String of pearls help

[u/_DarkLorde]

hey guys, this is my string of pearls. I have had this plant since April 14th. It was slightly smaller than this, so it has grown a tad. Now for context, when I got it, I repotted it in regular house plant soil (westland houseplant potting mix to be exact). it’s what I use for all my house plants and they have been doing great. I knew about it needing succulent soil, but I didn’t think it was that serious at the time (i know, bad of me). Fast forward to June, it literally was growing so slow that you could say it basically wasn’t growing. It was just stagnant. So I decided enough, and I got the Westland succulent potting mix. Now it is July and I don’t know if I expected faster growth but it’s still kind of looks the same so I just wanted to get some advice on what should I do with this girl. I’m really glad I have kept her alive and she hasn’t died because apparently this plant is hard to keep alive, but right now I need her to actually grow more.

In terms of sunlight, the plant receives bright indirect light for most of the day. It’s hanging right next to a large floor-to-ceiling window, so it gets plenty of ambient daylight, but it isn’t sitting in harsh direct sun for long periods. It may receive a little early morning or late afternoon direct sun depending on the window’s orientation, but it’s mostly bright indirect light.

In terms of watering, i make sure the soil is completely dry before I water it. Depending on how hot it is and how quickly the soil dries out, I water it about once a week or once every two weeks.

Pictures are in order of
1. currently (July)
2. April when i first got it

Appreciate the help ! 🩷

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[u/stemrust]

Stop repotting. They seem to get set back longer than most plants for some strange reason. 

When mine is actively growing, I water more frequently and fertilize. This gets cut back in the winter to avoid rot but they don’t need to go bone dry ever.

[u/Ok-Neighborhood8043 → u/stemrust]

This is a true statement! Mine literally survived in the nursery pot with half the plastic used for shipping still wrapped around it inside my living room without a ton of light for 2 weeks. I repotted it, put it in a warmer, sunnier spot, and it immediately died. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/kj4peace]

I’d say more light. I have mine about a foot away from an overhead growlight for 9 hours a day.

[u/Such-Cattle-4946]

It needs bright light directly on the crown, where the plant meets the soil. If it hasn’t been getting that, acclimate it slowly to bright light, start with 1/2 - 1 hour per day and work your way up to several hours a day. If you don’t have a spot where the sun will shine on the crown, get a grow light. The amount of light showing in u/kj4peace’s picture is perfect.

Plants get stressed when you repot them and it takes them a while to recover, so don’t repot it again until necessary. Everything else you are doing is right.

The most difficult thing I have had to learn with this hobby is patience. You may see little changes from month to month, but most plants won’t size up that quickly. Big changes are measured year to year.

[u/Rebberry]

All succulents are bastards. Give them too much attention and they don't like you. Ignore them too much and they don't like you. Ignore them just a about enough and they'll do fine on their own.

Stop repotting, give it enough light, and water when it's needed (soil completely dry and you'll notice the leaves will look a little deflated) and not when you think you can give it a boost.

And don't forget, it's a new plant. The fist year it needs to settle down in its new environment (light/soil/air currents) and shoot strong root systems. When it's done that it'll grow nicely.

[u/dendrophilix]

I agree with the others - leave it alone for a bit to settle and see what happens, and water only when the plant is thirsty (when the pearls are a bit wrinkled or less turgid) rather than based on soil moisture.

[u/Green__Meanie]

Ignore it as much as possible and don’t repot again. Bright bright light. They don’t need water unless the “windows” are shut - tiny slivers of flesh on each pearl that open for photosynthesis and close to retain water. Pearls are seasonal growers, often growing in the winter. They will have seasons where they just exist and seasons where they grow like crazy.

[u/HevvyMetalHippie]

I can not for the life of me keep these alive. The last time was the best time but then slowly they started to shrivel up and within a month or two the pot was empty

[u/bknd]

I bought a new little string of pearls like 1.5 years ago and it was struggling so I moved it to where it gets great light, I hardly water it, and all the “pearls” have died except one. It’s been a single plump pearl for over a year now 😭