String of Pearls Succulent

String of Pearls Succulent

Do you love houseplants? then you have probably noticed string of pearls popping up in your Insta-feed. This unusual succulent plant has pendant stems bearing its signature pea-like leaves that look exactly like a string of beads, hence its popular name.

String of pearls (aka string of beads) has the scientific name Senecio rowleyanus, although you may nowadays see it referred to as Curio rowleyanus.

If you enjoyed watching episode 4 of David Attenborough’s BBC flagship nature programmes – The Green Planet, Desert Worlds – then string of pearls will fascinate you!

This tough cookie hails from southwest Africa, where it sprawls and spreads in rocky desert habitats. Its peculiar spherical leaves are an adaptation to its arid homeland. The pea-like leaves reduce water loss, helping it survive in drought conditions.

Did you know? The round leaves store a large amount of water while minimizing their surface area. However, reducing their surface area also reduces their ability to trap sunlight. But if you look closely at the green pearls you will notice that they all have a transparent slit marking – this dark green window allows light to penetrate into the heart of the leaf to fuel photosynthesis.

How to Grow String of Pearls.

There are three basic requirements to successfully growing your string of pearls plant.

1) Location. Senecio rowleyanus needs a bright position where it will receive plenty of bright, but indirect light. Its trailing growth habit makes it an ideal subject for a pot on a high shelf or in a hanging basket. As all parts of this plant are mildly toxic if eaten, it is best kept high and away from young children and pets in any case.

2) Compost. This xerophyte (a plant that needs very little water) does best when growing in a specialist cactus and succulent compost. The best time to repot it is in spring, after the end of March. Repot into dry compost and wait at least one week after repotting before you water it.

3) Water. It is always better to underwater your string of pearls if you are in any doubt about whether it needs watering. The fat bead-like leaves store plenty of water and can cope with a benign neglect. In other words, it makes a good plant for novice or busy plant parents!

Use your finger to test for moisture in the compost, and only water when the top 2 cm of the compost feels dry. We recommend watering from below, by sitting the pot in shallow bowl of water for 20 minutes. This ensures that the roots get enough water but keeps the trailing strings of pearls dry.

Water your string of pearls plant roughly once a fortnight during spring and summer, reducing the watering to once a month in autumn, and not at all during winter. You can feed with a liquid cactus food during the spring and summer when you are watering to promote growth.

In summary, the conditions needed for string of pearls to thrive are a free draining succulent compost, plenty of bright, indirect sunlight, and watering only when the compost is dry.

Did you know? If you take care of your string of pearls plant it may reward you with small white, daisy-like flowers carried on long stems in spring. The small flowers are widely reported as having a pleasant cinnamon-scent – although I have yet to notice this scent coming from any of their flowers. If your string of pearls plant flowers please let us know if the flowers really are scented or not!

Problem Solving

In general, string of pearls is an easy plant to grow. Most of the problems people have with it result from too much water, poor drainage, or insufficient light. Prevention is always better than having to cure the problem.

1) Beads dropping in winter. Your plant is probably suffering from the cold. String of pearls should be kept at a minimum of 10⁰C during winter.

2) Soft, brown mushy pearls and stems. A classic sign of overwatering. String of pearls is prone to rot if the compost is constantly damp.

Check that the compost is damp to confirm this diagnosis. The only treatment here is to allow the compost to dry out, and to water less frequently in the future. Any mushy or rotting parts should to be removed, only retain the healthy parts of the plant. This type of damage is very likely to occur if your plant gets exposed to cold temperatures whilst the compost is damp.

Expert tip: Senecio rowleyanus should not be planted in pots without drainage holes. They do not like high humidity locations such as bathrooms.

3) Shrivelled beads. This is usually due to an extreme lack of water. If the soil is bone dry when you test it, then your plant needs a drink.

4) Stunted growth, weak plants, sticky leaves etc. Like all houseplants, string of pearls can attract bugs and pests such as aphids, mealy bugs, and fungus gnats. This is much more likely to happen if your plant is unhealthy due to low light or overwatering. By improving its growing conditions and using organic controls you may not need to use synthetic pesticides.

Propagation

String of pearls plants grow quickly. Their trailing arms can dangle down to over 1 metre in length. They are not long lived plants, but they propagate readily from cuttings taken in summer. Taking cuttings of this succulent is easy, and it will make the parent plant regrow stronger and fuller.

1) Snip off a couple of long stems in summer and cut these in to 5 cm lengths with several beads to each strip.

2) Lay the pieces on top of a pot full of fresh cacti compost. I like to put a thin layer of horticultural sharp sand over the top of the compost before I place my cuttings down.

3) Once you see little white roots emerging from the nodes (the place where the beads join the stems) you can start watering.

Sharing plants with friends and family is one of the great joys of growing houseplants.

Variations on a Theme.

String of pearls has several closely related cousins that have curious leaf shapes. They all like the same care and conditions. The different forms make an interesting collection and will be a talking point with your friends and family. These include:

1) String of tears (Senecio herreanus). With plump, tear-shaped leaves.

2) String of dolphins (Senecio peregrinus). Has cute leaves that look like a pods of tiny, leaping dolphins!

3) String of bananas (Senecio radicans). This fast growing succulent has curved leaves that look exactly like a long string of green bananas!

In Conclusion:

String of pearls is an easy to grow houseplant with no significant disease problems. Knowing its simple light and watering needs will allow you to successfully grow it. This unique houseplant is well suited to growing indoors.

To learn more about easy-to-care-for houseplants have a look at our blog:

https://www.capitalgardens.co.uk/blog/top-ten-easy-care-houseplants/

To find out why young people are filling their homes with houseplants:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-45098090