Strings of Pearls – this is the one plant that blooms when kept indoors and outdoors. This cascading succulent will add up the right amount of quirk to the room, especially when taken care of. If you are looking for a beautiful and elegant succulent to grow, then strings of pearls are the perfect one for you.
Just as the name, this plant with round, pearl-like leaves can either be grown in a pot or be hung in a hanging basket. Originating from Southwest Africa, the string of pearl succulents are flowering plants that bloom beautifully when adequately taken care of.
Although these plants last from spring to autumn and are perfect for warm to humid weather conditions, they still need some specific care, and one should know how often to water string of pearls so that it can stay alive and beautiful for years and years.
String Of Pearls Care
The string of pearl succulent is one plant that can grow beautifully both indoors and outdoors if taken proper care of. Therefore, how to take care of strings of pearls becomes an important question. As much as it’s true that string of pearl is a wonderful choice, it is also true that it is a delicate plant, which must be looked after carefully.
When talking about strings of pearls care, we must know how and where to place this plant. For your information, this plant blooms beautifully indoors as this plant needs a dry and warm environment. But, it can also be kept outside. The only point to remember is to keep it in a shade if you are opting for outdoors.
Here are some important factors to consider if you wish to know how to take care of strings of pearls?
- Temperature: The strings of pearls need an average temperature of 70° – 80° degrees Fahrenheit to grow and blossom. If you decide on keeping them indoors, make sure you do not keep them in areas with an air conditioner, as the leaves will simply droop. Also, people living in cold areas should not keep this plant outdoors as it cannot tolerate the cold weather.
- Pot: People who decide to grow a string of pearl succulent mostly choose a ceramic or terracotta pot, as this plant needs a well-drained pot to grow. Choosing the size of the pot wisely becomes another great factor if you wish that your plant should grow well. Another important thing is to make sure the crowns of the pearls stay at the same level with the top of the pot or at most 0.5 – 1 inch lower than the top; otherwise, the aeration will decrease, together with wet soil, the crowns and stems of the plant will get rot easier.
- Soil: The strings of pearls can be easily grown in any sort of succulent potting soil. However, most people still prefer sandy soil.
- Fertilizer: This is one plant that does not need a lot of fertilizer. Putting too much fertilizer in the plant can even kill it. Putting in some fertilizer every 2-4 weeks is the best for this type of succulent. This, too, is only during the growth time. In winters, we would suggest you not put any fertilizer at all, as this can weaken the plant more than strengthen it.
- Humidity: It is a known fact that plants need an ample amount of humidity to survive. However, a lot of humidity will stop its growth and even kill it. Therefore, this plant blooms perfectly well in dry areas, where there is a moderate amount of humidity. If asked in percentage, I would say that this needs a setting with a 40% humidity level.
- Light: This is one of the most important factors to consider, as a string of pearl succulent needs about 6-8 hours of bright but indirect light in a day. If keeping outdoors, make sure to keep it in a shaded spot where the plant is not getting direct sunlight. When keeping indoors, you must remember that the plant will need strong natural light.
When talking about the care of string of pearl succulent, it is also important to know how often to water string of pearls, as this is the most important factor when we talk about the string of pearls care.
How Often To Water Strings Of Pearls?
When talking about how to care for strings of pearls, it is super vital to know when to water strings of pearls. The string of pearls care hugely depends on how frequently you water them. It is important to know that these plants are super sensitive to overwatering. Therefore, we must make sure that you give them enough water, but it just shouldn’t be too much.
Therefore, how often to water string of pearls can be answered in one simple way. Always water your succulent once every two weeks. And make sure that you never ever overwater your plant. It is vital that your plant completely dries out before you decide upon watering it again. Even need be, even get your finger dirty and see for yourself if the soil is dry and needs watering again.
However, the water requirements of this plant differ if they are placed indoors, outdoor, in a moist atmosphere, or in colder ones. In all such cases, always make sure that your string of pearl succulent soil dries out before you decide upon watering it again. Nonetheless, that is one of the reasons why strings of pearls bloom and blossoms in dry weather since they are susceptible to overwatering and over moisturization.
Therefore, when to water string of pearls depends wholly and solely on if the soil is dry or not. The time it might take for the soil to dry up might depend hugely on certain factors, like:
- The humidity and the temperature as to where you are keeping your plant.
- The rate of soil drainage.
- Whether you are keeping it indoors, outdoors, and the kind of position that you have chosen for the plant.
- The size of the pot or the planter.
It is best to set a watering frequency for this plant. For example, if you live at a place that is dry and the temperature is moderate, and you have decided to keep this plant indoors, then your watering cycle could be every 2 weeks. However, even if still after 2 weeks, the soil of the plant seems wet enough, you can still skip for 1 or more days. At the same time, if your plant’s soil dries up before 2 weeks, or whichever watering frequency that you have set, then make sure to water it because the soil is now dry, which indicates that your plant is now in need of some watering. Therefore, it becomes crucial to know how to take care of string of pearls.
If you live at a place that has a peak of summer, you might notice that your plant might go into a state of dormancy in summer to cope with drought and high temperatures. This plant is more likely to rot in summers if overwatered; therefore, water your spring of pearl succulent once every 3 weeks and then set the frequency as per the dryness of the soil.
The string of pearls gives indications whenever they are drying up or they are in serious need of watering. You will notice that these plants will start to shrivel when dehydrated, so if your plant remains green and is still wilting, then you know it’s time to water them.
These plants also give out signals and tell you if you are watering too often. This is how you get to know how often to water a string of pearls. The thumb rule of when to water string of pearls is to water them whenever the soil is dry, or once in 10-15 days. However, if you water them more than the required frequency, you must know in these cases, your pearls will turn yellow or translucent to indicate overwatering. A well-watered string of pearl succulent should be healthy, green with firm and bright pearls. This is how you get to know that you are watering your plant well.
Correct Method For Watering String Of Pearls
Like all other things, there is a correct and an incorrect method to water the string of pearls. At the same time, there is no denying that the climate hugely influences when watering string of pearls. But, the string of pearls care involves watering the plant in moderate frequencies. Make sure to always water your plant generously, whenever you do. Because if you water lightly, only the top inch of the soil will receive water, and it will not go down till the base. Therefore, it will not be sufficient for the plant. Watering generously and then allowing the soil to dry up before you water next is actually the best way you can keep your plant healthy and blooming.
Another important thing about watering is that always water at the base of the plant. Watering on the top of the overhead will increase the humidity and decrease the transpiration from the leaves, which is something you definitely do not want.
Always make sure to water your string of pearls in the morning. This is because the stomata of the succulents close up at night, which limits the water supply, and hence, watering would be of no use.
How to care for string of pearls is crucial, as one should know that watering frequency should be reduced during summers. While we might think that a plant might need more water during summers, it’s quite contrary to that with this plant. While summers being the hottest months, the plant conserves water in a time of drought; therefore, it requires much less watering in summers.
If you are watering generously but infrequently, you are also stopping the plant’s growth and putting the plant at the risk of root rot. Therefore, always make sure to moderately water the plants.
Another great tip to keep your plant healthy, which is related to how to take care of String of Pearls, is that always plant your string of pearl succulents in pots that have drainage holes. This will allow excess water to seep through the hole and save your plant from root rot.
Conclusion
How often to water string of pearls becomes a super important question for all plant lovers as now we know how overwatering can be poisonous for this plant. Therefore, one must make sure to give this plant ample sunlight, air, and water. But when it comes to when to water string of pearls, always make sure that you water only when the sand or the soil is dry. That is when your string of pearl succulent is actually asking for water.