The string of pearls has been the houseplant inspiring those fun Halloween costumes made by plant addicts. The costumes are as cute as they are easy to make which is also true for the procurement and care of a string of pearls. You can almost certainly find a string of pearls here at the nursery any time of the year. If you don’t know by now, we are open all year long and we are lucky enough to have a greenhouse to fill with houseplants to get us through the gloomy winter months. While we have to taper down our houseplant offerings a bit in the summer to make room for outdoor annuals, the SOPs are an absolute staple for us year round.
Botanically the SOP used to be known as Senecio rowleyanus though now it has been changed to Curio rowleyanus. Which makes you wonder, why it was ever called string of pearls instead of string of peas! It certainly looks more like a string of peas than a pearl necklace. It also thankfully lands in the same affordability of the former rather than later! While string of peas has never stuck, String of Beads and Rosary Plant are the names you will find in the shops of South Africa where they grow naturally.
In the wild they grow in dry rocky areas cascading densely over rock walls. When kept as a houseplant you want to provide similar conditions for the roots. They are shallow rooters so a shallow pot is ideal. You want to use a well draining cactus/succulent mix as they are indeed succulents and susceptible to root rot if overwatered.
You can gauge your plant’s watering needs with a few different assessments. If your pot is heavy it is usually still sufficiently wet. If it is very light then it is nice and dry. You want your SOP to dry out completely between waterings but not stay dry for too long. If your pearls are wrinkly it is a good indicator that you may need to be watered more frequently. They are shriveling up because they are dehydrated. If they are mushy or seemingly bursting open then they are being over watered and will not tolerate that for long. Try to stick to a regular watering schedule somewhere around every 7-10 days. Depending on the temperature of your house and the time of year you will need to reassess and adjust. When in doubt, less is better than more when it comes to SOPs.
A nice sunny window is perfect for your SOP. They will be happier sitting or hanging near the window rather than right in it where they risk being sunburned. Let them trail as long as you like or give them a trim and propogate more! You can place a string in a shallow glass of filtered water and wait for roots to grow or throw a pearl directly on top of soil and wait for it to grow more strands.
