String-of-Pearls — All About Watering Them, or Not
By: Katie Michaelson
Tags: Watering Plants, Houseplants, Sustainability, String Of Pearls Plant, Gardening

When I moved into my first apartment, my foster mother gave me 10 plants. They all died. That was 63 years ago, but I still remember the feelings of failure and frustration their death triggered. I’d killed the plants and let my foster mother down.

When I told her I’d killed them, she brought me two new plants and said she’d bring more when I kept those alive. One of the two was senecio rowleyanus, which she called the string-of-pearls.

The string-of-pearls was the first houseplant I kept alive and of all my plants, I’m asked for starts of her more than any other. When giving plants away, I give some care instructions which include how to water.

One of my collection of moses-in-the-basket plants and a string-of-pearls. Photo by Katie Michaelson.

Sometimes, I still kill plants. But when I do, I know why. Like the one I put in a room I seldom use and forgot about it.

Here is a picture of my string-of-pearls plant — the oldest one.

Photo by Katie Michaelson

The plant in the above photo lives in a south-facing window in my laundry room. From her, I make baby plants for myself and as gifts.

What my string-of-pearl has taught me about watering her.

She does not like to be watered very often. She likes the soil to be completely dry before she’s given a drink. And when she drinks, she drinks a lot! Can you believe a friend told me plants weren’t people? The nerve.

You’ll read that you should stick your fingers in the soil two inches. That will get your fingers dirty and I don’t think this plant likes it. Her roots are delicate and close to the surface. When you stick a finger in, you just feel roots.

Things to know about watering her:

Let your plant dry out completely before watering. Get your finger dirty if it helps at first. The roots damaged will re-root. It’s better to wait too long. Watch the pearls. If they are shriveling the plant is too dry so next time don’t wait so long. Don’t worry, she will bounce back. Examine the beads at the end of the string. Are they shiny? Compare them to the beads at the soil line. Those at the soil line should be duller than those at the end of the string because they are older. If you look at my cover photo, you can see what I mean. The dullness is best seen in the middle pot. Water very well. Be sure the soil is saturated. No one can tell you exactly when to water because there are too many variables like the type of soil, the kind of pot, and the temperature and humidity of the room. You will learn, and this plant is forgiving.

How I water my large string-of-pearls.

In the photo below, you’ll see a dollar store bowl under a hanging plant. Ignore the fly swatter. It makes me guilty just to look at it. I was thinking about what I wanted to show you, not staging the photo. I’ll learn.

Photo by Katie Michaelson

I pour water on the top of the plant, about 3/4 cup at first, and let it soak into the soil. I just use tap water.

This plant is in my laundry room so I usually do laundry when I water, so I put a load of clothes in the washing machine after I give her her first drink. After I get the load in, I finish watering her.

At this point I water slowly until water drips into the watering bowl. This gives a deep watering. If I just water until the water dripped without the pre-soak, it would not be enough water as dry soil does not soak up water — it runs through.

Watering an overly dried out plant.

If the pearls are shriveled, the plant is far too dry. This happens to my plant if I’m away from home or just crazy busy. Don’t be hard on yourself if this happens. Learning to tend plants is a process and no matter how much you learn, stuff happens. Remember, I killed all my first plants!

A shriveled plant needs time to rehydrate. Just like you would.

To rehydrate a plant, I put the watering bowl on a flat surface and put the plant in the bowl. Then I water liberally, totally soaking it and being sure water remains in the bottom of the bowl. I let the plant sit in the bowl for a few hours. Then I hang it back up.

They need no more special attention.

How I water a small string-of-pearls sitting in a water saucer.

In the photo below, you see a plant with a saucer under the pot. This is a great thing to do with all your plants, as quick watering is easy.

Give the plant a little water to pre-wet the soil. This is a good time to enjoy your plant or check on her needs. Or, be thankful she lives.

I have lots of plants so I go around giving a little drink to all of them in a given area of the room. Then I go back to the first plant and finish watering.

Don’t let the plant sit in water. If you’ve watered slowly enough, there will only be a little, say one tablespoon in the tray. That’s okay and you can leave it. If you’ve rushed, there will be too much water. It’s okay, I rush sometimes. But if you rush, you’ll need to empty the water into the sink.

Photo by Katie Michaelson

How I water plants in a shallow saucer pot.

I love cute containers. The photo below shows plants I potted this year in some quaint antique pots. Sweet, aren’t they?

Photo by Katie Michaelson

These have a drainage saucer built-in but they're not going to catch much water. The trick with these is to water slowly. More slowly than with a plant in a larger water saucer.

Rather than one big pre-soak I give multiple tiny sips. This gives the soil time to soak up the water but prevents water dripping all over.

I take those in the photo off the window to the counter below. I give them a bit of water. I go get a cup of tea. I go back and give them a bit more water. If there is no water in the little saucer, I give them a bit more.

That sounds like a lot, but it isn’t, really. You could stick the pot in a bowl and water like crazy, dump out extra water, and dry the pot off.

How I water pots with no drainage.

The plant in the photo below is potted in an antique brass pot. It has no drainage. She has been in that pot for five years and I’ve trimmed her twice each year. So she’s fine.

When potting string-of-pearls in a container with no drainage you just have to be extra careful not to put in too much water. Be sure the soil is very dry.

If not using as a hanging plant in a special container, I put a layer of rocks in the pot's bottom to allow for extra water. This works well because the roots are so shallow they will not reach down into the soil.

How to water in a clay pot.

I don’t have a photo of one in a clay pot. A short clay pot is the best type of pot to use, so say the experts. I love clay pots but they are too heavy if hanging and too large if putting on a multilayer shelf.

To water a string-of-pearls in a clay pot, I put it in a bowl of water until it’s saturated.

One advantage of a clay pot is you can feel by the outside how dry it is. So you may want to start with one. All my first plants were in clay pots.

How to tell if you over-watered her.

In writing this, I noticed one photo looks exactly like over-watering. Notice the yellow beads? This is what an over-watered plant looks like.

Bad me, I just checked and you’re in luck. I clearly over-watered that plant. It is only minor over-watering, so I just need to be sure she dries out extra well. Most of the pearls are healthy, so I know there is no root rot. She’s just a little drunk.

It’s not the end of the world if you over-water once. However, if your plant shows signs of root rot, you need to address the problem. Wish I had a photo for ya, but your plant would clearly look sick.

This plant is so easy to root that if your plant looks weak, yellowed, stringy or has a high temp — sorry. My friend’s right, plants aren’t really people, they don’t get temperatures. But they do get sick and there are three options.

Pour hydrogen peroxide 3% on the soil. It will kill any bacteria causing root rot, and it turns into water. Easy peasy. Pick off all the good-looking pearls and put in new potting soil. Sprinkle some soil over the top and water. It will root itself in about two weeks, depending on the temperature. If there are any long strands that are green, cut them off and stick into new soil about 2 inches deep.

I consider the string-of-pearls to be a good starting plant for beginners because it’s undemanding and if you do make a mistake, you can just start a new one.

It’s been 63 years since I killed my first string-of-pearls but I still remember the feelings of failure and frustration. My second one lived and I’m still growing and finding pleasure in them.

The delicate strings flowing from the pot add beauty to complement any room.