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String of Hearts

Sometimes, it can be hard to find a particular species of plant, since a nursery’s stock is always rotating. Fortunately, the Internet has made it easy to connect with plant lovers, who tend to be generous with cuttings. Sharing cuttings with your plant-friends is one of the joys of plant parenthood, but learning how to root and grow them is a test of your skill and patience—plus there’s the added pressure of not wanting to let your friends down! Here I’m going to explain how to root string of hearts (Ceropegia woodii), a vine that I wanted badly and finally got via a few cuttings.

Survival strategy

In daily highs of 200 foot-candles, a string of hearts will survive, but over time, the pattern on its leaves will fade and the distance between leaf sets will increase such that the overall plant begins to feel sparse. You can bring the soil to saturation when it becomes completely dry.

Growth strategy

When the string of hearts can see an hour or two of direct sun, with indirect light at 400–800 foot-candles at other times of the day, the vines will grow nicely, showing strong variegation. As you aerate the soil before watering, take care when probing, as the string of hearts forms thick tubers. Give the soil a good soaking each time it becomes completely dry. When you see active growth, you can fertilize with a balanced fertilizer as directed.

Subjective life span

With a string of hearts, you can be forever propagating and sharing with friends, or carefully managing a long chain for many years. You’ll enjoy this plant at any length!