Crassula perforata: String Of Buttons Plant Care. Crassula perforata is a moderately fast-growing succulent plant compare to other succulent plants. It is a sprawling and shrubby succulent with stems and leaves that stacked atop each other. It is a native to South Africa.
The String of Buttons plant has broad leaves that are triangular and short in shape. The leaves are green-gray spiral around each stem. The edges of the leaf are astonishing in rosy pink color and make it very beautiful contrast to the gray color.
They also have small pink or white dots spread along the margins of the leaf. This plant is rather useful for pots or containers or hanging baskets and can be a garden inspiration.
The flowers are small, starlike, pale yellow bloom in the spring months. Most of the time gardeners prune them off as the dead, and dried stems become unattractive after flowering. The Crassula perforata plant will form small colonies.
Crassula Perforata or String of Buttons is hardy in USDA hardiness zones 9-11. It is good for urban gardening and a part of the world of succulents.
The plant preferred to every type of landscaping for landscape designers. It is used as a border plant and as a ground cover.
The plant is used more as a plant combination and in xeriscape landscapes. Ideal for hanging baskets, in terrariums, tropical gardens, special gardens, rock garden, and ornamental gardens.
Alternate names or common names of Crassula perforata
The plant has many common and alternate names including String of Buttons, Baby’s Necklace, Necklace Vine, and Stacked Crassula. With scientific name including Crassula perforata, Crassula perfossa, Crassula conjuncta, and Crassula nealeana. And also crassula perforata variegata.
How to grow Crassula Perforata
Indoor or outdoor
Crassula Perforata or String of Buttons can be grown indoors and outdoors or as specific houseplants. Provide the String of Button the right potting mix. It must be a well-draining potting mix or potting soil.
To give a better chance of survival, provide the plant with proper lighting. If the String of Buttons is kept outdoors, place them with sun exposure. They tend to be happy outdoors.
Outdoor Lighting Requirements
The string of Buttons plant thrives well in areas that receive a good amount of sunlight. The plant can tolerate partial sun as they can tolerate to full sun.
Even so, the String of Buttons plant prefers bright filtered sunlight. The plant requires to be acclimated to full sun. If not, the leaves will get burned easily.
Being outdoors, the plant needs to be placed in a bright sunny location. Gradually increases the amount of sunlight until it is fully acclimated to the sun. Even so, the plant is already acclimated to full sun, the plant can still get sunburned during an intense heatwave.
The rosy-pink color on the edge on the leaves heightens the more sun exposure it gets. To maximize the intensity of colors, increase the amount of sun exposure.
Sunshades are one solution during the intense summer heat for String of Buttons plant. When the temperatures rise above 100℉ or 37.8℃.
Indoor Lighting Requirements
If you plan to keep the string of buttons crassula perforata indoor, you must give a lot of light. Typically they require about 4 to 6 hours of light every day to thrive well.
Without enough light indoors or poor lighting, the plant stretching out. The plant does not receive adequate light for a long time and starts to stretch out (etiolation).
The process will create weak stems and stimulate poor growth. By seeing this, you can relocate the plant to a brighter location. Relocate the String of Buttons plant to an east-facing window or south or west-facing window.
If you have a very poor lighting condition, consider using a growlight. Growlights are a good purchase for your plant if you have long, dark winters.
Soil requirements
A well-draining soil is the best choice for Crassula perforata. It must be paired with proper watering.
Use a cactus potting mix combined with perlite for added drainage. Measure the blend to about 2:1 solution of cactus mix and perlite (soil and fertilizer).
The plant also can use sandy soil. You can mix cactus mix or potting soil with coarse sand with about 2:1 ratio.
Care and propagation
Fertilizer
Fertilizing the String of Buttons is not necessary. Provide the plants with the nutrients they need will help ensure proper growth and encourage blooms. Feeding them with extra nutrients will help supplement their needs during the flowering season.
It is recommended to fertilize during the active growing season, or during summer and spring months. Use only at a quarter or half-strength, every two weeks.
Do not fertilize at the end of the fall season and during winter months.
The best fertilizer for String of Buttons plant care is by using a balanced blend of fertilizer. Fertilizer that is formulated for cacti and succulents are also suitable.
