Do you want a beautiful succulent to improve your indoor aesthetic space? Do you want to grow a plant that showcases variegated foliage and beautiful flowers?
Then why don’t you go for a string of hearts plant?
Don’t know much about a string of hearts? Please visit the blog below and get the growing and caring guide of the string of hearts.
Plant Overview
The string of hearts Or scientifically named the ceropegia woodii is a trailing vine plant that got its name for the heart-shaped, variegated leaves. Being native to South Africa, the string of hearts is a part of the Apocynaceae family.
This plant is also popularly known by the common names of sweetheart vine, rosary vine, chain of hearts, and collar of hearts. Apart from eye-catchy heart-shaped leaves string of hearts also flowers, the stems of the plant showcase small magenta tubers in the spring and summer.
The String of Hearts is a sweet, exotic, and fantastic hanging pot plant that can be found in South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.
The dark green leaves with variegated silver markings and the cream, pink, and green shaded, heart-shaped, patterned leaves of this magnificent succulent have stolen the hearts of many collectors and compelled the garden to have this beauty in their garden.
This exotic succulent can attain a height of 2 to 3-inches tall and bears purple-toned stems which can reach up to 3 to 9 feet long. So while growing this plant, make sure to hang it somewhere high, so that you will be able to witness how breathtaking this succulent can be, especially when the string of hearts starts to cascade out from the pot like a waterfall.
How to grow string of hearts?
Grow string of hearts requires bright indirect light, out of direct sunshine to grow. Direct sunlight may scratch its leaves. Water your plant regularly in spring and summer, allowing the soil to completely dry out between waterings.
It is necessary to reduce watering your plant in winter, and never let your plant sit in water as the roots are prone to rot and kill the plant.
Being a houseplant, fertilize your plant with houseplant fertilizer once or twice a year, during the growing season. It is recommended to grow this succulent on a shelf or hanging pot so that the leaves of the plant can trail over the edges
How to care for string of hearts?
Light and Temperature
As we discussed earlier, the String of Hearts plant likes to grow in heat and bright light but is unable to tolerate direct sunlight.
So if you are planning to grow your succulent as an indoor houseplant, it is suggested to place it near the brightest window possible South or West facing windows impacts heavily and keep the temperature of the house up to 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and 60 degrees Fahrenheit during wintertime. If you are growing your plant outdoors, place your plant in a bright, shaded area.
If you are unsure whether your String of Hearts is getting all the light it requires, one easy way it tells is through its leaves. If you notice that the leaves of your plant are starting to become pale in color along with less marbling and at the same time it is becoming wider apart than it normally should, then it is better to transfer your plant to a brighter spot to supplement its lighting needs.
Apart from that, it is necessary to rotate the plant from time to time. It will ensure that all sides of your String of Hearts will get a balanced amount of filtered sunlight and that all sides will have an even color.
Water
Being a succulent, string of hearts is prone to root rot, especially when you left your plant sitting in wet soil for too long. However, root rot can be prevented by giving this succulent a good soak of water regularly once every week or whenever the top 2 to 3 inches of the soil is completely feels dried especially in its growing season, which may happen in Spring and Summer.
On the other hand, this succulent will go dormant, during autumn and winter. Therefore you can cut back watering to once every 3 to 4 weeks or when the soil of the pot dries out completely.
Another popular way to ensure whether your String of Hearts is getting the right amount of water or not for its needs to thrive and grow happy is by watering it from the bottom.
To check this, you can simply submerge 1/4th of the pot you are growing your plant in a container filled with water for about 10 minutes.
And remember to allow the water in the container to drain prior to putting the plant back in its place to avoid root rot.
Although String of Hearts is a succulent that grows well in drier regions that most plants can not tolerate as much, it is suggested to place your succulent where they can enjoy about 40 to 50% humidity.
Fertilizer
String of Hearts don’t require a lot of fertilizer. It only needs infrequent fertilizers and half-diluted fertilizers. So it is suggested to fed this succulent at most once a month during their active growth period which is May to August. They don’t require any kind of fertilizer during winter, their dormant period.
How to Propagate String of Hearts Plant?
If you want to grow an abundant string of hearts plants in your garden, the easiest method is through propagation. String of hearts can be easily propagated by following certain steps.
The steps to propagate your string of hearts from cuttings are as follows:
Trim your string of hearts under the nodule. After the plant starts flowering, you will notice certain bead-like aerial tubers grow on the vine. If these nodules touch the soil, they may take root. To propagate your plant, it is essential to trim off a vine that has a tuber attached.
Place the tuber that you trimmed in the soil. Place the cutting on top part of soil in a new pot. Allow this to rest on the surface of the soil.
Keep your soil moist not dried or soggy as discussed earlier.
The process of rooting may take about at least a month, so make sure to keep the soil of the plant moist during this growth period.
How to prune strings of hearts?
Your exotic succulent or String of Hearts may look fuller and bushier through pruning. Though this process isn’t really essential unless the stems of your succulent have become leggy and the leaves of the plant have started to lose their bright color.
Pruning String of Hearts is very simple and easy to do. All you need to do is to cut 1 or more vines from the mother string of hearts plant using a clean, sharp knife or a pair of scissors.
Make sure make a cut right under one of the nodes along with the stem take whatever length you want to take. Allow your plant to grow roots in water first before putting the cuttings back in the soil for an instant fuller String of Hearts.
Conclusion
As you read the article this far, you might have got the idea of how to grow and care for the string of hearts.
String of hearts is a beautiful succulent with variegated foliage and beautiful flowers during flowering days, that can surely adds beauty to your garden.
So grow a string of hearts in your indoor and add beauty to your indoor aesthetic attire.
You may also like to read
How to grow and care for Donkey’s tail succulent? – A detailed guide
