How to Make String of Pearls Fuller

The beauty of your String of Pearls is in having an abundance of pearls and looking full and healthy. You may notice this is not the case as a plant parent at some point. The plant may look sparse or even balding, denying you the beauty you know the plant can give you. It is possible to reverse this trend and make the plant beautiful again in the following simple steps.

Why Is My String Of Pearls Thin?

The first step towards reversing whatever problems affect the plant is discovering the problem. Thus you need to have a list of possible causes to troubleshoot your plant and find a solution to its problems. The following are some of the possible reasons for a balding plant.

Too Much Sun

Your String of Pearls loves plenty of sunlight, but it is not exactly a big fan of direct sunlight. The more intense the sunlight, the more likely it is to affect your plant negatively. How do you know your String of Pearls is getting too much sunlight? The following are some of the indicators.

• Shriveled pearls with browning spots
• Yellowing leaves
• Brown scorched leaves
• Crispy leaves
• White leaves

Excessive sunlight doesn’t only affect the leaves. It also affects the stem and, in return, ruins mineral transportation from the substrate to the rest of the plant. Ultimately, the effects of sunburn are not only in what appears physically in the plant. It is also the outcome of the plant’s inability to transport minerals and water. The ultimate effect of both direct scorching sun and the compromised transport have the same effect of making the leaves appear bare.

You can solve this problem by moving the plant from direct sunlight, especially during hot summers. You can provide shade without blocking the light because the light is necessary for the plant to thrive. If your String of Pearls is indoors and the sun is still scorching, move it from the eastern and southern windows as the two allow the sun’s rays to fall directly on it.

Overwatering

Like many succulents, the String of Pearls’ natural environment is arid. The plant is therefore adapted for such an environment, and too much water destroys it. It would help if you only watered the String of Pearls after water from the previous drink you gave it has been exhausted. Check the water content in the plant by inserting fingers into the substrate. Water the plant if the soil is still dry in the first three inches.

Too much water causes the substrate to be soggy, which is another cause of an unhealthy plant. Waterlogged soil denies oxygen to the plant’s roots leading to root rot. Root rot is the most common disease affecting succulents. Rotten roots make it difficult for a plant to transport nutrients to the rest of the body, and this causes your plant to be bare. The pearls lose shape, while the stems lose luster and beauty.

Besides root rot, soggy soil creates a conducive environment for pests to breed. Mealybugs, scale insects, and aphids can suck the beauty out of your plant if not managed. One way of managing them is keeping the environment relatively dry. Too much water in the soil causes too much humidity, thus destructive pests.

Whether your soil gets soggy is determined by the amount of water you give it and by the type of substrate in which you plant the String of Pearls. Some soils are less porous than others, and even a little water causes them to be soggy; an excellent example of such soil is clay. You should report your String of Pearls in a more suitable substrate that allows water to pass through easily.

The pot where you grow your String of Pearls should have suitable drainage holes to allow the water to pass through. When the substrate is appropriate, and the water flows through, your water will enjoy no more than a moist substrate which is the best environment for it.

Under-watering

Your String of Pearls doesn’t need too much water but some water. If you give it less water than it needs, it exhibits the same symptoms as any other under-watered plant. The leaves and the pearls will lose their natural green hue and dry up. The plant will seek to prioritize the most critical areas for survival if the water is not enough for everything. The prioritization will deny the mostly decorative parts of the plant the resources they need to thrive.

Easy Ways to Make String of Pearls Fuller

You can take the following practical steps to make your plant look better.

Planting More Cuttings

You are not required to plant only one cutting in a pot. Often a single pot can only have a few strands. You can make your String of Pearls look lusher in the pot by having more cuttings grow from the same pot. Ultimately you will have more strands hanging from your basket and a better appearance. You can plant as many cuttings as the pot you plant them can accommodate. You should be measured in your planting to ensure the plant isn’t too bushy to prevent smooth airflow.

Adding More Soil

You add soil after laying some strands on the pottage. Apply some pottage to the strands and cover them up, including the pearls. Covering them thus will lead to a situation where the strands will produce roots and grow additional strands moving upwards, ultimately making the plant fuller. Adding soil in this manner also increases the number of aerial roots, contributing to the plant’s nourishment.

Feeding String of Pearls

 Sometimes the thinness of the String of Pearls comes from poor nutrition. The plant grows in arid areas like many other succulents and is not nutrient intensive. However, the substrate you plant may be so depleted after some years that it becomes impossible to get the proper nourishment.

You can remedy this situation by fertilizing the plant using a well-blended fertilizer. It is usually best to use a liquid fertilizer diluted to half-strength. Feed the plant during its growing season.

Indirect Sunlight

Direct sunlight is one of the possible reasons why your plant may thin out, as we observed earlier. You can reverse the effects by keeping your String of Pearls away from direct sunlight. The need to protect the plant is especially urgent when experiencing scorching summers. The succulent can withstand some of the rays of direct sunlight, but the afternoon sun in scorching summers may be too much. You can move the plants from direct sunlight in the afternoon since sunlight from the rest of the day is often beneficial.

Proper Watering

Water your String of Pearls only when water from the last drink has been exhausted. You can tell when to water by conducting a soil dryness test. You do this test by dipping your fingers into the soil to establish the level of wetness. If there is a significant moisture content in the top three inches, the soil doesn’t need another drink, but you need to water if the soil is dry in the top three inches.

You should water the plant sparingly in a pot allowing additional water flow. It is usually challenging to prescribe the amount of water you should give the plant because the need differs with the seasons. The plant will need more water in summer due to evaporation than in winter. Furthermore, it requires more water during its growing seasons of spring and summer since it is using a lot of it. Watering the plant in winter may be unnecessary since that is its dormant season. However, you observe it even in winter to see if it shows any distress symptoms, and you can drink it.

The key is just the right amount of water for the season.

Avoiding Hard Water

Avoiding hard water is dynamic in the water you might not find with other succulents. Hard water will accumulate salts in the soil, reducing soil quality and affecting the soil’s general health.

Avoid Cold

The string of Pearls isn’t cold hardy and dies when exposed to freezing temperatures. Keeping the plant from direct contact with frost is advisable by keeping it indoors, where you can regulate the temperature during winter.

The right pot

Having the right pot means that the strands of your plant will cover the pot nicely. While having a large pot will make it difficult for the plant to stand out in the pot. If, on the other hand, the pot is too small, the substrate will not be enough to feed the plant. You should report your plant if the pot is too small or too big.

Pruning String of Pearls

The strands on your String of Pearls can grow quite long, drawing the plant’s resources from the stem and pearls to the rest of the plant. Cut off the other suckers and nipping some succulents’ heads may also be advisable.

Read More: Common Problems With String Of Pearls Plant

ABOUT ME

Richard Miller

Salute everyone. It's Richard, the author of this Succulent & Xeriscaping blog. I am a traveler and a nature lover looking for a connection with the wild green. In my journey, I found a love for succulents and xeriscaping. What attracts me is the long-lasting & unique beauty of every plant I have the chance to see with my own eyes. Welcome to my little blog and let's enjoy a good time together!

Contact me: richard.succulentcity@gmail.com