The string of hearts is a trailing indoor plant with the biological name Ceropegia woodii. It has heart-shaped gray leaves featuring attractive mottling along with pinkish undersides. In the summertime, this plant might bear tubular, pink flowers. It is a succulent plant native to Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The plant looks very beautiful, and in this guide, we will provide you with all the information on its growth and caring, so scroll down to read further.
What Is the String of Hearts Plant?
The trailing house vine plant gets its name due to its heart-shaped leaves with variegation. It’s a South African native plant and belongs to the Apocynaceae family. This plant’s other common names are rosary vine, sweetheart vine, the collar of hearts, and chain of hearts.
This plant also flowers, and its stems tend to produce little magenta-colored tubers during the spring and summertime.
The String of Hearts Care Basics
Follow some basics if you want to grow the string of heart plants in your house. You will have to grow this plant in bright indirect light. Make sure it is not exposed to direct sunlight.
Here’s a quick summary of the string of heart plants basics.
|Botanical Name||Ceropegia woodii|
|Common Name||Chain of hearts or String of hearts|
|Plant Type||Evergreen, Succulent|
|Mature Height||2 cm to 5 cm|
|vines growth||Up to 4 m|
|Soil pH||Acidic and Neutral|
|Bloom Time||Late summer, early autumn|
|Light exposure||bright light but not direct sunlight|
|Native Area||Zimbabwe and Southern Africa|
How to Care for the String of Hearts Plant?
These String of Hearts plants come potted in different hanging planters. Therefore, you will have to follow the following steps to take care of these plants.
This plant requires bright but indirect light
The String of Hearts plant cannot survive in dull or low light conditions. But it is also delicate to be placed in direct sun. Therefore, the best option is to leave it in bright but indirect sunlight, which can lead to more variegation on the leaves. If there are more spaces between those leaves, your plant might not be getting enough sunlight.
Water your plant consistently
You will have to water string once or twice a week in the spring or summertime for the best results. In fall or winter, this plant becomes formant, and you will have to water it fortnightly.
Just make sure the soil is dried out when you water it. Otherwise, overwatering can result in yellow leaves, and it also means its roots are rotting out. The plant tends to store water in its leaves to survive dry conditions.
But if the leaves on your plant look wilted or deflated, you will have to water your plant a little more till you see improvement in their leaves.
This plant needs warm temperatures
The string of hearts tends to thrive in temperatures between 60 F to 80F. This plant doesn’t do well in cold temperatures. Therefore, you will have to ensure your plant is not exposed to temperatures below 41F.
Add more fertilizer to boost growth and flowering
The plant doesn’t need much nutrition, but if you want it to grow flowers, you can add more fertilizer (once or twice a year) in the growing season to shoot out flowers and make the plant more beautiful and add to the looks in your house.
Give it some space to grow
You need to give your plant plenty of space to grow. Your string of hearts will outgrow its pot, and when it does, you will have to transplant it into the bigger pot.
You will also have to pick the right potting mix that drains properly. For instance, you can go for houseplant mix like Peace Lily Imperial with coco coir and perlite or cactus & succulent mix. And then wait for the start of the spring season for the results.
How to Propagate the String of Hearts Plant?
You can quickly propagate String of Hearts. Here are some steps you need to follow to propagate this plant from cuttings.
1. Trim the plant right under the nodule
Once your plant has flowered, you will be able to notice those bead-like aerial tubers that tend to grow on the vine of this plant. If they are touching the soil, these nodules will normally take root. So, for propagating them, you will have to trim off a small piece of vine attached to the tuber.
2. Place this tuber in the soil
You can place the cutting right on the top of the soil in a separate pot. Let it rest on the surface of the soil.
3. Keep the soil moist
Make sure to keep the soil in the separate pot moist, as the process of rooting takes about a month. Therefore, keep the soil moist throughout this period to provide it with a full chance to grow a new plant with all its potential.
How to Pot and Repot the String of Hearts Plant?
The string of Hearts likes to be partially root-bound. Therefore, you should not get an oversized pot for it when spotting or repotting. When reporting, go for a replacement pot that is only a couple of inches bigger than the older pot, or you will stress the plant if you go for a bigger pot.
The potting mix needs to allow proper aeration and drainage, and the plant needs to have sufficient light. For a DIY mix, you can mix orchid bark, perlite, potting soil, coco coir, and coarse sand to form the right mix.
The best soil type for this plant is cactus and succulent soil mix. The best time for reporting this plant is the beginning of the spring. However, the plant will start thriving during the summertime, which is its growing season.
Do the strings of hearts need sun?
This plant doesn’t need to be directly exposed to the sunlight. But it certainly needs plenty of light in the room. So, you need to place it in an indirect light for proper growth.
Do the strings of hearts grow fast?
Yes, this plant tends to grow pretty fast, and it will flower in abundance if you take care of it by providing it with the proper conditions to grow and adequate nutrition to consume.
Are the strings of hearts hard to care for?
No, this plant is not hard to take care of. It is an evergreen plant that will not need much watering and has no special requirements for reporting and fertilizing.
The string of hearts is a beautiful plant that is very easy to take care of, and it is pretty attractive. It is an evergreen plant ideal for hanging baskets and potting in pots that you can place on shelves or even window sills.
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