String of pearls: Senecio Rowleyanus is a lovely succulent that grows in a wall and adds a unique touch to any home. The plant grows fast and propagates easily and can grow both indoor and outdoor. There is a lovely succulent called Senecio Rowleyanus Strings of Pearls that you can grow. And there’re a few care tips that you need to know to care for String of pearls properly.
The string of pearls plant, also known by its scientific name Senecio rowleyanus, is an intriguing and visually striking succulent. Its pearl-shaped leaves dangling down in strings give it a unique and whimsical appearance. Though beautiful, string of pearls requires particular care, especially when it comes to watering.
Getting the watering right is key to keeping your string of pearls healthy and happy. Underwatering can cause leaves to shrivel and drop, while overwatering invites rot and disease To help your string of pearls thrive, follow these tips on how to water properly
How Often to Water String of Pearls
As a succulent string of pearls stores water in its leaves and stems. It prefers infrequent but deep watering. The exact schedule will vary depending on factors like sunlight temperature, humidity, soil composition, and plant maturity. Here are some general guidelines
- Spring/Summer: Water 1-2 times per month.
- Fall/Winter: Water every 2-3 weeks.
Pay close attention in hot and dry weather, when more frequent watering may be needed. Reduce watering frequency in cool or humid conditions.
Get to know your plant’s needs by observing it daily. Look for any wrinkling or deflating of the pearl-shaped leaves, which indicates thirst Lift the pot to feel its weight – light means it’s time to water Insert your finger in the soil to check moisture 1-2 inches down.
How to Water String of Pearls
When watering string of pearls, thoroughly drench the soil until water drains from the bottom. This encourages deep root growth. Take these steps:
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Use room temperature filtered or distilled water. Tap water may contain chemicals harmful to the plant.
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Water early in the day to allow excess moisture to evaporate by nighttime.
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Pour enough water slowly over the soil until it starts running out the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot.
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Let all excess water drain completely. Empty any outer container or saucer.
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Do not water again until the top few inches of soil are fully dry. Test with your finger.
Take extra care not to get water on the pearls themselves. This can cause rot. After watering, use a paper towel to gently blot any excess moisture from the pearls.
Type of Potting Soil
Use a fast-draining cactus or succulent soil blend. You can make your own mix with equal parts potting soil, perlite or pumice, and sand. This allows moisture to drain while still retaining some for the plant’s roots.
Pot your string of pearls in a container with drainage holes. A terra cotta clay pot is ideal, as it helps wick away moisture. Choose a pot that’s just an inch or two larger than the current root ball.
What If I Overwatered My String of Pearls?
It’s easy to overdo it with water, especially when you first get a string of pearls plant. If you notice leaf drop, brown/black spots, or a foul odor, excess moisture is likely to blame.
To fix an overwatered string of pearls:
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Stop watering and allow the soil to fully dry out. This may take over 2 weeks.
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Gently remove the plant from its pot and inspect the roots. Trim off any that are black, mushy or foul-smelling.
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Repot in new, dry soil. Choose a terracotta pot for better drainage.
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Resume watering cautiously at longer intervals.
With quick action, an overwatered string of pearls can recover surprisingly well. Just be vigilant about soil dryness moving forward.
Signs Your String of Pearls Needs Water
Learn to read your plant’s signals to know when it’s thirsty:
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Pearl leaves appear wrinkled, deflated or concave.
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Growth looks stunted or leaves drop.
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Soil is dry 1-2 inches down.
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Pot feels very light when lifted.
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Pearl color fades from bright green to dull or greyish.
If you see these signs, it’s time to thoroughly water your string of pearls until saturation and runoff.
Causes of Underwatering String of Pearls
Underwatering is tricky to reverse, so it’s best avoided. Common causes include:
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Letting the soil get bone dry for too long between waterings.
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Not pouring enough water to saturate the soil roots.
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Watering too infrequently year-round.
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Keeping the plant in a pot that’s too large.
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Using dense, water-retentive potting soil.
Monitor soil moisture, adjust your watering habits, and repot in better-draining mix as needed.
Results of Underwatering
Consistent underwatering starves roots of moisture. Effects on your string of pearls may include:
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Leaves shriveling, wrinkling, or flattening.
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Pearl color fading from green to grey or tan.
