String of Pearls
Curio rowleyanus (syn. Senecio rowleyanus)
Through the year 🗓️
☀️ Summer now
Bright light but shade from scorching glass; keep water sparse.
🍂 Fall
Cooler and drier conditions set the cinnamon-scented flower buds.
❄️ Winter
Barely water; the pearls wrinkle slightly when genuinely thirsty.
🌱 Spring
Best propagation window: lay strands across the soil and they root at each node.
The details
Light & placement
- Light
- Very bright indirect with a little gentle direct sun; needs more light than most trailers
- Ideal PPFD
- 300–600 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹
- Grow-light distance
- 8–14 in below LED
Water & feed
- Watering method
- Soak-and-dry, sparingly: drench, then let the mix dry out fully. The #1 killer is overwatering; the pearls store water for weeks.
- Fertilizer
- Cactus/succulent feed at ¼ strength, 2–3× in spring–summer only.
Home & habit
- Soil
- Gritty succulent/cactus mix (50%+ mineral); shallow pot; pH 6.0–7.0
- Humidity
- Low; dry air preferred
- Temperature
- 65–80 °F; protect below 50 °F
- Mature size
- Trailing strands 2–3 ft
- Repotting
- Every 2 yrs; likes to be snug
- Propagation
- Lay strands on the soil surface; pearls root at every node in a week or two.
When something looks wrong
- Overwatering signs
- Mushy, splitting, translucent pearls; rotting strands
- Underwatering signs
- Shriveled, flat, dimpled pearls
- Common pests
- Mealybugs, aphids, root mealybugs
Common problems 🩺
The usual suspects when String of Pearls looks unhappy. Most houseplant trouble is watering or light, not disease — see all plant problems if you are not sure which plant is the culprit.
Mushy stems and shrivelling pearls
Likely cause
Overwatering. This is by far the most common way it dies.
What to do
Water only when the pearls start to flatten, use gritty mix, and never let it sit wet.
Shrivelled, deflated pearls
Likely cause
Underwatering if the soil is bone-dry; rot if the soil is damp.
What to do
Check the soil before acting — dry means water deeply, damp means check the roots.
Long bare strands with sparse pearls
Likely cause
Too little light.
What to do
Give it very bright light, including some gentle direct sun.
More like this 🌿
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