Ceropegia woodii, popularly known as “String of Heart,” is a stunning trailing succulent that looks great in any living area. While they may seem challenging to some, the Variegated String of Hearts Succulent is one of the most resilient indoor plants once you get the hang of it. This article contains some fundamental information on how to take excellent care of String of Hearts.

The String of Hearts is a wonderful and adorable hanging plant that is indigenous to Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and South Africa. This exquisite succulent has captured the hearts of many collectors thanks to its dark green leaves with variegated silver markings or in cream, pink, and green heart-shaped, patterned leaves. It has stems with a purple hue and can reach heights of 2 to 3 inches. Make sure to hang this plant high so you can see how stunning it can be, especially when it begins to cascade out of the pot like a waterfall. It can grow up to 2 to 3 inches tall and has purple-toned stems that may be anywhere from 3 to 9 feet in length.

A Variegated String of Hearts: What Is It?

South Asia, Africa, and Australia are the native continents of variegated strings of hearts. The world was first introduced to this genus by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. A tubular corolla with more than five petals is this plant’s most distinctive characteristic. The aforementioned petals unite in a distinctive way at their tips to create an umbrella- or tube-like canopy.

Ceropegia mostly grows erect but also creeps. The pink variegated String of Hearts is the common name for the flower with pinkish overtones. When it comes to succulents, some Africans gnaw on the roots raw. While some Africans nibble on the plant’s raw roots, succulent enthusiasts and homeowners frequently employ this plant as adornment.

Similar to the original plant is the Woodii variegate. The sole distinction between them is that the latter has pinkish undertones. Instead of the reddish margins, the former has white borders. All other variegated cultivars are comparable to the parent plant except for that.

How to Take Care of Variegated Heart Strings

For good reason, succulents like the variegated String of Hearts plants are referred to as neglect-resistant plants. You don’t have to continually take care of them or make sure they live in ideal conditions. These are the necessities you need to give them on a regular basis.

 Water

The vine known as the variegated String of Hearts may survive without adequate irrigation. The soil needs to be moistened once. You can rewater it when it has dried. It’s time to water if you see that your succulent soil is already 90% dry. The growth zone and weather have an impact on how often to water.

During the summer, you only need to water them once or twice a week. In the winter, You only need to water the plant once every 12 to 15 days when it’s dormant. Never overwater a succulent because doing so will cause the plant to get damp.

Sunlight

This vine enjoys bright, filtered sunlight. To keep their content in this situation, be sure to place them on a windowsill or in a bright area.

Several feet away from a South-facing window, which receives the most daily direct sunshine, is a good position to put plants if you’re growing them indoors. Other choices include positioning it close to an East-facing window that receives morning or afternoon sun for half the day or a West-facing window.

We advise using a grow light in addition to growing near North-facing windows to prevent lanky and sparse growth.

Thermodynamics and Temperature

A temperature range of 65 to 90 ° Fahrenheit is ideal for promoting plant growth. Maintain a temperature of at least 40 ° f Fahrenheit during the night. When the weather drops, you must move the plant to a warm area because it cannot tolerate frost or cold.

The variegate String of Hearts plant is fortunately not fussy about humidity. The average humidity in your region is suitable for their survival and growth.

The Best Soil

You can plant your multicolored String of Hearts plant in any well-draining potting soil. When in doubt, always choose a combination of cacti. Sand, grit, perlite, or pumice can be added to standard houseplant soil as a supplement to promote drainage. Most mixes of cacti and succulents have one or more of these components.

Make sure you always plant in a container with drainage holes and think about using terracotta containers, which naturally assist wick away excess moisture, to further promote drainage. Let’s say you put them in a hanging basket or a standard container. You must pay attention to the soil mixture used. Planting in unsuitable soil that permits the buildup of water can result in wet feet and soggy soils that can bring on a fungus infection and cause root rot in your string of hearts. 

Fertilizer

The delicate vine known as the String of Hearts is not suited to heavy feeding. In this case, you simply need to apply regular, dilute house fertilizer once a month from March through August when the plant is in bloom. They are dormant in the winter, so you don’t need to fertilize them. 

Maintaining and Pruning

Your string of hearts can grow more fully if you prune and maintain it often. The plant can recover swiftly from pruning while it is in its active growing season.

When you start to notice older, dying, or straggly growth on the plant, then is a good time to prune as well. To keep your vine healthy and attractive, remove the elder leaves from the mother plant as soon as you notice them wilting. Leggy growth is typically a symptom that your plant isn’t getting enough light. You might also think about controlling this expansion, but first, take care of the main problem.

Propagation of Variegated String of Hearts 

It’s really simple to cultivate this plant if you want to increase the size of your collection of strings of hearts. The most popular method involves burying stem cuttings in soil or water. Tuber propagation, which is less common but still quite simple, takes longer to produce results.

Water Propagation 

Because it’s the simplest to execute, this approach is the most widely used of the three. Only a pair of scissors, a vase, and water would be required.

Cut the vine you want to root first, then put it in a vase. Permit the roots to expand.

Make careful to place the vase in a warm location with enough sunlight for the roots to spread out quickly. Only a few days will pass before the roots start to show under ideal circumstances.

Soil Propagation

The side you want to plant must first have the vines chopped off and the leaves removed.

After that, plant the stem cuttings in the soil-like potting mix.

To enable the root to develop, make sure the nodes are completely submerged in the soil.

In order to encourage the ideal environment where the roots would spread out, you must also make sure that the vines receive enough air and light.

Propagating tubers

A mature variegated string of hearts plant can be propagated using tubers. The bulbs that develop on your adult String of Hearts vine are called tubers. With this developing method, A large tuber around the size of a fingernail is required.

Push the aforementioned tuber into the ground while still attached to the plant vine to encourage root growth. Once the root has grown, it will be simple to clip the vine from the mother plant. Maintain it in a well-lit place and give them weekly watering. In just a few weeks, this will promote root growth.