How to Propagate String of Hearts Plants

The String of Hearts plant (Ceropegia woodii) is a delicate trailing house plant known for its heart-shaped leaves and easy-to-propagate vines.

Propagate your String of hearts by rooting stem cuttings in water or soil, propagating leaf cuttings, or planting the tuber balls that grow along the stems.

Related reading: String of hearts care – Hanging house plants – Plant propagation: 6 ways! 

Make your String of Hearts Plant Fuller

Pruning and propagating can help a sparse-looking string of hearts plant grow back fuller. Cuttings can be planted with the parent plant, and the remaining stems will branch out where you cut.

With plenty of bright light, an indoor string of hearts can grow quickly and get very long. I have one hanging that is about five feet right now.

If grown in too little light, the stems can grow leggy with lots of space in between the sets of leaves. If this happens, you can trim and prune it back.

Cut the stems to how long you want them to be, or enough to remove the leggy growth. Make your cut just below a node where a set of leaves grows from the stem. This is where the plant will branch out.

Propagation in Water

Propagating String of heart stem cuttings in water is super simple.

• Take a stem cutting with at least a few sets of leaves. I like to take cuttings that are at least about 5 inches long.
• Remove one or two sets of leaves from the lower portion of the stem (the side where you made the cut).  
• Place the cutting in a small glass or jar with just enough water to cover the bottom part.   
• Keep it in bright, indirect light.  
• Change the water regularly to prevent algae from building up.
• Wait for roots to appear. Pot them up when the roots are at least one to two inches long.

Propagation in Soil

Another way to propagate is by rooting the cuttings in soil.     

• Take a stem cutting with at least a few sets of leaves. Remove the bottom leaves.  
• Dip the ends in rooting powder before planting. This powder speeds up the formation of roots and results in stronger, better-rooted plants. If you don’t have any, you can skip it. It might just take a little longer. 
• Plant the cutting in well-draining succulent soil, covering the part where you have removed the bottom leaves.  
• Place the cuttings in bright, indirect light and water sparingly until you see new growth. At that time, continue with regular care. 

You can plant the cuttings with the stems hanging down from the pot, or curled up on top of slightly moist soil. Make sure that the stems are touching the soil where the nodes are. Use paper clips or hairpins to keep the stems down if needed.

Propagating the Round Tubers

Healthy, mature Ceropegia woodii plants grow small, round balls along the stems and roots. These small balls are so-called tubers. When these aerial tubers come into contact with soil, they will form roots and eventually new stems.

Propagating from tubers is not the fastest way of propagation, but it is fun and easy to do.

• Make a cut just above the tuber, or carefully remove it from the stem.
• Place the tuber on slightly damp soil. Press down lightly to submerge the tuber halfway into the soil.
• In about 1 to 1.5 months, roots will grow and the tuber will start to produce new vines.

Propagating Butterfly Method

You can’t propagate your chain of hearts from just a single leaf, but you can take so-called butterfly leaf cuttings. The butterfly method of propagation produces lots of cuttings from just one stem and has a high rate of success.

• Cut a String of hearts vine in sections. Cut on either side of the leaf pairs, leaving about a quarter inch of vine stem on either side. (This makes the cuttings look like a butterfly)
• Place the butterfly cuttings on moist succulent soil. Keep the hearts face up.
• Cover the planter or container with plastic wrap or a clear ziplock bag to create a humid environment and encourage roots to grow.
• Keep the cuttings in bright, indirect light.
• To prevent mold growth, open the plastic every few days to let it air out for a few hours.
• Roots will start to grow in about two weeks and new vines will emerge from the cuttings.
• When new vines start to grow, remove the plastic and resume regular care.

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