Do you absolutely love the look of the string of pearls succulent? Have you heard they’re hard to grow? I did too! But I took a chance and got one. To be honest, it is the easiest plant I have had! Follow my easy tips to grow a beautiful string of pearls for yourself! This post contains affiliate links, this means I get a small commission at no cost to you if you decide to purchase from my links.
I took a total chance on buying this plant but I am so happy I did. It has so much character! I really believe adding some plants to your apartment really help to give it a cozy, lived in feel. That said, the string of pearls is known for being hard to grow. I have never found this to be the case. Since COVID started, I have bought 7 plants total and 3 of them have survived, LOL! The string of pearls is by far the easiest I have gotten myself into.
In this post I will share easy must know tips to care for your string of pearls including, lighting, soil, potting, watering, fertilizing, and pest control. There are a few bonus tips as well such as temperature, humidity, re potting and propagation. I promise, this succulent is not nearly as hard to grow as everyone says!
This post is all about string of pearls.
Lighting
To me, this is the most important thing to consider before buying a string of pearls. Most problems I have seen people having seemed to do with it not getting enough sun or burning in the sun if it is left outside. String of pearls are a succulent, so they do like a good amount of sun. They should have at least a few hours of direct sunlight each day.
When I was researching this succulent, I came across numerous people who had their string of pearls in a south facing window and they were all doing beautifully! So I decided, I would place mine in my south facing bay window and I have had no problems whatsoever! South facing windows offer the brightest light to plants (at least where I am in the northern hemisphere, take into consideration your location and hemisphere). Succulents can take this bright light.
Honestly, if you do not have a south facing window, I’d hesitate to get a string of pearls unless you can supplement light with a grow light. If you still really want a string of pearls, an east facing window that gets a few hours of direct sunlight in the morning would be the next best spot.
I’d take into consideration your location as well. I do not live in a very sunny part of the U.S. So if you do live in a sunnier area, you may find the east and west facing windows provide enough light and the south facing windows may even be too much there. If you notice the pearls turning brown, they’re burning and you know it is in too bright an area. You should move it back a bit from the window or find another window that is less bright.
Soil and Potting
You should use succulent and cacti planting medium/soil. Any brand should be fine. This type of potting medium is sandy and VERY well draining. This is important for string of pearls as they can be prone to root rot. You do not want the soil to hold on to moisture too long. I use Organic Mechanics Cactus & Succulent Blend. I will link to it below.
Below you can see the texture of this succulent planting medium/soil.
In my opinion, I would only plant your string of pearls in a terra cotta pot with a drainage hole. This is because these pots are “breathable” keeping the roots from staying too wet which can cause root rot. You can also plant them in the shallow style terra cotta pots because their root system is not deep.
tip: Cut a small piece of a coffee filter and place it over the inside of the drainage hole before putting soil in the pot. This will prevent any soil from falling out during waterings but it still allows for sufficient drainage.
When should you repot your string of pearls? I have yet to repot mine. I have had it for a year and three months and it is doing fine, so there is no need to repot it. Once you feel that your plant is too big for the pot and it is not growing as good as it used to, or you see the roots are bound by the pot, you should repot it. You should repot it at the beginning of the growing season if possible which is the spring by some people and the fall for me because I feel my string of pearls rests in the summer so far.
The root system is very delicate and it should not be repotted once a year just to repot it. You should plant it in a pot that is 10% larger in diameter and height of the plant. Once I repot mine, I will likely do a blog post on how to properly repot it.
Propagating String of Pearls: You can take clippings (3-4 inches long at least) and coil them on top of soil and press them down a bit and they will root into the soil. Or you can place on end of the clipping in water and let it root, then pull them and plant them in soil.
