String of Pearls: This Fascinating Beauty Makes a Great Houseplant
I love, love these succulents! I grow String Of Pearls houseplants in my Santa Barbara garden, but did you know that this fascinating succulent makes a great houseplant? They’re easy to care for in the garden as well as in the home. They do so well as a houseplant because tolerate and thrive in the dry air in our indoor spaces.
Here’s what you need to know to keep your String of Pearls houseplant happy, healthy and growing strong.
I’ve done a video on how to plant them – that info starts around the 50 second mark.
Light:
This is first out of the gate because it’s very important when growing succulents indoors. The light needs to be as bright as can be. It can be direct light just as long as it’s not for all day. Also, you don’t want your String Of Pearls to be up against hot glass.
Water:
Another important point – easy does it. This plant does not like to be wet so water when the top half of the soil is dry. This may be hard to determine because the pearls can completely cover the pot & the soil. A general rule is to water every 10 to 14 days in summer & every 3-4 weeks in the winter. This of course will vary depending on the temperature of your home.
Related: Repotting String Of Pearls: The Soil Mix To Use & The Steps To Take, 10 Reasons You May Be Having Problems Growing String Of Pearls Indoors,Tips For Growing A String Of Pearls Outdoors
Temperature:
Speaking of which, they like it warm in the summer & cooler in the winter – just like most plants. My 3 String Of Pearls plants grow outside so they naturally get these temperature changes.
Fertilizer:
Once in the spring is fine. I use worm castings but you could use a balanced houseplant fertilizer. And, never feed them in the winter because they’re resting & it’s sleepy time for their roots.
Pruning
Not much is needed but you may have to do it to rejuvenate the plant or to control the length. If your String Of Pearls gets too leggy, then cut them off to stimulate growth at the top. You can replant the strings. I prune mine because they hit the ground. Yours will most likely grow much slower indoors.
Propagation
You do it by planting the strings or the pearls, which are the leaves. I’ve found that the pearls take longer to root than the strings do. The strings that I planted in the video took about 2 weeks to root in.
Pests
Mine have been fine outdoors but indoors I imagine they would be subject to mealy bugs, just like all succulents. You can mix up a homemade natural spray of 1 part rubbing alcohol, 8 parts water & a few drops of dishwashing soap. Spray this at 7-day intervals for 1-4 weeks, depending on how bad the infestation is.
Related: Answering Your Questions About Growing String Of Pearls
Flowers
They are white and very small. In other words, infrequent & insignificant.
Here’s a head’s up – they’re toxic (like most other houseplants) so keep them out of the way of babies, small children & pets. Speaking of pets, my kitty Oscar loves to chew on plants but has no interest in String of Pearls. He likes his foliage crunchy, not soft and mushy!
Strings Of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus for those of you who like to know the botanic names) is also called String Of Beads or Bead Plant. Fortunately for you and me, they’re a breeze to take care of. One thing for sure, everyone who see yours will want one too!
You can get a String Of Pearls houseplant for your very own HERE.
Happy gardening,
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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.
Just bought a sting of pearls about 4′ size in a clay pot. what would be the best steps to make sure it stays alive. Should I put it in a bigger pot?
Hi Dareyn – I’m assuming you mean 4″ pot. Succulents can stay tight in their pots for quite some time so don’t repot it until you think it really needs it. Here’s a more recent post I just did which you’ll find helpful: https://www.joyusgarden.com/10-problems-growing-a-string-of-pearls-plant-indoors/ Nell
Thanks so much for all that info, extremely helpful. I just got my first string of pearls today, it will be grown as a houseplant as I live in Ireland and the weather is too changeable! Look forward to seeing it grow!
Lara
You’re welcome Lara! Love String of Pearls. This post will also help: https://www.joyusgarden.com/10-problems-growing-a-string-of-pearls-plant-indoors/ Enjoy, Nell