Watering
The watering practice for String of Buttons’ succulent care can be determined by the climate you live in. The plants are highly adapted to dry conditions. However, they do well when given sufficient amounts of water.
In the summer months, water the Crassula Perforata every 7 to 10 days and more during a heatwave. When the temperature is going down, water the plant about every 10 to 14 days.
In the winter months, you can rely on rainwater. Stop watering because this is when the plant gets much water. If the plant does not receive water at all during winter then water at least once a month or every 2 to 3 weeks. You must observe on how dry the soil gets.
In humid locations, the plant does not need water as much. Indoors plant, may not have to get water as much. Especially those plants that are not receiving a lot of light. Overwatering and not enough amount of light is can be disastrous for these plants.
To know the right time to water the plant is by checking the moisture of the soil. Check if the top inch of the soil is dry before you can water the plant. Pay close attention to how dry is the soil and how the plant looks and you can adjust watering accordingly.
Use tools like hygrometers or moisture meters to check the moisture level of the soil and air. It is to make sure you know when to water the plant.
Problems of the plant
Mushy Brown Leaves
Overwatering is the main reason why Crassura Perforata has mushy brown leaves. Actually the plant will look not healthy and with soft and mushy leaves and appear clear.
If you see signs that you are overwatering the plant, allow the plant to dry out and recover from too much water. You can start watering after the plant has dry out completely.
When you discover that the soil is not drying, you should change the soil to a well draining one. Once you see root rot, you can salvage the plant by cutting off the dead parts. Salvage anything that looks green and feasible to propagate and repot. It is not plant diseases.
Shriveled Leaves
Underwatering is the main reason why the String of Buttons plant has shriveled leaves. The leaves look shriveled, wrinkled and dried up.
The leaves will feel fizzle and flat. This is a sign that the plant is running low on water. To fix the problem by watering the plant. After watering, the leaves should perk up immediately within one day or two.
Brown Leaves
Sunburn is the most common cause of brown leaves. This plant can tolerate full sun, but extreme hot weather conditions or extreme heatwaves can cause sun damage.
If the problem is temporary, the sun will not internally damage the plant. Extreme heat can fry the plant to death. If you discover the plant getting sunburned, relocate the plant to a provided partial shade under taller plants, walls, or sunshades.
Relocating the plant from a sunnier spot to shadier area, do the relocation slowly. You do not want to shock the plant. Give an acclimation time from the more intense heat. Gradual movements are always better than drastic relocation for any string of Buttons.
The propagation
The fastest and easiest method to propagate a String of Buttons is by stem cuttings to grow plant. You can propagate from leaves (leaf cuttings), but the process is harder and less foolproof.
Make sure to use the entire leaf which goes around the stem. To ensure a successful propagation you must include the base.
Start sliding the entire leaf down the stem to remove the entire leaf. Then lay flat on the soil. You will have a much higher success rate with stem cuttings.
Protection of the plant
Outdoor Sun Protection
If you place the String of Buttons outdoors, some days the plant needs to be protected from heatwave during the hot summer months. To protect the plant from the heat of the sun, you can prepare sun protection all year long.
One of them is by using shade cloths that can block out intense sunlight and prevent sun damage and sunburn. Here is one example.
NKTM 50%-60% Sunblock Shade Cloth
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Cold and Frost Protection
You can provide the plant protection from the freezing temperatures or frost. A frost cloth or frost blanket helps prevent cold air from coming in.
The frost cloth needs to be held down by rocks or another object with the same weight to keep them from being blown away by the wind. The frost cloths can be stored and reused year after year.
Agfabric Warm Worth Frost Blanket
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For Moisture Control and Measurement
Moisture Meters can be used to measure the humidity of the soil. Since you have to know the time to water the String of Buttons succulent plant. This tool surely very useful to help prevent overwatering or underwatering. Consider this as houseplant care.
Sonkir Soil pH Meter
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Recommended accessories (recommended products)
Watering bottle
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Slow-release fertilizer
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Growlights
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Cactus or succulent potting soil
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Gardening toolset
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Pruner
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Perlite
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