For propagation, I cut a bunch of the growing tips off, about 3-4" pieces, cut the bottom couple pearls off and start them in a shot glass of water, they'll start to grow roots after a week or so. I'll wait a few weeks and plant those. I plant them back in the same pot to thicken it up...Then I cut some more tips and start another batch.
You're the only person who addressed two of my burning questions about String of Pearls: why my pearls were turning dark (while still very plump) and whether the stickiness was normal (without any sign of pests). Thank you!
I watch a lot of plant RU-vid videos and I really enjoyed this one. It was very informative and covered all if the important topics of caring for a plant. I appreciated her presentation keeping on point and not all the personal rambling some videos have. Nice job!
Hi Annie, first video I watch from you and I love how you explain everything very clear. I have a question for you. I bought recently a string of pearls that is very full on the top. Is hard to see the top soil and it has several layers of strings on it. How would you reccommend watering? Does top water would rot the strings on top?
I've never had an issue with top watering even a very dense String of Pearls. The water eventually soaks in and as long as it's in a sunny spot with moderate airflow, the leaves dry and are no more likely to rot. That said, a lot of people like this method of bottom watering that's just as effective: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JM2CUMD3Uss.html
@@Amanda-fo2bc To some extent,. but gradual acclimation matters too. Move any succulent into direct sun suddenly and it can burn. Instead, gradually move it into brighter light over about 2 weeks.
I love my string of pearls and learned so much more about them watching your video. Thank you so much, Annie!! Keep these awesome videos coming, please! Now excuse me, I need to go re-pot my string of peas! :D
Annie, I loved this and learned so much. I wondered for years why there were sticky spots and combed the literature but alas no one dealt with this except where bugs were concerned, so thank you! I have had this plant for years and still don't feel I grow it well but appreciate your comments and will think of them as I struggle on.
I just love the way she smiles, just so vibrant. It makes the video more light and fun and happy. She looks so cheerful, and so amazing too. I really like her smile ❤️
She's like a super awesome Plant Mister Rogers, which is one of the highest compliments that I can give - Cheerful, soothing, positive, informational, doesn't make you feel stupid when you mess something up
I love all of your tutorials, long or short, I always come away knowing more than I did. Thank you for all of your efforts. They are very much appreciated. P.S.: I love your store. All of my little babies I get from you are awesome, so healthy and strong.❤
Thanks. bought a couple of 2 inchers and potted them together a few weeks ago. They are doing well so far but want to make sure I am doing the best so they can thrive. When I tried them years ago I wasn’t successful with them and glad the internet is available for great info now.
Just got one yesterday and pronounced it rollyanus and now you can't change my mind. I have started a wave in plant groups. The rollyanus plant name will prevail.
I found the most healthy string of pearl ever at Walmart today and was scared to get it because it was so large and I didn’t know much about proper care of it. After this, I’m definitely going back tomorrow and praying it’s still there 😭. This video was so helpful
I bought thrice. But failed in growing it. Now, again I have ordered one online. Just let me know if I prepare the soil at home, what all should I put for the mixture. And if I try stem propagating, should I water it after burying the stem in soil because when I did the same I ended up killing my plant. The stem use to rot.
Good questions! Check out our Soil video for the DIY recipe: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eMwEqoroz8M.html And no, you do not want to water freshly planted cuttings, as they are prone to rot. Leave them to dry for several days so the cut end can callus. Once the cut end feels dry, then you're good to water. Here's the video guide: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OY0JQ_WIFO0.html Good luck!
Thank you for this video! I just purchased this plant and needed to know how to care for it. (I also just discovered your company and can’t wait to order some plants from you!)
Hi, need advice. What do I do to increase the size of the pearls? My string of pearls get 4 to 6 hours of indirect bright light every day but the the pearls are small, about 3/16" in diameter. When I first got them from Mountain Crest about 3 years ago they were nice big 1/4" to 5/16". Now, if I increase the light, they bleach out and burn.
It's tough to say without knowing your growing conditions, but we have seen this happen when SoP is lacking in sun, water, and nutrients. A repot into fresh soil will give a nice gentle boost of nutrients and help the soil hold on to moisture a bit longer. Try gradually moving the plant closer to a sunny window to let it acclimate to more sun. With more abundant resources, it can grow larger pearls.
