String Of Hearts Plants Care. The String of Hearts (Ceropegia woodii) is delicate heart-shaped foliage and slender vines can reach up to 12 inches (30.48 centimeters) long in its natural environment. It has nicknames, including Rosary Vine and Sweetheart Vine.
The String of hearts plant profile
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The best location to place String of Hearts plants is where the plant can receive plenty of bright indirect light. Just small doses of direct sun are good.
If you give the plant to a good deal of direct sunlight it might burn the leaves. But the String of Hearts plants is not suitable for lower light environments.
Place the plant a few meters away from a southern or western window is suitable and ideal. Or it can be placed directly in a northern or eastern window.
Display String of Hearts plant near a window that gets full sun all day. A good and ideal daytime temperature for the plant is from 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29.44 degrees Celsius). Take String of Hearts plants inside if the temperatures drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.56 degrees Celsius).
Planting
Plant the String of Hearts in a container or pot that contain a mixture of 2 parts perlite, 1 part loam and 1 part peat moss. If you are planting a lone seedling, dig a large hole at the size of the root ball in a pot that is at least 4 inches (10.16 centimeters) in diameter.
The other way is to use a Succulent and Cactus mix. Add some coco coir to the mix if it is available. Or you can use a combo of half cymbidium Orchid and half Succulent mixes. It is really important to make sure the mix drains water really well.
Soil
The String of Hearts plant is a semi-succulent because it keeps a lot of moisture in its fleshy leaves. It does not prefer having wet soil.
Make sure to use a soil mix that drains well and dries out completely in between watering. This practice is to avoid damaging your plant.
It is recommended to use premixed cactus soil or any well-draining potting soil mixed with some perlite and sand.
This rich mix would help the String of Hearts grow healthy. This plant is pretty hardy enough that it would grow well in any type of well-draining soil with or without the worm castings.
The String of Hearts plants care
Watering
Do not overwater String of Hearts plants because it might get root rot. This is can happen because of its skinny roots. The best thing to do is to let this plant dry out in between watering.
The Strong of Hearts plants need watering about once a week or every 10 days in summer. If the climate is very hot, you can water the plant once every 3 to 5 days.
During winter months, you can water the plant about once a fortnight. Practically, you need to know based on the heat and light in your home or office but start with the above intervals.
Pruning
The plant actually does not need pruning as much. Only cut a few dead stems out. Pruning could be done if the plant gets leggy or you want to propagate it by cuttings.
Give it a small cut from time to time. You can trim String of Hearts plants to eliminate straggly bits, dead bits, and general overgrowth.
The plant can grow up to 5 feet (152.4 cm) so if you do not want one this long make sure you give it a cut when it starts to get too long. Practicing a tidy up can encourage new growth on the plant.
Fertilizer
Fertilize the plant with a well-balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to every month from May to August. Do not provide any fertilizer during the plant’s dormant period, or November to March.
Provide worm castings in the spring. An application of balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer in spring would work too.
These plants like to be fed once a fortnight every month during the summer. Use seaweed to feed for these plants.
Light Requirements
The String of Hearts plants prefers to get bright sun all day long. The plant can thrive well in indirect light, as well.
Under direct sunlight, the plant’s leaves will have a dark green color with variegated silver markings. While under indirect light, the leaves will have a lighter green color with softer variegated markings.
In a low light situation, the leaves will be pale green with no variegation. No variegation is permanent and the variegation dies forever even if the plant is moved to better light.
Temperature
The String of Hearts is a tropical plant, originally from South Africa. The exotic plant should be at a temperature of above 60°F (16°C). Or between 70-85°F (21-29°C).
However, it can be grown outside in tropical climates. In temperate areas, the plant can be placed outdoor in the summer. You must adapt the plant to the outside temperature or it can get shocked or get sunburned.
Move it outside for one hour per day, gradually increasing the amount of time outside over the course of a couple of days so it can adjust to being outdoors. Make sure you bring it back inside before the cooler weather hits, again acclimating the plant to the indoors a little at a time.
Some folks have reported being able to keep their String of Hearts Plants outside even when the temperature gets down into the low thirties. This is certainly possible with a healthy and well-adjusted plant, but it is risky to expose any tropical plant to such temperature extremes and you take the chance of losing the plant.
Frequently ask question
How often should you water string of hearts plant?
Provide the String of Hearts plant a good drink when you notice the soil is dry, and then the next time you water is when the soil is dry again.
During the winter months, you should not water the plant. In this season, the plant goes into a semi-dormant state, and it prepares for new growth to start in the spring.
How often should you fertilize the String of hearts plant?
The String of Hearts should be fertilized only during its growing season. Stop feeding your String of Hearts plant in the mid-summer months, when the String of Hearts plant will need time to slow down. It will go in their semi-dormant stage for fall and winter.
Why is the string of hearts dropping leaves?
Overwatering the String of hearts plant tends to result in yellowing of the leaves and leaf loss. You should aerate, stop the watering until the soil has thoroughly dried. This could take about thirty days. See the care guide to a proper watering routine.
How quickly does a string of hearts grow?
The String of Hearts plant is one of the most natural plants to propagate. You can expect roots to grow in about four weeks
