How to Care For String Of Pearls: A Beautiful Hanging Succulent

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)

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,

Additional Care Guides on Succulents

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About the Author
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Nell Foster

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.

www.joyusgarden.com/about/

166 Comments

Hi Kelly – I’m not sure if you’re talking about Echeveria “Raindrops” or Peperomia “Raindrop”. Do you know which you have? Nell

What kind of tea do you give your pearls? Where can I find it?

Hi Tonya – I now use worm compost on all my succulents. You can use it as compost or make a tea out of it. I buy mine locally but here’s a link to where you can buy it outline if you don’t live close to a garden center: https://www.joyusgarden.com/?products=earthworm-castings Nell

Hi! I see that you have your pearls in a large planter (with no holes) I just bought mine about 3 weeks ago and have them in a planter as well with 1 part cactus soil mixed with 1 part sand .. There is no drainage but the pot is about 4″ tall. Its hard to tell if the water has tried out completely because the top soil is dry to touch but I can’t tell if the bottom is because of the depth. Is it necessary for the bottom to be dry and if so, how can I tell if it is?

Thank you for your post!

Valerie

Hi Valerie – You’re welcome! The large pot that you see in the post has a drain hole at the bottom. It’s hard to tell if it’s dry without sticking your finger all the way down. It’s good for the bottom to dry out so it doesn’t turn “funky” & start to smell. Also, in a pot which is only 4″ deep, the roots of the pearls will eventually reach the bottom. You can always purchase a simple water meter which will help you out. Nell

Hi Nell…..had great success with the pearls but have taken on a new project of epiphylliums…aztec temple and princess kelly. I just planted cutting from a reputible grower today. they said not to water for a month…..any other tips? Thanks!! Freda (Vancouver Island BC Canada)

Hi Freda – I love Epiphyllums. Those bog blooms are gorgeous! They like to stay a bit damp but not soaking wet – you don’t want it to rot out. They need a mix with excellent drainage. I’ve used a combo of succulent mix with bark mulch & a few sprinklings of compost. Bright light but no direct hot sun. And, fertilize your epis (after fully rooted of course) 2x a year. Hope that helps! Nell

I have some Leaves or Pearls that have fallen off my plant. Can I propagate from just the leaves.

Hi Dawn – Yes you can. I’ve always had much more success when I propagate SOP by cuttings though. Nell

Hi Nell!
I have a 4″ pot string of pearls I got back in October. It did very well all winter and grew lengthwise. Recently, feeling like it looked very sparse up top, I draped some of the strands back into the pot. Since then it has had difficulty draining the soil completely and some strands have rotted. I have pruned the dead bits away and trying to be patient and letting the soil dry out. Do you have any tips on what else I can do to help it get better?

Thanks!

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