Thank you for the information on this plant. I just bought a dolphin plant but I’m wondering if you can combine string of pearls and dolphin plant together!
Yes you can! If you're a beginner or have struggles with either plant, it's always easier to care for one species per pot. BUT these two do play very well together in a container if you choose to plant them together.
I have a lot of roots/fingers stemming from each strand. Should I trim those off? I'd prefer single long strands. Not a strand with tons of strands stemming from it. I'm new to this plant. Thank you! 🥰
You sure can! Might take regular upkeep, but you can definitely prune branching stems. And anything you cut off can be laid back in the pot to try and re-root.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us all. Appreciate it. What I would like to know is if a string a pearls can thrive in water only? I would like to grow it as an indoor plant in a vase filled with water.
You know, people do this successfully for a couple weeks to get it to grow roots so that they can then plant it in soil. Couldn't tell you how long it can live in water alone, but it'd be a neat experiment!
(♡˙︶˙♡) Thanks so much. Your videos make me happy 😊 BTW you mentioned rubbing alcohol... When you were spraying the plant what were you using for pests and what ratio?
@@tracygallagher5702 Most is already diluted and will have a % on the front of the bottle. I often see it sold at 70% strength. Occasionally I'll use 70% straight from the bottle for thick leaved types like Haworthia, but usually I dilute 1:1 with water to take it down to 35% strength. Still seems plenty effective and I don't go through the bottle so fast.
It could be a shortage of nutrients (and light to a lesser degree). Come spring, I'd try a diluted fertilizer or transplant into fresh soil. Bump up the light exposure a bit (if possible) and you should be able to encourage bigger foliar growth. Good luck!
I’m still unsure how long to wait to repot my string of Pearls I received from MC? Do I need to change the soil and put it in a bigger pot or back in the nursery pot it was shipped in. Or do I need to just leave it alone for now? I’ve had it a couple of weeks now and it seems ok still.
I would recommend re-potting in a fresh pot with cactus & succulent soil as soon as you have a chance. The pot likely doesn't need to be much bigger than the one you got it in, you just want enough depth for the roots to extend straight down. As clean as we keep our greenhouses, re-potting any plant you buy from any nursery is a good hygienic practice to keep your plants healthy.
Mine has gone bad in like 1 week. The soil was still moist but when i looked at the pearls there were dark green and sfot, like rotten fruit....any idea of what happend?!
It can grow happily both hanging or not, and in plastic or clay, as long as you're watering properly. A hanging pot is great though for showing off its trailing stems!
This is a great video for string of pearls. I've been struggling to keep mine alive since I kept it outdoors and it got much too hot and humid. For the alcohol spray for mealy bugs, is that at 100% or do you dilute it? If you dilute, what is the ratio? Thanks for posting this tutorial. 8^)
That's so great to hear, thank you so much! Isopropyl alcohol is sold in different strength solutions. We tend to see it sold most commonly in a 75% solution. For String of Pearls, I like to dilute this with an equal volume of water, which makes it a 35% solution.
You could, but I would actually recommend a more organic-rich succulent soil, since it likes more water than most succulents. It'll save you from having to water really frequently.
Wow thank you so much! I really enjoyed this video! I love that you taught from a place of experience and not just look up care tips and then relayed them. I have a string of pearls that I bought online about six months ago and it doesn’t seem to have any aerial roots it’s just healthy long strands so I’m definitely going to try to prune and then maybe do the spiral propagating or re-planting like you showed. Thanks again I’m excited to have found a channel that shares information like this. Keep it up! 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗❤️❤️❤️🤓🤓🤓
Long strands for the win! That's a good sign that you've figured this tricky one out. So glad you're loving our videos and all the best with your propagation journey! Annie
Such a great and informative video! I ordered 2 small cuttings of a string of tears plant that arrived a few days ago and I've just left them in a small cup of water. Is this okay to do or is it better for them to go straight into soil?
Annie, My guess, I think the sticky substance on the string of pearls is a sap, an indicator that your plant is healthy? My orchids, especially Phalaenopsis, oozes a clear sugary sap when she's healthy and happy. Let me know what you think. Could that be the case with the pearls?
It's often sold at 70% dilution, and I regularly use it straight out of the bottle at that strength. If I'm working with a particularly thin-leaved succulent, though, I like to dilute it by half with water, bringing it down to 35% dilution.
