Ceropegia Woodii Care | Growing a Healthy String of Hearts
Ceropegia Woodii Care is very important to me.
Also known as String of Hearts or Rosary Vine, this plant is one of my absolute favourite house plants.
Its dainty little silvery green hearts make it a very special plant for those who own one.
The Ceropegia Woodii is not an easy plant to find; and when you find it, you may have to spend more than you are willing to. But let me tell you; it’s worth it!
This beautiful trailing plant is quite easy to care for; it grows fast and it’s an incredible piece of living decor for your home that won’t go unnoticed!
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I love my String of Hearts. I tip toe around its needs, which are really not too many. The only aspect of this plant that always keeps me busy, is figuring out new spots to place it as its strings get longer and longer…The actual care is easy!
So, let’s dig into this Ceropegia Woodii Care!
This is my Ceropegia Woodii. I chose this charcoal coloured pot to contrast the silvery green of its little heart shaped leaves.
ceropegia woodii origins and description
Before we dig into the Ceropegia Woodii care, I think it’s important to know this plant’s origins.
The String of Hearts is native to South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
Its scientific name, (Ceropegia Woodii), comes from the scientist who first discovered it in 1881; John Wood. This plant has been given many different nick names due to its look:
- String of Hearts
- Rosary Vine
- Chain of Hearts
- Collar of Hearts
- Hearts on String
- Sweetheart Vine
Since its discovery, it was observed this plant had trailing habits and good tolerance to neglect.
It is important to know this plant is not a succulent but a succulent vine. An evergreen succulent trailing vine, to be precise.
If not trimmed, it can grow its stems up to 13 feet in length! (Hence my constant moving dilemma!).
Both roots and stems develop tubers. Along the stems, tubers form at nodes, and that is why this plant is often called Rosary Vine.
The Ceropegia Woodii blooms beautiful flowers with a white and light magenta corolla and deep purple petals.
There are a few varieties available on the market, including variegated species. (I have never seen a variegated type for sale myself).
Rosary Vines should only been grown outdoors in tropical or subtropical regions.
A pair of new hearts along one of the many stems in my Rosary Vine.
ceropegia woodii light
An important aspect of the Ceropegia Woodii Care is light exposure.
This plant thrives in bright indirect light conditions.
Direct exposure to the sun will scorch its leaves. Not enough sun will wilt its leaves.
If you are lucky enough to have a variegated String of Hearts, keep in mind that the more bright light you give it, the more variegation you’ll get. The less the light, the less variegation you’ll get.
I keep my String of Hearts by a North facing window where it gets plenty of natural light, but never direct sun light.
ceropegia woodii soil and watering
The most important factor in the Ceropegia Woodii Care is the type of soil used and watering.
As mentioned before, this plant is not technically a succulent, but you should think of it as one.
Soil drainage is critical for this plant. Make sure you use a succulent/cactus mix or a houseplant mix combined with perlite and coco coir inside a pot with draining holes.
The Rosary Vine should only be watered when the soil is dry and should never stand in water.
Once your plant is dry, water it thoroughly. Discard any excess water left in the saucer.
Keep in mind this plant goes dormant in winter, so it will need even less water during those months.
Locks of my Ceropegia Woodii.
ceropegia woodii transplanting and fertilizing
Another important aspect of Ceropegia Woodii Care is knowing when to transplant and fertilize.
In general, the rule of thumb is to transplant any plants in spring. However, not every plant needs to be transplanted. On the other hand, some plants cannot wait until spring to be transplanted.
Rosary Vines don’t grow extensive root systems. For this reason, they do not need to be repotted every year. As a matter of fact, this plant prefers to be slightly tight in its pot. So, do not rush repotting it! Unless, it gives you signs it needs to be repotted.
There are times when your plant needs to be repotted for reasons other than growth, such as; poor drainage and pests.
When transplanting your String of Hearts for size reasons, don’t go with a much bigger pot. Choose a pot that is 1-2 inches bigger than its previous one.
If you believe your plant needs a bigger pot, try to wait until spring to do so.
