cactus mix or a combination of good-draining perlite or pumice and half potting soil.
If you must move your zipper plant, do so in the spring or summer. As you repot the plant, make sure the dirt is completely dry.
Before replanting the roots in a fresh container, shake off any old soil. Throw away any dried-out or broken roots.
Grooming and Maintenance Crassula muscosa
The crassula plant known as the muscosa watch chain can withstand heavy trimming. However, it is best to just remove the tips sporadically in order to encourage branching.