How to Grow String of Hearts: A Sweet Succulent-Like Trailing Houseplant
Oh sweet little String Of Hearts, many people think you’re a succulent but you aren’t. This trailing houseplant is durable, easy as can be and the care is similar to a fleshy succulent but it shares the same family with another plant I love, the Hoya. They are both considered to be a succulent vine.
The botanic moniker is Ceropegia woodii but it also goes by Rosary Vine or Chain Of Hearts.
My Hoya, a cousin to the String Of Hearts, has grown like crazy so it’s time to repot that soon.
This unusual beauty with heart-shaped foliage, hence the name, came with me when I moved from Santa Barbara to Tucson. In the 4 months that I’ve lived here, this plant (which hangs in my pink grapefruit tree) has grown like the dickens. The trails were all about about 12″ long and now the longest are 43″. I’ve fast discovered that Rosary Vine loves the heat!
The Rosary Vine loves the heat but not direct sun.
Although a healthy String Of Hearts has a lot of foliage on many stems, it’s not a full and bushy vine. It stays on the wispy side but this, along with the flowers, are a big part of its appeal. Mine got hopelessly tangled on the 9 hour “car crammed full of plants drive” to my new home and that way it’ll stay. Tangles and all, it’s doing just fine.
Here are some things to know about the Rosary Vine:
Size:
The trails of a Rosary Vine can reach up to 12′ long in its natural habit. Usually when grown as a houseplant it doesn’t get much past 2′ long. Mine grows outdoors & is well on the way to 4′ long.
Exposure:
Indoors you want to give it very bight light with no direct sun. A west window is fine but just make sure it isn’t up against the hot glass. Outdoors I keep mine in bright shade with no direct sunlight – it grows under my pink grapefruit tree.
Water:
When grown as a houseplant, you want your String Of Hearts to dry out in between waterings. As I said, this plant isn’t technically a succulent but you want to treat it like 1. I was watering mine every other day here in the desert in those hot summer months but now it’s October (the highs are right around 90) & I’ve backed off to every 3-5 days. Give it too much water & kiss it goodbye!
Important to know: water even less in the winter because the Rosary Vine goes dormant.
My String Of Hearts is a trailing machine!
Hardiness:
Mine lived outdoors in Santa Barbara where the winter temps could dip into the high 30’s F, low 40’s. I read somewhere that it’s hardy to 25F so I plan on leaving outside here in Tucson & see what happens.
Soil:
A succulent & cactus mix is just fine. If you have some coco coir, your String Of Heats would love it added to the mix. Or, a combo of half cymbidium orchid & half succulent mixes would work fine too. Just make sure the mix drains really well.
Transplanting:
It’s best to transplant your Rosary Vine in spring or summer.
Fertilizer:
Like most of my plants, I top dress with worm castings in the spring. If you feel yours needs some feeding, then an application of balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer in spring would work too.
Flowers:
Yes it does! Mine started flowering at the end of summer & the blooms just keep on coming.
Here are those sweet but funny little flowers.
Pruning:
Not much of any is needed. I’ve only cut a few dead stems out. If yours gets leggy or you want to propagate it by cuttings, then you’ll need to prune.
Propagation:
The easiest ways are by stems cuttings & by laying the tubers right on top of a mix. They root very quickly.
Pests:
Mine has never had any but reportedly mealybugs can appear. Keep your eye out for aphids & scale also.
There are 2 reasons why people have trouble with the Rosary Vine: not enough light &/or too much water, especially in the winter months.
The String Of Hearts or Rosary Vine is a great trailing houseplant.
In warmer climates, you can grow it outdoors year round. There’s also a variegated form of it which has a touch of pink. I’m going to plant mine in a large hanging basket with String Of Pearls and String of Bananas. Stayed tuned for that post and video!
Happy gardening,
Just because … A butterfly enjoying my Red Bird Of Paradise.
If you like trailing succulents then check out Fishhooks Senecio, it’s very easy to grow!
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Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.
Thank you Kitty. All plants purify the air around them to a certain extent but there hasn’t been any practical studies done on this. I did a post on this subject recently & here are my thoughts after doing a little research: https://www.joyusgarden.com/how-well-do-houseplants-really-clean-the-air/ Best, Nell
hello nell, excellent info. i live in los angeles, ca and i’d love to place either string of pearls or strand of hearts in my kitchen window which faces west. because the overhang on my roof it gets a good amount of light but not direct sun. which of these plants do you think would sustain?
appreciate your input.
regards,
dee
Hi Dee – Thank you. That sounds like a great exposure for either SOH or SOP. I grow both of these plants in the same pot outdoors. In my opinion, String Of Hearts makes a better houseplant. Nell
Thank you for the info Nell, i’m bringing my plants in for the winter, and repotting some. I love this plant and mine has been overwatered and in a plastic pot, but I’ll let it dry out and hopefully get it
to give me some new plants eventually.
You’re welcome Christine. Mine is growing like crazy & I need to cut it back before the cool weather sets in. I’ll do a post & video so you can see what I do in case yours trails to 6′ like mine. Nell
Hi Nell, how does your rosary vine plant do outside during the winters in Tucson? I just bought one and am unsure if it’ll survive outside this winter! How frequently do you water during the winter with it living outdoors? I live in Mesa, AZ. Thanks so much and happy gardening!! -Miranda
Hi Miranda – You’re welcome. It does great in the bright shade & grows like crazy in the heat. Last winter was my 1st winter here in Tucson & I covered it with a large dish towel about 10 nights when the temps were dipping below 38-40 degrees. I water it twice a week in the summer & about every 10 -14 days in winter depending on the temps. Happy gardening to you up in Mesa! Nell
Hi Nell!
Living in New Mexico, my String of Hearts is thriving and has grown to almost 2′!
However, I have moved it around quite a bit and the stands have become very tangled. I know the plant is fine but I am dying to untangle it. I am tempted to cut it back and sort it out from there. Do you think this will hurt the poor thing?
Hi Lisa – My String Of Hearts got very tangled on the move from CA to AZ so I know what you mean! Mine was about 5′ long & I just cut it back to 2-3′. It’s still very thick & heavy so I’m going to try to thin it out a bit (good luck!). I took cuttings & am going to replant them soon. So, you might want to cut it back, root the cuttings & go from there because that’s what I may end up doing. I have a post & video coming on this in early 2018 so stay tuned. Nell
Hey Nell
I’ve just bought my first string of hearts and have done 2 cuttings right beside each other. 1 looks nice and healthy but the leaves on the other one are curling and I can’t seem to find any info on why that would be happening. Do you have any tips for me.
Thank you