Make sure you don’t plant the tubers too deep and tight into the pot.
As mentioned before, it’s critical you provide excellent drainage to your Rosary Vine. Use the proper soil and pot.
As far as fertilizing your Ceropegia Woodii goes, use a liquid house plant fertilizer every three to four weeks during the spring and summer months only.
I transplanted my Ceropegia Woodii only once in the spring from its original pot to a slightly bigger one.
ceropegia woodii pruning and propagating
Proper Ceropegia Woodii Care includes pruning.
Pruning is not required unless the stems become leggy and the hearts loose their bright contrast, (even though the overall leaf effect is a silvery green colour, the actual close look shows a good vibrant contrast of dark and light greens).
Pruning can be done for propagating purposes or to fill in the original plant with more strings.
Pruning is simple; cut a string or multiple strings right under one of the nodes along the stem/string at whatever length you want. You may choose to discard the piece of string you’ve cut or use it for propagation purposes.
Ceropegia Woodii propagation is mostly done by stem cutting.
What actually grows new roots is the tuber that grows on the nodes along the stems.
If you have a stem cutting with visible nodes, you can place the portion of stem with the node in water for a few weeks to let it grow roots.
Another way is to place the node on the top soil of your Ceropegia Woodii pot and wait until it roots. At that time you can either leave it in that same pot to make the existing plant fuller or transplant it to a different pot to make a new plant.
Whatever you do to propagate your Ceropegia Woodii, remember you are not supposed to propagate plants with the purpose of re-selling them. Making more for yourself or gifting to family and friends is great but there are laws in place that forbid un-licensed propagation of plants.
Some plants even come with stickers clearly stating propagation for sale purposes is forbidden.
This is a node with a leaf I found on the top soil of my Ceropegia Woodii pot. I put in a jar of water and it’s rooting!!
I accidentally stepped on and tore this stem off of the mother plant while I was transporting it. So I placed the part of the stem with the node in water and it started rooting!!
ceropegia woodii troubleshooting
As part of the Ceropegia Woodii Care, I’d like to mention what the main issues with this plant may be.
As mentioned before, this plant really is a Sweetheart Vine! It doesn’t give too much trouble. If anything, the only issues one may have with it are:
- Not enough light. (Refer to the paragraph on Light).
- Too much water or poor drainage. (Refer to the paragraph on Soil and Watering).
- Pests: Rosary Vines are mostly vulnerable to mealy bugs, aphids and scale. An insecticidal soap will help you take care of the problem! Another home made option is to water your plant with one part 3% hydrogen peroxide mixed with 4 parts warm water. Place insect specific sticky tags around your plant and the problem should be gone in a few weeks.
Can you see that little insect on the right hand leaf??? I suspect it’s a gnat! I have taken care of it with the hydrogen peroxide treatment!
This your Ceropegia Woodii Care essentials package!
I sure hope you find and get to love one of these plants the same way I do!
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So odd. I over water mine & let it set in water. If I don’t it drys out to fast & doesn’t do well. I also fertilize it once a week in the spring & summer & it blooms great. I’ve had this plant now for over 10 years & it’s doing awesome. I keep it in a south window. Good light but no direct sun.
That is interesting!!
Do you live in dry or warm climate?
Thank you for sharing your caring tips!
Doesn’t it depend on whether your house or apt. Is humid or dry as to the amount of water?
Also, I use gro-lights during the wintertime. New to the world of succulents, I am having to water more often as well and I have 44 plants that we doing well so far. I belong to a couple of succulent groups as well, and it astonishes me that even though there are some things everyone is doing alike, there seems many things they are doing differently for the same plant, which leads me to believe that nothing is set in stone and sometimes common sense has to prevail. I research each plant, make up care sheets and let the plants tell me what they need.
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Absolutely! Watering is always dependent on your environmental climate!
And I also agree with you on the fact there is no absolute on plant’s care. It really all depends on so many factors, climate, soil, lighting, container, gardener…
Tips and guides are written to give people some directions on what plants are known to be successful with and thrive on, or dislike and should be avoided.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Good luck with your String of Hearts!