String of Pearls Plant Care: How to Keep the Beads Plump

String of pearls plant care is simple once you get the watering right: bright light without harsh afternoon sun, a gritty fast-draining mix in a shallow pot, and water only when the mix is completely dry. Most string of pearls plants die from root rot, not from neglect.

String of pearls (Curio rowleyanus, long sold as Senecio rowleyanus) is a trailing succulent from the dry eastern Cape of South Africa, according to University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension. Each "pearl" is a round leaf about the size of a pea, with a thin translucent stripe — a leaf window — that lets light into the water-storing tissue inside. In the wild it creeps along the ground in the shade of shrubs and rocks, rooting where stems touch soil. Indoors it is usually grown as a hanging plant, with strands that can reach 2–3 feet.

It has a reputation as finicky, but most of that comes from treating it like a leafy tropical plant. Treat it like a cactus that wants a little less sun, and it becomes steady and long-lived.

String of pearls at a glance

Light

Wisconsin Extension notes that string of pearls needs bright light but cannot tolerate much direct sun, reflecting its life in the shade of other plants. In a US home:

• East window: ideal — morning sun, bright the rest of the day.
• South or west window: hang it 2–4 ft back, or behind a sheer curtain in summer.
• North window: usually too dim; pearls get small and widely spaced. Add a grow light.

Signs of too little light: small pearls spaced far apart, pale color, thin strands. Signs of too much sun: pearls turning purplish, brownish or crispy. If you move it outdoors for summer, acclimate it gradually in shade first.

Watering: the part that matters most

String of pearls stores water in its beads, so it handles drought much better than wet roots. Wisconsin Extension recommends letting the potting medium dry out completely between waterings, watering more in summer than in winter, and names root rot from overwatering as the most common cause of death. A good cue is the pearls themselves: when they start to look a bit shriveled, it's time.

How to water:

1. Check that the mix is dry all the way down (a wooden skewer comes out clean and dry).
2. Water thoroughly until it drains, or set the pot in a bowl of water for 10–15 minutes to bottom-water.
3. Let it drain fully; never leave water in the saucer or a cachepot.

Typical intervals: every 2–3 weeks in a warm summer, every 3–5 weeks during a cool winter rest. A hanging pot in warm air near the ceiling dries faster than one on a shelf.

Diagnosing wrinkled pearls: if the mix is dry, the plant is thirsty. If the mix is wet and the pearls are still wrinkled, the roots have rotted and can't take up water — more water will finish it off. Take healthy cuttings and restart.

Soil and pot

The roots are shallow and fine. Wisconsin Extension recommends a very well-draining soilless mix such as cactus mix, or adding inorganic material — small pea gravel, sharp sand, poultry grit or pumice — to potting mix, up to a 1:1 ratio. It also recommends a shallow container, since the root system is small, and clay over plastic or glazed ceramic because clay lets water evaporate through the sides.

A 6-inch shallow terra-cotta pot (a "bulb pan" or azalea pot) with a drainage hole is ideal for most plants. Deep pots keep the lower mix wet long after the surface dries.

Temperature and winter rest

Keep it at normal room temperatures (65–80°F) during spring and summer. Wisconsin Extension suggests giving it a winter rest in cool (55–60°F), dry conditions, which may promote blooming the following summer. A bright, cool room or a spot near (not touching) a window works. Protect it from frost; Wisconsin Extension describes it as a tender perennial suited to frost-free climates only.

Flowers

Mature plants bloom in summer with small (about 1/2 inch) white, daisy-like flowers made of discs with long red stamens and yellow anthers. Wisconsin Extension describes the scent as sweet and spicy, like cinnamon. The cool, dry winter rest is the best way to encourage them.

Fertilizer

String of pearls needs little feeding. During spring and summer, use a balanced or succulent fertilizer at half strength every 4–6 weeks. Don't feed in fall and winter, or while the plant is resting.

Propagation

This is one of the easiest succulents to propagate, and it's the standard fix for a thin or balding plant. Wisconsin Extension describes the method: take 3–4 inch stem tip cuttings, strip 3–4 pearls from the bottom, and place them in or on moist potting mix, lightly covering the bottom nodes. Roots form at each node.

Step by step:

1. Cut healthy strands 3–4 inches long with clean scissors.
2. Remove the bottom 3–4 pearls.
3. Lay the bare stems on top of barely moist gritty mix, pressing them in lightly or pinning with a bent paperclip.
4. Keep in bright indirect light, misting the surface lightly every few days until roots form (usually 2–3 weeks).
5. Water normally once the strands resist a gentle tug.

To fill a bare crown, lay cuttings in a coil on top of the mother plant's soil. For more on methods, see propagation.

Pests and problems

Wisconsin Extension notes that mealybugs or aphids may infest plants but that pest problems are otherwise few. Mealybugs hide between pearls and at the soil line; aphids cluster on new tips. Fungus gnats only appear when the mix stays wet — a sign you're watering too often.

The bigger risks are cultural: overwatering, too deep a pot, too little light and cold. Use the symptom table on this page, and see our guides to overwatering and root rot.

How to revive a dying string of pearls

When a plant is mostly bare strands with a rotten or empty crown, saving the original plant rarely works. Rebuilding it from its own strands does:

1. Unpot and check the roots. Black, mushy roots and soft stems at the soil line mean rot.
2. Cut every healthy-looking strand, discarding any with soft or translucent pearls.
3. Let the cuttings sit dry for a day so the cut ends callus.
4. Refill a shallow pot with fresh, dry gritty mix.
5. Lay the strands in coils across the whole surface, pressing nodes into contact with the mix.
6. Mist the surface lightly every few days; start real watering once you feel resistance when tugging a strand, usually in 2–3 weeks.

Within 2–3 months the pot looks full again — usually fuller than before, because the crown is now dense with rooted stems.

Common mistakes

• Watering on a weekly schedule. It's a succulent; a weekly routine almost guarantees rot.
• A deep pot or a pot without a hole. Water collects below the shallow roots.
• Burying the crown. Keep the point where strands meet the soil at or slightly above the surface.
• A dark spot because it "looks nice there." Low light weakens the crown, and weak crowns rot.
• Bringing it into a cold, wet winter. Cool temperatures are good only when watering is cut back too.

Hanging and display tips

A hanging pot near an east window shows off the strands and keeps them away from pets. Trim strands that get too long or brush the floor — every trimmed piece is a new cutting. If the strands grow only on one side, rotate the pot a quarter turn each time you water. In a dry, centrally heated home, string of pearls is actually easier than in a humid bathroom, where the mix stays wet too long.

Is string of pearls toxic?

Yes. In its article on succulents and pets, the ASPCA says string of pearls can cause stomach upset — predominately vomiting — and lethargy if eaten, and points out that it works well as a hanging plant to keep it out of reach. Wisconsin Extension adds that the leaves are slightly toxic and the sap can irritate sensitive skin.

If a pet eats it, call your veterinarian or ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435. For children, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Cats are especially drawn to the dangling strands, so hang it well above jumping height.

String of pearls vs. similar trailing succulents

If string of pearls keeps rotting on you, string of bananas or string of hearts are more forgiving. For more trailing ideas, see trailing plants and succulents.

Similar plants

Other succulents with similar light and watering needs include jade plant, echeveria and haworthia. For another trailing plant that likes to dry out between waterings, try hoya.