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The short answer: string of pearls (Curio rowleyanus, formerly Senecio rowleyanus) needs bright, indirect light, a gritty, fast-draining succulent mix, and watering only when the soil is completely dry — about every two weeks in summer, less in winter. It is a trailing succulent whose bead-like leaves store water, so it is drought-tolerant and rots fast if overwatered. Get the light and the soak-and-dry watering right and it cascades beautifully; get watering wrong and it collapses quickly.
String of pearls is loved for its curtain of tiny green spheres and dreaded for being fussy — but almost all its troubles come down to overwatering and dense soil. Treat it as the desert succulent it is and it becomes far more forgiving. Our guidance reflects grower consensus, not first-hand testing; see how we rank. Note it is mildly toxic to pets, covered below.
Light for string of pearls
String of pearls wants bright, indirect light — several hours a day of brightness with the harshest midday sun filtered. Near a bright window with morning sun and softer afternoon light is close to ideal. The signs tell you if it is wrong:
- Too little light: leggy strands with widely spaced pearls, a thin and stretched look, slow growth.
- Too much direct sun: scorched, shriveled or browning beads.
Insufficient light is a leading reason the plant looks sparse and unhappy, so lean brighter. If your home is dim, a grow light keeps it full — see our grow light picks and how much light houseplants need.
Watering — soak and dry
The pearls are water-storage organs, which is why this plant tolerates drought and drowns easily. Use the soak-and-dry method:
- Wait until the soil is completely dry.
- Water thoroughly until it runs from the drainage holes.
- Empty the saucer — never let it sit in water.
- Wait again until fully dry before the next watering.
In practice this is roughly every two weeks in the growing season and less in winter, but always confirm with the soil rather than a calendar. When unsure, wait. Overwatering is by far the most common cause of death. Our guide to watering a jade plant covers the same soak-and-dry logic that applies to all succulents.
Shriveling vs rot: the crucial distinction
The trickiest part of string of pearls is that underwatering and overwatering can look the same — both cause shriveled, deflated pearls. The difference is in the soil and roots:
| Clue | Underwatering | Overwatering / rot |
|---|---|---|
| Soil | Bone dry | Wet or soggy |
| Pearls | Shriveled but firm-ish | Mushy, translucent, bursting |
| Stems at base | Fine | Soft, brown, rotting |
| Fix | Soak thoroughly | Stop watering; cut healthy cuttings; repot |
Always check the soil before responding: dry soil plus shriveled pearls means water; wet soil plus shriveled pearls means rot, and watering more will finish it off. Our guide to saving an overwatered plant covers recovery.
Soil and pot for string of pearls
String of pearls has shallow, fine roots that must never stay wet, so drainage is everything:
- Gritty succulent or cactus mix, or standard mix cut heavily with perlite or pumice. See what potting mix for succulents.
- A pot with drainage holes. A shallow pot suits the shallow roots and dries faster; terracotta helps by wicking moisture.
- Not too large. An oversized pot holds a reservoir of wet soil the shallow roots cannot use.
Temperature and humidity
Keep string of pearls in normal warm room conditions, 70 to 80 F in the growing season, and protect it from cold below about 50 F. Like other succulents it wants dry air, so skip misting and humidity gear entirely — extra moisture on the beads invites rot. It appreciates a slightly cooler, drier rest in winter, around 55 to 60 F, which can encourage its small, fragrant white flowers.
Keeping it full and refilling bald spots
String of pearls often thrives at the trailing ends while going sparse or bald near the crown as lower stems age. To keep the pot lush:
- Take healthy trailing cuttings a few inches long.
- Coil them on top of the soil in the bare areas, pressing the nodes lightly into contact with the mix.
- Keep the surface barely moist until they root, then resume soak-and-dry.
The pearls root readily wherever a node touches soil, so this is the standard way to rejuvenate a thinning plant and it doubles as propagation. Just make sure any base rot is dealt with first, or new cuttings will rot too.
Feeding string of pearls
String of pearls is a light feeder. A diluted succulent or balanced fertilizer once or twice during spring and summer is ample; do not feed in fall or winter. Over-fertilizing burns the fine roots and does more harm than good. Our indoor plant fertilizer picks cover suitable dilute options.
Common string of pearls problems at a glance
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Shriveled pearls, dry soil | Underwatering | Soak thoroughly |
| Mushy pearls, wet soil | Overwatering / root rot | Stop watering; take healthy cuttings; repot |
| Leggy strands, spaced-out pearls | Too little light | Move to brighter indirect light |
| Scorched, browning beads | Direct sun or heat | Filter the harshest sun |
| Bald, sparse crown | Aging lower stems | Coil fresh cuttings on top to refill |
| Bursting, split pearls | Sudden overwatering after drought | Return to a steady soak-and-dry rhythm |
The two failures that account for nearly every dead string of pearls are overwatering and dense, water-holding soil. Fix those two things — a gritty mix and disciplined soak-and-dry watering — and most of the other problems resolve on their own. If your plant is struggling, always diagnose the soil moisture before you change anything else, because the same shriveled look points to opposite causes depending on whether the mix is bone dry or soggy.
Propagation is easy
String of pearls is one of the simplest succulents to multiply, which is handy because refreshing a thinning plant and making new ones are the same task. Take a healthy strand a few inches long, lay it on top of moist gritty mix so several nodes (the points where pearls attach) contact the soil, and roots form at those contact points within a couple of weeks. You can also stand cuttings upright with the cut end in the mix. Keep the surface barely moist until rooted, then switch to normal soak-and-dry care. Because each node can root, a single long strand becomes many plants, and coiling cuttings back into the parent pot is the standard way to keep a mature plant looking full rather than bald at the crown.
Toxicity
String of pearls is mildly to moderately toxic to cats, dogs and people if eaten. Chewing the beads can cause vomiting, drooling, stomach upset and diarrhea, and the sap can irritate skin. It is rarely dangerous in small amounts but genuinely unpleasant, and because its dangling strands are so tempting to batting cats, hang it well out of reach and wash your hands after handling cuttings. For a broader list, see houseplants toxic to cats.
Treat string of pearls as the drought-loving succulent it is — bright light, gritty soil, and water only when dry — and its curtain of beads will trail for years. For related succulent care, browse the houseplants hub.