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How to Care for String of Pearls

ByNell Foster Published on

The String Of Pearls plant had me at first sight.

I knew this was a plant I wanted for my very own one day. When I moved to Santa Barbara, quite a few pots had been left behind at my new home by the previous owner. I zoomed in on one of them for a String of Pearls.

Fortunately, they’re easy to find here. Four years ago I bought a 2″ plant and in it went into the large pot on the patio outside my dining room planted along with the Coprosma, Plectranthus, and whatever seasonal annuals catch my fancy. It grew fairly fast and tends to trail rather than spread so I figured it was time for a little propagation.

NOTE: This post was published on 4/4/2013. I’m updating it on 3/22/2023. It’s one of the very first posts that I ever wrote. My, how blogging has changed!

I’ve since written nine more posts on the String Of Pearls plant. Rather than do an extensive update on this one, I’m just going to list the more current posts right below and you can refer to those for much more information on this fascinating succulent.

strings of the string of pearl plant on top of a grey rustic background

Posts With More Details About Growing A String Of Pearls Plant (newer to older)

  1. String Of Pearls Succulent Growing Guide: A Round Up Of Care Posts
  2. Answering Your Questions About String Of Pearls
  3. Repotting A String Of Pearls Plant
  4. Growing String Of Pearls Plants Indoors: 10 Common Problems You May Have
  5. Propagating A String Of Pearls Plant
  6. String Of Pearls Plant Flowers
  7. Growing A String Of Pearls Plant Outdoors
  8. String Of Pearls Houseplant Care
  9. Rejuvenating My String Of Pearls Plant

Propagating A String Of Pearls

As evident in the picture above, I’ve been cutting them off when they hit the ground. They trail down about 3′. Where they’ve been cut, a split or 2 occurs. From there, they keep on growing from there.

This would usually trigger any other plant to spread but with this one, it just keeps growing lengthwise and not widthwise. So it was time to pull out my floral nips (their long pointed blades are great for taking cuttings) and get busy.

I cut off a few of those long, slender stems and stripped the top round leaves (aka “the pearls) off so I could stick those stems right back into the pot.  I make sure at least 3 or 4 leaf nodes are down into the soil – that’s where the roots emerge from.

This pot is filled with good organic potting soil and regularly top-dressed with both compost and worm compost so no soil prep is necessary here.  I have lots of succulents in my yard which I normally heal off. But, with these stems being so minuscule in diameter, I skip that step and directly plant them back in.

Read about my worm compost/compost feeding right here.

How to Care for String of Pearls (outdoors)

The light exposure is bright but not direct – the Coprosma shades it from any direct afternoon sunlight. Soil that is well-drained, such as potting soil or cactus mix, is very important because they like to completely dry out between waterings.

Those round little pearls store water in them. Like any succulent, what I am going to tell you next is important to its survival:

Do not overwater this plant.

I can selectively and routinely water the Coprosma, Plectranthus, and annuals. This gives the String of Pearls a drink when I feel it needs it.

As for insects and diseases, mine stays free and clear. So, there’s no personal advice I can give on that.

By the way, they do flower but the small white, fuzzy blooms are pretty insignificant when it comes to size. But boy, they are sweetly scented! This plant is popular because it’s unusual and a conversion piece, not for a showy flower display.

Warning: This is an old video!

string of pearls plant close up, you can see the resemblance of the leaves with real pearls. They look like pearls but are green

Those adorable little leaves which I call “peas.”

Want to learn more about How to Care for Succulents Indoors? Check out these guides!

Well, there you have it, how to care for String Of Pearls (outdoors) in a nutshell. String Of Pearls plants are most commonly sold as houseplants, so be sure and check out those more current posts listed at the top.

Happy gardening,

Nell-Foster-Joy-Us-Garden

Additional Care Guides on Succulents

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166 Comments

  1. Hi Dian – SOP likes bright light but not no direct hot sun outdoors. I’ve found that they need as much light as possible indoors. Be careful not to overwater them during these winter months, & no fertilizing until spring. The flowers aren’t showy at all but boy do they smell sweet! Happy New Year, Nell

  2. Please let me know how to water string of pearls,should Iwater until water drip down the dranage holes or water when the complety dry, please let me know..

  3. Hi Hung – I water my String Of Pearls well & then let all the water drain out of the holes. I water it again when the soil is almost dry. Nell

  5. Hi Kay – Sure thing. I get asked a lot where to buy this plant – always good to have another resource. Nell

  6. Wowww. Thanks for your sharing. I’m very interested in 😀 Can I give you a guest post 😀

  7. You’re welcome Richard. We accept 1 guest post per month. Submit to the form on our website. Nell

  8. Hello!! Once you pluck the peas off, can they be use to propagate a new string?TIA

  9. Hi Kerri – Oh yes, you can propagate a SOP from the pearls. It’s a slow method of propagation, but it works. Nell

  10. This will be my first attempt at succulents. Im planting a trough. My question is i purchased a raindrop, similar to sop, its in a pot. Can i divide it into smaller separate plants?

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