I can't wait to place an order in the spring to support you! SOPs are one of my favorites and it's so cringy when people are sharing incorrect information about plants. Keep it up! :)
Thank you so much, Alycia, that really means a lot! There's so much to learn (and so much misinformation) that succulents have really taught me to say "I don't know" unless I'm totally certain.
We grow succulents in far Northern California, but we're exclusively an online nursery and ship everywhere in the US. You can find us at MountainCrestGardens.com
Comprehensive content, mine looks too soft and dries at the top, I think the soil it came with isn't cactus mix. Need to repot, can you address that in your video too, thanks
Great question! You want to wait a couple days to water, so that the cut ends can dry and callus. After that, water 2-4 times a week to keep the soil moist but not soggy. After 4-6 weeks, a gentle tug will tell you if deep roots have established. Once they have, you can reduce your frequency and only water when the soil is dry and the leaves just start to wrinkle.
You could, but you'd have to water far too frequently for my taste. For "thirsty" succulents with thin leaves or stems, I prefer a succulent & cactus mix with a bit more organic matter to store water. I do still use Bonsai Jack as a top dressing, though, to prevent fungus gnats.
Thanks for all your advices. This plant looks really good but till I see your video I never challenge to grow one because I was afraid to be not able to keep it alive. For sure, I’ll try it soon because now I’m more confident, thanks to you. (Sorry for my English if I made mistake) Alex 🇫🇷 from Japan 🇯🇵
Thank you so much, Alex. That's exactly why we make these videos and it's so nice to hear. Good luck with your String of Pearls, you got this! And your English is great, by the way!
This video was very helpful, thank you for being so thorough. I work at a garden center and customers ask me about string of pearls care all the time… unfortunately I have not quite mastered this plant myself 😅 (I successfully grow string of bananas, but I still find the pearls to be a little tricky) I might even just recommend customers check out this video. Thanks!
Aw thanks for your kind words! And it baffles me too. I have running theory that people can be great at growing most types of succulents OR great at growing String of Pearls, but rarely both. I'm in the first group 😅 Annie
Hi there. I just read the grow light blog of yours and I am in need of some help still. I currently have a bunch of plants in a bay window that doesn’t really get good lighting. In fact none of the windows in my house really give off good light. The window is about 3 1/2 to 4 feet from the sill to the top and I am wondering what kind of light would work from a distance if I were to get LED strip lights or something like that. I saw some on Amazon but people were saying that they have to be very close to the plants like 6 inches above them or something like that. I think it would be easier if I could show you a picture of my set up so you could have a better idea. On your website is there a way to send you an email or something like that?
Sadly yes. LED grow lights just won't work from 3.5 feet away. To use strip lights, you would need something like a set of window shelves with a strip or two fixed underneath each shelf. Or you could go for a hanging grow light like SolTech's Aspect. Or third, add an LED grow light bulb to a clamp lamp that can be positioned close by. Whichever way, the lights really need to be 6"-12" from your plant for them to make a difference. Good luck!
I live in a very hot and dry climate. I’m wondering if I would do better to put my SOP outside under a tree or somewhere shady? Does anyone know what kind of maximum temps it can stand? We get some blistering days, 40º all summer with the occasional 45º and this summer we had the hottest day ever when it reached 50º! I know that I have to bring my jade plants inside-anything above 40º will literally cook them from the inside, but other succulents like Portulacaria afra seem to love the heat. My SOP is currently inside and it’s not a happy plant
We'd recommend bringing your String of Pearls indoors when you bring the jade plants inside. When temperatures are milder, you can move it back outdoors to partial sun.
I got a SOP in a subscription shipment today and had no idea what to do with it. Your video was awesome and answered all the questions I have at the moment. I'm sure others will be forthcoming 🙂 Thanks you so much!
Thank you! A bit of screen works well. I found a roll of screen repair tape online that I use. You have to rub off a bit of adhesive to open a hole, but then the tape sticks nicely inside the bottom of the pot.
Thank you for all the information. I just got my first one and absolutely love it. I have a question about propagation. After cutting a string from the mother plant, does the cut end of the mother plant sprout new growth?
Yes and no. I can't say I've noticed a specific cut stem re-grow meristem tissue, BUT there's so much branching and re-growth throughout the mother plant that it works out to the same thing. So in practice, yes, the mother plant grows back.
