Why does this string of pearls never really grow or get larger? I let it dry before watering and it’s in well drained mix. It sits directly on a window sill with significant light and also catches some light from a nearby grow light. I have had it for 2+ years now and it grew from a single strand.
by davidricecake
10 Comments
I am a really solid experienced plant person and I literally cannot keep these alive. It just doesn’t look happy to me. I wish you luck! 🍀
Cactus soil in a pot with drainage, bright indirect light at least 6 hours a day, fertilize with succulent/cactus fert once a month 💕 I got mine in this condition and that’s how I brought it back. I’m in zone 6b so for now I have mine outside. Good luck!
Also don’t water her until the top inch of soil is dry! They don’t like to be soggy but like consistent moisture
Looks like a string of canned peas
String of peas haha
[edited to add:
Yours looks like it may need fertilizer. They need diluted fertilizer every few months or so, especially if you’re not changing the soil. You can do more often if you dilute it more, and definitely start off small at first if you haven’t been fertilizing the entire time you’ve had it. The discoloration can also be lack of nutrients if you haven’t been fertilizing]
Mine likes to dry out like a bone then get flooded, no joke I water mine probably once every month or two sometimes! 🥴
I would take the rocks out so the soil can breathe and wait until the pearls are beginning to wrinkle a bit, the “window” will close up to a line almost. Then water thoroughly
– For draining pots, I soak it through from above first then sit the pot in a bowl of water for 30 mins refilling as needed so it can draw up as much water as it wants, then set it out to drain/dry
– For non-draining pots (not recommended by anyone honestly, but I live in Colorado and we are extremely dry, so my plants are all indoors in bowls with no drainage bc otherwise they end up drying out before the plant can suck up any water – I have too many and I’m too lazy to soak them all in shifts overnight lol), I add in water about a third or so volume of the pot size into the pot, the soil will float up and that’s when I stop and let it absorb fully
This is attempt #8 for me with these guys, and she’s been alive for over a year now! All my others died within a month or two. When I originally got this one, it died down to about 10% of what it originally was and then I set it aside and kind of forgot about it and a couple months later the little rascal had grown! 😆 It is now back to almost a full pot 🎉 they can and should dry out completely, then unless they start to wrinkle and close windows before then, wait another couple of weeks at least just to be sure before watering them again 😅
From the color I’d say it’s actually getting too much direct sun! They should be a nice light green. I’d recommend moving it somewhere shadier for a few weeks and see how it responds
Check out r/stringofplants for more advice 🙂
the rocks may be holding too much moisture?They help drainage but also stay wet long enough to rot your fragile plant. Also is there drainage in that pretty pot? water with fish emulsion once every 2 weeks if you’re in a less humid place, every month if you’re in a US gulf state 🥵Good luck!
Mmm mushy peas
Needs bright light overtop and well draining soil! I tried my first shot with mine and I literally have a light directly over top of it at all times and it’s grown beautifully
https://preview.redd.it/ubm5z1j3negf1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c36befea134691848c07c94e38aae7d50d45c5b4