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Slowed or stunted growth.
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Increased leaf drop.
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Sparse-looking strings of pearls.
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Yellowing, wilting, or drying of stems and leaves.
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Eventual death of the plant.
At the first sign of underwatering, thoroughly soak the entire root zone and monitor moisture levels in the following days.
How to Revive an Underwatered String of Pearls
An underwatered string of pearls can recover if caught early. Follow these steps:
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Immediately water thoroughly until it drains from the pot bottom.
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Move to a shadier spot to reduce water needs.
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Switch to a fast-draining cactus/succulent soil blend.
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Repot in a terra cotta pot for better moisture control.
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Apply a balanced succulent fertilizer to encourage new growth.
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Water more frequently in small amounts until stabilized.
With attentive care and moisture monitoring, even severely distressed plants can bounced back after underwatering.
Maintaining Ideal Moisture
Getting watering right takes some trial and error. But absorbing excess moisture quickly while retaining just enough is the key to a robust string of pearls. Grow your plant in gritty, porous soil blends that mimic its native habitat in southern Africa.
Choose terra cotta pots and provide bright, indirect light. Learn your plant’s schedule and stick your finger in the soil regularly to monitor moisture. Drench thoroughly then allow the soil to dry. With good drainage and infrequent watering, you can keep your string of pearls happy and hydrated.
[Indoors or Outdoors]Should You Grow String of Pearls Indoors or Outdoors?
String of pearls is a delicate hanging succulent that thrives in a warm and dry environment. Also, they are easy to take care of as an indoor plant, and they make great succulents to grow outside, especially in zones 9 and warmer. If you live somewhere where it gets below 30 degrees Fahrenheit, on the other hand, you should grow String of Pearls in a pot so that you can easily bring them inside for safety.
If you want to grow String of Pearls outside, you should put it somewhere with some shade so that it can avoid the hot sun in the afternoon and still get some bright, indirect morning sunlight.
Soil & Pot
Pearls Plant like any succulent need well-draining soil to thrive. Hence, choosing a well-drained pot is the first step to make your spring of hearts happy. Terracotta and unglazed ceramic pots are the two most popular choices thanks to their extraordinary drainage.
Choosing the perfect size of the pot is another important factor for succulents to grow well. It’s important that the pot is big enough to hold all of them. If it’s too small, the soil will stay wet for too long, which will kill the pearls that are sitting on it. And String of Pearls have very shallow roots so they don’t need a deep pot as well.
Choosing the perfect size of the pot is for String of Pearls to grow well.
It’s also important to keep the pearls’ crowns level with the pot’s top or no more than 0 0.5 to 1 inch below the top; if not, air flow will decrease, and the plant’s crowns and stems will rot more quickly if the soil is wet.
String of pearls are easy to take care of, so you can use any kind of succulent potting soil to start. However, sandy soil is better. You can follow this mix with 3 part good potting soil and 1 part sharp sand.
Succulents usually don’t need a lot of fertilizer and too much fertilizer can kill Pearls Succulent too. During growth time, they might get fertilized once every 2 or 4 weeks in spring and mid-summer. And no fertilizer is needed for fall and winter. And the fertilizer should be weakened to not overwhelm the plant.
String of pearls bloom tiny white flowers with scent like cinnamon. Lessen how much you water the plant and keep it at a steady 60 degrees during the winter to get flowers in the spring. Cool and dry condition during winter often promote blooming during summer. The blooming period will last around 1 month.
String of pearls bloom tiny white flowers with scent like cinnamon.
Propagating String of Pearls is easy because they have very shallow root and grow new root easily. The easiest way is to use cuttings. To start propagating, all you need is a healthy cutting that is 3 to 4 inches long. Just lay the cutting down on the soil and lightly press down on it. Roots will slowly grow out of the cutting. You can also take off some leaves from the cutting and then plant it in soil so that it covers the growth nodes (where the leaves grow). The roots will then grow out of the stem. Mist the soil around this rooted cutting every so often to keep it moist until the new plant gets established and starts to grow.
Strings of pearls are very delicate plants with shallow root systems. This means you don’t have to move this succulent to a new pot every year as long as it’s still growing well in the one it’s in now. But as soon as you notice that your String of Pearls is too big for its pot and doesn’t grow as well as it used to, or that the plant’s roots have become crowded, it’s time to move it to a pot that is about 10% bigger in both diameter and height.
