What's Wrong with My String of Pearls?

Each pearl is a swollen water-storage organ, and those cells burst when the soil stays wet for too long. The shallow, fine root system of String of Pearls rots fast in moist soil, and by the time pearls turn translucent and mushy the roots are usually already gone.

String of Pearls can go weeks without water because each pearl holds a large reserve relative to its size. Shriveling means that reserve is finally exhausted. Recovery is quick once the plant gets a good drink.

String of Pearls sheds pearls quickly when stressed by a sudden shift in light, temperature, or humidity. Moving the plant, a cold draft, or a dramatic change in watering frequency can trigger a wave of drops within days.

When rot has destroyed most of the shallow root system, the plant can no longer support the strings. Pearls fall off in clusters, often while still partially plump. If the crown at the soil surface feels soft, rot is the cause.

As rot spreads from the shallow root zone upward into the crown, individual strings lose their supply line and die from the base outward. The pearls on a dying string go flat and pale before the stem shrivels.

String of Pearls evolved in open, sun-drenched South African drylands. In dim indoor spots, strings weaken and produce fewer, smaller pearls. Eventually the plant concentrates energy on its closest strings to the light source and the shadier ones die back.

White cottony clusters at the base of the crown or tucked between pearls along the strings. Mealybugs are the most common pest on String of Pearls because the closely spaced pearls give them sheltered spots to hide and feed along every string.

Soft-bodied green or tan insects clustered at the tips of actively growing strings, where the plant tissue is youngest and most tender. String of Pearls is periodically targeted because the string tips are exactly the kind of soft new growth aphids seek out.