String of Turtles Plant Care (Peperomia Prostrata)

The String of Turtles (Peperomia prostrata) is a semi-succulent plant with long trailing stems. Along the delicate stems grow pairs of small, round marbled leaves which look like little turtle shells.

The string of turtles is easy to care for, and perfect to grow as an indoor hanging plant or trailing down from the top of a plant shelf.

This plant guide has all the tips on watering, light, humidity, propagation, and more. 

Need a plant care refresher? Check out the Beginners Guide to Houseplant Care.

String of Turtles Plants

The Peperomia prostrata is native to the tropical rainforest of South America. There it grows as a creeping, trailing plant on the forest floor, on moist soil in high humidity. Under the canopy of the trees, it is used to receive dappled bright, indirect light, protected from direct sun.

Continue reading to get all the details on how to care for your turtle plant indoors.

Want to buy a String of Turtles plant? Find it for sale on Amazon! 

Light Requirements

Place your trailing Peperomia somewhere where it gets plenty of bright, indirect light.

Keep your plant out of too much direct light. Harsh sunlight can scorch the delicate leaves. Protect it from direct sun with a sheer curtain.

It can tolerate lower light situations. But semi-shade may cause the leaves to stay smaller and more pale. The stems may also grow leggy with more space between the leaves reaching for the light.

Watering

As mentioned before, the String of Turtles is a semi-succulent, meaning the fleshy leaves store water inside just like succulents do. At the same time, it is used to slightly moist rainforest soil.

Water your plant regularly to keep the soil slightly damp. The soil should feel like a well wrung-out sponge.   

If the soil feels moist, don’t water but wait one or two days and check again. If the soil is dry, go ahead and water thoroughly to saturate all of the soil. Then let the top layer of soil to dry out before watering again. 

You can also occasionally give it a good soak by watering from the bottom instead of the top.

Overwatering can lead to yellow leaves and root rot, while underwatering can cause the leaves to wilt, and dry out. The leaves should feel firm and look healthy.

If in doubt, don’t water yet. An underwatered plant is easier to revive than an overwatered plant. If you are uncertain, you can use a moisture meter to help you out with when to water. And read up on the basics of watering your indoor plants. 

Fertilizing

String of turtle plants generally don’t need a lot of fertilizer. You can fertilize to supplement poor soil or give your plant a boost during the growing season (spring/summer).

Fertilize once a month with diluted liquid fertilizer. Be sure the soil is damp before fertilizing to prevent burning the plant’s roots.

Newly bought or recently repotted plants don’t need fertilization for at least the first 4-6 months. The potting mix usually already has slow-release fertilizer in it.   

Also never fertilize if your plant is having problems. Fertilizer is not plant medicine. Analyze, adjust, and when your plant recovers, continue your normal care routine. 

Humidity

The string of turtles Peperomia can grow and adapt to average household humidity levels. However, it will grow better if you raise the humidity somewhat.

It is also a great choice as a ground cover in a closed terrarium. It will appreciate the high humidity inside.

Misting helps to temporarily up the humidity. A better option is to buy a small humidifier to place near your plant. 

Flowers

Mature indoor Peperomia prostrata plants can flower when their overall care and conditions are right. Don’t worry if your plant doesn’t grow flowers. Many indoor Peperomias don’t bloom. If they do, it is usually in spring or early summer.  

The flowers are not very showy. Long, upright growing stems, covered with tiny pale yellow flowers at the ends. 

The flowers are very similar to the flowers of other Peperomia plants like the Peperomia graveolens, Caperata, Argyreia, or Peperomia Obtusifolia.

You can remove the flower spikes when they are done flowering. Or let them naturally fall off as they finish blooming.

Soil and Repotting

Repot in spring in a pot one size up when roots have filled the pot, and or when you see roots growing from the bottom of the pot.  

Even if your plant still has room to grow, you want to refresh the soil every two to three years. The soil will have lost all its nutrients and needs to be replaced with fresh soil.  

Make sure the pot has drainage holes on the bottom. Without those, excess water has no way to get out and may drown the roots. 

Plant your string of turtles in well-draining soil. A good quality, all-purpose potting mixed with pumice or perlite to improve drainage will usually suffice for this plant.

Read More: How to repot your houseplants. 

How to Prune a String of Hearts Plant

With enough light, the string of turtles can grow fairly quickly and trail down a few feet long.

Our living room has very high ceilings and it can handle long hanging plants. But if your plant is getting too long for its space, you can trim and prune it back.

Trimming your string of turtles is easy. Simply cut back the stems to the desired length. Make your cut just below a node where a set of leaves grows.

Don’t discard the stem cuttings, propagate them back in the soil and create an instantly fuller parent plant! Or start a new plant by planting the cuttings in their own little pot.

String of Turtles Propagation

The easiest way to propagate large string of turtles plants is by division or by taking stem cuttings and rooting them in water or soil.  

Simply take a cutting with a few leaves. Remove the leaves from the lower part of the cuttings.

• To water propagate, place the cuttings in water and keep them in bright, indirect light. Change the water regularly and transplant to soil when roots have grown to about 1 – 2 inches. 
• To propagate in soil, plant the cuttings in a small pot with well-draining soil. Keep in bright, indirect light. Mist or water very sparingly until you see new growth. 

You can use rooting hormone powder on your cuttings to speed up the propagation process. Dip the bottom of the cuttings in water first, then dip them in rooting powder before you plant them. 

Propagation may be done at any time of year but is best done during the active growing period in spring or early summer, as in winter growth slows down. The warmer weather and longer daylight will help encourage new growth. 

Want to learn more about plant propagation? Read the complete guide explaining the 6 different ways to propagate all your plants. 

Love the String of Turtles plant? Check out the care guides for the String of Pearls and the String of Hearts plants, you will probably love those as well!

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