Again, String of Pearls are fragile, so be careful when you repot them and make sure the soil is dry. You should also do this at the start of their growing season, in the spring.
Its best to repot String of Pearls at the beginning of its growing season.
Step 1: Gently bring or fold the trailing stems up to the center top of the plant.
Step 2: If you grew your String of Pearls in a hanging basket, take off the clips and hooks for hanging it first. This way, they won’t get in the way when you repot the plant, and they will also protect the beads from damage.
Step 3: Flip the pot over and gently put one hand on top of the plant. The plant should slide out. To help loosen the soil, gently squeeze or tap the bottom of the pot.  You can also try cutting the pot and tearing it open instead. This way, you can take the String of Pearls out of the pot without breaking any of the small beads that are inside.
Step 4:Prepare your cactus or succulent soil mix. To help the plant drain better, you can add either perlite or coarse sand and pack it tightly around the sides of its new pot. This will leave space in the middle for your String of Pearls.
Fifth, carefully put the String of Pearls in the pot. Next, add more soil around the plant and make sure to fill in any gaps.
After you’re done, put your newly potted plant somewhere bright but out of direct sunlight. Also, during the process, a few beads may fall off from your String of Pearls. Whenever this happens, just put them back in the pot and hope they grow roots and a new plant.
Pruning may be needed from time to time to keep a string of pearls at the right size or to make them look fresh again. This is especially true if they have grown tall or etiolated, which is usually caused by not getting enough sunlight.
Using clean, sharp scissors, cut off any stems that have lost a lot of their beads or that have died. You can also trim off any parts that have grown too tall.
After cutting off any healthy pieces that were getting too long, you can let them grow into a whole new String of Pearls.
It can be tricky sometimes while growing the String of Pearls. In other words, if they not cared properly, these striking succulents can die. But if you notice any of these common issues with your succulent and fix them right away, it will be healthy and happy.
- If the leaves and stem of your String of Pearls are getting smaller, it’s clear that they’re not getting enough water and sunlight. Some of the most common reasons why succulent leaves shrink are not getting enough water, too much water, or the wrong kind of sunlight.
- Root Rot: Root rot can happen when regular garden soil mix is used because it is too heavy and can hold a lot of water. Also, succulents need soil that drains well and has lots of holes in it to keep their roots from rotting. Also, using too much fertilizer can hurt the roots. If you think your String of Pearls has been over-fertilized, look for signs like stunted growth, discoloration, brown leaves, and roots that are burned.
- As the leaves fall, String of Pearls does well in normal room temperatures. If you keep this succulent outside and it starts dropping leaves, it means it has been kept in a drafty place where it is warm or cold. Bugs like aphids, mites, whiteflies, gnats, mealybugs, and ants are often drawn to String of pearls. If the plant is sick, insects will often eat it, and your succulent leaves will turn yellow, fall off, or become sooty.
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#59 String of pearls and string of dolphins, when to water and how to water COMPLETE CARE GUIDE
FAQ
What is the best way to water a String of Pearls?
Should I mist my String of Pearls?
Do strings of pearls need direct sunlight?
How do you water string of pearls?
The soaking method is one of the most preferable and easy watering methods for succulents like String of Pearls. This technique allows the plant soil to dry between the consecutive watering schedule. You will need to let the top 2 or 3 inches of the soil dry before watering your String of Pearls.
How often do you water string of pearls?
Generally, String of Pearls prefers once-a-week watering in spring/summer via a soaking watering approach and requires monthly watering during fall/winter. Under improper watering, the plant leaves begin to wither, droop and turn yellow. Water your String of Pearls after letting the soil dry in between the watering routine.
Do string of pearls need to be watered?
Proper watering is an absolute requirement for growing a String of Pearls without complications. To avoid watering issues, allow the soil to dry in between the watering routine to keep your succulent happy. Furthermore, always stay on guard and look out for the signs your plant shows upon improper watering situations.
How do you know if a string of pearls needs water?
You can determine whether your plant needs water by looking at its beads. When your String of Pearls needs watering, its beads will appear as if they are wrinkling or shriveling, looking kind of like raisins. When you make such an observation, you need to know that your plant requires immediate watering because it is very dry.