String of Pearls
String of pearls is the trailing succulent everyone wants and plenty struggle with - cascading strands of round, pea-like leaves spilling over the pot. Each 'pearl' is a water-storing leaf with a translucent window that lets light in, which is the plant's clever way of coping with strong sun in a compact form.
The two failures are always the same: not enough light, so the strands go leggy and the pearls shrivel; or too much water, which rots the shallow roots overnight. Give it your brightest indirect spot, a gritty succulent mix, and a thorough soak only once the soil is bone dry. Grown well, it is easy to propagate - lay a strand across fresh soil and it roots itself.
Wants very bright indirect light with a little direct morning sun; too dim and the strands stretch and the pearls space out and shrivel.
Water only once the soil is fully dry, then soak thoroughly
Feed lightly with a dilute succulent fertiliser
Trim leggy strands and lay them on soil to root and fill out the pot
Shrivelled pearls mean too little water or light; mushy ones mean rot
Repot only when needed - it likes a snug pot