The watch chain earns its name from the geometric precision of its stems — tiny, scale-like leaves stack so tightly along each shoot that the effect is exactly like a miniature watch chain or zipper, and the texture is almost architectural up close. It's a succulent, a relative of jade and echeveria, and it asks for the same two things they do: bright direct sun and merciless restraint with the watering can.
In a sunny windowsill the stems grow upright and dense, forming a neat mounded clump. Give it less than a few hours of direct sun and the stems stretch and thin, losing the compact character that's the whole point. It occasionally throws tiny, inconspicuous yellow-green flowers in spring — easy to miss, but the fragrance is surprisingly strong for such a small plant.
Needs several hours of direct sun on a windowsill. In lower light the stems stretch and lose the tight, chain-like texture that makes this plant worth growing.
Water the soil only, then let it dry bone dry before the next drink
Tolerant — forgives a missed watering and prefers to dry out.
Mildly toxic to cats and dogs if eaten; keep away from pets.
Soak the soil, then leave it bone dry before watering again
Feed with a dilute succulent fertiliser
Watch for stem stretching — a sign it needs more direct sun
Check for mealybugs nestled in the dense leaf scales
Repot in gritty cactus mix when it outgrows its pot