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How to Grow and Care for String of Pearls Plant

The String of Pearls plant (Senecio rowleyanus) is an easy-to-care-for trailing house plant. It grows long, cascading strands of small, round leaves that resemble a string of pearls, making it a charming addition to your home.

To care for your string of pearls, provide bright, indirect light, and let the soil dry out between watering. Ensure proper drainage to prevent root rot. Propagation is simple and pruning can encourage branching and a bushier appearance.

Related reading: String of pearls propagationCommon care problemsBeginners guide to indoor succulents.

Photo collage of string of indoor pearls plants. Text on image: String of pearls plant care guide. modandmint.com.

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String of Pearls

The String of Pearls is native to dry areas of South Africa, where it grows trailing on the ground, forming a dense ground cover of pearls. It often grows under bushes or between rocks.

Related reading: The best houseplants for beginners.

Light Requirements

Give your String of Pearls a few hours of direct morning sun, followed by bright, indirect light for the rest of the day.

Dry brown spots on the pearls indicate sunburn. Move your plant away from the window a bit if this happens.

Tall string of pearls succulent with long trailing stems. Gold planter pot on black metal wire plant stand.

Leggy String of Pearls

Your String of Pearls plant can start to grow leggy if it isn’t getting enough light. There will be more space between each pearl.

You can prune the leggy stems off. The parent plant will branch out where you made the cut, making your string of pearls plant grow back fuller.

Move your string of pearls to where it gets more light to stop it from growing leggy again. If this is not possible, consider getting a grow light.

Watering

String of pearls plants are very drought-resistant. Like most succulents, they store water in their leaves.

Allow the soil to dry out completely between waterings. Be generous and soak the soil when you water. Let it dry out before watering again. 

The most common problem is overwatering. Soggy soil can lead to root rot. If you notice your pearls turning soft and mushy, slow down your watering frequency.

When to Repot a String of Pearls Plant

Repot in fast-draining succulent potting mix when your plant has outgrown the pot, or the roots are rootbound (all circled and tangled up) or roots grow out of the drainage holes on the bottom.

Repot into a clean container, one size up. Be gentle with all the strings. Try not to get them in a big knotted mess.

Strings of pearls have shallow root systems. So they don’t need to be planted in a very deep pot. Do make sure the pot has drainage holes on the bottom. Otherwise, excess water will be trapped and cause all sorts of root rot problems for your plant.

Refresh the soil every two to three years, even if your plant still has room to grow. The soil will have lost all of its nutrients and should be replaced with fresh soil. You can repot your plant back into the same size pot.

Read more: How and when to repot your plants.

How to propagate String of pearls aka senecio rowleyanus. modandmint.com.

How to Propagate a String of Pearls Plant

The simplest way to propagate a string of pearls is by rooting stem cuttings in water or in soil.

To root your cuttings in water, place them in a small bottle with just enough water to cover the bottom part of the cuttings. Keep the pearls out of the water. Refresh water regularly. Transfer the cuttings to soil when roots have grown.

You can also take your cuttings and lay them on the soil without growing roots in water first. The cuttings will grow roots along the stem, so make sure parts of the stem are touching the soil.

Further reading: String of pearls propagation tips.

Photos of hanging string of pearls plant and string of pearls rotated inside small pot. Text on image: What you need to know to care for and propagate a String of Pearls plant

Get fixes to mushy pearls, yellow pearls, sticky sting of pearls (could be perfectly normal!), dry spots on the pearls, and other string of pearls care problems!

Closeup of hanging string of pearls plant. Text on image: how to care for a string of pearls plant

Can a String of Pearls Grow Flowers?

Yes, it can. If your String of Pearls doesn’t bloom, no worries. It is very common for indoor String of Pearls to not flower.

Look for very small white flowers that smell a bit like cinnamon.

Is the String of Pearls Plants Toxic to Cats?

Yes, the String of Pearls succulent is considered slightly toxic if ingested. It can cause drooling, diarrhea, vomiting, or lethargy.

Although it is uncommon for pets to get seriously hurt from eating plants, keep this one out of reach of children and pets.

Further reading: Identify Toxic Plants in Your Home.

Photo of hanging String of Pearls plant. Text on image: How to care for a String of Pearls plant aka Senecio rowleyanus

Love String of Pearls plants? Check out the care guides for the String of Turtles and the String of Hearts plants as well!

Want more round leaves? Check out this list of stunning round leaf plants

Charlotte

Tuesday 11th of May 2021

My pearls have black specs on the hanging part of the basket, I sprayed it with a light soapy solution but it doesn’t seem to help

Mod and Mint

Tuesday 15th of June 2021

Hi Charlotte, how is your string of pearls doing? Has it recovered? Are you sure it was a pest infestation since you tried to treat it with a soapy solution? Black spots can also be because of too much water or too much direct sun. The pearls can get sunburn spots. So maybe it's just a matter of less water or moving it away from the window a bit.

Sushila

Thursday 25th of February 2021

Hi. Thank you for the guide with succulents. I love it. I've tried to propagate some. I want to put in a glass container. Thank you take care lots of love from South Africa.

Jennie

Monday 2nd of November 2020

My SOP and VSOP both have been for 2 years under grow lights (about 12inches distance so it's not too bright) but they've always had small beads, never the big fat ones always seen in pictures. Any advice?

Mod and Mint

Monday 9th of November 2020

Hi Jennie, I don't know what your size reference is for the beads on your string of pearls. They are not supposed to be very large. More like a pea than a marble, if that makes sense. I once saw one in a plant store that had larger beads, but that plant was so overwatered the beads just looked like they were about to burst. So if your beads are not super tiny, I don't think there is anything wrong with your plants. And PS a variegated string of pearls plant is still on my wish list!

Marg

Friday 2nd of October 2020

Marg! My SOP was growing nicely, now the strings on top the soil attached to a pearl look dead, the pearls since depleted☹️. There are maybe three small pearls left, is there anyway to revive what is left? When I tried to take what is left away they broke off the dried up string? Help?

Mod and Mint

Tuesday 6th of October 2020

Hi Marg, are there any pearls left still attached to a piece of healthy stem? If so, remove that part from the plant asap and put it in water to root. It will take a while before one string grows back into a full plant, but it can be done. Hope you get to save your String of Pearls!

Kim

Friday 21st of August 2020

All of a sudden, the tips of my String of Pearls, a gifted start from a friend's plant, have turned black and shriveled. Its been growing healthily up until now. The rest of the plants looks wonderful. What should I do?

Mod and Mint

Tuesday 1st of September 2020

Hi Kim, You say the tips turn black and shrivel, do you mean the ends of the strings or the part closest to the soil? Because it sounds like an overwatering problem, but that usually starts at the soil level. If it is on the ends of the strings, and the problem is spreading, I would start with removing the affected parts and check the soil. Let me know how your plant is doing now.