Watering
I hate to give a specific time frame to water your string of pearls. For me it can vary. The best thing I have done is learn to read the pearls so I can tell when they are watered well and when they’re getting dry. This is good practice because I feel like different factors such as humidity and whether or not the heat is running in the house effect how quickly the string of pearls dry out. There are times I water it once a week and other times where it is once every 3-4 weeks. It just depends. Now, don’t freak out, I’ll give you some photos below so you can figure out what to look for in the pearls…
The next photo shows my string of pearls just before I water it. You should see these signs in at least some of the pearls before watering the plant. You do not need to let most of the pearls get like like this, but a few of them will give you a clue the plant has dried out. I wait to see these signs before watering my string of pearls as over watering any plant can be too much to fix.
Remember it is better to underwater than overwater! But if this should happen here is some information for you…
Okay, so it’s time to water your string of pearls. You should use the soak and dry method. This is when you give the soil a good soak and let it dry out completely before watering again. Personally, I use distilled water because my water is very hard.
String of pearls grow in the spring, fall and winter. They are dormant in the summer. You will find information stating they are dormant in the winter and grow in the summer as well. I have now had my string of pearls for over a year. I am in my second winter with it and it is actively growing now. It did last winter as well. It did not really grow over the summer. So I stand by the fact that it is dormant in the summer.
Maybe it depends on the climate. I’m not sure. I live in the Northeast of the US and I keep my string of pearls strictly indoors. If you have new pearls actively forming it is in the growing phase. During the growing seasons you may need to water more frequently and you’ll find in the rest season it may require less water (once every 3-4 weeks). I just looked through my watering schedule and I watered my succulent 2 times some months and 3 times other months over the last year. It all depends on what it looks like.
Remember, these are generalities. The best practice is to read your pearls and water them when you can spot the pearls starting to shrivel and lose their “window” getting oblong.
Below is a picture of the new pearls forming at the bottom of the strands. This was taken now, in the winter.
Fertilizer
Because I use distilled water, I do fertilize my string of pearls every other watering. I use one pump of a succulent fertilizer in the distilled water. Be careful not to overdo with fertilizer and make sure to dilute it well. I use the fertilizer shown here.
Temperature and Humidity
String of pearls do not require much humidity as they are native to dry climates. Standard household humidity is generally fine.
They do best in an average temperature of 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit. They cannot withstand frost so they do not do well below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Avoid drafts such as air conditioning and open windows blowing in cold air.
When Watering Inspect Your String Of Pearls For:
1. Pests
They say string of pearls are not particularly known for pests. However, I have had a few shady things happen that I’m not convinced wouldn’t have been a problem if I didn’t nip it in the bud. Once in a while I find the strands to be sticky. The most common reason for this is pests such as mealybugs, scale, or aphids. They can also manifest with a white cotton like material, which I have also had a few times.
If this happens and you keep your string of pearls with other plants, isolate it to prevent spreading. Use a Q-tip dipped in alcohol to remove the sticky spots. Wash the plant well with water mixed with a bit of dish soap. I usually spray it with a bit of water and dish soap and let it air dry if this happens. Keep an eye on the plant for the next week to make sure the problem doesn’t persist. I have never had major problems with pests. Just this a few times. But the dish soap really puts a stop to it.
2. Dried pearls
Inspect the string of pearls for dried up pearls and remove them. If left, they provide insects with something to feast on. Plus you don’t want the plant sucking up water and energy on pearls that are not living. So just pluck them off. Also, sometimes I’ll have a few pearls that are not actually rooted in the soil and they dry out. I just remove them as well.
String of Pearls Care
So that’s really it! Easy Peasy! This plant does not take up a ton of my time at all! I water it on average 2-3 times a month and give it a quick look over. I fertilize every other watering. It is no big deal at all! I really feel like people have issues if they do not have it in a bright window, they aren’t using the right pot and/or soil and they cannot read their pearls. If you can do these things, you’ll be golden!!
I hope you enjoyed these easy tips and you are able to grow a beautiful string of pearls!!! I welcome any questions or comments below. As always, thanks for reading.
This post was all about string of pearls.
